- No certification-wide CRTS-PM pass rate has been published, so any specific percentage you see online is unverified.
- The cut score is 75% on 90 scored questions within a 90-minute, single-pass sitting.
- The exam is open book, but you cannot return to earlier questions or change answers.
- After a first failure, the immediate second attempt is free; a 30-day wait follows two failures.
Why No Official Pass Rate Exists
If you searched for the Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method) pass rate, here is the direct answer: the issuer, Romanov Academy of Sports Science, has not published a certification-wide pass rate in any source we reviewed. Its exam page, candidate handbook, eligibility page and resources page describe format, scoring threshold and retake policy, but none report how many candidates pass on a first attempt or overall.
That matters because exam-prep sites routinely print confident percentages. For this credential, any such figure has no traceable origin. We do not repeat one here, and we recommend you treat unsourced numbers with the same skepticism. This article instead pulls together what is verifiable and explains what those facts imply about how hard it is to pass.
What the Published Data Does Show
Even without a pass rate, the issuer publishes several hard parameters that shape your odds. These are the verified figures for the Level 1 credential:
| Parameter | Published Detail |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 106 (90 scored, 16 unscored) |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Passing requirement | 75% |
| Open book | Yes: personal notes, printed or handwritten materials, and the Internet are permitted |
| Proctoring | AI and live proctoring on the candidate's computer |
| Navigation | One sitting; no returning to earlier questions, changing answers, skipping or flagging |
| Certification validity | Five years |
For a deeper look at how the threshold is applied, see our breakdown of the CRTS-PM passing score. A 75% bar on 90 scored items means you need roughly two correct answers out of every three attempts to be nowhere near enough; you need three out of every four, with no ability to revisit mistakes.
The Exam Structure Behind Any Pass Rate
The published question categories are true/false, matching, multiple choice, Basic Drills, Video Analysis, and a Running 101 keyword-completion essay. The 106-question total is verified, but the issuer's exam page and candidate handbook use inconsistent section numbering and disagree on where the unscored items sit. For that reason we do not claim a section-by-section allocation, and you should not trust sources that do.
What this means in practice: you cannot identify which of the 16 unscored questions are "free," so you must treat every item as if it counts. The 16 unscored items are not a cushion you can exploit.
Why "open book" does not equal "easy"
The portal expressly permits notes and the Internet, yet the format works against passive lookup.
- 90 minutes for 106 questions leaves under a minute per item on average.
- No backtracking means an unfinished lookup cannot be revisited.
- Video Analysis and keyword-completion items require recognizing technique, not finding a definition.
- Open-book access does not waive proctoring or confidentiality rules.
Candidates who treat open-book as a license to skip preparation tend to spend their clock searching rather than answering. Our guide on how hard the CRTS-PM exam is explores that tradeoff in more detail.
Make Sure You Are Looking at the Right Credential
Part of the confusion around pass-rate claims comes from similarly named credentials. This article covers the Level 1 Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method), issued by Romanov Academy of Sports Science, which the issuer abbreviates CRTS. It is not The Running School's similarly named Certified Running Technique Specialist credential, and statistics, fees or exam details attached to that program do not transfer here.
If a pass rate, price or exam length you encountered came from a source that did not name Romanov Academy and the Pose Method, assume it may describe a different credential. Our explainers on what CRTS-PM certification is and what CRTS-PM stands for help you confirm you are studying the right thing.
Where Candidates Are Most Likely to Lose Points
Because no pass-rate data exists, difficulty has to be reasoned from the content. The issuer's master-course description names the preparation topics, and its study-material page groups them as FOUNDATION, TECHNIQUE, VIDEO ANALYSIS and ETC. Neither source publishes percentage weights, and neither is an exhaustive exam blueprint, so treat the following as a preparation map rather than a scoring guide.
FOUNDATION: Pose Method concepts and gravity
Conceptual vocabulary that underlies every other topic.
- Be able to explain the Pose Method framework in your own words, not just recognize terms.
- Keyword-completion essays reward precise terminology.
TECHNIQUE: cadence, elasticity, stride, range of motion, overstriding
The mechanical core of the credential.
- Understand how cadence, stride length and overstriding relate to one another.
- Know the role of muscle-tendon elasticity and range of motion in running mechanics.
- Expect Basic Drills questions to test whether you can match a drill to its purpose.
VIDEO ANALYSIS: running-assessment examples
The most applied category and the hardest to cram.
- Practice observing running footage and naming the technique fault you see.
- Lookup does not help when the question is "what is wrong in this clip?"
ETC.: push-off discussion
A smaller grouping in the issuer's study materials that is easy to overlook.
- Review the push-off material deliberately rather than assuming it will not appear.
You may also see the subject area described under broader headings: biomechanics, running technique, gait analysis, injury prevention and movement retraining. These are the five topic headings we use at CRTS-PM Exam Prep to organize practice. They are a study framework, not an official weighted blueprint. Our complete guide to all five content areas shows how they line up with the issuer's own groupings.
Retake Rules and What They Imply
The issuer's retake structure is more forgiving than many credentials, which is relevant if you are weighing risk:
- After a first failure: an immediate second attempt is free.
- After two failures: you must wait 30 days before the third attempt.
- 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. The USD 890 examination fee is verified only for the Military Running seminar-linked route, which requires its two-day seminar and taking the exam within 30 days afterward. It is not a verified universal price for all candidates. For a clean separation of training, exam, retake and renewal costs, read our CRTS-PM certification cost breakdown.
The free immediate retake changes the stakes of a first attempt, but it should not change your preparation. A failed first attempt tells you nothing about the unscored items or how scoring was distributed, and the no-backtracking format means you cannot learn from mistakes mid-exam. Eligibility also has its own requirements: age 18 or older, a high-school diploma or equivalent, two forms of identification, and acceptance of the candidate agreement. The portal currently requests one valid ID while the eligibility page requires two, so confirm the current rule before test day. Details are in our CRTS-PM requirements guide.
A Domain-Ordered Prep Sequence
Generic study advice is plentiful; the useful question is what to study in what order for this exam. Because Video Analysis cannot be looked up and the exam is one-pass, sequence your preparation so the hardest-to-fake skills get the most repetition. The issuer recommends its Pose Method of Running master course, whose 20 contact hours describe training time, not examination time.
Foundation and biomechanics
- Master Pose Method vocabulary and the role of gravity.
- Build a terminology sheet you can scan in seconds, since you will not have time to read.
Technique, cadence and overstriding
- Work through cadence, stride length, elasticity and range of motion as a connected system.
- Match each Basic Drill to the fault it corrects.
Video analysis and gait assessment
- Watch running footage and write down the technique fault before checking any reference.
- Practice keyword-completion answers using precise terms.
Timed, single-pass simulation
- Run full-length practice with no going back, to mimic the real format.
- Review misses by topic, including push-off material.
For a fuller plan, see our CRTS-PM study guide, and keep the one-page cheat sheet handy for last-minute review. When you are ready to test yourself under realistic conditions, our CRTS-PM practice tests are built around the same question styles.
Frequently Asked Questions
No certification-wide pass rate has been published by Romanov Academy of Sports Science. Any specific percentage you find online is unverified. What is published is a 75% passing requirement on 90 scored questions.
Not necessarily. Notes and the Internet are permitted, but you have 90 minutes for 106 questions, cannot return to earlier items, and face Video Analysis and keyword-completion questions that lookup does not solve.
An immediate second attempt is free after a first failure. After two failures you wait 30 days before the third attempt. After three unsuccessful attempts, another attempt is available for USD 125 within the one-year application window.
No. The exam is a single sitting with no returning to earlier questions, changing previous answers, skipping or flagging items for later review.
No. The issuer's sources differ on where unscored items are placed, so you should answer every question as though it counts toward your 75%.
Because the data does not support a headline pass-rate number, the practical takeaway is to prepare for the structure you can verify: a strict 75% threshold, a one-pass format and applied technique questions. If you are still deciding whether the credential suits your goals, our analyses of whether the certification is worth it and CRTS-PM jobs cover the career side without inventing earnings figures.