ACE CPT case studies
ACE CPT · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The ACE Certified Personal Trainer exam is the NCCA-accredited credential exam administered by the American Council on Exercise, and it is the more rigorous of the two personal training exams ACE offers. It is designed for candidates who intend to make personal training a career and who need a credential employers and facilities recognize, rather than the open-book, non-accredited ACE Personal Training Certificate. The proctored exam is 150 multiple-choice questions delivered in three hours, and a scaled score of 500 or greater is required to pass. Questions test applied decision-making across the trainer's professional scope: the role and ethics of a personal trainer within the healthcare continuum, client-centered communication, behavior-change coaching and goal setting, health and fitness assessments such as heart rate, blood pressure and circumference measurements, program design and progression through the ACE Integrated Fitness Training (IFT) Model, modifications for clients with special conditions or at different life stages, and professional, legal and risk-management responsibilities. The ACE CPT case studies are 5 cases and about 4,213 words.
1The Beta-Blocker Intake
Marcus, 52, is a new client referred by his physician after a routine physical. He is 5 ft 10 in, 218 lb, and has been sedentary for about six years.
838 words, about 4 min2Three Days a Week in a Basement
Priya, 34, trains three days per week for 45 minutes in her basement. Her equipment: adjustable dumbbells up to 50 lb each, a bench, three resistance bands, and a pull-up bar in a doorway.
810 words, about 4 min3The Stalled Squat and the Short Nights
Dev, 41, is ten weeks into a three-day-per-week program you built. His back squat has been stuck at 185 lb for 5 reps for three straight weeks.
822 words, about 4 min4The Wedding Deadline
Renee, 29, is six weeks into training. Her stated goal is to lose 12 lb before a wedding in five weeks.
883 words, about 4 min5The Room Is Spinning
Harold, 68, retired, is three weeks into training. His goal is balance and 'not falling again' - he tripped on a rug edge six months ago and fell, with no fracture and no physical therapy afterward.
860 words, about 4 min