CRTS-PM Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

Why There Is No Fixed 2026 Exam Calendar

Candidates searching for CRTS-PM exam dates often expect a table of test days, regional sittings, and registration cutoffs, the way some professional exams publish them. For the Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method) credential, that expectation does not match the published delivery model. According to the issuer's examination page, testing is administered on the Romanov Academy online certification portal, with AI and live proctoring on the candidate's own computer. A remote, portal-based format means the practical question is less "which Saturday does the exam run?" and more "when am I prepared, and which deadline clock applies to me?"

One more honest caveat: the Candidate Handbook identifies the exam as Level 1 but supplies no dated revision, so there is no basis for calling it a "2026 exam version." The year in this article's title reflects when the information was verified (October 5, 2026), not a version stamp on the exam. If you want the full picture of how the exam fits together, the CRTS-PM certification overview is a good companion read.

Confirming Which CRTS-PM You Are Scheduling

Before you chase any date, confirm you are looking at the right credential. The CRTS-PM covered here is the Level 1 Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method), governed by the Romanov Academy of Sports Science (the issuer styles its name publicly as Romanov Academy of Sport Science). It is not The Running School's similarly named Certified Running Technique Specialist, which has its own course and process. Booking guidance, deadlines, and fees from the other program do not transfer.

If you are still orienting yourself on terminology, the explainers on what CRTS-PM stands for and what the CRTS-PM certification is cover the basics. The rest of this article assumes you are pursuing the Pose Method credential through the Romanov Academy portal.

The Deadline Clocks: One Year, 30 Days, and Renewal

The most common scheduling mistake is collapsing several different time limits into one. The source material describes distinct clocks that apply in different circumstances, and the issuer's materials do not reconcile them into a single universal deadline. Keep them separate:

Notice what is not in this table: a single "register by" date for everyone. The handbook's one-year window and the seminar route's 30-day deadline come from different sources and apply to different candidates, so no single universal deadline can be inferred. If you are taking the military-linked route, your effective deadline is tight. If you are using the standard portal route, the handbook's window is the governing frame, and you should confirm the starting point of that window with the issuer when you apply.

What to Settle Before You Book

Because the exam is delivered on your own computer under proctoring, "scheduling" is really a readiness checklist. Work through these items before you commit.

Eligibility

The formal eligibility page requires that candidates be 18 or older, hold a high-school diploma or equivalent, present two forms of identification, and accept the candidate agreement and professional standards. Marketing copy elsewhere may say "Prerequisites None," but that statement does not override the formal eligibility requirements. For a fuller walkthrough, see the CRTS-PM requirements guide.

The identification discrepancy

Here is a detail worth planning around: the current certification portal requests one valid ID, while the formal eligibility page requires two. The sources conflict, and this article does not pretend otherwise. The safe approach is to have two acceptable forms of identification ready, and to ask the issuer which standard the proctor will apply to your sitting. Discovering a mismatch at the start of a timed, proctored exam is an avoidable problem.

Cost and route

The USD 890 examination fee is verified only for the Military Running seminar-linked route, which requires the two-day seminar and the exam within 30 days afterward. It is not a verified universal price for public candidates, and the seminar is not a verified prerequisite for everyone. If funding matters to you, check it against your branch, program, and approved start date; no universal funding entitlement or reimbursement is established. A full breakdown of training, exam, retake, and renewal costs is in the CRTS-PM certification cost guide.

What Happens in the Sitting Itself

Once you begin, the structure leaves no room for improvisation, which is why timing and preparation matter so much. The exam contains 106 questions: 90 scored and 16 unscored. You have 90 minutes, and the passing requirement is 75%. Published formats include true/false, matching, multiple choice, Basic Drills, Video Analysis, and a Running 101 keyword-completion essay.

Two structural rules shape how you should prepare to sit:

• One sitting. You complete the exam in a single session. There is no pausing to resume on another day.
• No going back. You cannot return to earlier questions, change previous answers, or skip and flag items for later review. Every answer is final the moment you move on.

The 16 unscored items are not identified by position, and the issuer's exam page and handbook are inconsistent about their placement and about section numbering. So treat every question as if it counts. For what the 75% threshold means in practice, see the CRTS-PM passing score guide.

Open book does not mean unmonitored

The exam is open book. The current certification portal expressly permits personal notes, printed or handwritten materials, and the Internet, and the issuer's resources page also permits notes and printouts. But open-book access does not waive proctoring or confidentiality rules. With a 90-minute clock, 106 questions, and no way to revisit answers, notes help you confirm a fact, not learn the material on the spot. Candidates who treat "open book" as a substitute for preparation tend to run into trouble on the Video Analysis and drill items, where recognition has to be quick.

Retake Timing After a Failed Attempt

Because attempts are tied to waiting periods, your date planning should include a realistic view of what happens if the first sitting does not go as hoped.

1. First failure: an immediate second attempt is free.
2. Second failure: you must wait 30 days before the third attempt.
3. After three unsuccessful attempts: another attempt is available for USD 125, within the stated one-year application window.

The USD 125 figure applies only to that post-three-failures attempt. It is not the initial exam fee and not the third-attempt fee. Also remember that the free second attempt arrives immediately, which means a failed first attempt followed by an unprepared quick retry wastes a free try. If you do fail, use the gap to diagnose which question types cost you points before rebooking. To gauge expectations, the CRTS-PM difficulty guide discusses what makes the exam challenging, and the pass rate article explains why no certification-wide pass rate can be asserted.

Working Backward From Your Exam Date

Since no seat calendar forces your hand, you choose your own date. The useful way to do that is to work backward from the point you can handle all question types at speed. The source material names preparation topics in two overlapping layouts. The master-course description lists Biomechanics, Running technique, Gait analysis, Injury prevention, and Movement retraining. The separate study-material page groups content as FOUNDATION (Pose Method concepts and gravity), TECHNIQUE (cadence, muscle-tendon elasticity, stride length, range of motion, and overstriding), VIDEO ANALYSIS (running-assessment examples), and ETC. (the push-off discussion). Neither list carries published percentage weights, and neither is an exhaustive exam blueprint, so use them as scaffolding rather than a guarantee of coverage. The exam domains guide goes deeper on how these headings map to study priorities.

Here is one way to sequence an eight-week lead-in, tied to those topics and to the exam's formats:

Put the foundational material early because the technique and video topics depend on it, and leave the timed simulation for last because the no-return rule is a skill of its own. Practicing under that constraint is more valuable than one more pass through your notes. The CRTS-PM study guide and the cheat sheet can support that final stretch, and our practice tests let you rehearse the one-way format so it does not surprise you on exam day.

Recertification Timing Over the Five-Year Cycle

Dates do not end when you pass. Certification is valid for five years, and recertification requires active practice, the required continuing education, and a recertification exam. You may renew before expiration or within 30 days afterward. The published recertification package is USD 295 and includes the required webinars.

That 30-day post-expiration grace period is narrow, so do not treat it as a planned strategy. A practical habit is to record your expiration date the day you pass and set reminders well ahead, so continuing education and the recertification exam do not collide with a busy season. If you are weighing whether the credential pays off over a five-year horizon, the ROI analysis and salary guide take a measured view; note that no certification-specific salary premium is asserted anywhere in the issuer's materials.

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