Taking the ACE CPT Exam Online: Setup, Check-In and the Rules That Can End Your Session

Online or at a test site: who the remote ACE CPT suits

ACE calls online testing live remote proctoring (LRP). A Meazure Learning proctor watches you through your webcam for the whole session, and the exam itself doesn't change: 150 questions, three hours, a scaled passing score of 500 and the same fee as a test site. These rules come from the live remote proctoring FAQ on ACE's scheduling page and the Certification and Recertification Handbook (revised September 2026), checked on October 27, 2026. They apply to the accredited exam, not to the open-book certificate exam.

You can change your mind for a retake: ACE places no restriction on which delivery method you choose the second time.

The 60-day online window, in short

The requirements and registration guide walks through registration step by step. The rules that shape your timing:

• Register first, schedule second. Choose "Online (at-home)" when you register. Within 24 hours, a Notice to Schedule arrives from candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com with the link and login you use to pick a date.
• Book at least 24 hours ahead, inside 60 days. The date in My ACE is your deadline (60 days after registering). The date in Meazure Learning's system is your appointment. If you pick a date past the deadline, the system shows a red warning.
• Pick the right time zone. ACE's FAQ tells candidates to look up their time zone before choosing a slot.
• Rescheduling is free inside the window. You can move the appointment up to 24 hours before it at no cost while you stay within your 60 days. A date beyond the window costs $149, which either extends your eligibility by another 60 days or lets you switch to a test site.
• Extra time needs notice. Send documentation to ACE before you register, at least five days ahead. If English isn't your primary language, ACE may approve 4.5 hours instead of 3. Approved accommodations carry over if you reschedule within the window.

Because the window is short, register when you are close to ready rather than months ahead. If you're timing prep around it, match a planned 30- or 90-day ACE CPT access period to your 60-day online window; checkout isn't open yet.

The computer: ACE's technical requirements

Run through this list well before exam day. Every item comes from ACE's scheduling page or the handbook:

• A personal Windows or Mac computer with administrator access and at least 1 GB of RAM. Chromebooks, tablets, iPads and phones can't be used, and work or school computers aren't allowed because their firewalls can block the exam.
• One monitor only. Disconnect extra monitors and projectors.
• A webcam of at least 640×480, a microphone and working speakers. A laptop camera is fine, and ACE suggests a webcam with a built-in microphone.
• A connection of at least 2 Mbps up and down. Wireless is acceptable, but ACE prefers a wired connection, and a dropped connection suspends the exam session.
• The Guardian browser, downloaded before your appointment, with pop-up blockers disabled.
• A VPN switched off and every program you don't need for the exam closed. Any windows or files left open at check-in are visible to the proctor, who will have you close them.

ACE links to Meazure Learning's equipment test from its scheduling page. Passy's suggestion: run it on the same computer and network you'll use, at about the same time of day as your appointment, and again a day before.

The room: who and what can be in it

ACE puts the testing environment on you. The rules:

• You are alone for the whole exam. No friends, relatives, children or pets in the room or nearby.
• Sit at a table or desk on a chair, in a private room, with your back to the door. ACE's certification and scheduling pages both say this is required.
• Nothing on or around the desk. No notes, books, manuals or dictionaries, no bags, no personal calculators, pens, pencils or highlighters, no watches, no food or drinks, and no coats or jackets.
• No earbuds, headphones, smart watches or smart glasses. Keep your phone with you until the proctor tells you to put it and your belongings away from the exam area.
• Clothing. Sweaters and sweatshirts without pockets or hoods are allowed. Hats and hoods aren't, unless worn for religious reasons, which you should raise with ACE before you register.
• Medicine. Even cough drops need ACE's permission in advance.

The handbook adds a self-check worth taking seriously: comfortable seating, proper lighting, a comfortable temperature, no noise, and whether you can stay seated at the computer for at least three hours "without taking a break."

Exam day for the online ACE CPT, step by step

Two details on that timeline can cost you money. If the proctor can't verify your ID, you'll be asked to reschedule and pay the reschedule fee. And if you disconnect before the proctor dismisses you, ProctorU sends a report to Meazure Learning, which may inform ACE.

What can suspend or end an online ACE CPT session

The handbook's wider rule applies too: ACE, Meazure Learning or the proctor can disqualify a candidate, before or after the exam, through direct observation or statistical analysis.

Three hours with no break: preparing for the remote sitting

Three hours for 150 questions is 72 seconds per question on average (Passy's arithmetic), and the online version gives you no pause to reset. The exam format guide covers pacing checkpoints. For the remote setting specifically, Passy suggests:

• Eat and drink before check-in. Food and drinks aren't allowed during the exam, and check-in itself takes 15 to 20 minutes.
• Plan the restroom. Go right before you log in, since leaving the room ends the session.
• Practice without paper. Work a few of your math questions with only an on-screen calculator so the missing scratch paper isn't a surprise.
• Rehearse at the same desk. Sit a full timed set at the desk you'll use, with your phone out of reach. A single timed 3-hour sitting is planned for full ACE CPT prep for exactly that.

If the technology fails during your online ACE CPT exam

ACE's scheduling page sets three rules:

1. Technical problems lasting more than 15 minutes get you transferred to a technical support agent.
2. If you can't start within 30 minutes of your appointment, you may ask to reschedule. If you choose to start late after troubleshooting, ACE says you confirm you're starting past your appointment time and won't be eligible for a retake because of the late start.
3. If you couldn't finish the exam, submit a ticket within 48 hours through Meazure Learning's intake form. ProctorU Support replies within 48 hours.

If you finished but didn't pass and believe the scoring was wrong, that's a different process: a $50 manual rescore requested within 30 days, explained in the ACE CPT passing score guide.

Your next step for the online ACE CPT

Run Meazure Learning's equipment check on your own computer this week, before you register, so you know online testing is actually open to you. Then time yourself on the 20 free ACE CPT practice questions at 72 seconds each, with no paper on the desk. In the final days, the Test Day checklist planned for full ACE CPT prep is meant to keep the routine calm.