STOTT PILATES^® Rehab Exam FAQs

In order for your course to be considered complete, a minimum number of hours of observation, practice teaching and physical review are required and should be completed between instructed sessions at any Merrithew Training Center, at home or at a facility with a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor/Instructor Trainer. Additional training may be required before certification. Practice teaching and physical review hours must be logged outside of class time. The practice logs must be submitted on your exam date (either written or practical exam). If the student fails to submit all the logs within 7 days from the last portion of the exam, the entire exam will be void.

Observation hours can be logged during relevant course homework or after a STOTT PILATES course and can be accrued by watching a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor/Instructor Trainer teach clients (in-person or online), as well as observing the relevant course videos on DVD or through Merrithew Connect^™. We recommend 50-80% of your hours be completed by watching a Certified Instructor/Instructor Trainer. Please ensure you receive permission from the Merrithew Training Center and/or presenting Instructor well in advance.

Physical Review hours means physically performing the exercises learned in class. Physical review of the material is very important to ensure full understanding within your own body first, before attempting to teach someone else. It is also very important to ensure your body is prepared for the increased challenge at each level of repertoire as you move through your STOTT PILATES Instructor Training. Taking a class with a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor/Instructor Trainer or working out with relevant course videos on DVD or through Merrithew Connect can qualify as physical review hours, and can be completed individually or with other students.

Students can participate in an online Pilates session or join an online group Pilates class that teaches STOTT PILATES repertoire with a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor/Instructor Trainer. Students can also attend a Merrithew Online Workshop (offered by Merrithew Training Centers worldwide or the Corporate Training Center).

Practice Teaching hours can be fulfilled by teaching STOTT PILATES course repertoire to family, fellow students, friends or clients, cueing and correcting them through a workout. Practice Teaching can be done in-person or by using a video conferencing program, such as Skype or Zoom. Physical review of the material is very important to ensure full understanding within your own body first, before attempting to teach someone else. It is also very important to ensure your body is prepared for the increased challenge at each level of repertoire as you move through your STOTT PILATES Instructor Training.

You must take your exam within six months of completing your last STOTT PILATES or STOTT PILATES Rehab Education course (this includes ISP and Functional Anatomy as they are considered STOTT PILATES education courses). We encourage you to take some time afterward to practice and synthesize the information prior to taking the exam; however, you are welcome to take the exam immediately after you complete the course if you and your instructor agree you are ready.

There is only a practical component for the Rehab Certification (i.e. no written exam), which is conducted in the presence of a Rehab Instructor Trainer. Depending on the training and certification courses that you have completed you may choose the following exams:

• RM1 & RM2
• RR1 & RR2
• RM1 & RR1 (RMR1)
• RM1, RR1, RM2 & RR2 (RMR1 & RMR2)
• RM1, RR1, RCCB1 (RMR1 & RCCB1)
• Full Certification

• Exam material is cumulative
• You must receive a score of 80% in order to achieve certification
• Different clients may be used if the exam is longer than 1.5 hours
• You must provide an appropriate patient for your examination

If you did not take the exam within six months of completing your course, you must complete private sessions to regain eligibility. Please consult the Rehab Exam Eligibility Reinstatement Form for detailed steps on how to proceed. The number of required private sessions depends on how long ago the exam eligibility period ended:

• If less than 12 months have passed since your exam eligibility expired: Complete minimum one (1) private session
• If 12 to 24 months have passed: Complete minimum two (2) private sessions
• If more than 24 months have passed: Complete minimum three (3) private sessions

The content and duration of each private session will be tailored to your specific needs to ensure you are adequately prepared for the exam. It is based on the course material to be covered, the complexity of the content, and the time since course completion.

The MINIMUM number of hours required per private session are:

• RM1 & RM2: 1 hour
• RR1 & RR2: 1 hour
• RM1 & RR1 (RMR1): 1 hour
• RM1 & RR1 & RM2, RR2 (RMR1 & RMR2): 1–2 hours
• RM1 & RR1 & RCCB1 (RMR1 & RCCB1): 1–2 hours
• Full Certification: 2–3 hours

Rehab Instructor Trainer may recommend further privates or study as preparation.

Note: all sessions must be completed within 30 days. Once the last session is completed, the student has 60 days to examine.

Contact our Toronto Corporate Training Center or any Licensed Training Center or Host Training Center to make arrangements to compete your exam in person.

You must receive a score of 80% in order to achieve certification. If you have to retake the exam, this should happen within six months of the date of the original exam. This ensures that the information remains relatively fresh but allows time to study and improve in the necessary areas.

If you take your exam for the first time and fail, you have one more opportunity, within six months, to successfully pass the exam. If you fail both a second time, you must wait six months before retesting.

• RM1 & RM2: 1.5 hours
• RR1 & RR2: 1.5 hours
• RM1 & RR1 (RMR1): 1.5 hours
• RM1, RR1, RM2 & RR2 (RMR1 & RMR2): 2 hours
• RM1, RR1 & RCCB1 (RMR1 & RCCB1): 2 hours
• Full Certification: 2 hours

Information gathering (5–10 minutes)
In the initial five minutes of the exam you should clearly describe the case history of one subject only. If you are using two subjects, please provide the Rehab Instructor Trainer with the written case history notes of both subjects. However, you will only be marked on the case history of the subject you are discussing.

You will be required to discuss the following:

• Relevant demographics of the patient (age, social, workplace demands)
• Diagnosis or movement dysfunction
• Relevant diagnostic assessment information
• Pain history – severity, irritability, nature, provoking movements/positions
• Contraindications/precautions of movements/positions/loads
• Functional impairments
• Relevant contributing factors that should consider:
  • Postural contributions
  • Areas of gives and restrictions
  • Form closure, force closure, motor control and emotions/awareness dysfunction
  • Local and global system muscle dysfunction

Stated focus (5–10 minutes)
Based on your case history. You are also required to provide a goals and stated focus of one subject. Provide the Rehab instructor trainer with written goals of both subjects. You will only be marked on the goals and stated focus of the subject you are discussing.

You should consider the following:

• Rehabilitation goals
• Specific positions or movement patterns that you will be avoiding
• Specific positions or movements patterns that you will be facilitating
• Specific props and modifications you will use
• Specific Basic Principles that will be focused on
• General description of the muscles that you determine should be the focus of the workout and other areas of concern (range of motion, gives and restrictions, facilitating or inhibiting local and global muscle systems) and how you will address them

STOTT PILATES Principles (5–10 minutes)
Next you will take your subject through the STOTT PILATES Principles in proper sequence, using clear imagery and movement cues to help the subject properly achieve biomechanical body awareness. You must clearly explain why each of the principles is important and demonstrate the proper cueing and correcting of the subject.

Treatment session (remaining time – see table below)
The remainder of the practical exam is dedicated to taking your subject through an appropriate treatment session. The time allotted for the workout portion of the exam will not allow for the completion of all exercises in the full repertoire. You must ensure that the exercises chosen represent a well-rounded workout that address all aspects of movement (i.e. flexion, extension, rotation, etc.) and cover the minimum required number of exercises, while being appropriate to your ‘patient’.

You should incorporate props whenever necessary in order to modify the exercises appropriately. If exercise variations are being used, you should state the goal of the exercise and the reason for the modification. During the practical exam, if done in person, expect to be questioned periodically on the exercises and your choices. The test is designed in this way to evaluate the depth of your understanding of the exercises and how to administer them to your subject.

In addition to fully understanding the material conceptually and physically reviewing the exercises, the best preparation for the practical exam is the practice teaching of as many different people as possible (e.g. family, friends, classmates) to apply your knowledge, adapt it to many different body types, improve your teaching skills, and become comfortable with your teaching experience. Practice teaching within the specified timelines and meeting at least the minimum number of exercises.

• 18 hours class instruction and supervised teaching (each course)
• minimum 6 hours observation
• minimum 10 hours physical review
• minimum 10 hours practice teaching

• 24 hours class instruction and supervised teaching
• minimum 10 hours observation
• minimum 15 hours physical review
• minimum 10 hours practice teaching

• 16 hours class instruction and supervised teaching
• minimum 10 hours observation
• minimum 10 hours physical review
• minimum 10 hours practice teaching

Completion of all required course hours; in class, observation, physical review and practice teaching for each course. You will be required to submit logs to your examiner on the date of your exam. If the student fails to submit all the logs within 7 days from the exam, the entire exam will be void.

• Reported case history
• Goals and stated focus of workout
• Understanding of the STOTT PILATES Principles – application in orientation session and to all exercises
• Ability to cue – use of verbal skills including imagery, kinesthetic cues including palpation, and demonstration where necessary to aid in guiding the subject through exercises and transitions
• Ability to correct – use of verbal skills including imagery, kinesthetic cues including palpation, and demonstration where necessary to ensure correct alignment and proper execution of exercises
• Programming skills/Ability to modify for subject – correct rationale for exercises chosen, appropriate exercise progressions and applying adaptations and modifications per individual as necessary
• Knowledge of content – name of exercises, start positions, breath and movement
• Teaching manner – attitude, motivational and rapport with individual
• Rhythm and pace – competing minimum standard of number of exercises, transitions and flow of workout, pace of exercise appropriate to individual

• Expect to be questioned periodically on the exercises and your choices. This is to evaluate the depth of your understanding of the exercises and how to administer them. After working on each individual piece of equipment you may be asked to teach a few exercises of the examiner’s choosing to “spot check” your knowledge of the entire repertoire. Completed Observation and Practice Logs must be brought to the practical exam as exams will not be processed unless accompanied by these logs. If the student fails to submit all the logs within 7 days from the exam, the entire exam will be void.

RM1 & RM2
Since we would prefer that you use real clients with real injuries for your exam, and we know that they may not have the endurance for a full exam then a different client may be used for the RM2 repertoire, on a different occasion. Approximately 25 minutes will be allocated to complete the RM2 portion. The STOTT PILATES Principles only need to be demonstrated with the first client but a written description of the case history and focus of workout will need to be provided for the second client prior to the commencement of the exam.

RR1 & RR2
Since we would prefer that you use real clients with real injuries for your exam, and we know that they may not have the endurance for a full exam then a different client may be used for the RR2 repertoire, on a different occasion. Approximately 25 minutes will be allocated to complete the RR2 portion. The STOTT PILATES Principles only need to be demonstrated with the first client but a written description of the case history and focus of workout will need to be provided for the second client prior to the commencement of the exam.

RM1, RR1, RM2 & RR2 (RMR1 & RMR2)
Since we would prefer that you use real clients with real injuries for your exam, and we know that they may not have the endurance for a full exam then a different client may be used for the RMR2 repertoire, on a different occasion Approximately 35–40 minutes each. The STOTT PILATES Principles only need to be demonstrated with the first client but a written description of the case history and focus of workout will need to be provided for the second client prior to the commencement of the exam.

RM1, RR1, RM2, RR2 & RCCB1 (RMR1, RMR2 and RCCB1)
Since we would prefer that you use real clients with real injuries for your exam, and we know that they may not have the endurance for a full exam then a different client may be used for the RMR2 repertoire, on a different occasion. Approximately 25 minutes will be allocated to complete the RMR2 portion. The STOTT PILATES Principles only need to be demonstrated with the first client but a written description of the case history and focus of workout will need to be provided for the second client prior to the commencement of the exam.

Full Certification
Since we would prefer that you use real clients with real injuries for your exam, and we know that they may not have the endurance for a full exam then a different client may be used for the RMR1 & RCCB1 and the RMR2 & RCCB2 repertoire, on two different occasions. Approximately 50–55 minutes each. The STOTT PILATES Principles only need to be demonstrated with the first client but a written description or short verbal case history and focus of workout will need to be provided for the second client prior to the commencement of the exam.

Option 1
It is strongly recommended that you take your practical exams with a Rehab Instructor Trainers at our Corporate Training Center or at any of our Licensed Training Centers or Hosting Centers that offer the Rehab Program.

Option 2
If you are unable to visit one of our Corporate Training Center or any of our LTCs that offer the Rehab Program then you can submit by secured link. The purpose of the practical examination is to observe you as you lead a “patient” through a workout.

The videotaped workout will be:

• 1.5 hours for RM1 and RM2 exam, or RR1 and RR2 exam, or RM1 & RR1 (RMR1) exam
• 2 hours for RM1, RR1, RM2 and RR2 (RMR1 and RMR2) exam, or RM1, RR1 and RCCB1 (RMR1 and RCCB1) exam, or Full Certification exam

• Position the camera to observe a side view of the subject's body and allow for an additional three feet on either end ensuring enough room to move about. Keep the view close enough to allow details in the movement and the interaction between you and your subject
• Test the video equipment and sound level and make sure that it records properly and that your voice can be heard on the tape
• Face the camera (instruct on the far side of their subject to not obstruct the view). Camera adjustments should be performed at natural breaks in the examination process (i.e. between the postural analysis and Matwork or between the Matwork and Reformer)
• The recording should NOT be stopped at any point during the examination. The workout should be continuous
• Video editing is NOT permitted
• The use of notes or manuals is NOT permitted
• Videos must be submitted via a secure web link provided by the Education Programming team

Conducting the exam
Please read all information about practical exams in this section for more details. Follow the timelines and minimum requirements outlined. State your name and the name of your exam as you start recording. The test patient must be appropriate for the required repertoire associated with your exam.

Exam results will be sent directly to you, typically by email. The LTC and/or Instructor Trainer that conducted the exam will also be informed of the marks. Marking takes between four to six weeks from the date of the exam. Note, exams are not returned but can be reviewed upon request.