ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist Exam — Information & Free Practice

About ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist Exam

ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist Exam · US

Key exam facts

Provider

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM): certification examination developer and administrator; Pearson: testing delivery partner.

Format

Multiple-choice examination delivered at a Pearson computer-based testing center or by online proctoring.

Exam questions

Total questions: 140; Scored questions: 125; Unscored questions: 15; The total includes the scored and unscored questions.

Time limit

210 minutes (3.5 hours) examination time; the pre-test tutorial is separate.

Passing score

A scaled score of at least 550 on the 200–800 scale.

Exam fee

US exam-only dollar pricing: $350 for ACSM member candidates; $460 for nonmembers; $235 for a retest. Exam fees include a $50 non-refundable application fee.

Topics covered

• Health and Fitness Assessment (33%)

  • Administer and apply preparticipation health screening procedures to maximize client safety and minimize risk.
  • Determine client’s readiness to participate in a health-related physical fitness assessment and exercise program.
  • Determine and select physical fitness assessments for apparently healthy clients and those with controlled disease.
  • Conduct and interpret cardiorespiratory fitness assessments.
  • Conduct and interpret assessments of flexibility, muscular fitness (including strength, endurance, power) and neuromotor skills (including balance, agility, proprioception).
  • Conduct and interpret anthropometric and body composition assessments.

• Exercise Prescription and Implementation (40%)

  • Determine safe and effective exercise programs to achieve desired outcomes and goals for apparently healthy clients and those with controlled disease.
  • Implement cardiorespiratory exercise prescriptions based on current health status, fitness goals and accessibility.
  • Implement exercise prescriptions for components of physical fitness (including flexibility, muscular fitness and neuromotor skills) based on current health status, fitness goals and availability.
  • Establish exercise progression and modification guidelines for cardiorespiratory fitness (strength, endurance, power) and neuromotor skills (balance, agility, reaction time) for apparently healthy clients and those with controlled disease based on current health status, fitness goals and accessibility.
  • Implement a general weight management program for apparently healthy clients and those with controlled disease as indicated by client goals and health needs.
  • Implement and monitor exercise programs for clients with controlled disease and work closely with clients’ health care providers, as needed.
  • Prescribe and implement exercise programs for healthy special populations (for example, older adults, children, adolescents, pregnant clients).
  • Modify exercise prescriptions based on various environmental conditions (for example, altitude, variable ambient temperatures, humidity, air quality).

• Exercise Counseling and Behavior Modification (20%)

  • Optimize adoption and adherence of exercise and other healthy behaviors by applying effective communication techniques.
  • Optimize adoption and adherence of exercise and other healthy behaviors by applying effective behavioral strategies and motivational techniques.
  • Provide educational resources to support clients in the adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviors and improve health literacy.
  • Provide support within the current industry and professional standards of practice and refer to other health professionals, as indicated.

• Risk Management and Professional Responsibilities (7%)

  • Understand and enforce risk management guidelines for a health fitness facility to reduce member, employee and business risk.
  • Implement emergency policies and procedures.

How to prepare

Work through the topics, read the explanation after each answer, and revisit the areas where you miss questions. Use the official outline and reference materials below to guide your study.

These independent practice questions are not actual exam items and do not guarantee a passing result.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources and references

• ACSM-EP Exam Content Outline

  p.1 / effective date

• ACSM-EP Exam Content Outline

  p.1 / blueprint statement

• ACSM-EP Exam Content Outline

  p.1 / Table 1 and preceding denominator statement

• ACSM-EP Exam Content Outline

  p.1 / Overview

• ACSM Certification FAQs

  What should I expect when taking the exam?

• ACSM Certification FAQs

  How are the exams scored?

• ACSM Candidate Handbook

  p.10 / Exam Only Fees / header

• ACSM Candidate Handbook

  p.10 / Exam Only Fees / ACSM-EP row

• ACSM Candidate Handbook

  p.10 / Exam Only Fees / footnote

• ACSM Candidate Handbook

  p.17 / Pre-Test Tutorial

• ACSM Exercise Physiologist Certification

  Register to take the exam

• ACSM Certification FAQs

  Registering for an Exam

Confirm current exam arrangements with the exam provider.