- Why There Is No Single Exam Date
- What You Actually Schedule
- Course Formats and Their Scheduling Steps
- The March 1, 2026 Materials Transition
- When a Written Exam Enters the Calendar
- Cost Components That Shape Timing
- Card Validity and Renewal Timing
- A Domain-Based Prep Calendar
- Booking Checklist Before You Pay
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The AHA publishes no national Heartsaver CPR AED exam calendar; sessions are scheduled by individual Training Centers and Instructors.
- The required hands-on Adult CPR and AED Skills Test is the core scheduling event, not a fixed written exam.
- A written exam is optional, used for employer or regulatory needs, and requires at least 84% when administered.
- The card is valid two years through the end of the issue month, so renewal timing is set by that date.
Why There Is No Single Exam Date for Heartsaver CPR AED
Search for "Heartsaver CPR AED exam dates 2026" and you will notice a pattern: no official testing calendar appears. That is not an oversight. The American Heart Association (AHA) issues a course-completion card for Heartsaver CPR AED, and the reviewed issuer materials identify no independent examination vendor, no national testing windows and no registration deadlines of the kind you would find for a proctored professional licensing exam.
Instead, scheduling runs through AHA Training Centers and Instructors and approved hands-on training pathways. Each provider decides when to run classes and skills sessions, so the "date" you care about is the date of your own class or skills session. If you want a plain-language grounding in what the course is before you book, start with What Is Heartsaver CPR AED? and Heartsaver CPR AED Certification.
What You Actually Schedule: Class, Skills Session and Optional Written Test
Think of your Heartsaver CPR AED timeline as up to three separate calendar items rather than one exam date.
- The learning portion. Classroom instruction, the online portion of a blended course, or the self-guided online learning in a Heartsaver Direct pathway.
- The hands-on skills assessment. You must satisfactorily perform the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test. Child CPR and Infant CPR Skills Tests are added when those optional components are taught.
- An optional written exam. Used only when an employer or regulator needs it. If it is administered, the current policy requires at least 84%.
The skills test is the step that cannot be skipped. Online study alone is insufficient to earn the card, so your real deadline is the date you can physically (or, under the virtual pathway, via instructor observation) demonstrate compressions, breaths and AED use. A separate fixed duration for the skills test is not publicly verified, so ask your Training Center how long to block for it rather than assuming a number.
Course Formats and Their Scheduling Steps
Delivery includes classroom, blended and approved self-guided learning. Each route has a different sequence, and the order matters for planning.
| Route | What happens first | Scheduling step that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom | Instructor-led instruction with practice | Pick a class date; skills testing happens in the same session |
| Blended | Complete the online portion first | Book the hands-on assessment after finishing online work |
| Self-guided (Heartsaver Direct) | Online learning, then warm-up and practice at a manikin station | Reserve a skills-testing slot at a training station |
| Virtual | Instructor-observed hands-on completion with a training kit and feedback app | Schedule an observed session; shared classroom attendance is not universal |
Blended learners complete the online portion before the hands-on assessment, so buying the online product on a Friday and expecting a card by Saturday will not work unless a skills session is already lined up. The AHA's faculty guide also describes classroom administration of any written exam even for blended learners, which is worth remembering if your employer requires one.
The March 1, 2026 Materials Transition: The One Real 2026 Deadline
If there is a genuine dated milestone connected to Heartsaver CPR AED in 2026, it is a teaching-materials transition rather than a student exam date. The current course follows the 2025 AHA Guidelines. The official U.S. transition FAQ requires 2025 teaching materials from March 1, 2026, under the CPR & ECC Materials List effective October 22, 2025.
For you as a learner, that means:
- Classes taught after the transition should use 2025-guideline materials, so ask a provider which materials version its class uses.
- The current online product, 2025 Heartsaver CPR AED Online (product 25-1401), was released October 22, 2025 and replaces the earlier 20-1401.
- The product listing's continuing-education termination date is a retail product detail. It is not your card's expiry date.
Older public study decks and pre-2025 guides may not match what you will be taught. Our Heartsaver CPR AED Study Guide is organized around the current curriculum so you are not studying outdated steps.
When a Written Exam Enters the Calendar
Many prep sites describe a mandatory timed written test. The issuer's policy says otherwise: a written exam is optional for Heartsaver CPR AED and is typically a matter of employer or regulatory requirements. If one is given, the current policy sets these parameters:
- A minimum score of 84% to pass.
- Scenario-based questions.
- Reference materials are allowed, including the workbook or eBook, your notes and the guidelines.
- No AHA-mandated completion time.
- No discussion with other students or the instructor during the exam.
What is not publicly verified: the exact number of questions for Heartsaver CPR AED, the scored versus unscored breakdown, and a full question-format specification. A figure of 10 to 25 questions appears in the 2026 faculty guide, but it describes five Heartsaver exam forms collectively and cannot be treated as the CPR AED count. For that reason there is no stated exam length to plan around, and any "20-question, timed, closed-book" claim should be treated with caution. We unpack this in Heartsaver CPR AED Passing Score and How Hard Is the Heartsaver CPR AED Exam?.
Key Takeaway
Ask your employer or program one direct question before you book: "Do you require a written exam in addition to the skills test?" If yes, tell the Training Center when you register so the written component is built into your session date.
Cost Components That Shape Your Timing
Price and scheduling are linked because the online purchase and the skills session are bought separately. The official ShopCPR listing shows 2025 Heartsaver CPR AED Online (25-1401) at $19.50, which covers the online portion and includes the student eBook. The required hands-on skills session is a separate purchase, and independent Training Centers set their own all-inclusive and renewal fees. No national member or non-member rates were verified.
Practically, that means a learner who buys only the online portion has not finished the process. Budget for the hands-on session and confirm the total with your provider before you pick a date. A fuller breakdown lives in Heartsaver CPR AED Certification Cost.
Card Validity and Renewal Timing
The most important date in the whole process may be the one you receive after completion: card validity. A Heartsaver CPR AED card is valid for two years through the end of the issue month. A card issued in any part of a given month remains valid until that month ends two years later, so your renewal target is the end of that month, not the exact day you completed class.
Renewal options, requirements and prices are arranged through your Training Center. No separate CEU maintenance quota was verified for this course-completion card. Practical advice for staying current:
- Record the issue month the day you receive the card.
- Set a reminder a few months before the end of the validity month, since popular skills sessions can fill.
- Check whether your employer requires renewal earlier than the card's expiry.
A Domain-Based Prep Calendar Tied to the 12 Curriculum Topics
The curriculum topics below come from the AHA's Heartsaver course topic list for the CPR AED path. They are unweighted preparation topics, not an official exam blueprint, and no percentage weights are published. Domains 3, 4, 6 and 7 are optional child and infant components; the rest are required in this path. For the full breakdown, see Heartsaver CPR AED Exam Domains.
Domains 1 and 2: Introduction; Adult CPR AED
- Master the adult sequence of compressions, breaths and AED use first, because the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test is required for everyone.
- Practice hand placement and rhythm on whatever manikin or pillow you can access.
Domains 5, 8 and 9: Adult Choking Relief; Opioid-Associated Emergency; Water Competency and Drowning
- Review choking relief steps and how an opioid-associated emergency differs from a cardiac arrest scenario.
- Study the drowning content, a current-course topic that older guides often omit.
Domains 10 and 11: Heart Attack; Stroke
- Learn recognition cues and the right first actions for each, since scenario questions test judgment, not just memorization.
Optional Domains 3, 4, 6, 7 and Domain 12
- Add Child and Infant CPR AED and Child and Infant Choking Relief only if your class teaches them or your employer needs them.
- Close with the Conclusion and a timed run-through of the adult skills.
Why this order? The adult skills are the one required hands-on test, so they come first. The optional child and infant topics come last because they only matter if your booked course includes them. If you want a quick reference sheet to keep near your practice area, see the Heartsaver CPR AED Cheat Sheet, and use our practice tests to check scenario judgment before your session.
Booking Checklist Before You Pay
Because scheduling is provider-driven, a short checklist saves the most reschedules. Confirm each item with the Training Center:
- Exact card title: Heartsaver CPR AED, not Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED or BLS.
- Format: classroom, blended, self-guided or virtual, and what must be done before the skills session.
- Age components: whether Child and Infant CPR (and the matching choking relief topics) are included.
- Written exam: whether one is required for your employer or program.
- Total price: online portion plus skills session, and any renewal fee.
- Materials version: that the class uses 2025-guideline materials.
- Duration: course configuration affects length. The AHA's 1.5-hour estimate reflects required-topic video time with some discussion and excludes optional topics and breaks, so it should not be treated as exam timing.
If you are weighing whether the investment of time and money pays off, Is the Heartsaver CPR AED Certification Worth It? and Heartsaver CPR AED Jobs explain who tends to require it. Note that Heartsaver is aimed at learners with little or no medical training. AHA sets no minimum learner age, though you must demonstrate the required skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
No national calendar is published. Dates are set by individual AHA Training Centers and Instructors, so the date that matters is the class or skills session you book with a provider.
The reviewed issuer materials identify no independent exam vendor or national deadline. Deadlines are whatever your Training Center sets for enrollment, plus any employer cutoff for holding a valid card.
Not necessarily. A written exam is optional and tied to employer or regulatory needs. If it is given, the policy requires at least 84%, allows reference materials and sets no AHA-mandated time limit. The required step is the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test.
No. Online study alone is insufficient. You must complete a hands-on skills assessment, whether in a classroom, at a training station after self-guided learning, or through an instructor-observed virtual session.
The card is valid for two years through the end of the issue month. Renewal options, requirements and prices are arranged through your Training Center, so plan to book a few months ahead. Details on pass standards are in our pass rate guide.