Free CES Exam Questions That Helps Candidates Pass

The primary goal of CES is to correct movement dysfunctions by addressing overactive and underactive muscles, improving neuromuscular efficiency, and restoring functional movement. This foundation supports all other training outcomes.

As dysfunction improves, programs should progress by increasing complexity and moving from isolated corrections to integrated functional training. This ensures long-term retention of corrected patterns.

The overhead squat assessment (OHSA) is a cornerstone movement screen in NASM’s CES curriculum. It is designed to identify common movement compensations and dysfunctions, such as excessive forward lean, knee valgus, or asymmetrical weight shifts. By observing an individual’s movement while holding their arms overhead and performing a squat, the professional can determine whether there are imbalances in the kinetic chain—particularly in the ankle, knee, hip, and lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. This directly informs which muscles are overactive (tight) or underactive (weak) and guides the corrective strategy using the CEx continuum. Other listed assessments, like push-ups, walking tests, or body composition tests, measure fitness or health metrics but do not reveal movement dysfunctions in the same systematic way. Therefore, the overhead squat assessment is the most accurate for identifying excessive forward lean, making A the correct answer.

An overactive piriformis contributes to hip dysfunction and knee valgus. Foam rolling releases adhesions, and static stretching restores mobility. Glute activation reduces compensatory reliance on the piriformis.

Heels lifting is caused by tight calves (overactive gastrocnemius and soleus) and underactive tibialis anterior. Corrective programming releases and stretches the calves, then activates tibialis anterior to restore dorsiflexion.