American Council on Exercise: 11 Personal Trainer Certification Test Tips

Now that I’m an ACE-certified personal trainer, I’m an expert on all things fitness and exam-related. Just kidding — but some of you did express interest in test-taking tips, and I can let you know what helped me when it came to studying for and taking the American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer test. I’m sure there are some of you readers who are either studying to become personal trainers or who think it might be worth considering as an option, and I’m here to let you know that you can do it if you put your mind to it! Here are some of my tips for studying and taking the exam on test day!

Studying …

1. Give yourself time. You never know what will crop up from the time you get your materials to the time you’ll be ready to take the test. Don’t necessarily plan on getting your materials and being ready to sit for your test a month later unless you’ve got some serious exercise experience and anatomy background. I lost my dog and had a baby in the year before I took my test, so I’m glad I gave myself plenty of time to study and truly prepare. Plus, as I said before, you don’t just want to “pass” — you want to improve yourself and your knowledge in the process. That being said …

2. Give yourself a deadline. ACE builds in a deadline in that you have to register for your exam six months after receiving your materials, and you can register about six months out. From start to finish, you have about a year without having to reschedule your exam. If you want to do it quickly, you’ll have to get tough with yourself and move your personal deadline up.

3. Don’t forget your CPR requirement. Like I almost did.

4. Don’t go too long without studying. I highly recommend trying to stay on pace with ACE’s guided 12-week email course. It walks you through the materials to cover in set time frames. While you may have busy weeks crop up when you’re unable to stay on pace, it’ll help you stay on task. Whatever you do, don’t put away your materials for months at a time. Keep picking up your books every day, even if you’re only reading a few pages at a time.

5. Don’t think you have to memorize everything. You definitely want a good working knowledge of anatomy and how the body functions and what exercises work certain muscles. But don’t think you have to have physician-level knowledge of the anatomy. A good bet so that you don’t get overwhelmed is to start studying the anatomy as you work through the other materials. Go back to it a little each day rather than trying to learn it all at once.

6. Don’t stress about the math. I honestly only used the scratch paper and calculator once or twice during the exam. You’ll need to know the basics, but this helpful study sheet has the math you need to know. If you have questions, the ACE Study Center’s Facebook page is a good resource.

7. Do know … You definitely want to know blood pressure, BMI, basic nutrition/calorie counts, risk factors and the behavioral and psychological aspects of personal training. Did I mention blood pressure and risk factors?

8. Application. As you’re studying, focus on applying the information in a real-world setting. The test isn’t just about memorizing facts; it’s about how you’d apply that knowledge on the job.

On Test Day …

9. Eat something. Sounds silly, I know. But the test allows you three hours, and I used probably 2.5 easily. Eat something so your stomach isn’t growling and distracting you.

10. Don’t panic. The test is one of those where you pick the best answer, so often it’s going to appear that two answers are right. It’s slightly frustrating, but don’t dwell. Pick the best answer and give yourself time to go back and review them at the end. I was sure that I was failing the first time through, but when I went to review, I was feeling a lot better about my choices. You get more comfortable with the exam setup as you go.

11. Listen to your instincts, then read the question and answers again — thoroughly. When it seems like there are two correct answers, which will be often, don’t panic. Read the question again thoroughly, and then the answers. Even missing one word can mess up the meaning, so make sure you really understand what’s being asked and make the best educated guess.

Have you taken the test? Interested in taking it? What would you add? —Erin