How to Become an ACE Certified Personal Trainer: Requirements, CPR/AED and Registration

The ACE CPT requirements in one table

These rules apply to the NCCA-accredited ACE Certified Personal Trainer Exam. The open-book certificate exam has different ones (age 16, no education rule), covered in the certificate vs certification guide. Everything below was checked on ACE's scheduling page and in its Certification and Recertification Handbook (revised September 2026) on October 27, 2026.

You don't have to buy anything from ACE to sit for the exam. The handbook says "ACE study materials are optional," and the scheduling page answers the same question with a plain "No."

CPR/AED: the ACE requirement to sort out first

ACE checks CPR before it lets you book, because results appear the moment you submit the exam. The handbook says you need "a current CPR certificate with CPR verification on file with ACE" before registering. Four details matter:

• Hands-on skills check. The course must include a skills check, either in person or virtual. ACE's scheduling page says "Online CPR/AED courses will not be accepted."
• AED depends on where you live. The handbook says CPR and AED are both required in the U.S. and Canada, and candidates elsewhere need only current CPR. ACE's certification page says AED is required in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, so if you test in Mexico, plan on AED as well.
• Valid through exam day. The card must be current when you register and cannot expire before the exam date.
• Approved providers. ACE's CPR/AED page lists U.S. providers including the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, American Safety & Health Institute, EMS Safety Services, Emergency University and National Safety Council, plus its preferred ResusciTech Smart Certification course, which does the skills check from home, for the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

If ACE selects you for a CPR audit, a hold appears on your account until you upload both sides of your card. ACE says you can and should still sit for the exam with a hold, but your certification won't be issued until the hold is cleared.

Test site or online: the two ways to take the ACE CPT

The exam and the fee are the same either way. ACE's scheduling page says "the exam fees are the same for either test delivery option." The rules around them differ:

Two cautions on the table. First, ACE's pages disagree on the live-site lead time: the scheduling page says to register "at least 10 days prior," while the handbook says you may register "as early as 3 days prior." Plan around 10 days and treat anything shorter as a bonus. Second, ACE's certification page says live remote proctoring isn't available in Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan or India, while the scheduling page's FAQ names only India. If you're testing from outside the U.S. and Canada, confirm with ACE before you choose it.

Your booking window should match your study window. If you're planning prep around an exam date, you can compare the planned 30-, 90- and 180-day ACE CPT access periods with your exam window before deciding when to book.

Registering for a test site, step by step

1. Put your legal name on My ACE. Your account needs your legal first and last name as it appears on your ID. Middle names aren't required.
2. Confirm CPR/AED is on file. You can't register without it.
3. Register. In My ACE, choose "Sign Up For Exam" if you have a voucher, or go to ACE's exam locations page if you don't. ACE also accepts registration by phone, mail or fax.
4. Wait for the admission ticket. The handbook says confirmation usually arrives within minutes and can take two to three business days if there is a technical issue. The "ACE Exam Admission Ticket" email lists the site, reporting room and parking or check-in instructions.
5. Watch for the reminder. ACE Support emails a reminder seven days before the exam.
6. Arrive 10–15 minutes early. ACE says late arrivals may be turned away. Bring the admission ticket (printed or on your phone) and your original ID.

Registering for the online ACE CPT exam, step by step

1. Choose "Online (at-home)" when you register. You don't pick the date and time in My ACE.
2. Open the Notice to Schedule. Within 24 hours, Meazure Learning sends it from candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com with a link, username and password.
3. Book inside 60 days. Pick a slot at least 24 hours ahead and within 60 days of registering. Meazure Learning offers remote slots 24 hours a day, seven days a week, first come, first served.
4. Prepare the computer. Download the Guardian browser, test your webcam (640×480 or better), microphone and speakers, and confirm a 2 Mbps upload and download connection. Chromebooks, tablets, phones, dual monitors and work or school computers aren't allowed, and a VPN must be off.
5. Prepare the room. You must be alone in a private room at a desk or table. ACE's certification page adds that you must sit with your back to the door.
6. On the day, the Start Session button goes live 3 minutes before your appointment, and ACE says to allow 15–20 minutes for check-in. Your exam clock starts at the first question, not at check-in. Your ID must be in English so the proctor can verify it.

ACE CPT deadlines that cost money

• Voucher deadline. If your study program includes an exam voucher, you must register within 6 months of purchase. ACE won't extend it, but the exam date itself can fall after the deadline.
• Live-site reschedule. $149, allowed once, and only until 11:59 p.m. PT the day before. ACE reviews fee waivers case by case for emergencies such as serious illness, bereavement of an immediate family member, natural disasters, jury duty or military orders, and says to submit the request "4 days before your exam or up to 5 days after your missed exam." Work, travel, child care and "insufficient study time" don't qualify.
• Name or ID problems. If your ID doesn't match, ACE treats you as a no-show and you forfeit the exam fee. Temporary and expired IDs aren't accepted, and name-change documents must reach ACE at least one week before the exam. They can't be shown at the door.

The ACE CPT exam cost guide puts every fee in one table. If the reason to move a date would be readiness, find out early: a 150-question, 3-hour mock exam is planned for full ACE CPT prep, and a rehearsal a few weeks out tells you more than a gut feeling the night before the reschedule cutoff.

Accommodations and extra time on the ACE CPT

If you need accommodations, don't register online. ACE asks you to email ExamRegistration@acefitness.org with your documentation first. The handbook says live-site documentation must arrive at least 30 days before the exam date, and the scheduling page warns of a 15–30 day waiting period for some accommodations. For the online exam, extra time is the only accommodation offered, and ACE needs at least five days' notice.

If English isn't your primary language, ACE says you may qualify for extra time: 4.5 hours instead of 3. Email a copy of your passport or birth certificate before you register.

Your next step toward the ACE CPT exam

Pick your delivery mode, then work back from the date. The ACE CPT study time guide gives 8-, 12- and 16-week plans and a booking rule for the 60-day online window, and the free ACE CPT study planner turns your date and daily study time into an outline weighted by the four domains. Once you know the date, see the four domains planned ACE CPT practice will drill and how its questions are split across them.