Compare
ACTION-CPT vs ACE-CPT
ACTION Certified Personal Trainer from ACTION Certification LLC and ACE Certified Personal Trainer from American Council on Exercise, side by side: accreditation, eligibility, exam, cost and renewal, each fact from its cited source.
Key differences
No factual differences on the fields where both credentials have known values.
Differences are stated only where both credentials have a known value on record — never inferred against an unknown. No winner is declared; which credential fits depends on your goals. Methodology
ACTION Certified Personal Trainer
ACTION-CPT
Credential type
certification
certification
Verification
verified
verified
Accreditation
accreditedNCCA(directory-confirmed)
accreditedNCCA(directory-confirmed)
Accredited through
2029-07-31
2029-03-31
Target professional
Entry-level personal trainers working in individual and group settings with healthy clients
Personal trainers
Minimum age
unknown
18
Education requirement
unknown
Have completed high school diploma (or the equivalent)
Degree required
unknown
no
Experience requirement
unknown
unknown
CPR/AED to enroll
yes
yes
Other prerequisites
unknown
Hold a current adult CPR/AED certificate with hands-on (in-person or virtual) live skills check (CPR/AED courses without skills check not accepted; AED only required in USA and Canada); present a current government-issued photo ID with signature (driver's license, passport, military ID); pay the exam/proctoring fee (not included in study program price).
Exam format
130 multiple choice questions (100 scored, up to 30 non-scored research); online with live proctors (ProctorU)
In-person proctored exam or online exam with a Live Remote Proctor (proctored through Meazure Learning/ProctorU); 150 multiple-choice questions
Question count
unknown
150
Time limit
150 minutes
180 minutes
Passing score
72%
Score of 500 or greater (out of 800)
Retake policy
May re-test after a 90-day waiting period following the previous exam date.
Retake available; ACE recommends allowing about one week of review for every 10 points below the passing score of 500 before rescheduling. After registering for a Live Remote Proctored exam, candidates have 60 days to complete it.
Exam / application fees
$99 exam fee
unknown
Renewal required
yes
yes
Renewal cycle
2 years
2 years
CEUs per cycle
2
2
CEU unit system
CEC
ACE CEC (0.1 CEC = 1 hour of structured learning; 2.0 CECs = 20 hours per 2-year cycle)
Renewal fees
unknown
$129 standard
Ethics requirement
unknown
yes
CPR/AED at renewal
unknown
yes
Renewal deadline rule
unknown
Credential valid 2 years; CECs must be completed between the start and end dates of the renewal cycle shown in My ACE, then submit renewal and pay fee before expiration. Late renewal permitted up to 6 months past expiration at higher fees; beyond 6 months requires contacting ACE support. Expired certifications without completed CECs require retaking the exam.
Reinstatement
unknown
unknown
Credential status
active
active
Last verified
2026-09-12
2026-09-03
CEU recognition
unknown
ACE-Approved Continuing Education Providers (ACE pre-approved course directory) (approved ceu provider) · Non-ACE-approved course providers (petition accepted) · Accredited colleges/universities (petition accepted)
Categories
Personal Training, Movement Assessment, Nutrition Coaching, Special Populations
Personal Training
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Full records: ACTION Certified Personal Trainer · ACE Certified Personal Trainer
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