Candidate Handbook

CERTIFIED RUNNING TECHNIQUE SPECIALIST

LEVEL 1

Candidate Handbook

CERTIFICATION EXAM

This essential handbook is designed to equip individuals seeking certification with the information needed to reach their goal! It provides detailed descriptions and the essential steps of the process. We urge each and every candidate to familiarize themselves with this document. However, if there are any questions, please reach out to us at certifications@romanovacademy.com

OVERVIEW

OUR MISSION
To provide essential credentials based on established standards the service providers and public can trust.

OUR VISION
To innovate and lead credentialing development and standards

ABOUT THE ACADEMY’S CERTIFICATION DEPARTMENT
The Academy’s Certification Department provides avenues for health and fitness professionals, as well as active lifestyle enthusiasts to demonstrate their skills and abilities as technique specialists, such as this Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method) examination. The department is responsible for creating and publishing standards, policies, and procedures for the development, integrity, and maintenance of Certification Exams. It is also responsible for developing valid, reliable, and fair exams that can assess one’s capabilities for understanding the program and applying it in practice. It also sets the guidelines for Certified Specialists to engage in continuing professional development.

PURPOSE OF THE CERTIFICATION
The Certified Running Technique Specialist credential allows the qualified individual to demonstrate advanced knowledge in technique instruction and coaching and commit to a long-term standard of professional accountability. The purpose of a certification program is to ensure that an individual possesses the standard knowledge and skill set required to instruct and teach clients effectively and safely.

This certification is designed to assess experienced coaches, health and fitness professionals as well as entry-level applicants. This is achieved by requiring basic knowledge of fundamentals of physics and biomechanics and by including examination questions that cover popular topics in running. The Academy Certification Board has set these standards with the expectation of continued learning and the application of new knowledge through ongoing coaching hours. The continuing education and coaching requirements serve to assist in the advancement of professional accountability in the health and fitness community.

SCOPE OF PRACTICE

SCOPE OF PRACTICE

A Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method®):

Designs and leads running technique training for both – groups and individuals from beginner to advanced, that are safe, effective, and appropriate for individuals who are apparently healthy or have medical clearance to exercise. The specialist recognizes the limitations of his or her own knowledge and skill set and refers clients to other healthcare professionals when appropriate.
Assesses, monitors, and develops training programming based on the client’s current and ongoing performance goals, fitness level, readiness for training, performance (relative to goals, level, and readiness for training)
Teaches correct running technique by a combination of technique drills and exercises.
Educates and motivates clients towards program success.
Minimizes and manages risk for the client during training sessions.
Runs an ethical practice operating with professionalism and integrity.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To attain this credential individuals must meet all eligibility requirements, pass the examination, and commit to a standard of professional accountability.

AGE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must be 18 or older at the time of application. Please prepare 2 forms of ID.

STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Candidates must agree to abide by the Academy’s Standards of Professional Practice and apply these principles to their use of the Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method) credential at all times. A Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method) must:

Act in accordance to all applicable national and local laws and regulations, which includes all applicable business, employment, copyright, and intellectual property laws.
Act in accordance to all applicable Academy policies, procedures, rules, agreements, standards, and guidelines.
Respect and promote the rights, welfare, and dignity of all individuals to participate in exercise and provide competent, fair, and equal treatment to all individuals regardless of gender, age, disability, occupation, ethnic origin, color, cultural background, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, or political opinion.
Uphold and enhance public appreciation and trust for Pose Method, Romanov Academy of Sport Science and Certified Technique Specialists. Certified Technique Specialists will not engage in any behavior that adversely affects Romanov Academy or compromises their professional responsibility both within their practice and publicly (to include all forms of social media).
Have a sincere commitment to provide the highest quality of care to those who seek the professional services of a Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method).
Act in the client’s best interest in order to respect the client’s privacy and dignity, protect the client from harm, and advocate for the client’s welfare.
Refer athletes or clients to more qualified fitness, medical, or healthcare professionals when appropriate.
Preserve the confidentiality of personal and privileged information of the client. Certified Running Technique Specialists (Pose Method) will not release any information to a third party not involved with the client’s care without a written release unless required by law.
Consistently maintain and improve professional knowledge and competence, striving for excellence through regular assessment of personal and professional strengths and weaknesses and continued professional development.

VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY

Upon applying, candidates must attest to their eligibility and review eligibility requirements. The Academy Certification Department may directly contact the candidate to confirm the information. All eligibility requirements are subject to random or systematic audit for verification purposes. Any attempt to falsify eligibility requirements is a direct violation of the Academy Standards of Professional Practice and will be cause for rejection of the registration for the exam and/or revocation of certification.

APPLICATION PROCESS

APPLICATION PROCESS OVERVIEW

The CRTS application process is made easy and simple to follow. Most of the time the process may take just hours to complete.

The candidate must meet all eligibility requirements and initiate an application on the Certifications webpage of this website by creating a new candidate account. When the application form is complete, the candidate will submit it for approval.
After the application has been processed, the candidate will receive an email notification to pay the examination fee. Once the exam fee is paid, the candidate will be directed to the exam section of the website.
As long as all eligibility requirements remain current, the candidate has one year from the date their application was processed to take and successfully pass the exam.
Successful candidates will receive an official certificate online immediately upon completion of the exam.

COMPLETED APPLICATION CONTENT

A completed application will require the following:

Agreement to comply with Standards of Professional Practice
Age confirmation
Signed Candidate Agreement

DEADLINES

Candidates have one year from the date of approved registration to take and successfully complete the exam. After one year, the candidate must reapply and pay the standard fee again. If a candidate does not successfully pass the exam during this period, the candidate must reapply and pay the standard application fee again.

LANGUAGE

The examination is currently offered in English, German, Dutch, Mandarin, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese and French.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

Reasonable accommodations for testing shall be provided at no cost to all candidates with special medical/learning needs who submit, with their examination registration, an Accommodation Request form along with appropriate medical documentation. All forms and requests should be submitted online. Romanov Academy will not reimburse costs associated with obtaining this documentation. Accommodation Request forms are available in the Forms section of this handbook. The Academy Certification Department may submit information regarding the stated disability and requested accommodation to its own expert advisers and reserves the right to provide only those reasonable accommodations required by law.

CERTIFICATION EXAM

EXAMINATION FORMAT

The Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method) examination consists of a 106 questions. Questions 1 through 60 are a combination of True/False, Matching, and Multiple Choice. This portion of the exam should take about 60 minutes. Questions 61-65 cover Basic Pose Drills, Video Analysis, and a Running 101 Keyword Completion Essay. This portion of the exam should take about 30 minutes. It is very important to pace yourself accordingly to finish the exam on time. Some of the questions include tables, drawings, photographs, or video clips. Of the questions, 90 count toward the score. The remaining 16 are not scored but are included for a practice known as “pretesting.” Pretesting means that these items are being evaluated for potential inclusion on future examinations as scored questions. To ensure the exam is up to date, secure, and always improving, new questions must be continuously introduced and evaluated. Pretesting is an accepted testing practice that helps ensure high quality and consistent scoring. The scored and unscored questions are spread throughout the examination; candidates should answer all 106 questions to the best of their ability. Candidates have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the exam, which is administered online through a personal computer. The testing program does not allow candidates to move freely through the exam, change answers, mark questions for later attention, skip questions, and review questions. Taking the examination requires little or no computer experience.

An exam will last 1 hour 30 minutes. At the beginning of the exam, candidates have up to five minutes to agree to the Nondisclosure Agreement. If candidates do not agree to the Nondisclosure Agreement, they are not allowed to take the exam and also forfeit the exam fee. Please review the Nondisclosure Agreement (below) prior to taking the exam.

NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT FOR EXAMINATIONS

This examination is confidential and is protected by trade secrets law. It is made available to you, the examinee, solely for the purpose of becoming certified as a Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method). You understand, acknowledge, and agree:

that the questions and answers of the exam, including exhibits, are the exclusive and confidential property of Romanov Academy of Sport Science, are protected by copyright, and are protected by Romanov Academy’s intellectual property rights;
not to disclose the exam questions or answers, including exhibits, or discuss any of the content of the exam materials with any person without prior written approval of the Romanov Academy of Sport Science
not to copy or attempt to make copies (written, photographic, or otherwise) of any exam material, including, without limitation, any exam questions or answers;
not to sell, license, distribute, give away, or obtain from any source other than the Academy the exam materials; that your obligations under this agreement shall continue to be in effect after the examination and, if applicable, after termination of your certification, regardless of the reason or reasons for termination, and whether such termination is voluntary or involuntary.

EXAMINATION DEVELOPMENT

Development of this credential was based on a practice analysis: a study of the roles and responsibilities of the sports and fitness coaching professions. The study, guided by industry leaders in certification standards and psychometric services, began with a survey of over 1,000 running coaches and health and fitness professionals. In the survey, they identified and ranked the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to be an effective instructor on running technique and training. From this, an examination content outline was developed, and questions were written according to this outline. Content experts were invited to be on the Item Writing Committee, which was responsible for developing the examination questions. These experts represented the fields of running coaching and training, general strength and conditioning, sport coaching, physical therapy, biomechanics and education; they received training to develop content that meets industry standards. The questions underwent extensive review by this committee and the Certification Board to ensure that they were technically accurate, unambiguous, and clearly stated. After initial testing, the examination results were subject to statistical analysis to ensure quality and fairness in testing. Working under the guidance of testing consultants and psychometricians, a group of content experts used the widely accepted Modified Angoff method to recommend the passing score for the initial examination forms. The Academy Certification Board used this recommendation and additional data to determine the passing score. Additionally, the exam was developed in accordance with standards for security, impartiality, and transparency.

EXAMINATION FORMS

There are multiple forms of the examination, each following the content outline noted in subsequent pages. While candidates have the possibility to receive different exam forms, each form remains statistically equivalent in the domains assessed, number of multimedia content included, and difficulty level.

EXAMINATION OVERSIGHT

The Romanov Academy Certification Board is the oversight group responsible for the certification review process. The Certification Board is in charge of approving the current content outline, as well as future content outline additions or revisions. The Board periodically reviews examination analysis data to examine if individual exam items are performing to standard and ensure the exam forms remain equivalent in testing performance. A new practice analysis is conducted every five years as a part of the review process. This study is compared to the previous practice analysis to determine what changes are needed to either the content outline or examination forms. The Board and Item Writing Committee engage in ongoing review of the exam content and develop new exam forms to reflect updates in the latest standards of running coaching and training.

IMPARTIALITY, FAIRNESS, AND NON-DISCRIMINATION

Romanov Academy of Sport Science endorses the principles of impartiality, fairness, and equal opportunity and commit to act impartially, fair, and equitably in relation to its applicants, candidates and Certified Running Technique Specialists, including but not limited to

applying its standards and requirements for examinations and certifications equally to all individuals regardless of gender, age, disability, occupation, ethnic origin, color, cultural background, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, or political opinion,
implementing its policies and procedures impartially and fairly,
not restricting certification based on undue financial or other limiting conditions, and
not allowing commercial, financial, or other pressures to compromise impartiality in certification activities.

REGULATIONS + FEES

INCOMPLETE EXAMS

Incomplete exams will be rejected. The candidate will receive a notification along with instructions on how to complete the exam. Candidate will have one year from the date of initial registration to complete and submit the exam. Incomplete exam registration fees are nonrefundable.

CANCELLATION/FEE REFUND

The examination fee is refundable ONLY before the candidate attempts to take the exam. A US$50 processing fee will be applied to the refund.

To cancel an exam and request a full refund minus the processing fee, please submit this form within 14 business days of registering for the exam.

REQUEST REFUND

NON-STARTERS

A candidate who does not start the exam within six (6) months of registering for the exam will be considered a non-starter. A non-starter is treated like a failed exam. Non-starters will be allowed to proceed with the exam upon completing the payment of the US$50 reactivation fee.

REQUEST REACTIVATION

EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES/NO FEE PENALTY

If a candidate is unable to proceed with the examination within the allotted time-frame of one year due to emergency or hardship such as serious illness of either the candidate or an immediate family member, death in the immediate family, disabling traffic accident, or military duty, he or she will be permitted to extend the time-frame to take the exam at no additional charge as long as the following requirement is met:

Candidate submits written verification and supporting documentation of the situation to the Academy’s Certification Department within the eligibility period of one (1) year starting from the date of initial registration. This verification and supporting documentation must be submitted online .

If such a request is not made, the candidate will forfeit the full examination fee and be considered a non-starter.

REQUEST EXTENSION

CERTIFIED RUNNING TECHNIQUE SPECIALIST

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