10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free CSFNS questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Sports and Nutrition Fitness Specialist blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Before a hard morning run, a runner eats bran cereal with nuts and full-fat milk. The meal is followed by fullness and cramping during the run, but there are no symptoms at other times. With the meal still scheduled 90 minutes before exercise, which change is most likely to improve tolerance while preserving fuel availability?
Correct answer: A - Reduce the meal's fat and fiber while retaining carbohydrate.
A runner who has followed a vegan diet for several years uses no supplements or fortified foods. During evaluation for fatigue and numbness in both feet, the physician identifies megaloblastic anemia. Which nutrient deficiency best accounts for the combination of hematologic and neurologic findings?
Correct answer: C - Vitamin B12
A vegetarian athlete's lunch contains lentils and brown rice. The goal is to improve absorption of the iron already present, rather than simply add more iron. Which addition best serves that purpose?
Correct answer: D - Raw red bell pepper with lemon juice
A 90-minute cycling session is used to estimate sweat rate. Dry body mass is 78.4 kg before and 77.5 kg afterward. The cyclist drinks 0.90 L and passes 0.15 L of urine during the session; no food is consumed. Which sweat-rate estimate should inform fluid planning for similar conditions?
Correct answer: D - 1.10 L/hour
After five days of creatine monohydrate loading, a healthy weight-class athlete is 1.2 kg heavier. Food intake and training are unchanged, and there are no new symptoms. Before changing the athlete's food intake for weight control, the specialist should recognize that the early gain is most likely due to:
Correct answer: B - Water retained as muscle creatine stores increase
A drug-tested athlete verifies that a chosen supplement is currently listed as NSF Certified for Sport. What can the athlete reasonably conclude from that listing?
Correct answer: A - Lower contamination risk, not a guarantee of a negative drug test.
The session plan calls for moderate continuous cycling. A healthy client reports 17 on the Borg 6-20 rating-of-perceived-exertion scale and can speak only a few words before pausing for breath. There is no chest discomfort, dizziness, or unusual breathlessness. Select the adjustment that brings the session back to its intended intensity.
Correct answer: A - Lower resistance until conversation is comfortable, then reassess perceived effort.
With maximal strength as the goal, a novice lifter has progressed to three sets of 12 at the same load. In the last two sessions, technique remained controlled and another three or four repetitions would have been possible in each set. Recovery is normal. What is the best next progression?
Correct answer: D - Increase the load modestly, maintaining technique.
A 17-year-old distance runner has stopped menstruating after previously regular cycles and has sustained a second bone stress injury. Her performance is declining, yet her weight has remained stable. She says that maintaining her weight proves she is eating enough. What underlying concern should guide the coordinated medical and nutrition assessment?
Correct answer: B - Low energy availability affecting multiple body systems
"I will take my first gel when I feel my pace dropping," says a cyclist preparing for a hard two-hour event. He has tolerated carbohydrate during comparable training rides. Which replacement strategy is most appropriate for maintaining carbohydrate availability during the event?
Correct answer: C - Begin fueling early, spreading about 30-60 g of carbohydrate across each hour.
The full bank has 1,020 more CSFNS questions with explanations.
Continue in the free practice test →
View plans