ACSM-EP exam info: format, scoring, pass rate

ACSM-EP exam facts

Format

One section, single-answer multiple choice with options A to D. The outline writes items at three levels: recall, application, and synthesis, which arrives as a short client case with history, goals and a decision to make (content outline, p. 1–2).

Time is 210 minutes of seat time; the tutorial before it is separate. At a test center the clock keeps running through any break you take; an online session has no breaks at all.

Passing score

Scores run 200–800 and the pass mark is 550 of 800. Forms differ slightly in difficulty and are equated, so the raw score needed to pass shifts from form to form; a raw percentage quoted as “the passing score” is a guess (handbook, p. 8).

Pass rate

• July–December 2025 (first months of the GETP 12 outline): first attempt 70%, repeat 53%.
• 2024: first attempt 70%.
• 2023: first attempt 68%.

The certifying body splits first and repeat attempts, so a single “pass rate” quoted without that split may mix the two. Figures: ACSM certification pass rates. The clinical exam’s first-time rate is lower: 55% first-time (2025) on ACSM-CEP.

OnVUE at home or a Pearson VUE center

The same exam runs at Pearson VUE centers and through OnVUE at home or work, at the same price, but the online policies differ (handbook, p. 12): you sign a candidate rules agreement, agree to be recorded in your own room, and get no breaks. Step away from the screen and the session is over; a new attempt means a new fee. Either way, the booking window starts when the application is approved.

• Booking: 3-month window, extendable for a fee (cost).
• Changes: 24 h notice or fees forfeited. Missing the appointment, or turning up late, is treated like a missed change (handbook, p. 18).

Results

Your scaled score and pass/fail appear on screen as soon as you submit. A breakdown by domain is given only to candidates who fail, as a map for the next attempt (handbook, p. 18); the certifying body’s scoring page words this more broadly, and the handbook is the stricter source. Passing candidates can also be picked for a degree or CPR audit afterwards: requirements.

Retakes

Waiting rule: 15 days; 4 a year. Retest fee: $235. After 4 attempts in 12 months without a pass you wait 12 months from the 4th attempt. Attempt counts were reset to zero on February 20, 2025. You do not resend eligibility documents for a retake unless your CPR/AED card has lapsed.

Recertification

The credential runs 3 years. Certified before 2025, your cycle ends on December 31; certified from 2025 on, it ends three years after your certification date. Within each cycle you need 60 CECs and a current CPR/AED card; the table above gives the cap on CPR and first-aid credits. Renewal costs $70 (Oct 2026); late renewal and reinstatement cost more (cost).

More on the ACSM-EP

• ACSM-EP→Who the credential suits, the July 2025 outline, the 2027 degree rule
• ACSM-EP practice test→A mixed set across the four domains, weighted like the July 2025 outline
• ACSM-EP cost→Member and nonmember prices, bundles, retests and renewal
• ACSM-EP requirements→Degree or coursework, CPR/AED, the 2027 CAAHEP rule, audits
• ACSM-EP study guide→The GETP 12 edition check, the books, supplied equations, study weights