Be a part of healthcare
as an ACE Certified
Medical Exercise
Specialist

Gain an understanding of the medical exercise specialist responsibilities and standards of care as well as their role within the healthcare continuum. Learn how to apply the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® (ACE IFT®) Model and how to work with clients with health challenges, including exercise programming for special populations.

Learn the elements of working with special-population and at-risk clients, regardless of a client's individual challenges, including application-based communication strategies to better understand and motivate clients toward making positive behavior change. Learn how to communicate with healthcare professionals to best serve clients and build strong professional networks.

Gain an understanding of diseases and disorders, including coronary heart disease, blood lipid disorders, hypertension, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Obtain the practical tools needed to work with affected clients safely and effectively.

Gain an understanding of diseases and disorders, including overweight and obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus. Obtain the practical tools needed to work with affected clients safely and effectively.

Learn to conduct assessments and design exercise programs to help clients improve posture, movement, balance, and gait. Understand mobility and stability of the kinetic chain, and practical approaches for designing and implementing restorative exercise programs. Learn how to assess a client's balance and gait. Gain an understanding of common musculoskeletal diseases and disorders including arthritis, osteoporosis, and osteopenia, and how to design exercise programs tailored to the needs of clients with each condition. Learn about the most common types and causes of musculoskeletal injuries, and how to develop and implement post-rehabilitative exercise programs associated with each.

Learn about prenatal and postpartum exercise guidelines, as well as physiological changes and biomechanical considerations associated with pregnancy, including exercise techniques for pregnant women.

That's up to you! Most people study for around 3-6 months, though many study for longer. One thing to keep in mind is that your exam voucher has a redemption period of 6-months. While you can choose an exam date that's outside of the 6-month redemption period, you'll have to register for the exam before your voucher expires. Most exam sites and online proctoring may post available dates approximately 60 days in advance

While there are no prerequisites to purchase the study program, to sit for the ACE Medical Exercise Specialist certification you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Hold a current adult CPR and AED certificate with hands-on (in-person or virtual) skills check.* CPR/AED courses without skills check not accepted. See our approved CPR/AED certification training here.
  • *AED only required in USA and Canada
• Present a current government-issued photo ID with signature (driver's license, passport, military ID)
• Submit BOTH of the following documents:
  1. Proof of a four-year (bachelor's) degree in exercise science or a related field.
  2. Proof of 500 hours of work experience designing and implementing exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and/or high-risk individuals, as documented by a qualified professional (upload pre-approval form, as completed by a supervisor, below).

While most people do pass the exam on their first time, it's perfectly okay if you don't! Here are some steps you can take if you need to retake your certification exam:

1. Determine if you have a retake voucher, which you can find in your MyACE Account. If you don't have one, you can purchase an additional exam at a discounted retake fee via MyACE or by contacting one of our ACE Advisors. This price is valid for one year after your initial test date.
2. When choosing a date to retake the exam, we recommend giving yourself about one week of review time for every ten points you are away from a passing score. So if your score is 480 out of a possible 800, for example, (meaning you're 20 points away from the minimum passing score of 500), allow about two weeks of review before your next exam.
3. Reflect on your performance and consider any exam topics you felt underprepared to tackle.
4. Review your exam score report and compare your domain performance to the Exam Content Outline. Review each domain and determine what areas need improvement.
5. Use all your study materials, including videos and exercises, to help build confidence for the exam. Because no two people learn alike, we've provided study material in many different formats, so be sure to use all the resources available to you!
6. Consider what went well during your initial studies and what you might do differently.
7. Create a game plan for everything you want to do before you retake the exam. Writing down your plan may help create accountability.
8. Join the ACE Study Coaches for a live Q&A Webinar or Facilitated Study Group to get your specific questions answered.

CELEBRATE! You've now joined the highly respected ranks of 90,000+ ACE Certified Pros and hold the most recognized certification in the industry. Plus, we'll be providing support and guidance throughout your career, so you'll have access to the exclusive tools and resources you need to thrive as a health and fitness pro. Learn more about why it's great to be ACE Certified here.

No, provided you stay current on your continuing education credits (CECs) and renew on time. That means completing 20 hours of ACE-Approved CECs (2.0 CECs) during your two-year certification renewal cycles, or about 10 hours (1.0 CECs) per year. However, if you don't complete your 2.0 CECs and your certification expires, you will have to retake the exam. To avoid that scenario, check out our continuing education catalog and consider signing up for the CEC Power Pass.