Are you considering becoming a certified Stott Pilates instructor? Congratulations on taking this exciting step towards a rewarding career in fitness and wellness! However, as with any certification exam, preparation is key to success. Whether you’re feeling a bit nervous or just want to ensure you’re fully prepared, this guide will walk you through the essential steps to ace your Stott Pilates exam.
Know the Exam Format:
Understanding the structure of the exam is crucial. The Stott Pilates exam consists of both written and practical components. You can choose to do these on the same day or different days in a one-week time frame. Have a think about what you would feel more confident doing and in what order.
The Practical Exam Format:
- Screen
- Posture assessment
- Statement of focus
- Principles
- Teach
The written exam consists of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank or matching type questions, and 20 muscle identification questions.
Study the Materials:
Your manuals will be your best friend! Make sure you read your support manual in depth and learn the key points; this will help you big time especially in the written exam. Learn the points on the principle’s checklist sheet given to you on your course and write a script including all of these points to help you teach the principles. Record yourself teaching (can be an imaginary person) using your script and listen to it until you know it. If you hit all of the points that’s 10 marks in the bag! Ensure you know the start position, movement pattern, breath, main muscles working and modifications of each exercise. Familiarise yourself with the exam assessment guide, this tells you what they are marking you on. Purchase my principles example script here.
Review Anatomy and Physiology:
A solid understanding of anatomy and physiology is essential for any fitness professional. Take the time to review the muscles, use the trail guide to the body cards as this is what they use in the exam. The support manual has a list of all of the muscles your need to know for your exam on page 75. Go through your cards and select all of these out of your pack so you just focus on these. Ensure you know what their actions are as you may get asked this in the written exam and this will also help you when you are cueing the muscles in the practical exam. Don’t worry too much about the insertions and origins, there are only 1-3 questions on this in the exam and you would be there all year learning them! Page 74 states what you should be familiar with for the written exam.
Knowing the posture types and how to do a posture assessment is crucial for the exam. You can go back and observe this as many times as you wish at your training centre so make sure you take advantage of this. Writing a script for my posture assessment helped me segment the process in my mind. Again, if you do this, record yourself saying it and listen to it regularly. I often listened to mine when I was driving. Purchase my posture assessment script here. If you are struggling with the anatomy, you can buy books, watch videos online (YouTube has lots) or even purchase another anatomy course to deepen your knowledge. I recommend Breathe Education: Visualised Anatomy. Use revision cards to help you remember key pieces of information. Go through the cards daily until you remember the points.
Practice, Practice, Practice:
Just like with any skill, practice makes perfect. Set aside dedicated time to attending classes, self-practise, teaching and observing. Practise teaching the exercises to friends, family, or students. Focus on your cueing, proper alignment, and modifications. Purchase my cueing guides here. I was lucky enough to work at the same studio as someone on my reformer course. We met every Monday for 2-3 hours and took turns teaching each other. You will learn a lot from being taught so if you can do this I would highly recommend doing so! If you want to complete some of your self-practise and observation hours with me you are welcome to do so on The Aligned Studio platform.
Seek Feedback:
Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from your peers or instructors. They can provide valuable insights into areas where you may need to improve and offer suggestions for refinement.
Be a Body for an Exam:
Put your name down so that you can be a body for someone else’s exam. This will help you learn the structure of the exam and takes away some of the nerves on your exam day as you know what to expect. Depending on your training school you may have to be regularly checking your emails to get a slot as they went very quickly at my training centre!
Stay Organised:
Create a study schedule to ensure you cover all the necessary material leading up to the exam. Break down your study sessions into manageable chunks and set specific goals for each study session. Purchase my study timetable here.
Simulate Exam Conditions:
As the exam date approaches, simulate exam conditions as closely as possible during your practice sessions. Practice teaching the exact exam format and time yourself doing so. You don’t want to spend a long time at the start of your exam as you won’t have any time left to teach.
Stay Calm and Confident:
On the day of the exam, try to stay calm and confident in your abilities. Before my exam I listened to the pep talks on the Superhuman App which helped me get into a positive mindset (Use LUCY for a 6-week free trial). Remember that you’ve put in the time and effort to prepare, and trust in your knowledge and skills.
Focus on Technique and Safety:
During the practical portion of the exam, prioritise proper technique and safety. Emphasise clear cueing, correct alignment, and appropriate modifications to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the exercises.
Review and Reflect:
After the exam, take some time to reflect on your performance. Identify areas of strength and areas for improvement, and use this feedback to continue growing as an instructor.
Conclusion:
Passing your Stott Pilates exam is a significant accomplishment that opens the door to a fulfilling career in the fitness industry. By following these steps and staying committed to your studies and practice, you’ll be well-prepared to ace the exam and embark on your journey as a certified Stott Pilates instructor. Good luck!
TikTok Video Links Discussing How I Did Well in My Exams:
Product Links:
- Mat study timetable
- Reformer study timetable
- Mat and reformer study timetable
- Mat cueing guide
- Reformer cueing guide
- Posture assessment script
- Principles example script
- Mat bundle
- Reformer bundle
