ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist Exam2025-
2026 ACTUAL EXAM COMPLETE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES
Physical Activity - CORRECT ANSWERS Any bodily movement produced by
contracting skeletal muscles, with an increase in energy expenditure.
Exercise - CORRECT ANSWERS Planned, purposeful, repetitive
Physical Fitness - CORRECT ANSWERS Attributes or characteristics that
individuals have achieved that related to their ability to perform physical activity
3 metabolic pathways the body uses to creates ATP - CORRECT ANSWERS 1.
Creatine Phosphate
2. anaerobic glycolysis
3. 0xidative system
Claudication - CORRECT ANSWERS pain in the leg is induced by exercise, usually
because of an artery obstruction.
Creatine Phosphate system - CORRECT ANSWERS Small amounts of CP are stored
within each cell. Simple one-to-one trade off that allows for the rapid production of ATP. ONLY for use
during short bouts of exercise. less that 10 seconds.
Anaerobic glycolysis - CORRECT ANSWERS No oxygen required. NExt most
immediate energy source. break down carbs (glucose or glycogen) into pyruvate. Used during medium-
duration exercise. no more than about 90 seconds.
,Aerobic glycolysis (oxidative system) - CORRECT ANSWERS Oxygen dependent. As
exercise intensity decreases allowing for longer duration activities, use of the oxidative system
increases. (Krebs cycle and ETC). Produce ATP in the mitochondria of the cell--requires oxygen. Lasts
longer than 1-2 minutes.
What is VO2? - CORRECT ANSWERS The volume of oxygen the body consumes.
VO2 max is the highest volume of oxygen the body can consume.
Define Stroke Volume - CORRECT ANSWERS the volume of blood the heart ejects
with each beat.
How does SV increase with workload? - CORRECT ANSWERS Similar to HR, it
increases as workload increases but only up to ~40% to 60% of VO2max. The percentages can be
decreases in sedentary individuals and increased with training.
What happens to resting HR as stroke volume increases? - CORRECT ANSWERS it
decreases, as more blood being pumped per beat allows the heart to beat less often.
What is cardiac output? - CORRECT ANSWERS a measure of blood pumped per
minute. The product of stroke volume and heart rate.
What does Diastolic Blood pressure do during exercise? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Remains stable or decreases slightly.
What is rate pressure product? - CORRECT ANSWERS serves as an estimate of
myocardial oxygen demand. Product of HR and Systolic BP. HR X SBP
What is the Fick equation used to determine VO2 max? - CORRECT ANSWERS
VO2max = HRmax X SVmax X a-VO2 difference max (arteriovenous oxygen difference)
,What is the gold standard to measure Cardiorespiratory fitness? - CORRECT ANSWERS
VO2 max during open circuit spirometry.
How does a submaximal exercise test work? - CORRECT ANSWERS It estimates
VO2 max from the HR response to submaximal single stage or graded exercise.
absolute oxygen consumption vs. relative oxygen consumption - CORRECT ANSWERS
absolute is the raw volume of O2 consumed by the body. Relative is the volume of O2 consumed relative
to body weight. Useful to compare fitness levels between individuals.
What is one of the largest components of PA-related energy expenditure? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Occupational Physical Ativity
5 Health related physical fitness components - CORRECT ANSWERS
Cardiorespiratory endurance, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility
6 Skill (performance) related physical fitness components - CORRECT ANSWERS
Agility, coordination, balance, power, reaction time, and speed
cardiorespiratory endurance - CORRECT ANSWERS ability of circulatory system
and respiratory system to supply o2 during sustained physical activity
Body composition - CORRECT ANSWERS relative amounts of muscle, fat, bone,
and other vital parts of the body
Muscular strength - CORRECT ANSWERS Ability of muscle to exert force
, muscular endurance - CORRECT ANSWERS ability of muscle to continue to
perform without fatigue
flexibility - CORRECT ANSWERS ROM at a joint. as per the skeletal muscles and
not any external forces.
Agility - CORRECT ANSWERS ability to change position of the body in space with
speed and accuracy
coordination - CORRECT ANSWERS ability to use the senses together with body
parts to perform tasks smoothly and accurately
balance - CORRECT ANSWERS maintenance of equilibrium while stationary OR
moving
reaction time - CORRECT ANSWERS time elapsed between stimulation and the
beginning of the reaction to said stimulus
speed - CORRECT ANSWERS ability to perform a movement within a short period
of time
ACSM's weekly/daily physical activity recommendations - CORRECT ANSWERS
150 minutes Moderate PA per week (30 min or more most days of the week), 75 minutes of vigorous
intensity
Can most sedentary individuals safely begin a low-to moderate intensity PA Program without the need
for baseline testing or medical clearance? - CORRECT ANSWERS Yes indeed
Most common musculoskeletal injuries occur in what area of the body? - CORRECT ANSWERS
lower body- particularly the knee or foot
2026 ACTUAL EXAM COMPLETE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES
Physical Activity - CORRECT ANSWERS Any bodily movement produced by
contracting skeletal muscles, with an increase in energy expenditure.
Exercise - CORRECT ANSWERS Planned, purposeful, repetitive
Physical Fitness - CORRECT ANSWERS Attributes or characteristics that
individuals have achieved that related to their ability to perform physical activity
3 metabolic pathways the body uses to creates ATP - CORRECT ANSWERS 1.
Creatine Phosphate
2. anaerobic glycolysis
3. 0xidative system
Claudication - CORRECT ANSWERS pain in the leg is induced by exercise, usually
because of an artery obstruction.
Creatine Phosphate system - CORRECT ANSWERS Small amounts of CP are stored
within each cell. Simple one-to-one trade off that allows for the rapid production of ATP. ONLY for use
during short bouts of exercise. less that 10 seconds.
Anaerobic glycolysis - CORRECT ANSWERS No oxygen required. NExt most
immediate energy source. break down carbs (glucose or glycogen) into pyruvate. Used during medium-
duration exercise. no more than about 90 seconds.
,Aerobic glycolysis (oxidative system) - CORRECT ANSWERS Oxygen dependent. As
exercise intensity decreases allowing for longer duration activities, use of the oxidative system
increases. (Krebs cycle and ETC). Produce ATP in the mitochondria of the cell--requires oxygen. Lasts
longer than 1-2 minutes.
What is VO2? - CORRECT ANSWERS The volume of oxygen the body consumes.
VO2 max is the highest volume of oxygen the body can consume.
Define Stroke Volume - CORRECT ANSWERS the volume of blood the heart ejects
with each beat.
How does SV increase with workload? - CORRECT ANSWERS Similar to HR, it
increases as workload increases but only up to ~40% to 60% of VO2max. The percentages can be
decreases in sedentary individuals and increased with training.
What happens to resting HR as stroke volume increases? - CORRECT ANSWERS it
decreases, as more blood being pumped per beat allows the heart to beat less often.
What is cardiac output? - CORRECT ANSWERS a measure of blood pumped per
minute. The product of stroke volume and heart rate.
What does Diastolic Blood pressure do during exercise? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Remains stable or decreases slightly.
What is rate pressure product? - CORRECT ANSWERS serves as an estimate of
myocardial oxygen demand. Product of HR and Systolic BP. HR X SBP
What is the Fick equation used to determine VO2 max? - CORRECT ANSWERS
VO2max = HRmax X SVmax X a-VO2 difference max (arteriovenous oxygen difference)
,What is the gold standard to measure Cardiorespiratory fitness? - CORRECT ANSWERS
VO2 max during open circuit spirometry.
How does a submaximal exercise test work? - CORRECT ANSWERS It estimates
VO2 max from the HR response to submaximal single stage or graded exercise.
absolute oxygen consumption vs. relative oxygen consumption - CORRECT ANSWERS
absolute is the raw volume of O2 consumed by the body. Relative is the volume of O2 consumed relative
to body weight. Useful to compare fitness levels between individuals.
What is one of the largest components of PA-related energy expenditure? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Occupational Physical Ativity
5 Health related physical fitness components - CORRECT ANSWERS
Cardiorespiratory endurance, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility
6 Skill (performance) related physical fitness components - CORRECT ANSWERS
Agility, coordination, balance, power, reaction time, and speed
cardiorespiratory endurance - CORRECT ANSWERS ability of circulatory system
and respiratory system to supply o2 during sustained physical activity
Body composition - CORRECT ANSWERS relative amounts of muscle, fat, bone,
and other vital parts of the body
Muscular strength - CORRECT ANSWERS Ability of muscle to exert force
, muscular endurance - CORRECT ANSWERS ability of muscle to continue to
perform without fatigue
flexibility - CORRECT ANSWERS ROM at a joint. as per the skeletal muscles and
not any external forces.
Agility - CORRECT ANSWERS ability to change position of the body in space with
speed and accuracy
coordination - CORRECT ANSWERS ability to use the senses together with body
parts to perform tasks smoothly and accurately
balance - CORRECT ANSWERS maintenance of equilibrium while stationary OR
moving
reaction time - CORRECT ANSWERS time elapsed between stimulation and the
beginning of the reaction to said stimulus
speed - CORRECT ANSWERS ability to perform a movement within a short period
of time
ACSM's weekly/daily physical activity recommendations - CORRECT ANSWERS
150 minutes Moderate PA per week (30 min or more most days of the week), 75 minutes of vigorous
intensity
Can most sedentary individuals safely begin a low-to moderate intensity PA Program without the need
for baseline testing or medical clearance? - CORRECT ANSWERS Yes indeed
Most common musculoskeletal injuries occur in what area of the body? - CORRECT ANSWERS
lower body- particularly the knee or foot
