NSCA · TSAC-F · study guide
TSAC-F study guide: the Essentials book and the outline
The main reference is the certifier’s textbook for tactical facilitators, now in a second edition; the exam itself is written to the detailed content outline. This guide puts the two together: which edition to use, what order to read it in, and how to get ready for three hours in one sitting.
TSAC-F practice test Exam facts
Updated Oct 27, 2026 · Not affiliated with NSCA, ACSM, BOC, CSCCa, ISSA or USAW.
- Tactical Essentials, 2nd ed.main reference
- 21%largest domain, Program Design
- 3 hin one sitting
- February 2024outline in force
Study between shifts
TSAC-F practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with NSCA, ACSM, BOC, CSCCa, ISSA or USAW.
Which edition
Main reference: NSCA’s Essentials of Tactical Strength and Conditioning, 2nd edition (Human Kinetics, ©2027, ISBN 9781718234819, $119 hardback). The first edition still circulates, and the Quizlet and Docsity decks we checked follow its chapters. The exam is written to the outline rather than to a book, and the outline did not change with the new edition. What the first edition cannot have is the two tasks added in 2024, program metrics and the performance team; resiliency and coping also moved between domains. Cover those from the outline and the wellness and organization pages.
Read in this order
Weight decides time. Program Design, Exercise Sciences and Exercise Technique together carry about three-fifths of the scored items; Nutrition, at 7%, ties with Organization and Administration for the fewest items and can go last.
| № | Domain | Weight | Questions | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exercise Sciences | 20% | 26 | Practice questions |
| 2 | Wellness Intervention | 11% | 14 | Practice questions |
| 3 | Nutrition | 7% | 10 | Wellness and nutrition |
| 4 | Exercise Technique | 20% | 26 | Practice questions |
| 5 | Assessment and Evaluation | 13% | 17 | Practice questions |
| 6 | Program Design | 21% | 27 | Practice questions |
| 7 | Organization and Administration | 8% | 10 | Practice questions |
General science: learn it once
Exercise Sciences opens with the anatomy, neuromuscular physiology, biomechanics and bioenergetics behind any strength exam; only its later tasks, on stress hormones, detraining and environment, are tactical. If the basics are rusty, learn them from one source. This site explains them once, on CSCS exercise science; the tactical book’s hours are better spent on load carriage, environment and job-task analysis.
From the book to the session
Print the outline
The tasks on pp. 61–66 of the handbook are what the questions are written to. Tick each one off as you cover it.
Read by weight
Program design first, then the two 20-percent domains, nutrition last.
Practice by domain
Each domain page here has its own question set. Finish a chapter, then do its page.
Run the mixed set
The practice test in one sitting, at about 72 seconds a question.
Rehearse the session
Online: run the system test, clear the room, plan three hours at the desk. Test center: plan the trip, because arriving more than 15 minutes late can cost the appointment (handbook, pp. 11–12).
Decks built on the old outline
Flashcard sets with a domain called Testing, Assessment and Evaluation, or with a big nutrition block, follow the pre-2024 split. The current outline gives Nutrition 10 items and Assessment and Evaluation 17; the rest of the change is on exam facts.
Domain pages, in outline order
- Exercise Sciences20% of the exam
- Wellness Intervention11% of the exam
- Exercise Technique20% of the exam
- Assessment and Evaluation13% of the exam
- Program Design21% of the exam
- Organization and Administration8% of the exam
Back to the exam
- TSAC-FNo degree, an online option in the US, seven domains in one section
- TSAC-F practice testA mixed set from all seven domains in exam proportions, every option explained
- TSAC-F exam factsEligibility, the online session, scoring, pass rates by year, retakes, renewal
- TSAC-F costOne exam price; what a home session and a test-center trip each add; fees you can avoid
- TSAC-F tactical strength and conditioningWhat tactical S&C is, the tests organizations use, and the credential path
Study guide, quick answers
What is the TSAC-F textbook?
Tactical Essentials, 2nd ed., the book written for this credential; the exam itself follows the content outline.
Is the first edition still enough?
The exam follows the outline in force since February 2024, which did not change when the second edition came out. The first edition predates the two tasks added in 2024, so cover those from the outline and the domain pages here.
Do I need the CSCS textbook too?
No book is required to register. The general science in Exercise Sciences overlaps with CSCS material, and one good source for it is enough.