CPSS Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CPSS facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which research design is best suited to studying the long-term effects of youth sport specialization on adult injury rates? → Prospective longitudinal cohort study
2. Which of the following is a PROCESS KPI rather than an OUTCOME KPI in sport science? → Weekly training load adherence
3. Which metric best captures the cumulative physiological stress imposed by a training session when both intensity and duration are considered? → Training impulse (TRIMP)
4. Which statistical property ensures that a KPI can detect a meaningful change beyond measurement noise? → Smallest worthwhile change (SWC) exceeding typical error
5. What is the primary energy system used during short-duration, high-intensity activities like sprinting? → Phosphagen system
6. What is the primary role of the muscle spindle during a rapid stretch of a muscle? → Detect the rate and magnitude of muscle stretch and initiate a reflex contraction
7. Which movement plane is most dominant in sports like tennis and baseball batting, and why does this matter for needs analysis? → Transverse plane, because rotational power generation is central
8. The Fick equation for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is best expressed as: → VO2max = HR × SV × (CaO2 − CvO2)
9. Beta-alanine supplementation improves performance primarily by increasing muscle concentrations of which compound? → Carnosine
10. When a questionnaire consistently measures stress but does not actually capture recovery status, which psychometric issue is present? → Low construct validity
11. A sport scientist wants to measure an athlete's state anxiety immediately before competition. Which validated instrument is most commonly used? → Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2)
12. A sport scientist is designing KPIs for a powerlifting program. Which metric best captures strength development over a mesocycle? → Relative strength ratio (1RM ÷ body mass)
13. Which scenario represents the BEST use of a leading KPI (predictor) versus a lagging KPI (outcome) in injury prevention? → Monitoring ACWR and jump asymmetry to intervene before injury occurs
14. Which recovery nutrition strategy is most effective for an athlete who cannot consume solid food within 30 minutes post-exercise? → Consume a liquid carbohydrate-protein blend (e.g., chocolate milk or recovery shake)
15. In near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for muscle oxygenation monitoring, what does the SmO2 parameter represent? → Muscle tissue oxygen saturation percentage
16. According to goal-setting theory, which type of goal is most directly linked to improving sport performance by focusing on skill development? → Process goals
17. When a sport scientist reports isokinetic knee extensor strength as a 'bilateral deficit,' what specific finding does this describe? → The sum of unilateral limb forces exceeds bilateral simultaneous force production
18. An athlete's VO2max is best described as: → The maximum rate at which the body can consume oxygen during incremental exercise
19. Which technology is most commonly used to measure ground reaction forces during a bilateral squat in a laboratory setting? → Dual force plates with independent left and right channels
20. Which energy system provides the majority of ATP during a 400-meter sprint lasting approximately 45–55 seconds? → Glycolytic and phosphocreatine systems combined
21. Which principle of adult learning (andragogy) is MOST important to consider when educating athletes about their performance data? → Connecting information to the athlete's own experience and goals
22. Which attentional style, according to Nideffer's model, is most beneficial during a team huddle where a coach addresses broad tactical decisions? → Broad-external
23. Which principle guides the recommended number of KPIs in a monitoring system to avoid data overload? → Select only 2-3 KPIs per performance domain, prioritizing actionability
24. The concept of 'planned incompatibility' in concurrent training programming primarily addresses: → Scheduling strength and endurance sessions to minimize molecular interference
25. What is the term used to describe the process of progressively decreasing training volume and intensity to allow for recovery and adaptation? → Tapering
26. Which muscle fiber type relies predominantly on oxidative phosphorylation for ATP production during prolonged endurance exercise? → Type I fibers
27. In the context of the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR), a ratio above 1.5 is associated with: → Increased injury risk due to excessive acute load spike
28. Which subjective monitoring tool uses a brief daily questionnaire covering fatigue, sleep quality, mood, muscle soreness, and stress? → Hooper Index
29. Which data processing technique is used in GPS analysis to smooth positional noise and improve velocity calculation accuracy? → Kalman filtering to fuse GPS position with accelerometer data
30. Which biomarker is most sensitive for detecting early-stage muscle damage following eccentric exercise? → Creatine kinase (CK)