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- Master’s degree from a college or university in exercise science, movement science, exercise physiology or kinesiology.
- Current certification as a Basic Life Support Provider or CPR for the Professional Rescuer
One of the Following:
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist® certification (current or expired)
OR
600 hours of clinical experience
Only hours associated with exercise assessment, prescription, supervision, counseling and education in which you assisted in or played a direct role in providing services will be accepted (includes clinical internship hours).
- Submit an application by downloading it at ACSM.org/rcepapp
- An official copy of your university transcript noting the degree completion
- A summary description of the program study as written in the university catalog
- Completed Clinical Experience Documentation with an ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist® certification are exempt
- 2 copies of your transcript, summary description and clinical documentation
- If you are approved to take the exam, ACSM will contact you with a unique voucher number that you will use when scheduling your exam with Pearson VUE. If you are not approved, your application fee will be refunded in full.
There are three ways to schedule an exam with Pearson VUE:
The cost for the ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist® exam is $299 for non-ACSM Members and $239 for ACSM Members. The cost of the re-test is $155.50. Prices are in USD.
You will receive your results immediately upon completion of the exam. If you pass the exam, a certificate will be sent to you in 6–8 weeks.
The passing score for all ACSM certification exams is set in advance and applied to all candidates’ exam results. Similar to exam scoring for a wide variety of other high stakes, national standardized exams (e.g., GRE, SAT, GMAT, etc.), ACSM certification exams are reported on a 200–800 score scale.
Specifically, all candidates are expected to meet the passing standard of a scaled score of 550 in order to receive a “Pass” on any respective ACSM certification exam. This passing standard is based upon the expectations of the subject matter experts/test developers across all topics of the competency areas, as related to each respective credential’s examination blueprint. Passing candidates are expected to answer a sufficient number of test questions correctly that demonstrates a summative amount of knowledge at a level of at least minimal competency or the lowest acceptable score to pass the exam.
Finally, each content area is weighted proportionally, based on the results of a periodic comprehensive job task analysis/role delineation study. In other words, some content areas are more important (thus, have more questions) and count more with respect to the overall score than other content areas. On the score report, candidates receive their overall score, their pass/fail status, as well as a breakdown by each specific content area.
Step 1: Pick a date that allows you plenty of time to prepare
We recommend 3–6 months, however, all candidates vary in their level of current education and study habits. Ultimately it doesn’t matter how many months you spend but rather the total hours you study.
Step 2: Purchase the recommended textbooks
Although not required, we strongly encourage all candidates to use our texbooks to prepare. Check the website to make sure you are studying the correct edition. New books come out in 2009.
Step 3: Review the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
These can be found in any ACSM recommended textbook. Each exam item is written about a KSA. Review the exam blueprint. Recognize the percent of exam questions for each section. Compare the KSAs for that section and determine which section(s) you know you will need to spend a lot of time on and the sections that you just need to review. Find the corresponding chapter in the textbooks that correspond with the KSAs you need to study.
Step 4: Chose to participate in interactive study methods
Step 5: Schedule or apply for your exam: PearsonVUE.com/ACSM
By the time you schedule your exam, you’ll have a general idea of how much time you still need to study. Don’t worry if you need to reschedule, you can do so up to 24 hours in advance at no charge. If you are an RCEP candidate, you will need to apply and be approved before scheduling your exam.
ACSM now has several options for exam preparation. The best way to prepare is live and in-person with a certification workshop; sign-up for at ACSM.org/register. The most convenient way to prepare is with a live webinar; sign-up at ACSM.org/register. Or go at your own pace on your own with an on-line course or practice test; sign-up on the ACSM Learning Portal at ACSMlearning.org
Recommended study materials are listed below. They can be ordered directly from the publisher, Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins (LWW) by visiting www.lww.com, by calling 1-800-486-5643, or at any major bookstore, or any major online distributor or reseller.
- ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 7th edition
- ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 5th edition (LWW)
- ACSM’s Resource’s for Clinical Exercise Physiology
ACSM has published updated textbooks. View more information on certification examination transition dates 
84 KB pdf
Sign up through ACSM’s secure website and become an ACSM member in 1–2 days. For a list of benefits or to become a member, visit ACSM.org/join. Once you join as a member (online option), you will receive your ACSM membership ID by email within one business week. If you need a member exam voucher in less than one week, please email certification@ACSM.org after you’ve completed your online membership payment.
ACSM offer several certifications for fitness and clinical professionals and specialty certifications for those already certified by an NCCA-accredited organization. For a list of certifications, visit ACSM.org/certification.
Yes, the ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist® exam is available in English at any Pearson VUE® Authorized Test Center worldwide. Please visit PearsonVUE.com/ACSM/locate for international testing centers.
In the future, the ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist® exam will be made available in different languages as demand dictates. Currently, the ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist® exam is available in English.
