The American Council on Exercise offers the Group Fitness Certification Examination for people who want to teach any type of exercise to people. Becoming certified demonstrates commitment and expertise with group fitness. Candidates must be at least 18 and possess an up-to-date CPR certification to be eligible to take this exam. For the paper and pencil version, candidates may take the test without having the CPR requirement fulfilled, but they will not get their score until proof that the certification has been obtained is provided.
For all of the topics, candidates will need to use what they know about applied sciences in kinesiology (anatomy, kinesiology and biomechanics), physiology, nutrition and weight control, and exercise psychology. This test covers the following main categories:
- 61 questions on exercise programming and class design
- 39 questions on group instructional methods
- 17 questions on group leadership methods
- 8 questions on professional responsibilities
There are 150 items to complete on the ACE Group Fitness test. Of these, 25 items are not scored; these are pre-trial items which may be used on future exams. Candidates will not know which items are scored and which are not. This assessment is available in both paper and pencil or computer formats. The raw score (the number answered correctly) will be converted to a scaled score in a 200-800 range. Candidates need a scaled score of at least 500 to pass.