The exam will be delivered in a computer-based testing format (English only) at Pearson VUE® Authorized Test Centers worldwide. There are 125-150 multiple-choice questions based on KSA’s (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) distributed across eight content areas. The table below lists the approximate percentage of questions from each content area:
Click on a question below to view the answer.
The following texts are recommended to prepare for the Certified Personal TrainerSM exam:
- ACSM’s Certification Review, 2nd edition
- ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 7th edition (LWW)
- ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer, 2nd edition (LWW)
LWW publications can be ordered directly from the publisher, at any major bookstore, or any major online distributor or reseller.
The cost for the ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM is $219 for members of either ACSM or its Health and Fitness Alliance, or $279 for non-members. The cost of the re-test is $150. Prices are in USD.
Sign up through ACSM’s secure website and become an ACSM member in 1-2 days. For a list of benefits or to become a member, visit www.acsm.org/join. Once you join as a member (online option), you will receive your ACSM membership ID by email within one business week. If you need a member exam voucher in less than one week, please email certification@acsm.org after you’ve completed your online membership payment.
Depending on your experience and education, there are a variety of approaches to begin preparing for a certification exam. The less experience and education you have, the more time you should devote to preparation. One example is listed below:
Obtain one or more of the suggested study materials, and devote 1 to 3 months reviewing the content of these materials as they relate to the KSA’s (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) of the ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM.
Next, you can further review deficiencies in one or more content areas by participating in one or more of the online courses.
Once you feel adequately prepared, you might want to participate in the online practice exam, which has questions representing the content areas similar to the real exam. Although the online practice exam does not guarantee success on the ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM exam, it can help you focus any remaining study time you want to devote to preparation before sitting for the ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM exam.
Note: Online learning courses and practice exams are available at www.acsmlearning.org.
One-Day Workshop
This program is designed for currently and previously certified personal trainers who feel confident in their basic knowledge of Exercise Physiology, Anatomy and Kinesiology. The program will give you updated ACSM and other pertinent industry guidelines as well as provide you with the opportunity to identify KSA’s. Practice and prepare to put the power of the new ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM credential behind your name.
Three-Day Workshop
This is the exclusive workshop of the ACSM, and is delivered by Fitness Resource Associates (FRA) for participants who are interested in attaining the new ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM credential. FRA will help you attain the "gold standard" in Personal Trainer Certification, as well as the practical knowledge and skill needed to be a top-notch trainer in today’s evolving fitness industry. This workshop provides state-of-the art information in the exercise sciences, including updated ACSM and industry guidelines as well as behavioral objectives, dimensions of wellness and more. This is the ultimate hands-on preparation.
The passing score for all ACSM certification exams is set in advance and applied to all candidates’ exam results. Similar to exam scoring for a wide variety of other high stakes, national standardized exams (e.g., GRE, SAT, GMAT, etc.), ACSM certification exams are reported on a 200-800 score scale.
Specifically, all candidates are expected to meet the passing standard of a scaled score of 550 in order to receive a “Pass” on any respective ACSM certification exam. This passing standard is based upon the expectations of the subject matter experts/test developers across all topics of the competency areas, as related to each respective credential’s examination blueprint. Passing candidates are expected to answer a sufficient number of test questions correctly that demonstrates a summative amount of knowledge at a level of at least minimal competency or the lowest acceptable score to pass the exam.
Finally, each content area is weighted proportionally, based on the results of a periodic comprehensive job task analysis/role delineation study. In other words, some content areas are more important (thus, have more questions) and count more with respect to the overall score than other content areas. On the score report, candidates receive their overall score, their pass/fail status, as well as a breakdown by each specific content area.
ACSM currently offers three other certifications. For general information about ACSM certifications, please call the ACSM Certification Resource Center at 800-486-5643, or visit www.acsm.org/certification.
Yes, the ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM exam is available in English at any Pearson VUE Authorized Test center worldwide. Please visit www.pearsonvue.com/acsm/locate for international testing centers.
Currently, the ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM exam is available at any worldwide Pearson VUE Authorized Test Center in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese. The ACSM Certified Personal TrainerSM will be made available in different languages as demand dictates.
