The ACE personal trainer exam: 150 questions, 125 that count

Every item is multiple choice, but not every item is text: some are short silent videos of a client exercising, with a question about what to do next. The 25 experimental questions carry no marker, so none can be skipped as a freebie.

Scores are scaled, and 500 is the passing line. A percentage pass mark you may read elsewhere comes from the open-book certificate, not this exam. No published figure says how many right answers the cut equals.

Results are displayed as soon as the last answer is in, with percent correct by domain. Those domain figures are worth saving even after a pass, since they show where renewal courses would help most.

The pass rate is published in the handbook's statistics appendix (row above). Check the year on any figure you see quoted elsewhere.

The length tests stamina: 3 hours and 150 items. Knowing the IFT phases and zones cold saves time.

Fee, wait and attempt rules are in the table. Two points the rows don't make obvious: the discounted retake price lapses twelve months after the first attempt, and the exam's own scheduling page gives two different waiting periods, so confirm the date when you book.