A Study Guide for CPAT

What to Look for in a CPAT Study Guide?

The CPAT test is an entry-level physical endurance test for firefighters in the U.S. In order to be fully prepared for this test, the candidates must equip themselves with the knowledge of the test design, duration, activities involved in it etc. Apart from this information, they must review at-least one effective study guide to gear themselves up for the test. This article discusses the reviews of 3 good study guides, along with some recommendations on what features to look for in a good one.

The Reviews of 3 Effective Study Guides:

  1. IAFC & IAFF CPAT Candidate Preparation Guide

    This study guide is a detailed fitness training guide for CPAT. It is authored by the founders of CPAT – IAFC and IAFF. It lists the key areas of fitness and exercises that the CPAT applicants must focus on and practice before the test. It provides a general overview of the kinds of abilities that are required to excel in this test. Moreover, it includes a very detailed list of exercises (with illustrations and step-by-step instructions) applicable to each task. This exercise regimen is described in a way that can be easily followed by the applicants. Apart from this, there are additional task-specific training modules, along with an exercise calendar/chart that the candidates can emulate. The instructions in this guide are clear and simple. Hence, this guide serves as a complete self-fitness guide for CPAT applicants. It is available for download by IAFC members from the IAFC website or at any licensed CPAT agency website such as the NIPSTA website – http://www.nipsta.org/CPAT/documents/CPAT_Preparation_Guide.pdf.

  2. CFFJAC CPAT Candidate Preparation Guide

    This study guide is a comprehensive fitness manual for the candidates. It has been developed by the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee. It consists of a 5-level training program, which includes several aspects of fitness and warm-up training, exercises and finally, CPAT and task-specific training regimens. Each training program in this guide is broken down into an introduction and list of exercises (with step-by-step instructions and diagrams), along with a description of the general principles behind each exercise and an exercise log that the candidates could use on a daily basis to monitor their progress. Thus, this is a thorough guide that applicants could follow for their CPAT practice. It is available for download at www.cffjac.org/go/jac/?LinkServID=154321E9-E0C3-218B-0FB1F4F163B024D9.

  3. LAFD CPAT Candidate Preparation Guide

    This book is a self-study manual for CPAT candidates published by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). It describes the basic rules and principles of fitness, followed by a list training regimens to follow in order to master the tasks. All exercises in this guide are described in a step-by-step fashion with sufficient illustrations. Exercise and progress charts are also included for some of the regimens. It is available for download at – www.joinlafd.org/pdf/CPAT.pdf.

3 Key Recommendations on What Features to Look for in a Study Guide:

  1. Author of the Guide:While choosing a study guide, you must pay attention to the source/author of the guide. It must be an official guide published by a U.S. fire department or a licensed CPAT agency such as a university or training academy. This ensures that the information in the guide is authentic and well-proven.
  2. Thoroughness of the Material in the Guide:The guide that you are picking must contain a thorough insight into all the kinds of fitness, health and exercise regimens that are required for the test. The training modules and constituent exercises explained in it must be very detailed in nature. Also, CPAT task-specific training regimens must be covered in the guide.
  3. Language and Style of the Guide:The language must be unambiguous and precise. The instructions must be given in a step-by-step manner with sufficient illustrations for clarity. The training programs must be described in a sequential and logical manner so that they are easy to replicate.

Thus far, we have reviewed 3 effective study guides and provided you with a 3-step guide on how to choose the right one. Last but not the least, we hope these recommendations make your test preparation easier and we wish all the candidates the very best of luck!