The National Board of Fitness Examiners (NBFE) is a not-for-profit association dedicated to promoting excellence in the fitness profession through standardized and unbiased National Board examinations. NBFE exams will assess the competencies of fitness professionals currently working in the field and those who are newly graduated from a national certification program or college with approved curriculum.

The NBFE was formed because there are no regulations or national standards for "Certified" Personal Trainers. In recent years, the fitness industry has received harsh criticism by the media, Medicine, health clubs, and the public. Currently, an individual with no experience and minimal competency can "buy" a certification.

Members of the NBFE will determine scopes, standards and content for all NBFE assessments. The NBFE will draw members and input from six Advisory Committees representing all areas interests of the fitness industry. These committees are as follows:

The NBFE will require that you maintain your CEU’s through your primary certification(s) so it is not an additional financial burden but assures the public and employers that candidates maintained their continuing education. Organizations that are granted Affiliate status by the NBFE are not entering into any partnership or joint venture relationship with the NBFE.

The NBFE has two requirements to sit for the PFT Part 1. First, the testing candidate must be at least 18 years old. Second, the testing candidate must have successfully completed the personal training certification program from an NBFE Affiliate OR requisite coursework from an institution of higher education (College or University).