So you finished your Pilates training, now what? The idea of taking your final Pilates Exam can be overwhelming and seem daunting since there are so many components. STOTT Pilates has both a written and practical exam, and so do many others. As long as you are organized you will be able to pass your exam.
1) Study Buddies
I’ve taken two STOTT Pilates exam. The first one was for Matwork Level 1 and again for my Full Level 1. When I was studying for my first exam, I was living in Spain away from anyone who had done any of the training. Therefore, I had to practice and study all on my own and it was a challenge.
When I took the full level 1 exam on all apparatus, I was fortunate enough to have been part of a small study group with other students that had completed their training and it made a world of difference. In my group, we discovered that we were all stronger in different areas. I was great in anatomy but not so much with verbalizing directions. But another student in my group was great at it. We were able to share our methods for how to approach each part of the exam.
Look for other students at your training center and see if they would be interested in working together. See if you can find groups on social media or start your own.
2) Muscle Memory
The easiest 50 points that you will get on the exam is to study the Bryan Edwards Muscles Flashcard pack. They appear exactly on the exam as they do in their cards and counts for 1/3 of the exam. As you learn the muscle, you will have a better understanding of the Pilates exercises. Also, being able to inform clients exactly which muscles they are using when teaching classes makes you really stand out as an instructor. I have often been told how impressed people are with my knowledge of anatomy and it all starts from this pack.
I wrote a post to help you learn how to memorize the muscles here.
3)PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Practice teaching every exercise to friends, others in your study group, or family members. I even started teaching free classes in the park for a time being. My classes were terrible but they were free and so I always found willing participants. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback and seeing if there are different ways you can teach something.
4)FIVE BASIC PRINCIPLES
STOTT Pilates has 5 Basic Principles that are different from Josef Pilates’ classical principles. For your STOTT exam, you will have to be able to state them during the warm-up. To help you memorize the principles, practice saying the essential principles point by point to another person. THEN practice teaching them in your warm-ups.
You will not need to know Josef Pilates principles for the exam but they are worth knowing.
5) PRACTICE EXAMS, PRIVATES, AND EXAM PREP COURSES
If you live close enough or can travel in, you can book an hour with an Instructor Trainer where you practice taking the exam. They can give you feedback on how to improve and what exactly you need to look for. Sometimes there are Exam Prep courses as well.
6) BE A BODY
Another incredible way to get an inside look at the exam before taking it is to volunteer as a ‘Body’ for someone else’s exam. Not only will you get to see exactly how you will be tested for your exam, but you will also know EXACTLY what to prepare for and how to do it.
7) SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
You are going to want to learn the Supplemental Material frontwards and backward. This piece of literature is what brings the anatomy and exercises together for Pilates. It teaches how anatomy is used and how to use anatomical references. Plus there is more detailed information about different postures and postural analysis.
8) POSTURAL ANALYSIS
This one is really challenging without help, in my opinion, but it’s not impossible. I will also be doing a more in-depth post on Postural Analysis later, but for now, my suggestion to get better with this component of the exam is to work through the Postural Analysis sheet section by section on as many bodies as you can, ideally with other instructors to help you.
You can also sit-in on courses whenever you want after you complete them. I watched the postural analysis portion of the Pilates courses about three or four times and I nailed it in my exam.
9) MEMORIZE THE EXERCISES
I know that this may seem obvious but a lot is going on there. Particularly when it comes to STOTT, you need to learn the order of the exercises as well as the breathing pattern, the movements, the muscles, and whether or not they are being used concentrically or eccentrically.
Make sure to incorporate all of these elements when you practice teaching and for your exams.
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES:
STOTT Pilates Assessment Guide https://www.merrithew.com/docs/default-source/it-docs-stott-pilates/admin-forms/em-0010ab_section17.pdf
STOTT Postural Analysis Sheet https://auptimo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Postural-Analysis-Guide.pdf
STOTT Pilates Exam FAQs https://www.merrithew.com/instructor-training/exams-faq
STOTT Pilates 5 Basic Principles https://www.merrithew.com/stott-pilates/warmup/en/principles/five-basic-principles
John Carey Video ‘How to Pass Stott Exam’
