Free ACSM-CEP® exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the ACSM-CEP® exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1At a HIPAA-covered clinical program, a treating provider requests a patient's medical record to plan care with the clinical exercise physiologist. Which purpose makes this provider request exempt from HIPAA's minimum necessary standard?

   1. A. Requesting records to support the patient's treatment
   2. B. Requesting records to process the patient's payment
   3. C. Requesting records to conduct health care operations
   4. D. Requesting records to complete a research project

   Answer: A

   Explanation: HHS states that the minimum necessary standard does not apply to "Disclosures to or requests by a health care provider for treatment purposes." The treating provider's request is for this patient's care; payment, operations, and research are different purposes under this rule.

   Reference: HHS Minimum Necessary Requirement — How the Rule Works

2. 2A pulmonary rehabilitation service is setting up a straight corridor for standardized six-minute walk tests. What is the minimum course length recommended by the ERS/ATS technical standard?

   1. A. 10 m
   2. B. 20 m
   3. C. 30 m
   4. D. 40 m

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The ERS/ATS standard says, "It is recommended that the walking course be 30 m or more in length". Asking for the minimum makes 30 m the single correct value; 40 m also satisfies the recommendation but is not its lower bound.

   Reference: ERS/ATS Technical Standard: Field Walking Tests in Chronic Respiratory Disease — p. 1440, Testing protocol for 6MWT, Course

3. 3A patient with chronic kidney disease wants to pedal during a scheduled dialysis treatment. To reduce the risk of low blood pressure described by ACSM, which part of the session should the exercise physiologist plan for activity?

   1. A. The first half of the dialysis treatment
   2. B. The second half of the dialysis treatment
   3. C. Immediately after the dialysis treatment
   4. D. The final minutes of the dialysis treatment

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The ACSM handout advises, "During dialysis, be active (e.g., pedaling or stepping) in the first half of treatment to avoid low blood pressure episodes." Later or immediately postdialysis activity does not follow that timing recommendation.

   Reference: Being Active When You Have Chronic Kidney Disease — CKD and Dialysis Tips and Cautions, p. 2

4. 4A patient with osteoarthritis wants a realistic walking goal despite variable joint symptoms. Which goal metric does ACSM's osteoarthritis handout specifically recommend for the initial plan?

   1. A. Minutes of activity completed
   2. B. Miles of activity completed
   3. C. Walking speed achieved
   4. D. Daily step count achieved

   Answer: A

   Explanation: ACSM advises patients with osteoarthritis to "Set goals by time rather than distance" and describes short bouts that add up. Minutes therefore express the recommended goal metric for this plan.

   Reference: Being Active When You Have Osteoarthritis — Aerobic Activity, p. 2

5. 5A clinical exercise physiologist reviews a patient's PHQ-9 screening result of 12 during a chronic disease program. Which severity category does the published scoring box assign?

   1. A. Minimal depression
   2. B. Mild depression
   3. C. Moderate depression
   4. D. Moderately severe depression

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The PHQ-9 scoring box pairs "10-14 Moderate depression"; a total of 12 falls in this band. The score is a screening interpretation and does not itself establish a diagnosis.

   Reference: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) — p. 2, PHQ-9 Scoring Box

6. 6Two rescuers are performing CPR for an adult in cardiac arrest in the exercise facility. According to the AHA adult BLS guideline, approximately how often should they switch the person giving chest compressions?

   1. A. Every 1 minute.
   2. B. Every 2 minutes.
   3. C. Every 3 minutes.
   4. D. Every 4 minutes.

   Answer: B

   Explanation: The AHA guideline says, "When 2 or more rescuers are available during an adult cardiac arrest, it is reasonable to switch chest compressors approximately every 2 min (or after about 5 cycles of compressions and ventilation at a ratio of 30:2)." The two-rescuer scenario calls for an approximate two-minute switch to limit fatigue.

   Reference: 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care: Adult Basic Life Support — Recommendations for Adult Basic Life Support, CPR quality, recommendation 4

7. 7During a medication interview before exercise assessment, a patient says the medication list in the chart is complete but has brought several additional medicines. Which question best checks whether the chart omits medicines the patient actually uses?

   1. A. Ask about all medicines and supplements the patient takes
   2. B. Ask about the prescribing clinician for each charted medicine
   3. C. Ask about the time of day for each charted medicine
   4. D. Ask about the cost of each charted medicine

   Answer: A

   Explanation: AHRQ instructs clinicians to "Probe whether the patient takes other medicines or supplements that they did not bring in." Asking about all current use tests the chart's completeness; questions restricted to charted medicines cannot find omitted items.

   Reference: AHRQ Conduct Brown Bag Medicine Reviews: Tool 8 — Perform the review

8. 8A patient with COPD will begin a rehabilitation program, and the physiologist wants a stable baseline six-minute walk distance against which later change can be judged. How many baseline walks does the ERS/ATS standard require?

   1. A. One walk
   2. B. Two walks
   3. C. Three walks
   4. D. Four walks

   Answer: B

   Explanation: The ERS/ATS standard states, "To establish a stable baseline for the 6MWT and ISWT so that change over time can be detected, two tests must be completed." A single walk does not meet this baseline requirement; additional walks are beyond the specified number.

   Reference: ERS/ATS Technical Standard: Field Walking Tests in Chronic Respiratory Disease — p. 1439, Test repetition

9. 9A patient receiving dialysis has an unreliable heart-rate response when exercising. Which measure should guide a light-to-medium activity prescription in the ACSM CKD handout?

   1. A. Patient-reported feelings of effort
   2. B. Peak heart rate from an age formula
   3. C. Resting blood pressure before activity
   4. D. Pulse oximeter saturation alone

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The handout says, "Heart rate may be an unreliable way to measure your activity intensity. Use feelings of effort instead (light to medium)." The other readings do not substitute for the recommended perception of effort in this situation.

   Reference: Being Active When You Have Chronic Kidney Disease — CKD and Dialysis Tips and Cautions, p. 2

10. 10A patient undergoing cancer treatment and the exercise physiologist agree to keep a daily activity log to guide their discussions. Which symptom does ACSM's cancer handout specifically ask the patient to rate on a 0-to-10 scale alongside activity, medicines, and treatments?

    1. A. Fatigue
    2. B. Joint stiffness
    3. C. Leg claudication
    4. D. Breathlessness

    Answer: A

    Explanation: ACSM's cancer handout instructs a daily log of "exercise, fatigue (0-10 scale), medications and treatments". The 0-to-10 symptom measure in that plan is fatigue; the other symptoms are clinical considerations in other settings.

    Reference: Being Active When You Have Cancer — Build a Plan, p. 1