Exam guide
ACLS Course Exam Guide
The AHA ACLS Provider written exam and Megacode under the 2025 course materials: format, content, eligibility, an 8-week plan and test-day tips
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The exam at a glance
| Item | 2025 ACLS Provider course |
|---|---|
| Written exam | Proctored, online at the end of class; paper backup |
| Number of items | Not posted publicly by AHA; ask your instructor |
| Passing score | 84% minimum |
| Time limit | Untimed per AHA's last public exam FAQ (2020); confirm locally |
| Open resource | Manual, your notes, ECC Handbook; no talking |
| Skills tests | High-quality BLS (CPR, AED), airway management, team Megacode; AHA checklists |
| HeartCode | Adaptive online part (exam built in), then an instructor or manikin skills session |
| Length | Full class 13.25 to 16.5 h; Update 8.25 to 9.5 h; HeartCode skills 6.75 to 7.75 h |
| Cost | Set by each Training Center; HeartCode online $178 |
| Card | Completion card valid 2 years, to month end |
What is on it
AHA publishes no percentages or item counts. These areas come from the 2025 course FAQ; 2025 materials are required from March 1, 2026.
| Area | Focus | App subject |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment and BLS | Systematic approach; early CPR and AED | BLS |
| Airway | Bag-mask, advanced airway, capnography | ACLS Algorithms |
| Cardiac arrest | VF/pVT, asystole/PEA, shocks, reversible causes | ACLS Algorithms |
| Brady and tachy | Rhythm ID, pacing, cardioversion | Rhythm Recognition |
| Medications | Arrest and peri-arrest drugs, timing | ACLS Pharmacology |
| ACS and stroke | Early recognition, reperfusion | ACLS Algorithms |
| Post-arrest care | ROSC targets, temperature control | Post-Cardiac Arrest Care |
| Teams, special cases | Roles, closed-loop talk, CCF; LVAD, drowning | Special Situations |
- One 6-link Chain of Survival; SVT renamed narrow-complex tachycardia
- Sotalol dropped from the tachycardia algorithm
- Synchronized starting doses: 100 J narrow-complex or monomorphic VT; 200 J AF or flutter
- IV first, then IO; no drugs via ET tube; squeeze the bag one-third to one-half for chest rise
- Post-ROSC: MAP at least 65 mm Hg, SpO₂ 90 to 98%
- Not following commands after ROSC: 32 to 37.5 °C for at least 36 h
- Tenecteplase for stroke; LBBB alone no longer defines STEMI
Who can take it
- Healthcare professionals who lead or join cardiac arrest, stroke and cardiopulmonary emergency care
- Expected skills: high-quality BLS, ECG reading, ACLS drugs, bag-mask ventilation
- BLS card: not required by AHA, though your Training Center may; some classes add one
- Classroom: Precourse Self-Assessment at 70% or higher; print and bring the report
- HeartCode: bring your online completion certificate to the skills session
- Update (renewal) course: shorter; ask your Training Center if you qualify
How to study (8 weeks)
- Week 1: free AHA Precourse Self-Assessment and one app Mock Exam as baselines; start Daily Review.
- Weeks 1 to 2: Rhythm Recognition with the Rhythm Gallery One-Pager.
- Weeks 3 to 4: ACLS Algorithms and Pharmacology with the ACLS Algorithms in Brief One-Pager; say each next step aloud.
- Week 5: BLS, Post-Cardiac Arrest Care, Special Situations and the Capnography One-Pager.
- Week 6: Weakest Subject and Level Up sessions, then Missed Questions.
- Week 7: rehearse leading Megacode cases aloud with the testing checklists in your manual's appendix; finish any prework.
- Week 8: two full Mock Exams (aim well above 84%) and Trouble Questions.
Test-day tips
- Bring your passing self-assessment report or HeartCode certificate
- Bring the provider manual (print or eBook) with algorithms and drug tables tabbed
- Open resource is not open time: answer what you know, then look up flagged items
- Megacode leader: assign roles, use closed-loop talk, keep CCF above 80%, check rhythm every 2 minutes
- Not passed? Your Training Center sets remediation and retesting
Official resources
- ACLS Provider Manual, 2025 (25-1106 print, 25-3100 eBook)
- 2025 Handbook of Emergency Cardiovascular Care (25-1100 print, 25-3105 eBook)
- ACLS Reference Cards, set of 3 (25-1120)
- Precourse Self-Assessment and Video Prework, free at eLearning.heart.org
- 2025 algorithms, Guidelines Parts 9 and 11, manual change notice (August 2026)
Links are in the sources. AHA and HeartCode are trademarks of the American Heart Association, Inc. This app is independent and not endorsed by the AHA. Only AHA-authorized training (classroom, HeartCode, HeartCode Complete or RQI) leads to an ACLS Provider card.
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Sources
- American Heart Association. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Course Options. cpr.heart.org (accessed October 5, 2026). Link
- American Heart Association. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Provider Instructor-Led Training (ILT) Course FAQ, as of October 22, 2025. Link
- American Heart Association. 2025 Guidelines HeartCode FAQs, as of October 22, 2025. Link
- American Heart Association. 2025 ACLS Product and Course Orientation. 2025. Link
- American Heart Association. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Written Precourse Self-Assessment (JN-1474), October 22, 2025. Link
- American Heart Association. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support product information sheet (2025 updates). Link
- American Heart Association. Change Notice: ACLS Provider Manual (25-1106 / 25-3100), updated August 11, 2026. Link
- American Heart Association. Change Notice: ACLS Instructor Manual (25-1107 / 25-3101), updated August 11, 2026. Link
- American Heart Association. ACLS Science Summary Table (2020 vs 2025). 2025. Link
- American Heart Association. Adult Tachyarrhythmia With a Pulse Algorithm, accessible long description. 2025. Link
- American Heart Association. FAQs about AHA Training. cpr.heart.org (accessed October 5, 2026). Link
- American Heart Association. 2020 Guidelines Courses Online Exams, updated November 5, 2020. Link
- American Heart Association. Transition Timeline and Instructor Updates, update as of April 21, 2025. Link
- American Heart Association eLearning. HeartCode ACLS Online (25-3554). Link
- American Heart Association eLearning. Course catalog, ACLS category. Link
- ShopCPR, American Heart Association. ACLS Precourse Self-Assessment and Video Prework (25-1641). Link
- ShopCPR, American Heart Association. ACLS Online Exam for Instructor-led Training (KJ-1816). Link
- ShopCPR, American Heart Association. Search results: ACLS Provider Manual. Link
- ShopCPR, American Heart Association. Search results: Handbook of Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Link
- American Heart Association. 2025 Algorithms. cpr.heart.org. Link
- Wigginton JG, Agarwal S, Bartos JA, Coute RA, et al. Part 9: advanced life support: 2025 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation. 2025;152(suppl 2):S538–S577. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001376 Link
- Hirsch KG, Amorim E, Coppler PJ, Drennan IR, et al. Part 11: post–cardiac arrest care: 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Circulation. 2025;152(suppl 2):S673–S718. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001375 Link
- American Heart Association. ACLS Adult High-Quality BLS Skills Testing Checklist. © 2025. Posted by AHA Training Center APHED. Link
- American Heart Association. ACLS Megacode Testing Checklists (scenarios 1–12). © 2025. Posted by AHA Training Center APHED. Link
- APHED (AHA Training Center). Instructor Resources: ACLS. aphed.com (accessed October 5, 2026). Link