If you are looking to become a fitness coach, there’s a high chance you’ve heard about ACE and NASM. They are among the two most popular certification programs. Both of these organizations are NCCA-accredited and respected in the fitness community. But between ACE and NASM, which certification program is better? Should you go for ACE CPT or NASM CPT? In this guide, we will compare their features, benefits and other key areas. And by the time you finish going through this article, you will have a clear idea as to which certification provider to choose. With that said, let’s jump straight in.
About ACE
The American Council on Exercise, or ACE, as it’s popularly known, was launched in 1985. It was founded with the goal of becoming a reputable and renowned fitness certification provider. ACE offers a wide range of health and fitness certifications. They include personal trainer certification, group fitness instructor, health coach and medical exercise specialist, among others.
Besides the core fitness certifications, ACE also has a couple of specializations. Some of their fitness specialist programs include functional training, fitness nutrition, behavior change, weight management, senior fitness, youth fitness, sports performance, and orthopedic exercise, just to name a few.
About NASM
The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) was launched in 1987. It was founded with the goal of becoming a world leader in providing fitness professionals with evidence-based certifications while equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to transform lives.
Just like ACE, NASM also offers several health and fitness certifications such as personal trainer, wellness coach, and nutrition coach. Also, NASM offers various specializations, for fitness coaches that would like to further their knowledge and skills.
Some of the specializations that NASM offers include stretching and flexibility, performance enhancement, home gym design, weight loss, behavior change, virtual coaching, group personal training, youth exercise and senior fitness, among others.
Program Cost
In terms of cost, ACE comes across as the cheaper among the two. Its basic package starts at around $600. For this package, you will get an ACE personal trainer manual, a practice test, access to a digital version of the ACE personal trainer textbook and a digital copy of the ACE personal trainer study companion. You also get to sit the ACE personal trainer exam. And if you pass, you will earn your certification.
NASM personal trainer CPT starts at around $700. This package features access to a digital learning platform, handouts and resources, practice exams and knowledge checks, an exercise demonstration library, bio-digital 3D models, as well as the NCCA, accredited exam. The entire course is offered online.
Exam Difficulty
Both NASM and ACE are known to have fairly difficult exams. You will need knowledge in key areas like biomechanics, physiology and anatomy as well as extensive study to pass their exams.
But on average, the pass rate for the ACE CPT stands at around 65% while that of NASM CPT is around 64.3%. Hence, if you were to enroll for any of these certifications, you need to be ready to work hard to pass their exams.
Test Questions
The ACE CPT exam features 150 questions, which you have to complete within 180 minutes. This translates to approximately 1.2 minutes per question. These questions have 800 marks. You will need to earn at least 500 points to pass.
The NASM CPT exam, on the other hand, features 120 questions. You will have to complete these questions within 120 minutes. This translates to around a minute per question. You will need a score of 70% or higher to pass this test.
As you can see, the NASM exam comes with fewer questions. So, if you are the type of person that hates sitting for an exam for too long, then you should go for the NASM exam.
Industry Recognition
According to the information posted on their website, NASM claims they have trained more than 1.3 million fitness professionals, from 80 different countries around the globe. ACE, on the other hand, claims they have trained approximately 45,000 fitness professionals.
However, as much as NASM may appear to have trained more professionals than ACE, both bodies are well accepted and recognized in the industry. Therefore, whether you opt to pursue a NASM CPT or you decide to go with ACE, getting a job shouldn’t be an issue – as both appear to hold similar weight in the industry.
Recertification and CUEs
Recertification is required by both ACE and NASM. For NASM, you have to complete 20 continuing education unit (CUE) hours. You will also need to pay a recertification fee of $99. NASM recertification is required every two years.
ACE also requires its personal trainers to complete 20 CUE hours. However, their recertification fee is $129, which is a bit higher than NASM. Again, you are required to recertify every two years.
In Conclusion
Both ACE and NASM have their strengths and weaknesses. And, it’s hard to say one has an edge over the other. So, whether you decide to go with the ACE CPT or NASM CPT all comes down to a personal preference.
Robert Griffith is a content and essay writer. He is collaborating with local magazines and newspapers. Robert is interested in topics such as marketing and history.
