ACLS and BLS Study Guide: Pre-Course Checklists by Course and Format

How do you prepare for a BLS or ACLS class? Use the checklist for your course and format. ACLS classroom and renewal students must score at least 70% on the AHA precourse self-assessment before class. Skills session students bring their HeartCode completion certificate. Everyone should review the current AHA provider manual and wear clothes they can kneel in.

Last updated: · Written by QKC Health, an AHA Authorized Training Center · Based on the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC

Branded study setup with a provider manual, preparation checklist, and stethoscope.

What this guide is: printable preparation checklists for the American Heart Association BLS Provider and ACLS Provider courses, one for each course and format, based on AHA course information and the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC. It contains no exam questions or answers.

What it is not: hands-on training, a certification, or a promise that a specific card will be accepted. Confirm the course and card your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state rules require before you register.

Getting Ready

How to Prepare for a BLS or ACLS Class

Preparation depends on the course and the format you booked. Find your situation below, then use the matching checklist.

The American Heart Association teaches BLS Provider and ACLS Provider in more than one format. In a classroom course, an instructor teaches the content and runs skills practice and testing. In blended learning, you finish the online HeartCode course first, then attend a hands-on skills session with an instructor. Both formats lead to the same course completion card, so the work you do before class is what differs.

Which checklist is yours?

  • First BLS card, or your expired card no longer qualifies for renewal, and you want a classroom course: use the BLS Provider Course (classroom) checklist.
  • You finished HeartCode BLS online: use the HeartCode BLS and BLS Skills Session checklist.
  • Your BLS card is current or recently expired: use the BLS Renewal Course checklist.
  • First ACLS card, or your expired card no longer qualifies for renewal: use the ACLS Provider Course (classroom) checklist.
  • Your ACLS card is current or recently expired: use the ACLS Renewal Course checklist.
  • You finished HeartCode ACLS online: use the HeartCode ACLS and ACLS Skills Session checklist.

Not sure which course you need? Start with the CPR Course Finder or our guide to BLS vs CPR, then confirm with your employer or program.

Three steps that apply to every course

  • Confirm your booking in writing. A request sent through our contact form is not a booking. A class is confirmed only when we confirm the course, date, time, and location with you in writing.
  • Get your provider manual. The AHA asks each student to have a current manual, in print or as an eBook, before, during, and after the course. A photocopy is not acceptable.
  • Plan for hands-on practice. You will kneel on the floor and do chest compressions on a manikin. Tell us in advance about any accommodation you need.

Confirm the course and card your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state rules require before you register.

BLS Provider

BLS Pre-Course and Skills Session Checklists

Separate checklists for the BLS classroom course, the HeartCode BLS skills session, and the BLS renewal course. Tick the boxes as you go, then print the one you need.

BLS Provider Course (classroom)

For a first BLS card, or when your BLS card has expired, in an instructor-led class. No online course is needed first.

Before class
What to bring
What to wear
What to review

What happens in class

  1. Your instructor teaches the course and leads hands-on practice with manikins and AED trainers.
  2. You take the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test and the Infant CPR Skills Test.
  3. You take the written exam. The passing score is 84%. You may use your manual and notes, but you may not discuss answers with others.
After class

Based on AHA course information checked on October 17, 2026. Confirm the details of your class with QKC Health. General information only: reading this checklist does not certify you. See qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/ for the current version and full disclaimer.

HeartCode BLS and BLS Skills Session (blended)

For students who complete the AHA's online HeartCode BLS course, then show their skills in person. HeartCode BLS does not issue a card on its own.

Before class
What to bring
What to wear
What to review

What happens at the skills session

  1. You show your certificate of completion. There is no classroom lecture.
  2. You demonstrate CPR on adult, child, and infant manikins, AED use, and bag-mask ventilation to an instructor.
  3. If you do not pass a skills check on the first try, your instructor gives feedback and lets you practice before you retest.
After class

Based on AHA course information checked on October 17, 2026. Confirm the details of your class with QKC Health. General information only: reading this checklist does not certify you. See qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/ for the current version and full disclaimer.

BLS Renewal Course

For healthcare providers with a current or recently expired AHA BLS Provider card. Renewal options are set by each AHA Training Center.

Before class
What to bring
What to wear
What to review: 2025 course changes

What happens in class

  1. Your instructor reviews the current guidelines and what has changed since your last card.
  2. You refresh adult, child, and infant CPR and AED skills on manikins, with instructor feedback.
  3. You complete the required adult CPR and AED skills test, infant CPR skills test, and written exam. The exam passing score is 84%.
After class

Based on AHA course information checked on October 17, 2026. Confirm the details of your class with QKC Health. General information only: reading this checklist does not certify you. See qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/ for the current version and full disclaimer.

ACLS Provider

ACLS Precourse Checklists

Separate checklists for the ACLS classroom course, the ACLS renewal course, and the HeartCode ACLS skills session. The precourse self-assessment applies to every ACLS classroom and renewal student.

ACLS Provider Course (classroom)

For a first ACLS card, or when your ACLS card has expired, in an instructor-led class.

Before class
What to bring
What to wear
What to review

What happens in class

  1. You show your precourse self-assessment certificate.
  2. Your instructor leads hands-on practice and simulated cases, and checks each student's skills against AHA skills checklists.
  3. You manage a simulated cardiac emergency as a team leader, often called the megacode.
  4. You take the ACLS Provider Course Exam. It is open resource: you may use your manual, but you may not discuss answers with others.
After class

Based on AHA course information checked on October 17, 2026. Confirm the details of your class with QKC Health. General information only: reading this checklist does not certify you. See qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/ for the current version and full disclaimer.

ACLS Renewal Course

For healthcare providers with a current or recently expired AHA ACLS Provider card. The AHA calls this the ACLS Update course.

Before class
What to bring
What to wear
What to review

What happens in class

  1. You show your precourse self-assessment certificate.
  2. Your instructor reviews the algorithms, medications, and team-based resuscitation, with hands-on practice and simulated cases.
  3. You complete the required AHA skills testing, including the megacode evaluation, and the ACLS Provider Course Exam.
After class

Based on AHA course information checked on October 17, 2026. Confirm the details of your class with QKC Health. General information only: reading this checklist does not certify you. See qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/ for the current version and full disclaimer.

HeartCode ACLS and ACLS Skills Session (blended)

For students who complete the AHA's online HeartCode ACLS course, then finish with an in-person skills session. HeartCode ACLS does not issue a card on its own.

Before class
What to bring
What to wear
What to review

What happens at the skills session

  1. You show your certificate of completion or confirmation email.
  2. You practice and are tested on megacode scenarios, rhythm recognition, airway management, and team dynamics, in person with an instructor.
  3. If you do not pass on the first try, your instructor gives remediation and practice time, and you can retest during the same session.
After class

Based on AHA course information checked on October 17, 2026. Confirm the details of your class with QKC Health. General information only: reading this checklist does not certify you. See qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/ for the current version and full disclaimer.

QKC Health lists current AHA BLS Provider certification as a prerequisite for its ACLS Provider Course. If you need BLS first, see the BLS Provider Course.

Study Plan

How to Study for BLS and ACLS

The AHA provider manuals and the 2025 algorithms are the official study materials. Use the review topics in your checklist as a study outline.

Official AHA preparation resources

Ask your Training Center which manual and format your class uses before you buy. The AHA asks students to confirm that a product is the right one for their training.

A study plan that works for most students

  • Read the manual first. Read the chapters for your course, then use the review topics in your checklist to find gaps.
  • Learn the algorithms as decisions. For each algorithm, know what you check, what you decide, and what you do next, rather than memorizing the page.
  • Practice out loud. Talk through a case the way a team leader would, naming each step and who does it.
  • For ACLS, take the precourse self-assessment early. Your score shows which areas need more review before class: rhythm recognition, pharmacology, or practical application.
  • Practice compressions only under instruction. Hands-on skills are learned and tested with an instructor and a manikin, not from reading.

Why this page has no practice test

We do not publish AHA exam questions or answers, or copies of AHA course materials. The AHA owns the copyright to its manuals and training materials, and they may not be copied without its written permission. The AHA exams are open resource, so the best preparation is knowing your way around the current manual.

What changed in 2025 for BLS and ACLS courses

  • New course materials. The BLS and ACLS provider manuals were updated with new science from the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC and replace the 2020 editions.
  • BLS course changes. The 2025 BLS course adds an updated Chain of Survival, new algorithms, updated severe choking steps, testing on both infant compression techniques, and scenarios that include cardiac arrest in women.
  • One Chain of Survival. The 2025 Guidelines use a single Chain of Survival for adults and children, in and out of the hospital.
For Clinical Educators

Preparing a Group for BLS or ACLS

Notes for nurse educators, practice managers, and program coordinators who book training for a team.

  • Match each person to a course and format. A team often mixes first-time students, renewals, and people who finished HeartCode online. Send each person the checklist that matches.
  • Collect precourse proof early. ACLS classroom and renewal students need a printed precourse self-assessment certificate with a score of at least 70%, and skills session students need their HeartCode certificate of completion.
  • Plan for manuals. The AHA asks each student to have a current manual of their own, in print or as an eBook. Shared photocopies are not acceptable.
  • Prepare the room. For on-site classes, provide a room large enough for everyone to work on the floor during skills practice, with access to power. We bring the training equipment.
  • Check group size. Most courses need at least three participants. ACLS is available to individual participants.
  • Brief your staff. Let participants know the training involves kneeling and physical effort, and send us any accommodation requests in advance.
  • Know the booking terms. You can cancel or reschedule at no charge seven or more days before the class. Participants who do not attend do not reduce the confirmed group fee.

To plan dates, headcounts, and the room, use the Group CPR Training Planner. To keep track of when each person's card is due, use the CPR Renewal Planner. Full booking, payment, and cancellation details are in our Terms of Service.

QKC Health Classes

Book BLS or ACLS Training With QKC Health

QKC Health is an AHA Authorized Training Center serving Fairfield County CT, Westchester County NY, and New Jersey. On-site classes are available for groups of 3 or more.

BLS Provider Course

Full Certification

Complete AHA BLS Provider course for first-time certification or those without a current BLS card. Covers high-quality CPR, AED use, choking relief, and team-based resuscitation.

$95.99 per person
View BLS Provider Course

BLS Skills Session

Skills Test Only

For healthcare providers who have completed the AHA BLS online course and need in-person skills testing.

$60 per person
View BLS Skills Session

BLS Renewal Course

Recertification

Streamlined renewal course for providers with a current or recently expired BLS certification.

$70 per person
View BLS Renewal Course

ACLS Provider Course

Full Certification

Comprehensive ACLS provider course for first-time certification. Covers ECG rhythm recognition, pharmacology, airway management, acute coronary syndromes, stroke protocols, and high-performance team dynamics based on the latest AHA guidelines.

View ACLS Provider Course

ACLS Renewal Course

Recertification

Reviews updated algorithms, medication protocols, and team-based resuscitation skills. Must hold a current or recently expired ACLS card.

$170 per person
View ACLS Renewal Course

ACLS Skills Session

Skills Test Only

In-person ACLS skills testing for healthcare professionals who have completed HeartCode ACLS online.

View ACLS Skills Session

Course details and pricing are on each class page, including the ACLS Provider Course and the ACLS Skills Session. ACLS is available to individual participants; most other courses need at least three. To find a class date, call (212) 548-3284 or request training. Teams that need both courses can explore healthcare provider training, and you can compare every format on the BLS certification overview and the ACLS certification overview.

FAQ

BLS and ACLS Preparation: Frequently Asked Questions

Start with the current AHA ACLS Provider Manual, in print or as an eBook. The AHA asks each student to have a current manual before, during, and after the course. Add the AHA ACLS Precourse Self-Assessment, the 2025 AHA algorithms, and the review topics in the ACLS checklists on this page. We do not publish exam questions or answers.

Pass the AHA ACLS Precourse Self-Assessment with a score of at least 70% and print the completion certificate. Make sure your high-quality BLS skills are strong, review rhythm recognition, ACLS drugs, and the algorithms in the current provider manual, and ask your Training Center whether your class uses the AHA video prework.

No. The precourse self-assessment is an online check you complete before class, and the AHA requires a score of at least 70% before the course. It covers rhythm recognition, pharmacology, and practical application. The ACLS Provider Course Exam is a separate test you take as part of the course.

The AHA has an open-resource policy for its course exams. You may use resources such as your provider manual, in print or as an eBook. Open resource does not mean open discussion, so you may not discuss answers with other students or the instructor.

Finish the HeartCode BLS online course first and bring your certificate of completion, because at QKC Health the skills session has no classroom lecture. Practice high-quality CPR, AED use, and bag-mask ventilation, since you show those skills to an instructor. Wear clothes you can kneel in. Passing leads to the same BLS Provider eCard as the classroom course.

Yes. The AHA issues a BLS Provider card only to students who pass the adult CPR and AED skills test, the infant CPR skills test, and the exam with a score of at least 84%. At a QKC Health BLS Skills Session, if you do not pass a skills check on the first try, your instructor gives feedback and practice time before you retest.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that let you kneel, bend, and move easily. CPR practice means kneeling on the floor and doing chest compressions on a manikin, which takes physical effort. If you are pregnant, recovering from an injury, or have a condition affected by exertion, check with a healthcare professional and tell us before class.

References

Sources

This guide summarizes the following official sources. Course details and guideline changes were checked against them on October 17, 2026.

  1. Basic Life Support (BLS) Training, American Heart Association
  2. BLS Course Options, American Heart Association
  3. 2025 Guidelines FAQ: BLS Instructor-Led Training (PDF), American Heart Association
  4. 2025 Guidelines HeartCode FAQs (PDF), American Heart Association
  5. HeartCode BLS Online, American Heart Association
  6. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Course Options, American Heart Association
  7. 2025 ACLS Course FAQ (PDF), American Heart Association
  8. ACLS Precourse Self-Assessment and Video Prework, American Heart Association
  9. HeartCode ACLS Online, American Heart Association
  10. 2025 BLS Provider Manual eBook, American Heart Association
  11. 2025 ACLS Provider Manual eBook, American Heart Association
  12. Course FAQs, American Heart Association
  13. Course Card Information, American Heart Association
  14. How to Claim and View Your AHA eCard, American Heart Association
  15. Algorithms, 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC, American Heart Association
  16. 2025 AHA Guidelines, Part 7: Adult Basic Life Support, American Heart Association
  17. 2025 AHA Guidelines, Part 6: Pediatric Basic Life Support, American Heart Association
  18. 2025 AHA Guidelines, Part 9: Adult Advanced Life Support, American Heart Association
  19. Highlights of the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC (PDF), American Heart Association
  20. Adult BLS Algorithm for Health Care Professionals, 2025 (PDF), American Heart Association

Last updated:

Ready to Book BLS or ACLS Training?

Pick the checklist for your course and format, finish any precourse work, then contact us to arrange a date. Most courses need at least three participants, and ACLS is available to individuals.

Book Training Call (212) 548-3284

Disclaimer

General information only. This page is general educational information about American Heart Association (AHA) courses. It is not medical, legal, or OSHA compliance advice. It does not replace hands-on CPR, BLS, or first aid training, and reading it does not certify you in any course. In an emergency, call 911.

Accuracy. We strive to keep this page accurate and current, but AHA guidelines, course content, card rules, and certification requirements can change, and we cannot promise that every detail is complete, current, or free of errors. Prices and class details shown here can also change; the price confirmed in writing before your class is the price you pay.

Check the official source. Before you rely on anything here, confirm course, card, and guideline details with the AHA at cpr.heart.org, and confirm what you are required to hold with your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state agency. If this page differs from an official source, follow the official source. You are responsible for confirming which course and card you need before you register.

Spot an error? If anything on this page, or anywhere on our site, looks incorrect or out of date, please call us at (212) 548-3284 or send us a message through our contact page so we can review it and update it.

About the AHA. QKC Health LLC is an AHA Authorized Training Center. This page is written and published by QKC Health, not by the AHA, and the AHA has not reviewed or endorsed it.

The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in all AHA courses and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the AHA. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the AHA.

Outside links and terms. Links to the AHA, OSHA, and other outside websites are provided for convenience. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content. Your use of this page is subject to our Terms of Service, including its Limitation of Liability section and its notices for New Jersey and New York residents.

Printed from qkchealth.com/resources/bls-acls-precourse-prep/. General information only, not medical, legal, or compliance advice. Always confirm requirements with the AHA (cpr.heart.org) and with your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state agency. Full terms: qkchealth.com/terms. More free tools and guides: qkchealth.com/resources.

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