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Personal trainer certification: two accredited exams

Facts checked against support.nasm.org, acefitness.orgLast checked Nov 4, 2026

Certification for a personal trainer comes from an exam, not from a course certificate. This section covers two NCCA-accredited ones, the NASM Certified Personal Trainer and the ACE Certified Personal Trainer: who may sit each, what they ask, how they are scored and what they cost to take and keep.

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On this page
  1. The exams in one table
  2. Becoming a certified trainer, step by step
  3. NASM or ACE: picking between them
  4. Find your exam
  5. Other fields on First Attempt
  6. Sources
  7. Personal trainer certification, short answers

The exams in one table

ExamAccreditationQuestionsExam timePassing scoreWhere you testExam feeRetake feeTo renewSource
NASM-CPTNASMFree practice testExam infoNCCA1202 h70 scaledTest center or online$599$1992.0 CEUs[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
ACE CPTACEFree practice testExam infoNCCA1503 h500 scaledTest center or online$499$2492.0 CECs[7] [8] [9] [10]

Each value links to its source under Sources; checked Nov 4, 2026.

Becoming a certified trainer, step by step

  1. Meet the entry rules. Each exam asks for finished high school (or its equivalent), a valid CPR/AED card and photo ID. ACE adds an age floor and requires a skills test as part of the CPR course.
  2. Pick an accredited exam. Look for NCCA accreditation of the exam itself, not of a course or a brand. Both exams here have it; the open-book certificates sold under the same brand names do not.
  3. Buy the exam and study. The clocks differ: NASM's 180-day window starts at purchase, ACE's 60-day window when you register.
  4. Pass a proctored sitting in a testing center or from home under a live remote proctor. Both are scored on a scaled basis, not by percent correct.
  5. Keep it current. Every 2 years, log continuing education (2.0 CEUs at NASM, 2.0 CECs at ACE) and keep your CPR/AED card valid.

Licensing: no US state licenses personal trainers as of Nov 4, 2026; employers look for a certification plus valid CPR/AED training instead. Details in the FAQ below.

Certificate is not certification

Both brands also sell an online, open-book certificate without NCCA accreditation. They share the name, not the rules: question counts, pass marks and retake terms quoted for them do not apply to the proctored exams on this site. Read the product name on the checkout page.

NASM or ACE: picking between them

Neither exam is the better credential across the board; they differ in the model they teach and in how the exam feels.

  • NASM-CPT: shorter, at 120 questions in 2 hours. Programming follows the OPT model, and the heaviest domain is exercise technique (24%). A pass shows on screen without a number.
  • ACE CPT: 150 questions in 3 hours, some of them silent exercise videos. Programming follows the IFT model, and the heaviest domain is program design (31%). Every candidate gets the scaled score and domain percentages on screen.

Cost works differently too: NASM's exam alone is $599, while ACE charges $499 alone or a small add-on fee inside a study program. The full comparison: NASM vs ACE.

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Start from the kind of trainer you plan to be.

Fitness4 situations · 2 exams

Other fields on First Attempt

Sources

  1. [1]NASM Candidate Handbook, updated 9/2025 (PDF) support.nasm.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  2. [2]NASM: become a personal trainer (programs) nasm.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  3. [3]NASM: CPT exam info nasm.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  4. [4]NASM FAQs nasm.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  5. [5]NASM: CPT exam only nasm.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  6. [6]NASM support: administrative fees support.nasm.org. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
  7. [7]ACE Certification and Recertification Handbook, revised September 2026 (PDF) acefitness.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  8. [8]ACE: personal trainer exam options acefitness.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  9. [9]ACE: schedule your exam acefitness.org. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
  10. [10]ACE: recertification acefitness.org. Checked Oct 19, 2026.

Personal trainer certification, short answers

Are both of these exams NCCA-accredited?

Of the exams on this site, both: the NASM-CPT and the ACE Certified Personal Trainer. The open-book certificates the same two brands also sell are not accredited.

Can I get a personal trainer certification online?

Yes, in the sense that both exams offer a remote sitting under a live proctor; neither becomes open book at home. NASM uses PSI; ACE uses Meazure Learning.

Which exam costs less to sit?

Taken alone, ACE ($499) costs less than NASM ($599), as of Nov 4, 2026. Retakes reverse the order: $249 and $199 respectively.

Do personal trainers need a state license?

Not as of Nov 4, 2026. No US state issues a license for personal trainers; employers usually ask for a personal trainer certification, such as either exam in this section, plus a current CPR/AED card. Washington, DC once passed a trainer registration law, and that section is now listed as repealed. Local and employer rules can still add requirements.

Is there a CPT exam practice test here?

Yes, one per exam: the NASM-CPT practice test and the ACE CPT practice test. Both explain every answer option.