ACE CPT · exam facts
The ACE CPT exam, every rule with its source
The ACE Certified Personal Trainer exam is 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, closed-book, at a test center or from home with a live remote proctor. This page lists each rule as the certifier states it, and flags the two places where its own pages disagree.
- 150questions in total
- 3 htime limit
- scaled 500to pass (200–800 scale)
- 73% (2025)pass rate
All the facts in one table
| Fact | ACE CPT | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accreditation | NCCA (ACE's core certifications, since 2003) | AH |
| Items on the exam | 150 (125 scored + 25 unscored) | AH · AS |
| Time limit | 3 hours | AH · AS |
| Answer options per item | 4 (one correct answer and three incorrect responses) | AH |
| Pass mark | scaled 500 on a 200–800 scale | AH · AS |
| Score report | Immediately: scaled score + pass/fail; domain % given as a guide if you fail | AH |
| Where you sit it | Proctored test center or live remote proctoring (Meazure Learning) | AH · AS |
| Video questions | about 10% of items: a short silent exercise clip, then a question | AH |
| Eligibility | 18+ at registration, high school or equivalent, current adult CPR/AED with a hands-on skills check | AH · AS |
| Exam-only fee | $499 | AS · AO |
| Retake | $249 within 1 year of the first attempt (earliest retake: 4 days after a fail per ACE; one ACE page says 10 days) | AS · AO · AH |
| Window to test | 6 months from purchase for a package voucher, no extensions (remote exam within 60 days of registering) | AH · AS |
| Largest domain | Program Design & Implementation, 31% | AE |
| Renewal | every 2 yrs · 2.0 CEC (20 h) · $129 on time | AR · AH |
| Study packages | Basic $494.50 · Plus $584.50 · Advantage $874.50 during a 50%-off sale (list $989 / $1,169 / $1,749; promo prices change)as of 19 Oct 2026 · promo pricing, check before you buy | AP |
| Exam with a study program | $99 registration fee when bought with an ACE Personal Trainer study program | AO |
| Rescheduling | $149, once; remote exams move free inside their 60-day window | AH |
| Late renewal | $169 up to 3 months late, $199 up to 6 months; past that, contact ACE | AR |
| Pass rate | 73% in 2025 (7,105 candidates) | AH |
Exam format: questions, time, video items
You get 150 multiple-choice questions and 3 hours. Only 125 count toward your score. The other 25 are experimental questions being tried out for future forms, and nothing on screen tells you which is which. Each question has 4 options: one correct answer and three incorrect ones.
- Video items make up about 10% of the exam. You watch a short clip with no sound and decide whether the exercise should continue or be modified.
- Where: Proctored test center or live remote proctoring (Meazure Learning). Live remote proctoring is English-only.
- Blueprint: every item maps to one of four domains, and the largest is Program Design and Implementation (31%). The weights are on the exam hub.
Myth: “the ACE online exam is open-book”
The online, open-book test is the ACE Certificate (100 questions, 70% or higher to pass). Taken online, the NCCA exam is still closed-book with a live proctor, and your room is checked on camera. How the two products differ: Certificate vs certification.
Passing score and pass rate
Your correct answers convert to a scaled score from 200–800, and you pass at scaled 500. Scaling keeps the pass standard equal across forms that differ in difficulty, which is why no percent-correct cut is published. You see your scaled score and pass/fail status the moment you submit; if you fail, you also get your results by domain as a study guide.
The handbook reports a pass rate of 73% in 2025 (7,105 candidates).
What the exam costs
- Exam only: $499.
- With a study program: $99 for exam registration.
- Study programs: they start from $494.50 on sale. All three tiers and their list prices are in the table above.
The handbook says active military, veterans and eligible family members can claim exam fees, first-time and retake, back through the GI Bill. Every CPT's fees side by side: certification cost.
Retakes and rescheduling
A retake costs $249 within 1 year of the first attempt. After that year the first-time fee applies again. Retest vouchers bundled with some study programs run on their own clock: a package retest voucher must be used within 60 days of the failed exam.
Rescheduling: $149, once; remote exams move free inside their 60-day window. Live-site changes close the day before the exam.
Where ACE contradicts itself
On the earliest retake, the exam-options page and one line of the scheduling page say 4 days after a fail, while another line of the same scheduling page says 10 days. Planning for 10 is the safe choice. On test centers, the scheduling page says 800+ centers in 110+ countries and the handbook says 1,400+ sites in the US and Canada. Both may be true, but we don't quote either as a firm number.
Requirements: age, education, CPR/AED
To register, you must be 18 or older, with a high school diploma or equivalent and a current adult CPR/AED card that included a hands-on skills check. Bring a government photo ID with a signature.
- CPR/AED first: your CPR card must be on file before you register, because results come out the moment you submit.
- Hands-on only: the course must include an in-person or virtual skills check. Online-only CPR/AED courses are rejected.
- Current through exam day: an expired card blocks the exam, and the card must be current again at renewal.
- Voucher clock: use a package voucher no later than 6 months from purchase; a remote exam has to be taken within 60 days of registering.
Recertification: CECs and fees
Certification lasts two years. You renew every 2 years with 2.0 CECs (20 hours) and a $129 on-time fee, keep a current CPR/AED card with a hands-on skills check, and agree to the certifier's Code of Ethics and scope-of-practice documents.
The renewal page phrases the CEC rule as 20 hours per cycle, “only 10 hours (1.0 CECs) per year”, so spread the hours across both years instead of cramming them at the end. CECs don't roll over into the next cycle. Late fees run $169 up to 3 months late and $199 up to 6 months; past that, you have to contact the certifier.
More on the ACE CPT exam
- ACE CPTExam format, domains, cost and the Certificate mix-up, sourced
- ACE CPT practice testFree questions by domain, every option explained
ACE CPT practice in an app
Keep practicing for the ACE CPT in an app
More ACE CPT practice questions with explanations, in a study app for your phone. Not affiliated with ACE.
ACE CPT exam rules, quick answers
How hard is the ACE personal trainer exam?
The handbook reports a pass rate of 73% in 2025 (7,105 candidates). The exam runs 150 questions in 3 hours, and about 10% of the items are video clips, so you have to apply technique, not just recall terms. Try the free practice test.
What is the passing score for the ACE exam?
A scaled 500 on a 200–800 scale. It is not 70%; that figure belongs to the open-book ACE Certificate.
How much is the ACE personal trainer exam?
$499 on its own, or $99 with a study program. A retake costs $249 within 1 year of the first attempt.
Is an online CPR course accepted?
Only if it includes a hands-on skills check, in person or virtual. Online-only CPR/AED courses are not accepted, and US and Canadian candidates need AED training too.
How do I recertify with ACE?
You renew every 2 years with 2.0 CECs (20 hours) and a $129 on-time fee and keep a current CPR/AED card. Late renewal costs more: $169 up to 3 months late and $199 up to 6 months.