- Which CRTS-PM This Article Covers
- The Formal Eligibility Requirements
- "Prerequisites: None" vs. the Eligibility Page
- The Identification Discrepancy
- Recommended Training Versus Required Training
- Routes, Fees and Windows Kept Separate
- What You Qualify to Sit: The Exam Format
- Content Readiness by Domain
- Retakes, Validity and Recertification
- A Step-by-Step Qualification Checklist
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Formal eligibility: age 18+, a high-school diploma or equivalent, two forms of ID, and acceptance of the candidate agreement and professional standards.
- "Prerequisites None" on marketing pages does not override the formal eligibility requirements on the issuer's eligibility page.
- The Pose Method master course (20 contact hours) is recommended, not shown here as a universal prerequisite.
- The USD 890 fee is verified only for the Military Running seminar-linked route, not as a universal public price.
Which CRTS-PM This Article Covers
Several credentials in the running and fitness world share similar names and acronyms, so the first requirement for any candidate is confirming which program they are actually pursuing. This article covers the Level 1 Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method), issued by the Romanov Academy of Sports Science. The issuer publicly styles its name "Romanov Academy of Sport Science," and you will see both spellings across its pages. The issuer abbreviates the credential CRTS; this site uses CRTS-PM to keep the Pose Method distinction explicit.
It is not The Running School's similarly named Certified Running Technique Specialist program. If you are comparing the two, treat them as separate certifications with separate requirements, separate exams and separate issuers. For a plain-language introduction to what the credential is, see What Is CRTS-PM Certification? and What Does CRTS-PM Stand For?.
Everything below comes from the issuer's own eligibility page, candidate handbook, exam page, recertification page and related Pose Method and Military Running pages, as verified on October 5, 2026. Where those sources disagree, this article says so rather than quietly picking a winner.
The Formal Eligibility Requirements
The issuer's eligibility criteria set four formal conditions for sitting the Level 1 exam:
- Age: you must be 18 or older.
- Education: a high-school diploma or equivalent secondary education.
- Identification: two forms of identification.
- Agreements: acceptance of the candidate agreement and the professional standards.
Notice what is absent. The eligibility criteria do not list a coaching license, a college degree, a minimum number of years running, a prior personal-training credential or a logged number of client hours. Nothing in the retrieved sources establishes a coaching-experience requirement, so this article does not invent one.
"Prerequisites: None" vs. the Eligibility Page
If you have researched this credential, you may have seen the general marketing page state "Prerequisites: None." That statement is real, but it should not be read as "anyone can sit the exam with no conditions." The marketing page is a short promotional summary; the issuer's eligibility page lists the formal requirements above. The sensible reading is that there is no required prior certification or coaching experience, while the age, education, identification and agreement conditions still apply.
When a marketing page and a formal criteria page differ, follow the formal criteria. It is the document the issuer would rely on if your eligibility were ever questioned. For a fuller look at how the pieces fit together, the companion article CRTS-PM Certification gives the broader overview.
The Identification Discrepancy
This is the one place where the issuer's own pages visibly disagree, and it deserves plain treatment:
| Source | What it says about ID |
|---|---|
| Formal eligibility page | Two forms of identification required |
| Current certification portal | Requests one valid ID |
The conflict is retained here rather than silently resolved, because no retrieved source explains which governs in practice. The safe approach for a candidate is to prepare for the stricter standard: have two acceptable forms of identification ready, with names that match your registration exactly. If the portal only asks for one at check-in, you have lost nothing. If a proctor asks for two and you have one, you may lose your session.
Before exam day, confirm directly with the issuer which identification will be checked during proctoring. Because testing is administered on the Romanov Academy online certification portal with AI and live proctoring on your own computer, identity verification happens at the start of the session, not afterward.
Recommended Training Versus Required Training
The issuer recommends its Pose Method of Running master course as preparation. The course description names five preparation topics, which map to the headings used throughout this site:
- Biomechanics
- Running technique
- Gait analysis
- Injury prevention
- Movement retraining
The master course is described as 20 contact hours. That figure describes training time, not exam time and not a minimum-hours gate. The exam itself is 90 minutes. Do not conflate the two numbers when budgeting your calendar.
Only the public course description and public study materials were reviewed for this article, not the full paid master course. That means the five topic headings are a curriculum outline, not an exhaustive exam blueprint, and no percentage weights are published for them.
Routes, Fees and Windows Kept Separate
Candidates often ask for "the" fee and "the" deadline. The sources do not support a single universal answer for either, so this section keeps the pieces apart.
The seminar-linked Military Running route
One verified route runs through Military Running. It requires a two-day seminar, with the examination taken within 30 days afterward. The USD 890 examination fee is verified only for this seminar-linked route. It is not a verified universal price for public candidates, and it is not evidence that every candidate must attend a seminar.
Funding for this route varies. Military candidates should check their own branch, program and approved start date before assuming any funding applies; no universal funding entitlement, reimbursement amount or promotion-point award is established by the sources. The ArmyIgnitED name appears in search interest around this credential, but whether it covers your situation depends on your own program rules.
The handbook's application window
Separately, the candidate handbook describes a one-year application and attempt window. This is a different clock from the seminar route's 30-day deadline. They come from different sources and govern different situations, so no single universal deadline should be inferred from them. If you are on the seminar route, the 30-day rule is the one that bites. If you are not, check how the handbook's one-year window applies to your registration date.
| Item | What is verified | What is not established |
|---|---|---|
| USD 890 exam fee | Military Running seminar-linked route | A universal public-candidate price |
| 30-day deadline | Exam within 30 days after the two-day seminar | A deadline for non-seminar candidates |
| One-year window | Handbook application/attempt window | That it equals or replaces the 30-day rule |
| 20 contact hours | Master course training time | That it is a mandatory prerequisite |
For the money side in more detail, including training, initial exam, retake and renewal costs treated separately, see CRTS-PM Certification Cost 2026. For scheduling mechanics, see CRTS-PM Exam Dates 2026.
What You Qualify to Sit: The Exam Format
Meeting the eligibility requirements gets you into one specific exam, and understanding its structure should shape how you prepare:
- 106 questions total: 90 scored and 16 unscored.
- 90-minute limit.
- 75% passing requirement.
- Formats: true/false, matching, multiple choice, Basic Drills, Video Analysis, and a Running 101 keyword-completion essay.
- Open book: the portal expressly permits personal notes, printed or handwritten materials, and the Internet.
- One sitting, forward only: you cannot return to earlier questions, change previous answers, or skip or flag items for later review.
The unscored questions are not identified by position, and the issuer's exam page and handbook are inconsistent about section numbering and where the unscored items fall. Do not trust anyone who claims to know which questions "don't count." Treat all 106 as live.
Key Takeaway
"Open book" does not mean "unproctored," and it does not mean you can revisit questions. Open-book access does not waive proctoring or confidentiality rules. With about 90 minutes for 106 questions, you cannot afford to research each item from scratch, so your notes need to be organized for fast lookup, not for first-time learning.
For a closer look at difficulty and scoring, see How Hard Is the CRTS-PM Exam? and CRTS-PM Passing Score 2026. No certification-wide pass rate is published in the sources used here, so CRTS-PM Pass Rate 2026 discusses what can and cannot be said honestly.
Content Readiness by Domain
Eligibility is an administrative gate; readiness is the real one. The five headings from the master course description give you a practical map. They are unweighted preparation topics, not an official statement of how many exam domains exist, so use them to organize study rather than to predict question counts.
Domain 1: Biomechanics
Foundation material that the rest of the exam builds on. The issuer's study-material page groups this under FOUNDATION.
- Pose Method concepts
- The role of gravity in running
Domain 2: Running technique
The study-material page's TECHNIQUE grouping, and the area most likely to reward precise vocabulary.
- Cadence
- Muscle-tendon elasticity
- Stride length and range of motion
- Overstriding
Domain 3: Gait analysis
Aligned with the VIDEO ANALYSIS grouping and the Video Analysis question format.
- Running-assessment examples
- Describing what you see accurately and in the method's language
Domains 4 and 5: Injury prevention and Movement retraining
These two headings come from the master course description. The study-material page also has a catch-all ETC. grouping, which contains the issuer's push-off discussion, so check that material too.
- How faulty technique relates to injury risk
- How drills and cues retrain movement patterns, relevant to the Basic Drills format
The two resource lists use different organizing schemes, and neither establishes exhaustive exam coverage. Keep both in view. For a deeper walk through each area, read CRTS-PM Exam Domains 2026.
One short scheduling idea tied to this exam
Because the exam includes a keyword-completion essay and video analysis, spread your preparation so that vocabulary comes before observation. Spend your early sessions on Biomechanics and technique terms, then move to gait analysis once the terminology is automatic, and finish with drills and retraining cues. Reserve your last sessions for original practice questions in each format, since flashcards alone will not rehearse a video-analysis item or a keyword-completion response. The full approach is laid out in the CRTS-PM Study Guide 2026, and you can test yourself on the CRTS-PM practice test site.
Retakes, Validity and Recertification
Qualifying is not a one-time question; the issuer's rules on attempts and renewal also shape your plan.
If you do not pass
- After a first failure, an immediate second attempt is free.
- After two failures, you must wait 30 days before the third attempt.
- After all three unsuccessful attempts, another attempt is available for USD 125 within the stated one-year application window.
After you pass
Certification is valid for five years. 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. For the long-term picture of whether the investment pays back, see Is the CRTS-PM Certification Worth It?.
A Step-by-Step Qualification Checklist
- Confirm the credential. Make sure you are registering for the Romanov Academy Level 1 Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method), not The Running School's similarly named program.
- Check the basics. You are 18 or older and hold a high-school diploma or equivalent.
- Gather two IDs. Prepare two acceptable forms of identification with matching names, given the one-versus-two conflict.
- Read the agreements. Review the candidate agreement and professional standards before accepting them.
- Choose your route. Decide whether you are on a public-candidate route or the Military Running seminar-linked route, and note which deadline applies to you.
- Plan your training. Decide whether to take the recommended master course (20 contact hours) and map the five domains to your calendar.
- Prepare your open-book materials. Organize notes for fast lookup, remembering you cannot go back to earlier questions.
- Check your technology. The exam is proctored on your own computer, so verify your setup before your session.
- Confirm costs with the issuer. Verify the fee that applies to your route before paying anything.
If you are weighing this credential for work, CRTS-PM Jobs and the CRTS-PM Salary Guide discuss coaching income without assigning any certification-specific salary premium, since none is established. When you are ready to measure your knowledge against the exam's formats, head to the CRTS-PM Exam Prep practice tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
The formal eligibility criteria list age 18 or older, a high-school diploma or equivalent, two forms of identification, and acceptance of the candidate agreement and professional standards. No coaching license or prior experience is listed among them.
It is best read as meaning no required prior certification or training. It does not override the formal eligibility requirements for age, education, identification and agreements, which still apply.
The issuer's sources conflict: the eligibility page requires two, while the certification portal requests one. Prepare two to be safe and confirm with the issuer before your session.
It is recommended by the issuer and described as 20 contact hours, but the sources used here do not establish it as a universal prerequisite. Confirm any training condition for your specific route at registration.
No. The USD 890 figure is verified only for the Military Running seminar-linked route, which requires a two-day seminar and the exam within 30 days afterward. It is not presented as a universal public-candidate price.