The National Council for Certified Personal Trainers (NCCPT) is a subsidiary of the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) and functions autonomously regarding decisions governing its certification program, including but not limited to credentialing criteria, policies and procedures, administration, and the election of officers and board members.

The NCCPT Board of Directors has authority over the examination development cycle, including job analysis and role delineation, exam content outline, item writing and review, development of exam forms, standard setting, exam administration, exam scoring, candidate score reporting, data analysis, and exam technical reports.

Policies and procedures that govern the board may be found here, while member biographies are listed here.

The mission of the National Council for Certified Personal Trainers Certification Board ("NCCPT CB") is to determine entry-level competence of the fitness training professional who will provide safe and effective programs to the public.

The NCCPT believes that the health and fitness of our society can be significantly improved by the success of certified personal professionals. Efforts to stem the tide of poor health and physical decline are multiplied exponentially as certified professionals disseminate NCCPT principles and methods to their clients, peers and associates. The mission of the NCCPT is to inspire certified personal trainers to positively impact the quality of life of each individual with whom they come in contact.NCCPT is unconditionally committed to providing quality certification and recertification programs for competent practice in the heath, sports and fitness specialties, advancing the fitness industry as a whole, and developing greater access to career opportunities for those who share our vision of creating a stronger, healthier world.

The objectives of NCCPT are to be recognized as a leader in:

• Inspiring healthier living through professional-level fitness certification.
• Providing accessible and reputable fitness and personal training certification.
• Service by placing the needs of certification candidates and certificants, alumni, their clients, and their communities first.

When you order any NCCPT (or NCCPT affiliate) educational or business program, you accept and agree to adhere to the NCCPT Code of Ethics. You hereby certify that the information given to NCCPT is true, complete and correct. You acknowledge that if any of this information is later determined to be false, NCCPT reserves the right to revoke any certification or certificate that has been granted by the NCCPT or any of its affiliates. You further acknowledge that NCCPT certification or certificate does not certify or in any way guarantee the quality of your work as an NCCPT-certified professional. You therefore agree to indemnify and hold harmless NCCPT, its officers, directors and staff from any claims due to negligent acts, omissions, or faulty advice that you may give to clients as a NCCPT certified professional. You further recognize that NCCPT is not responsible for any actions or damages incurred or taken by any person arising out of your work, intentions or actions as a NCCPT certified professional.

As an NCCPT Certified Fitness Professional you must recognize the importance of a set standard and scope of professional and ethical conduct in providing training services to clientele and the general public. Professional and ethical concerns or issues arise when professionalism and ethics are either not known or not fully understood. The NCCPT Code of Ethics represents a professional standard that must be upheld at all times when performing the duties of a fitness professional.

Certified Fitness Professionals

• Act with integrity in any relationship with their clients by providing the highest level of professional fitness training services based on objective and unbiased research and scientific information in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
• Act with integrity in relationship with colleagues, fellow employees and other health care professionals. They should respect the rights, opinions and decisions of other certified fitness professionals and never solicit business from other professionals’ clients or students.
• Ensure a safe and enjoyable training environment through significant and suitably challenging programming.
• Distinguish between personal convictions or opinions and professional duties and responsibilities and not allow personal beliefs and biases to interfere with the greater goals of the clients’ health, fitness and performance. A fitness professional must not sexually, psychologically or economically exploit their relationship with a client, supervisor, student, employee or colleague.
• Fitness professionals should always keep the client’s or students’ best interests first, not those which merely advance a fitness professional’s private and personal interest or gain.
• Refer clients or students to appropriately qualified professionals when the client or student’s need is greater than the trainer’s/instructor’s knowledge or abilities.
• Keep abreast of the new developments, concepts and practices by actively researching and learning on a daily basis in order to promote professional excellence. Refrain from using a certification mark that is invalid or expired. Only individuals who meet the ethical conduct, professional behavior, examination and recertification requirements can use the designated CPT certification mark.
• Respect a client or student’s right to privacy. Maintain the confidentiality of personal client or student information and written records. Conversations, behavior, personal life and in some cases personal identity should be kept confidential. The focus should be on the business relationship and not a client or student’s personal life, except as it affects a person's health and fitness goals.
• Avoid sexually oriented comments or banter and inappropriate physical conduct should be avoided.
• Provide a non-biased, fair and equal treatment to all individuals and groups both personally and professionally.
• Use advertisements which promote the primary intent of helping clients or students make informed judgments, choices or decisions regarding their fitness goals. Only individuals who meet the ethical conduct, professional behavior, examination and recertification requirements can use the designated CPT certification mark.
• Maintain an appearance which is clean in a manner consistent with good hygiene, safety and commonly accepted good taste.
• Remain focused when training and be distracted by other people, televisions, computer monitors or cell phones.

In order to ensure the validity and professional significance of the NCCPT Certification and processes, certified and non-related or non-certified individuals are asked to report concerns regarding ethical or professional misconduct by NCCPT Certified Fitness Professionals to the Certification Board’s Ethics and Appeals Committee, for consideration. This will help to ensure the professional fitness practice of NCCPT Certified Fitness Professionals and fair treatment of public members, employers and clientele. The identity of all involved parties whether reporting ethical or professional misconduct or accused of such misconduct will remain private and undisclosed to any other individual or entity unless legal procedures require such disclosure. Factual evidence must be collected and submitted in order for any disciplinary action to be mandated by the Certification Board.

Report conduct violations and concerns by completing and submitting theCode of Ethics Violationavailable at our forms page, at nccpt.issaonline.com/forms. All responses to the Ethics and Appeals Committee regarding professional and ethical misconduct must be in writing. Correspondences from the Certification Board will also be provided in writing. In the event a disciplinary action is deemed necessary, the accused party or parties will have 30 days to file an appeal to the Ethics and Appeals Committee for consideration. The goal of the Ethics and Appeals Committee is to ensure ethical and professional practice and conduct by setting forth fair and reasonable expectations for NCCPT Certified Fitness Professional and creating an avenue for enforcement of these expectations.

It is the policy of the NCCPT Certification Board that no exam candidate for any certification or certificate be discriminated against based upon race, religion, creed, gender, age, national origin or ethnicity.