personal‑trainer exams

ACE CPT vs ISSA CPT

ACE vs ISSA: one accredited exam, or a course plus an optional one

ACE certifies you through a single NCCA-accredited exam. ISSA certifies you through its course final, which is not accredited, and offers the NCCPT-CPT, which is. Each brand also sells a look-alike that muddies the comparison, so start by naming the right product.

Pick ACE if…

  • you want one exam that carries NCCA accreditation by itself;
  • you want your scaled score on screen the moment you finish;
  • client coaching is your strength: onboarding and progression each get a domain of their own.

Pick ISSA if…

  • you'd rather learn through a self-paced course and pass its open-note final first;
  • you want cheap retakes: one free resubmission of a failed portion on the course final, $99 on the NCCPT-CPT;
  • you want a longer window for the accredited exam: the NCCPT-CPT gives 12 months from purchase.
01

ACE vs ISSA certification, fact by fact

Checked 19 Oct 2026 against each certifier's own handbook and website. ISSA cells read course exam first, NCCPT-CPT exam second. Package prices as of Oct 2026; ACE adds a separate exam registration ($99) to any study program, and the NCCPT-CPT adds a $79 Prometric delivery fee. Bars share one scale per row. *Package prices change with promotions, so check the certifier's site before you buy.
Fact ACE CPT ISSA CPT
AccreditationAH · IC · NFNCCA (ACE's core certifications, since 2003)NCCA on the NCCPT-CPT exam only; the ISSA course exam is not accredited
Items on the examAH · AS · IF · NE150 (125 scored + 25 unscored)up to 200 · 140 (course exam · NCCPT-CPT, 125 scored + 15 pretest)
Time limitAH · AS · IF · NE3 hoursuntimed · 2 hours
Pass markAH · AS · IF · NPscaled 500 on a 200–800 scalecourse 70% (one ISSA FAQ answer says 75% on all sections) · NCCPT scaled score (cut score not published)
Score reportAH · NE · NPImmediately: scaled score + pass/fail; domain % given as a guide if you failNCCPT: pass/fail at the end; a fail comes with a report by content area
Where you sit itAH · AS · IF · NEProctored test center or live remote proctoring (Meazure Learning)course: online, open-note, unproctored · NCCPT: Prometric center or live remote, closed-book
Video questionsAH · NPabout 10% of items: a short silent exercise clip, then a questionnone mentioned in the NCCPT manual
EligibilityAH · AS · NE · IF18+ at registration, high school or equivalent, current adult CPR/AED with a hands-on skills checkNCCPT: 18+, photo ID, valid CPR card (no digital certificates) · ISSA: current adult CPR/AED to certify
Exam-only feeAS · AO · NX · NM$499included with the course · $599 alone (+ $79 Prometric delivery fee)
RetakeAS · AO · AH · IF · NM$249 within 1 year of the first attempt (earliest retake: 4 days after a fail per ACE; one ACE page says 10 days)course: one free resubmission of a failed portion · NCCPT: $99, max 3 attempts in 12 months
Window to testAH · AS · IF · NE6 months from purchase for a package voucher, no extensions (remote exam within 60 days of registering)course 6 months · NCCPT 12 months from purchase (+ one free 6-month extension)
Largest domainAE · NPProgram Design & Implementation, 31%NCCPT: Applied Science, Program Design and Exercise Technique, 25% each
RenewalAR · AH · IF · NF · NMevery 2 yrs · 2.0 CEC (20 h) · $129 on timeevery 2 yrs · 20 CEUs + CPR/AED · ISSA $99 / NCCPT $75
Study packages*AP · ICBasic $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 buyCPT course $868 paid in full, or $97/mo × 11as of 19 Oct 2026 · promo pricing, check before you buy

Myth: “ACE and ISSA both have open-book exams”

Each brand sells an open-book product, and neither one is the accredited exam. On the ACE side it is the ACE Certificate, a separate product from the ACE CPT. On the ISSA side it is the course final. The accredited ISSA exam is the NCCPT-CPT, run by NCCPT, a subsidiary of ISSA.

02

How each exam is delivered

The ACE CPT is 150 items in 3 hours, closed-book, at a test center or live remote. About about 10% of its items start with a short silent exercise clip, and the pass mark is scaled 500 on a 200–800 scale.

ISSA's course final has up to 200 questions, open-note and untimed, and you pass at 70%. The NCCPT-CPT is 140 items in 2 hours, closed-book, at a Prometric test center or online with live remote proctoring, and its passing score isn't published.

Both accredited exams require current CPR/AED certification by the time you test. ACE wants a card with a hands-on skills check, and the NCCPT-CPT turns away digital CPR certificates.

03

What each path costs

For the exam alone, ACE is cheaper: $499, against $599 plus a $79 Prometric fee for the NCCPT-CPT.

With study material, as of Oct 2026: ACE's packages run from $494.50 on sale, plus a separate exam registration ($99). ISSA's course is $868 paid in full and includes the NCCPT-CPT, plus the $79 Prometric fee. Both run promotions, so price them on the day you buy; our ISSA cost page has the detail.

Retakes run the other way. An ACE retake is $249 within 1 year of the first attempt. An NCCPT-CPT retake is $99, and the course final gives one free resubmission of a failed portion.

04

What each blueprint weights

ACE CPT, 4 domains

Onboarding & assessment 23%Program design 31%Modification & progression 27%Risk & conduct 19%

ISSA CPT, 6 domains

Science 25%Nutrition 8%Intake 12%Program design 25%Technique 25%Professional 5%

ISSA's bars are the NCCPT-CPT blueprint. ACE's largest domain is Program Design & Implementation, 31%. On the NCCPT-CPT three domains tie for first: Applied Science, Program Design and Exercise Technique, 25% each. NCCPT gives applied science a domain of its own. ACE has no separate science domain, so science shows up inside program design and progression questions.

05

Try 6 questions, from both exams

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Question 1 of 6 · ACE CPT · Program Modification and Progression · 27%Not answered

For a client training alone at home, which strategy most effectively integrates social support to prevent relapse?

Why each option is right or wrong

Pick an answer. Then tap any option to read its explanation, the wrong ones included.

A — Not this one. Program complexity has nothing to do with social support, and a complicated plan can make home training harder to stick with.

B — Correct. Planned check-ins by text, call, or video give a client who trains alone an outside source of support and accountability, which helps prevent relapse.

C — Not this one. New equipment changes the workout, not the support around it.

D — Not this one. The question asks how to add social support. Relying on the client's own drive adds none.

E — Not this one. Visualization is an individual mental skill. By definition it adds no social connection.

Question 2 of 6 · ACE CPT · Client Onboarding and Assessments · 23%Not answered

When asked, "On a scale of 0 to 10, how confident are you that you can stick to a walking program?", a client answers with a 5. Which response best aligns with Motivational Interviewing principles?

Why each option is right or wrong

Pick an answer. Then tap any option to read its explanation, the wrong ones included.

A — Not this one. Asking why not higher makes the client defend their doubts, which strengthens the reasons not to change.

B — Correct. Asking why the client did not pick a lower number makes them list their own reasons for confidence. That draws out change talk, which is the aim in Motivational Interviewing.

C — Not this one. A 5 is a middle score, not a refusal. It shows mixed feelings worth exploring.

D — Not this one. Prescribing a program is action planning. It moves past the conversation the ruler was meant to open.

E — Not this one. Jumping to tips skips the step of exploring what the client already has going for them.

Question 3 of 6 · ACE CPT · Risk Management, Professional Conduct, and Ethical Business Practices · 19%Not answered

After an AED delivers a shock to a victim in cardiac arrest, what is the immediate next step for the rescuer according to current protocols?

Why each option is right or wrong

Pick an answer. Then tap any option to read its explanation, the wrong ones included.

A — Not this one. Stopping to check a pulse delays compressions. Current protocols skip it and go straight back to CPR.

B — Not this one. Checking for breathing or movement interrupts compressions. CPR stops only if the person clearly wakes up or the AED prompts it.

C — Correct. Right after the shock, the rescuer resumes CPR, starting with compressions, for about two minutes. The AED will prompt the next rhythm check, so there is no pause to check a pulse.

D — Not this one. Compressions come first. Leading with two breaths delays the step that matters most after a shock.

E — Not this one. The AED re-analyzes after about two minutes of CPR, not immediately. Waiting leaves the victim with no circulation.

Question 4 of 6 · ISSA CPT · Professional Practice & Responsibility · 5%Not answered

An adult client collapses, is unresponsive, and is not breathing normally. A coworker has already called 911 and gone for the AED. What should the trainer do next?

Why each option is right or wrong

Pick an answer. Then tap any option to read its explanation, the wrong ones included.

A — Not this one. The recovery position is for someone who is unresponsive but breathing normally, not for someone who isn't breathing normally.

B — Not this one. Lay rescuers do not check for a pulse, and even trained providers take no more than 10 seconds; a full minute delays compressions.

C — Not this one. Rescue breaths alone don't circulate blood. Compressions are the priority in adult cardiac arrest.

D — Correct. An unresponsive adult who isn't breathing normally is treated as cardiac arrest: start chest compressions now and use the AED as soon as it arrives.

Question 5 of 6 · ISSA CPT · Intake & Ongoing Evaluation · 12%Not answered

A client performs as many push-ups as possible with good form and no rest. Which fitness component does this test measure?

Why each option is right or wrong

Pick an answer. Then tap any option to read its explanation, the wrong ones included.

A — Correct. Repeating a bodyweight movement until fatigue, with no rest, tests muscular endurance.

B — Not this one. Power is force produced quickly, tested with jumps or throws.

C — Not this one. Strength is maximal force in a single effort, measured with a 1RM rather than a repetition count.

D — Not this one. Anaerobic capacity tests use all-out efforts of roughly 30–90 seconds, not a count of controlled reps.

Question 6 of 6 · ISSA CPT · Nutrition · 8%Not answered

A client runs the same route at the same pace on two hot days, but on day 2 starts the run already dehydrated. What change is MOST likely on day 2?

Why each option is right or wrong

Pick an answer. Then tap any option to read its explanation, the wrong ones included.

A — Not this one. Lower blood volume means less filling and a smaller stroke volume, not a larger one.

B — Not this one. Less blood volume pushes heart rate up, not down.

C — Not this one. Less skin blood flow and sweating let core temperature climb higher, which is part of why the run feels harder.

D — Correct. Dehydration lowers blood volume, so stroke volume falls and heart rate rises to maintain cardiac output at the same pace.

Answer all questions to see your score

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Practice both before you book

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.

Get the appApp StoreGoogle Play

Keep practicing for the ISSA CPT in an app

More ISSA CPT practice questions with explanations, in a study app for your phone. Not affiliated with ISSA.

Get the appApp StoreGoogle Play
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Other comparisons

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ACE vs ISSA, quick answers

Is ACE or ISSA better?

If the job asks for an NCCA-accredited certification, ACE gets you there with one exam, and ISSA only through the NCCPT-CPT. If you want a self-paced course with an open-note final first, ISSA is built for that.

What does ACE stand for?

The American Council on Exercise. ISSA is the International Sports Sciences Association, and the NCCPT-CPT is the accredited exam it offers through its subsidiary NCCPT.

How much does an ACE personal trainer certification cost?

The exam alone is $499. With study material, packages run from $494.50 on sale as of Oct 2026, plus a separate exam registration ($99). A retake is $249 within 1 year of the first attempt.

Is ISSA accredited like ACE?

Only through one of its two exams, the NCCPT-CPT; the course final is not accredited. The ACE CPT exam itself is NCCA-accredited.