- What the 12 Content Areas Really Are
- How Heartsaver CPR AED Is Actually Assessed
- Required vs. Optional Topics at a Glance
- Domain 2: The Adult Core
- Domains 3 and 4: Child and Infant CPR AED
- Domains 5, 6 and 7: Choking Relief
- Domains 8 to 11: Opioid, Water, Heart Attack, Stroke
- Domains 1 and 12: Introduction and Conclusion
- Choosing a Course Format Before You Book
- A Domain-Based Preparation Sequence
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The 12 areas are unweighted course topics from AHA's Heartsaver topic list, not official exam domains with published percentages.
- Domains 3, 4, 6 and 7 (child and infant topics) are optional; the other eight are required in this course path.
- Passing means satisfactorily performing the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test; a written exam is optional.
- If a written exam is given, AHA policy requires at least 84%, and reference materials are allowed.
What the 12 Content Areas Really Are
Search results for Heartsaver CPR AED often borrow language from other courses, so it helps to be precise. This article covers the American Heart Association (AHA) Heartsaver CPR AED course-completion card. It is not the Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED course, not pediatric first aid, not Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare providers, and not an instructor credential.
The 12 headings in this guide come from the CPR AED column of AHA's Heartsaver course topics and path list (Table 4 of the Heartsaver Instructor Manual's additional resources). That table lists teaching topics per course path. It does not publish a blueprint with question counts or percentage weights. Anyone claiming "Domain 2 is 30% of the test" is inventing a number. Treat these 12 areas as a preparation curriculum: what an Instructor will teach, demonstrate and observe.
For a broader orientation before going domain by domain, see What Is Heartsaver CPR AED? and the Heartsaver CPR AED Study Guide 2026.
How Heartsaver CPR AED Is Actually Assessed
Many prep sites describe a single timed, closed-book written certification exam. AHA's current policy does not support that description for this course. Here is what the issuer materials establish:
- Skills first: Learners complete the applicable course curriculum and satisfactorily perform the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test.
- Optional child and infant tests: The Child CPR and Infant CPR Skills Tests apply when those optional components are taught.
- Written exam is optional: It may be administered when an employer or regulator requires it. If given, the current policy requires at least 84%, allows reference materials (workbook or eBook, notes and guidelines), and uses scenario-based questions. AHA mandates no completion time.
- No discussion: During a written exam, talking with other students or the Instructor is prohibited.
What is not publicly verified: the exact number of written questions for this specific course, any scored/unscored breakdown, a fixed skills-test duration, and any pass rate. The Faculty Guide's 10-25 question range describes five Heartsaver exam forms collectively, so it should not be read as this course's count. For the difficulty question specifically, read How Hard Is the Heartsaver CPR AED Exam?, and for scoring details see Heartsaver CPR AED Passing Score 2026.
Required vs. Optional Topics at a Glance
The table below maps the 12 areas to their status in the CPR AED path, as shown in the AHA topic list. Topics marked "NA" for CPR AED in the source table, including the separate First Aid curriculum, are excluded from this course.
| # | Topic | Status in CPR AED Path |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | Required |
| 2 | Adult CPR AED: Compressions, Breaths, and AED | Required |
| 3 | Child CPR AED: Compressions, Breaths, and AED | Optional |
| 4 | Infant CPR AED: Compressions, Breaths, and AED | Optional |
| 5 | Adult Choking Relief | Required |
| 6 | Child Choking Relief | Optional |
| 7 | Infant Choking Relief | Optional |
| 8 | Opioid-Associated Emergency | Required |
| 9 | Water Competency and Drowning | Required |
| 10 | Heart Attack | Required |
| 11 | Stroke | Required |
| 12 | Conclusion | Required |
Whether you take the optional child and infant components depends on your workplace or role. Teachers, childcare workers and parents commonly want them; an office safety team may not. Always confirm with your employer or program which card and components they require. The details are covered in Heartsaver CPR AED Requirements 2026.
Domain 2: The Adult Core
Adult CPR AED: Compressions, Breaths, and AED
This is the heart of the course and the one skills test that is always required. Expect most of your hands-on practice time here.
- Recognizing an unresponsive adult who is not breathing normally and activating emergency response
- Hand position, compression depth and rate, and allowing full chest recoil, all practiced on a manikin
- Giving breaths and coordinating them with compressions
- Turning on the AED, attaching pads correctly, following its prompts and resuming CPR as directed
- Minimizing interruptions and working smoothly with a second rescuer
Take exact numerical targets (depth, rate, ratios) from your current AHA student materials rather than a third-party summary, since the course follows the 2025 AHA Guidelines and older decks may differ. U.S. Training Centers must teach with 2025 materials from March 1, 2026. If a study site does not state which guideline year it uses, be cautious. A one-page recap lives in the Heartsaver CPR AED Cheat Sheet 2026.
Domains 3 and 4: Child and Infant CPR AED
These two areas are optional, but they are where adult-only preparation falls short. If your course includes them, you will also be assessed on Child CPR and Infant CPR Skills Tests.
Child CPR AED (Domain 3)
Focus on how technique and AED use change for smaller bodies.
- Adjusting hand placement, depth and breath delivery for a child
- Using the AED with the correct pad approach for a child, following the device's prompts
Infant CPR AED (Domain 4)
The most technique-sensitive area for many learners. The current exact-course column includes optional infant AED material.
- Hand or finger positioning for infant compressions and gentle breath delivery
- Safe positioning on a firm surface and understanding when the AED applies to an infant
The specific numbers differ by age group, so memorize them as separate sets and confirm each against your AHA materials. Mixing adult and infant values is a common source of errors in practice sessions.
Domains 5, 6 and 7: Choking Relief
Choking relief is split by age, mirroring the CPR structure. Adult Choking Relief (Domain 5) is required. Child (Domain 6) and Infant (Domain 7) choking relief are optional.
- Adult: Recognize severe airway obstruction, deliver relief maneuvers, and know what to do if the person becomes unresponsive, which transitions into CPR.
- Child: Similar recognition, with technique adapted to a smaller body.
- Infant: A distinctly different technique from adult and child methods. This is the area most worth rehearsing physically with a manikin.
Domains 8 to 11: Opioid, Water, Heart Attack, Stroke
These four required areas are what set the current Heartsaver CPR AED course apart from older, CPR-only classes. They are largely recognition-and-response topics rather than long hands-on drills, but they appear in the course curriculum and are fair game for any employer-requested written exam.
Domain 8: Opioid-Associated Emergency
Learn to recognize a possible opioid-associated emergency, call for help, and apply the response steps taught in your course, including how it connects to CPR when the person is not breathing normally.
Domain 9: Water Competency and Drowning
Covers drowning prevention and response concepts and why rescue breathing and CPR matter in a drowning event. Study the concept of water competency as your course defines it.
Domain 10: Heart Attack
Know the warning signs, why fast emergency activation matters, and how a heart attack differs from sudden cardiac arrest, the situation CPR and an AED address.
Domain 11: Stroke
Learn to recognize stroke signs using the method taught in your course and understand why time-sensitive emergency response is critical.
Do not import the full Heartsaver First Aid syllabus into your preparation. Topics outside this CPR AED path are excluded, and over-studying them wastes time. Stay with the eight required topics plus whichever optional ones your course includes.
Domains 1 and 12: Introduction and Conclusion
The Introduction and Conclusion are listed as curriculum topics, so they appear in the 12-item count, but they carry little independent content to memorize. The Introduction sets up the chain-of-survival context and the course expectations. The Conclusion wraps up and, in many sessions, leads into skills testing and any optional written assessment. Spend your study time on Domains 2 through 11.
Choosing a Course Format Before You Book
The same 12 topics can be delivered several ways. Confirm which route your booking uses and that it issues the exact Heartsaver CPR AED card, since search results often use "Heartsaver" as shorthand for First Aid CPR AED or BLS.
| Format | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Classroom | Instructor-led teaching and skills testing in one session |
| Blended | Complete the online portion first, then attend hands-on assessment with an Instructor |
| Self-guided (Heartsaver Direct) | Online learning, then warm-up, practice and skills testing at a manikin training station |
| Virtual | Instructor-observed hands-on completion using a training kit and feedback app |
The AHA's official online product, 2025 Heartsaver CPR AED Online (product 25-1401), was listed at $19.50 for the online portion including the student eBook. The required hands-on skills session is purchased separately, and independent Training Centers set their own all-inclusive and renewal fees. See Heartsaver CPR AED Certification Cost 2026 for how to compare total price. For the formal training path, visit Heartsaver CPR AED Training.
Course length depends on configuration. An AHA FAQ estimates about 1.5 hours of instructor-led instruction excluding optional topics and breaks, but that is instruction time, not exam timing, and other pages show broader estimates. The card is valid for two years through the end of the issue month, with renewal arranged through your Training Center. Check Heartsaver CPR AED Exam Dates 2026 for scheduling considerations.
A Domain-Based Preparation Sequence
Because skills carry the assessment, sequence your preparation around hands-on practice rather than reading volume. Here is a simple arrangement tied directly to the 12 areas.
Adult core (Domains 1, 2, 5)
- Work through the online portion for Introduction, Adult CPR AED and Adult Choking Relief
- Rehearse the compression-breath-AED sequence aloud and on a manikin if available
Recognition topics (Domains 8 to 11)
- Review opioid emergency, drowning, heart attack and stroke using current AHA materials
- Write a short recognition-and-response checklist for each
Optional child and infant (Domains 3, 4, 6, 7)
- Only if your course includes them; keep age-specific values in separate lists
- Practice the infant techniques physically before your skills session
If an employer requires a written exam, test yourself with scenario questions on the Heartsaver CPR AED practice test site, remembering that a real exam may be open-resource under AHA policy. Questions about whether the credential is worthwhile are addressed in Is the Heartsaver CPR AED Certification Worth It?, and about job relevance in Heartsaver CPR AED Jobs. For wage questions, note that no credential-specific salary figures are publicly verified; see the Heartsaver CPR AED Salary Guide 2026 for context.
Key Takeaway
Master Domain 2 physically, understand the four recognition topics conceptually, and add the child and infant areas only if your course teaches them. Verify your employer's required card and components before you book.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The 12 headings are unweighted topics from AHA's course topic list. No official percentage weights or largest domain are published, and they do not define an exam blueprint.
Domains 3, 4, 6 and 7, the child and infant CPR AED and choking relief topics, are optional. The other listed topics are required in the CPR AED path.
A written exam is optional, used when an employer or regulator requires it. If administered, AHA policy requires at least 84%, allows reference materials, and sets no mandated time limit. The exact question count for this course is not publicly verified. See Heartsaver CPR AED Pass Rate 2026 for what is and is not known about pass rates.
No. Online study alone is insufficient. You must complete a hands-on skills test with an Instructor, whether in a classroom, blended, self-guided or virtual format, to receive the course-completion card.
Validity is two years through the end of the issue month. Renewal options and prices are arranged with your Training Center. For the underlying meaning of the card, see Heartsaver CPR AED Certification.