ACE CPT Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

The Numbers to Remember

• 150 total multiple-choice questions
• 125 scored questions; 25 unscored experimental questions (indistinguishable from each other)
• 3 hours total time limit
• Scaled score range: 200 to 800
• Passing score: 500 or higher
• Video-based questions: about 10% of the exam
• Standalone exam fee: $499 (or $99 as a study-program add-on)
• Reschedule fee: $149 | Retest fee: $249 (valid 1 year)
• Certification period: 2 years, renewed with 20 hours of continuing education
• Eligibility: 18+ years old, high school diploma or equivalent, current adult CPR/AED certificate with hands-on skills check
• Register at least 10 days before your chosen exam date

Content Domains and Weights

• Domain II — Program Design and Implementation: 31% (largest domain)
• Domain III — Program Modification and Progression: 27%
• Domain I — Client Onboarding and Assessments: 23%
• Domain IV — Risk Management, Professional Conduct, and Ethical Business Practices: 19%

Four domains, 14 tasks total, published in ACE's official exam content outline.

High-Yield Review Areas

• Programming variables and exercise selection logic (Domain II is nearly a third of the exam)
• Adjusting programs for special populations, injuries, and plateaus (Domain III)
• Intake screening, health-history review, and baseline assessment protocols (Domain I)
• Scope of practice, liability boundaries, and professional conduct scenarios (Domain IV)
• Video-based question format — recognize movement patterns and technique cues on sight
• General exercise-science fundamentals — anatomy basics, energy systems, and periodization concepts that support all four domains conceptually

Top Traps

• Assuming the scaled 500/800 passing score maps to a simple percent-correct target — the scale is not linear, so just answer every question as accurately as possible
• Skimming the smallest domain (Risk Management, 19%) — it is still nearly one in five questions
• Trying to guess which questions are the 25 unscored experimental ones — you cannot tell, so treat every question equally
• Waiting until late in the 2-year cycle to complete the 20 required continuing-education hours
• Forgetting CPR/AED documentation before the registration deadline, which can delay or block your exam appointment
• Treating the exam like a flat percentage test rather than reading each question carefully — pacing across all 3 hours matters more than rushing to finish early