I passed after only 16 days to study and no manual!

by alicia
(madison, wi, usa)

Wow. What a whirlwind 2 weeks! I signed up for the ACE exam on the Saturday before Easter and just took it today. I did not have enough money to spare to purchase the ace personal trainer manual, so I crammed with what I found on-line. And no, I do not have a background in kinesiology. Learning the muscles and bones was totally new for me!

The test questions I purchased from this site were invaluable. I also loved this site: http://www.albemarle.org/department.asp?department=fire&relpage=7230

It was amazing. combine that with these questions from ACE http://www.acefitness.org/getcertified/homestudy_login.aspx

And I was actually pretty prepared.
You definitely need to know your anatomy and planes. Also BMI, VO2 max and Target/Reserve Heart rate calculations. I highly recommend finding the sample written portion on-line to give you an idea of what the scenarios are like and how they are scored.

Overall an exhilarating experience.

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interesting
by: Bert

Congrats first on passing. The only thing that threw me was your emphasis on anatomy. I've heard from many (on this site, too) who said that anatomy is not a prominent part of the exam.

I wish there was a bit more consistency in the reviews, but I appreciate your feedback along with the others.

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ACE personal trainer manual 3 edition
by: Anonymous

Hi alicia, that is impressive! The website(the department of fire rescue) has ACE personal trainer manual 3 edition online. Is it the same material as what I can purchase from ACE to be a personal trainer? If not, what is the difference?

Thanks for your valuable input.

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re: content
by: alicia

I don't know what the actual manual looks like from ace as I wasn't able to get one. The fire fighter site seemed to have the same material, but cited the 3rd edition from ace. i know ace is in the process of switching over to the 4th edition. the 3rd will only be valid this year.
as for anatomy, i had read the reviews that said you didn't need to know it too and i think it was because there isn't a lot that actually says, what is this muscle/bone, etc. however, you need to have a good grasp on the anatomy in order to answer the application questions (most of the exam). the questions are along the lines of: in this exercise, which muscle(s) are the protagonists and if your client has this condition, which exercises and muscles should you focus on to strengthen or which should you avoid. i would not have passed if i hadn't spent time learning all of the anatomy so i could visualize the exercises and which muscles were being used.
i hope this helps. good luck!

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thanks!
by: Bert

Alicia, thanks for your follow up and clarification. That's a good example you used!

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B4real Fitness is only about the Dollar and not helping others
by: John Joseph

I don't believe anyone can pass the ACE exam as easy as you are describing. The 4th Edition has the latest ACE IFT strength training techniques specific to ACE. The 3rd edition don't even touch on the latest materials. I have been trying to get the ACE certificate for 5 years. I studied really hard, purchased all the materials from the 3rd edition and the exam is based upon the the latest edition the 4th edition. On the day I took the exam in Omaha NE, the room next door had a class that was very noisy. It was distracting even though I tried ear plugs. Later I made ACE aware to no avail. I had to purchase all the new 4th Edition materials. I disputed via ACE that the exam was based on all new materials. ACE tried to deny the exam wasn't based on their 4th edition. ACE also states you don't have to major in health and fitness, but that is also a lie. You have to know anatomy and kinesiology. On the exam there are several formulas which you have to know and ACE don't allow no calculators. I scored 436 and needed a minimum of 500. I have been working out for years and know all exercises and am known to be a good trainer but don't have a certificate to train clients. I believe the Fitness field is being taken over by a bunch of academic people who are book smart but don't know jack about working out. However they charge people a lot of money. If I can become a trainer, I will charge a lot less, as I don't want to exploit the field, more than i want to give to others the techniques of getting fit and staying fit.

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exam
by: cedric

Well the test is very subjective. Meaning its not texting you word by word in the book. It test you based on the things you would do as if you was an actual personal trainer. I took it last year and failed by 10 points. My question is I'm perparing to take the test again, but I don't have the 4th edition. Is it possible to take the test and pass with 3rd edition material. And the writing part is covered in the book. Honestly I don't see how fitness,nutrition and exercisies can be outdated as a whole.

I passed after only 16 days to study and no manual!

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