You have questions, we have answers! On this page you'll find answers to any question you may have about CPO Certification as well as online or in-person courses. If you can't find your answer, please submit your question to: alex@pooltrainingacademy.com
Going through the online CPO Course through Pool Training Academy is quite easy. The following steps are the ones you will take when going through the online CPO course with us:
1. Choose your class date. We recommend you choose a class date that is 2-3 weeks out. This will ensure you have enough time to complete the online video module series once it is sent to you.
2. Pay For Your Class. You will do this on our website. We accept all major credit cards.
3. Confirmation Email. You will receive a confirmation email that is autogenerated from our websites e-commerce platform, Shopify. This is your receipt for your class. If you need to present a receipt for the course, this is that receipt.
4. Share Your Contact Information. Within 24 hours of signing up, you will receive a second email, this time directly from Pool Training Academy, asking for your shipping information as well as a valid email address. Please provide the most accurate information in order for the shipping and communication processes to go as smoothly as possible.
5. Complete The Video Module Series. Once we receive your contact information, we will send you instructions for accessing the online video module series from PHTA. NOTE: The email with your login information may come from the APSP. As a result, this email may be delivered to your spam folder.
Once you login, you will need to complete all 8 video modules in the series. You can do this at your own leisure as long as you complete all the videos before your scheduled exam date.
Please remember that you will also be presented with mini-quizzes at the end of each video module. You will need to pass these quizzes with an 80% or higher in order to complete the course.
6. Receive Your Zoom Invite Via Email. A few days before your course, you will receive an email from Pool Training Academy with an invitation to the Zoom Virtual Classroom portion of your training. Please note that we will walk you through the process of how to use the exam site during this Zoom meeting as well.
7. Join The Zoom Meeting. On the day of your scheduled exam, you'll join the Zoom class where we will cover the remainder of the content that wasn't covered in the video module series. Be sure you have the ability to turn your audio and video on during the Zoom Meeting. Also, be sure to take notes with the information shared in the Zoom Meeting as it will help you during the exam.
8. Take The Exam. Once we have completed the teaching portion of the Zoom meeting we will move on to taking the exam. After a brief tutorial on accessing the exam website, you will then take the exam. The exam is open book and open note, so be sure to take good notes throughout the whole learning process. You can also ask your instructor for guidance.
NOTE: You must leave your your video and audio feed on during the entirety of the time you are taking your exam. Failure to do so will result in your exam not being honored by the PHTA.
9. Receive your CPO Certification. Once you have passed the CPO Exam, you will be sent your digital CPO® certification within 24 hours of passing the exam.
A CPO® Course with Pool Training Academy will cover everything you need to become a bonafide aquatics facility professional! The course covers the following topics but is not limited to:
We highly recommend that you sign up for a date that is at least 3 weeks from you the day you are signing up on. There are a couple key reasons for this:
1. Communication Time. We get the process started within 24 hours of you signing up during the week, but if you sign up on a weekend, we won't be able to respond until we are back in the office on Monday. Giving yourself plenty of time between the day you sign up and your exam date allows you to not feel rushed during the process.
2. Video Module Watch Time. The video module series that you are required to watch takes on average between 8-12 hours. Most folks don't choose to do this in one sitting. Giving yourself plenty of time between the day you sign up and your exam date allows you to pace yourself and your video module consumption.
If your state isn't listed on our online class dates page, your state has not approved online delivery of the CPO Course. We are very sorry for this inconvenience and highly encourage you to reach out to your health department and request that they consider allowing online delivery from Pool Training Academy.
Not at all! We understand that you have to fulfill certain information that matches the credit card you're using. This is why we send a contact information email. You will fill out your employees contact information in that email and send that to us.
When purchasing the class you will receive an initial confirmation email that is autogenerated from our website's e-commerce platform, Shopify. This is your receipt for your class. If you need to present a receipt for the course, this is that receipt.
We send out the contact information email within 24 hours of signing up during the business week. Unlike a lot of companies out there, we have actual people handling communication with you and we are unfortunately really swamped most of the time, yikes! As a result, we send the contact information email out in the order in which our students signed up. As a result, it can take up to 24 hours (or longer if you sign up on a weekend day) to receive that contact information request email.
If you have not received it after 24 hours, please contact us at: info@pooltrainingacademy.com
This is a very valid question. We at Pool Training Academy are instructors through the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance also known as the PHTA. The video module series you will be watching is created and managed by the PHTA, so they will be the one to contact you about your login information for the video module series. Now, the APSP is also known as the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals. This company merged with the National Swimming Pool Foundation in the past few years and the two organizations created the PHTA when they combined. As a result, you may from time to time get an email with an APSP address. Rest assured, this is not spam, it is simply due to the fact that PHTA has not transferred over all the old email addresses after the merger. Be sure to check your junk or spam folder to see if there are any APSP or PHTA messages that have been sent there.
Finishing your video modules is one of the most important parts of the process actually! Per PHTA® requirements, students must complete this video module series before joining an in-person class or an online classroom session. Unfortunately, failure to complete your video modules before your scheduled exam date and time will also result in you being barred from joining your Zoom Classroom on your exam date. As a result, you will also be subject to our non-negotiable $100 rescheduling fee, per our rescheduling policy.
You will have access to your educational videos up to the completion of the series or up to one year of your purchase before they are no longer available. After that time, the videos will no longer be accessible.
We are so sorry you're having issues with the video module series and we wish there was something we could do personally. Unfortunately, the PHTA created the video series and requires that we use it exclusively for online video education. They are also the ones responsible for managing any issues with the video series. As a result, we highly encourage that you email Natalie Hood at PHTA with any issues you have with the video module series. You can contact Natalie at: nhood@phta.org
The short answer is yes, the video series does track your progress. BUT, PHTA has designed the videos to be taken one full module at a time. Therefore, if you are midway through a given module and you log out for any reason, you may have to start back at the last checkpoint you reached.
If you didn't receive your Certificate of Completion after completing the entirety of the video module series, please contact Natalie Hood at PHTA for assistance. Her email is: nhood@phta.org
- If you're in the Pacific Time Zone, your Zoom class starts at 8:00am
- If you're in the Mountain Time Zone, your Zoom class starts at 9:00am
- If you're in the Central Time Zone, your Zoom class starts at 10:00am
- If you're in the Eastern Time Zone, your Zoom class starts at 11:00am
If you would like to reschedule your exam date you have until 7 days PRIOR to your exam date to reschedule at no additional charge. Any schedule changes within 7 days of your scheduled class will be charged a non-negotiable $100 rescheduling fee.
NOTE: You must attend an exam within 30 days of your original scheduled exam. Only 1 exam date change will be allowed, any additional schedule changes will result in forfeiture of entire tuition fee.
Purchased tuitions will be refunded their purchase amount minus a $200 fee. This fee is necessary due to the fact that once you make your purchase we immediately purchase student-specific internet access codes, ship materials, and reserve space in a virtual classroom that are non-refundable to us as instructors as well as the student per PHTA rules. We're very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and wish we didn't have to charge this fee.
The short answer is yes. Depending on where you are along the process there is a fee of $200 to transfer due to the fact that materials are non-transferrable per PHTA rules. If you'd like to transfer your tuition to another individual, please email your instructor.
If you have negotiated a credit with Pool Training Academy for a student's tuition fee, you must use that credit within 6 months of the original course date. After the 6-month period, the credit will expire.
Due to the importance of the entirety of the content being shared, anyone showing up more than 15 minutes past the start time of the Zoom meeting will be denied entry to the meeting and will also be required to reschedule their exam.
A student failing to attend a scheduled exam without prior notice will be subject to forfeiture of their entire tuition fee.
Click Here to be redirected to a YouTube tutorial on how to use Zoom.
If your computer doesn't have audio or video abilities for the sake of the Zoom meeting, that's not a problem! You can join the Zoom meeting using your cell phone as long as it has a camera and microphone.
During the exam you can use the following resources:
PLEASE NOTE: Only the items listed here are permitted during the taking of the exam. Any resources that are not a part of this list are forbidden from use.
though it may seem a little odd that we're watching you take the exam, per PHTA requirements we as instructors are required to ensure that you are the one taking the exam and that no outside help is given. We trust that this won't happen, but use it as a necessary method to confirm that you took the test yourself.
No need to worry! We have a pass rate over 90%, but in the event you don't pass that is nothing to worry about. You will simply have to pay a $50 fee and take the exam again during one of our future class dates. Once you pay the fee we will reach out to you with options for a retake date.
Again, no need to worry! We will simply repeat the retest process until you pass. It's that simple. Please note that you will need to pass the exam within 60 days of completing the course in order to become CPO® Certified.