NASM NUTRITION CERTIFICATION
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(VERIFIED AND UPDATED)
SCOFF questionnaire - ANS Basic yet reliable set of five questions that help assess whether an
eating disorder exists.
Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
Have you recently lost more than One stone (14 lbs) in a 3-month period?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?
Scientific Method - ANS The process of formulating explanations about the natural world and
testing those explanations with experiments and data.
1. Identify a Problem
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Design a study to test the hypothesis
4. Collect data
5. Discard or change the hypothesis OR continue testing
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Evidence-Based Practice - ANS A three-pronged approach to working with clients, which
consists of making decisions based on the weight of the scientific evidence, field observations,
and individual client needs and preferences.
Prediction - ANS An expected outcome generated from a hypothesis
Theory - ANS A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a large body of high-quality
evidence has been accumulated.
Hierarchy of Evidence - ANS 1. Systematic Reviews
2. Randomized Controlled Trials
3. Observational Research
4. Peer Reviews
5. Non-Peer-Reviewed Media, including anecdotes
Anecdote - ANS an account of a person's experience or event
Uncontrolled Variable - ANS A variable in an experiment that a scientist makes no effort to
manipulate or account for.
Primary Research - ANS Original research where scientists perform experiments and collect
data - this is in contrast to secondary research where scientists analyze data that has already
been collected or published elsewhere.
Observational Research - ANS Research in which a researcher observes ongoing behaviors to
determine correlation.
Correlation - ANS A relationship between two or more variables.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Randomized Control Trial (RCT) - ANS A type of scientific study/trial where participants are
randomly assigned into different groups - one or more will be the intervention to be tested and
one will be the control group. Groups are randomized and a control is used in an attempt to
reduce potential bias in the trial.
Independent Variable - ANS The variable scientists manipulate in an experiment.
External Validity - ANS The ability to generalize the results of a study.
Systematic Review - ANS A review where scientists systematically gather all research on a
topic and evaluate it based on predefined criteria and rules.
Meta-Analysis - ANS A statistical analysis of a group of studies to assess the overall weight of
the evidence.
Empirical - ANS Based on observation or experience.
Test-Retest Reliability - ANS The ability to get similar results when something is measured
under the same conditions.
Reliability - ANS The consistency of a measure.
Validity - ANS The assessment of whether a tool is measuring what it is supposed to measure.
Selection Bias - ANS A sample of people under study is not representative of the larger
population that scientists are looking to make inferences about.
Retrospective - ANS Describes a study that looks backward in time.
Recall Bias - ANS The inability to accurately remember past behaviors.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Health - ANS A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
Homeostasis - ANS The tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between
interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.
Disease - ANS A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one
that produces specific signs or symptoms, affects a specific location, and is not simply a direct
result of physical injury.
Noncommunicable Disease - ANS A noncommunicable disease (NCD) is a medical condition
or disease that is not caused by infectious agents; it can refer to chronic diseases which last for
long periods of time and progress slowly.
Communicable Disease - ANS Infectious diseases caused by microorganisms such as bacteria,
viruses, parasites, and fungi that can be spread (directly or indirectly) from one person to
another.
Wellness - ANS The fluid process of improving the emotional, occupational, physical, social,
intellectual, and spiritual components of life, dynamically leading to a better state of health and
well-being.
Obese - ANS A high degree of excess body fat - a BMI greater than 30.
Biometrics - ANS The technical term for measurements and calculations related to human
physical characteristics.
Satiety - ANS A feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
Palatability - ANS The degree of pleasure or taste provided by a food - a highly palatable food
is one that is tasty and pleasant to consume.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(VERIFIED AND UPDATED)
SCOFF questionnaire - ANS Basic yet reliable set of five questions that help assess whether an
eating disorder exists.
Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
Have you recently lost more than One stone (14 lbs) in a 3-month period?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?
Scientific Method - ANS The process of formulating explanations about the natural world and
testing those explanations with experiments and data.
1. Identify a Problem
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Design a study to test the hypothesis
4. Collect data
5. Discard or change the hypothesis OR continue testing
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Evidence-Based Practice - ANS A three-pronged approach to working with clients, which
consists of making decisions based on the weight of the scientific evidence, field observations,
and individual client needs and preferences.
Prediction - ANS An expected outcome generated from a hypothesis
Theory - ANS A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a large body of high-quality
evidence has been accumulated.
Hierarchy of Evidence - ANS 1. Systematic Reviews
2. Randomized Controlled Trials
3. Observational Research
4. Peer Reviews
5. Non-Peer-Reviewed Media, including anecdotes
Anecdote - ANS an account of a person's experience or event
Uncontrolled Variable - ANS A variable in an experiment that a scientist makes no effort to
manipulate or account for.
Primary Research - ANS Original research where scientists perform experiments and collect
data - this is in contrast to secondary research where scientists analyze data that has already
been collected or published elsewhere.
Observational Research - ANS Research in which a researcher observes ongoing behaviors to
determine correlation.
Correlation - ANS A relationship between two or more variables.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,Randomized Control Trial (RCT) - ANS A type of scientific study/trial where participants are
randomly assigned into different groups - one or more will be the intervention to be tested and
one will be the control group. Groups are randomized and a control is used in an attempt to
reduce potential bias in the trial.
Independent Variable - ANS The variable scientists manipulate in an experiment.
External Validity - ANS The ability to generalize the results of a study.
Systematic Review - ANS A review where scientists systematically gather all research on a
topic and evaluate it based on predefined criteria and rules.
Meta-Analysis - ANS A statistical analysis of a group of studies to assess the overall weight of
the evidence.
Empirical - ANS Based on observation or experience.
Test-Retest Reliability - ANS The ability to get similar results when something is measured
under the same conditions.
Reliability - ANS The consistency of a measure.
Validity - ANS The assessment of whether a tool is measuring what it is supposed to measure.
Selection Bias - ANS A sample of people under study is not representative of the larger
population that scientists are looking to make inferences about.
Retrospective - ANS Describes a study that looks backward in time.
Recall Bias - ANS The inability to accurately remember past behaviors.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Health - ANS A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
Homeostasis - ANS The tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between
interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.
Disease - ANS A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one
that produces specific signs or symptoms, affects a specific location, and is not simply a direct
result of physical injury.
Noncommunicable Disease - ANS A noncommunicable disease (NCD) is a medical condition
or disease that is not caused by infectious agents; it can refer to chronic diseases which last for
long periods of time and progress slowly.
Communicable Disease - ANS Infectious diseases caused by microorganisms such as bacteria,
viruses, parasites, and fungi that can be spread (directly or indirectly) from one person to
another.
Wellness - ANS The fluid process of improving the emotional, occupational, physical, social,
intellectual, and spiritual components of life, dynamically leading to a better state of health and
well-being.
Obese - ANS A high degree of excess body fat - a BMI greater than 30.
Biometrics - ANS The technical term for measurements and calculations related to human
physical characteristics.
Satiety - ANS A feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
Palatability - ANS The degree of pleasure or taste provided by a food - a highly palatable food
is one that is tasty and pleasant to consume.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
