ACSM EP Exam Questions and answers with complete solutions 2025 | Verified
Key components of health/ medical history - ✔✔History of illness, surgery, hospitalization
Identify signs and symptoms of disease or previous disease diagnosis
Family History of CHD risk factors
Drugs that may affect exercise capacity
Contraindications to exercise testing
Orthopedic problems
Drug allergies, medication use
Habits--caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug use
Exercise Habits
Readiness for change
Habitual level of physical activity (FITT)
Work history--physical demands of occupation, note demands on upper and lower extremity
Purpose of a Health Appraisal - ✔✔1. Safety - Provides health and fitness professionals with information
that can lead to identification of individuals for whom exercise requires limitations or modifications or is
contraindicated.
2. Risk Factor Identification - Many medical conditions increase health risk associated with physical
activity or exercise testing.
3. Exercise Prescription and Programming - Information gathered allows the health/fitness professional
to develop specific exercise programs appropriate to the individual needs and goals of the individual.
What's Involved in a Health Appraisal? - ✔✔Inquire about:
1. Present History
2. Past History
3. Family History
4. Completion of a Health Screening Questionnaire
Present History - ✔✔1. Known disease or symptoms of disease
,2. Activity level
3. Dietary behaviors (include caffeine and alcohol intake)
4. Smoking and tobacco use
5. Medication use (including recreational drugs), drug allergies
Past History - ✔✔1. Cardiorespiratory problems
2. Orthopedic problems
3. Recent illnesses or hospitalization
4. Exercise history
5. Work history
Family History - ✔✔1. Onset of heart disease in first-degree relative before age 55 in men and 65 in
women
2. Other significant disorders, including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, stroke, and sudden death in first-
degree relatives.
Health Screening Questionnaire - ✔✔A preparticipation health screening tool, such as the Physical
Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) or the AHA/ACSM Health Fitness Facility Preparticipation
Screening Questionnaire, should be completed before exercise testing.
To solicit reliable information, the questionnaire should be completed in a quiet, private area. Then the
responses should be reviewed with the patient to confirm accuracy of the information and to determine
the health risk status.
Key components of an informed consent - ✔✔1) Purpose
2) Procedures
3) Potential risks and discomforts
4) Expected benefits to participant and society
5) Responsibilities of participant
6) Provision of opportunity to ask questions and have them answered
7) Confidentiality of results
, 8) Right to refuse or withdraw from procedures
9) Signatures - participant, test admin, guardian, witness
10) Dates of signatures
Purpose:
- Provides patient w/ info to enable an informed decision about participation
-Details expectations of the patient
-Not a legal document, informs the patient of procedures, limitation, risks, and benefits
Limitations of Informed Consent - ✔✔Doesn't provide legal immunity
Doesn't cover negligence, improper test administration, personnel qualifications and poor safety
procedures- legal counseling should be sought
What is the Sequence of Assessments? - ✔✔1) Heart Rate: Resting
2) Blood Pressure: Resting
3) Body Composition: Height, Weight, BMI, WHR (waist to hip ratio), skin folds and or sub maximal cycle
ergo meter test (a strand-rhyming or YMCA)
4) Cardiovascular Fitness: Rock port 1-mile walk test procedures, 1.5 mile run test procedures, queens
college step test, and or astrand-rhyming sub maximal cycle ergo meter test
5) Muscular Fitness: Muscle strength & Muscular endurance
6) Flexibility: Sit-and-reach test
HR Procedure - ✔✔-locate anatomic site
-gently press down with the two fingers over palpation site
-count the number of pulsations for specific time period (10-30 sec) time occurs after the start time and
first pulsation, begin with the number 1
-Determine HR based upon the number of pulsations in a given time period. Accuracy increases with
longer palpation times
Measurement of exercise HR - ✔✔by measuring via palpation method, the number of beats felt in a 15-
30 second period and multiply to gt a minute value. The longer count is more accurate and less prone to
Key components of health/ medical history - ✔✔History of illness, surgery, hospitalization
Identify signs and symptoms of disease or previous disease diagnosis
Family History of CHD risk factors
Drugs that may affect exercise capacity
Contraindications to exercise testing
Orthopedic problems
Drug allergies, medication use
Habits--caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug use
Exercise Habits
Readiness for change
Habitual level of physical activity (FITT)
Work history--physical demands of occupation, note demands on upper and lower extremity
Purpose of a Health Appraisal - ✔✔1. Safety - Provides health and fitness professionals with information
that can lead to identification of individuals for whom exercise requires limitations or modifications or is
contraindicated.
2. Risk Factor Identification - Many medical conditions increase health risk associated with physical
activity or exercise testing.
3. Exercise Prescription and Programming - Information gathered allows the health/fitness professional
to develop specific exercise programs appropriate to the individual needs and goals of the individual.
What's Involved in a Health Appraisal? - ✔✔Inquire about:
1. Present History
2. Past History
3. Family History
4. Completion of a Health Screening Questionnaire
Present History - ✔✔1. Known disease or symptoms of disease
,2. Activity level
3. Dietary behaviors (include caffeine and alcohol intake)
4. Smoking and tobacco use
5. Medication use (including recreational drugs), drug allergies
Past History - ✔✔1. Cardiorespiratory problems
2. Orthopedic problems
3. Recent illnesses or hospitalization
4. Exercise history
5. Work history
Family History - ✔✔1. Onset of heart disease in first-degree relative before age 55 in men and 65 in
women
2. Other significant disorders, including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, stroke, and sudden death in first-
degree relatives.
Health Screening Questionnaire - ✔✔A preparticipation health screening tool, such as the Physical
Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) or the AHA/ACSM Health Fitness Facility Preparticipation
Screening Questionnaire, should be completed before exercise testing.
To solicit reliable information, the questionnaire should be completed in a quiet, private area. Then the
responses should be reviewed with the patient to confirm accuracy of the information and to determine
the health risk status.
Key components of an informed consent - ✔✔1) Purpose
2) Procedures
3) Potential risks and discomforts
4) Expected benefits to participant and society
5) Responsibilities of participant
6) Provision of opportunity to ask questions and have them answered
7) Confidentiality of results
, 8) Right to refuse or withdraw from procedures
9) Signatures - participant, test admin, guardian, witness
10) Dates of signatures
Purpose:
- Provides patient w/ info to enable an informed decision about participation
-Details expectations of the patient
-Not a legal document, informs the patient of procedures, limitation, risks, and benefits
Limitations of Informed Consent - ✔✔Doesn't provide legal immunity
Doesn't cover negligence, improper test administration, personnel qualifications and poor safety
procedures- legal counseling should be sought
What is the Sequence of Assessments? - ✔✔1) Heart Rate: Resting
2) Blood Pressure: Resting
3) Body Composition: Height, Weight, BMI, WHR (waist to hip ratio), skin folds and or sub maximal cycle
ergo meter test (a strand-rhyming or YMCA)
4) Cardiovascular Fitness: Rock port 1-mile walk test procedures, 1.5 mile run test procedures, queens
college step test, and or astrand-rhyming sub maximal cycle ergo meter test
5) Muscular Fitness: Muscle strength & Muscular endurance
6) Flexibility: Sit-and-reach test
HR Procedure - ✔✔-locate anatomic site
-gently press down with the two fingers over palpation site
-count the number of pulsations for specific time period (10-30 sec) time occurs after the start time and
first pulsation, begin with the number 1
-Determine HR based upon the number of pulsations in a given time period. Accuracy increases with
longer palpation times
Measurement of exercise HR - ✔✔by measuring via palpation method, the number of beats felt in a 15-
30 second period and multiply to gt a minute value. The longer count is more accurate and less prone to
