- What Heartsaver CPR AED Training Actually Is
- Four Ways to Take the Course
- The 12 Course Topics, Explained
- How Assessment Works: Skills Test First, Written Exam Optional
- Cost Components and Time Commitment
- Your Course Completion Card and Renewal
- Who Takes This Training and Where It Gets Used
- A Topic-Ordered Preparation Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Heartsaver CPR AED is an AHA course-completion card, distinct from First Aid CPR AED, BLS and instructor credentials.
- Online study alone never earns the card; you must also pass a hands-on Adult CPR and AED Skills Test.
- The written exam is optional, but if an employer requires one, AHA policy sets 84% as the minimum.
- The ShopCPR online portion (2025 Heartsaver CPR AED Online, SKU 25-1401) lists at $19.50; skills sessions are priced separately.
What Heartsaver CPR AED Training Actually Is
Heartsaver CPR AED is an American Heart Association course built for people with little or no medical training. Teachers, office staff, coaches, childcare workers, fitness instructors, parents and concerned bystanders are typical learners. The course teaches you to recognize a cardiac emergency, perform chest compressions and rescue breaths, and operate an automated external defibrillator (AED) until professional help arrives. The same course also covers choking relief and several other emergencies found in the official topic list, which we walk through below.
A point of precision matters here, because search results blur it constantly. "Heartsaver" gets used as shorthand for several different AHA offerings. This article covers only the Heartsaver CPR AED course. It does not cover Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED (which adds a separate first aid curriculum), healthcare-provider BLS, pediatric first aid, or Heartsaver Instructor Essentials. If you are still sorting out the terminology, our explainers on what Heartsaver CPR AED is and what the name stands for cover the basics.
The current course follows the 2025 AHA Guidelines. According to AHA's official U.S. transition FAQ, instructors must teach with 2025 materials from March 1, 2026. If a provider is still showing you older-guideline content, ask why before you pay.
Four Ways to Take the Course
One of the most common misunderstandings is treating "buy the online course" and "get the card" as the same step. They are not. AHA supports several delivery routes, and every one of them ends with hands-on skills demonstrated to an instructor.
| Route | How it works | What to confirm before booking |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom | Instructor-led session with video, practice and skills testing in one place | Which optional child/infant modules are being taught |
| Blended learning | Online portion first, then hands-on practice and skills testing with an instructor | That you finish the online part before the skills session |
| Self-guided (Heartsaver Direct) | Online learning, then warm-up, practice and skills testing at a manikin training station | That the booked configuration issues the exact Heartsaver CPR AED card |
| Virtual (Heartsaver Virtual) | Instructor-observed hands-on completion using a training kit and feedback app | Kit availability and instructor scheduling |
The practical takeaway: physical attendance in a shared classroom is not universal, but hands-on skills practice and testing are. Online study alone is insufficient for the card.
Before you buy anything, read through our breakdown of Heartsaver CPR AED requirements. AHA sets no minimum learner age and requires no prior credential, degree or experience hours. You do have to physically demonstrate the skills, and that is where most of the real preparation belongs.
The 12 Course Topics, Explained
The official AHA topic list for the CPR AED course path contains 12 entries, including the Introduction and Conclusion. These are preparation-curriculum topics, not weighted exam domains. AHA publishes no percentage weights for them and does not present them as a fixed written-exam blueprint. Topics 3, 4, 6 and 7 are optional child and infant components; the rest are required in this course path. For a deeper walkthrough, see our guide to all 12 content areas.
Topics 1 and 12: Introduction and Conclusion
These frame the course: why bystander action matters, how the learning is structured, and a wrap-up of the key skills. They are short, but they set expectations about what you will be asked to demonstrate.
Topic 2: Adult CPR AED: Compressions, Breaths, and AED
This is the centerpiece, and the one every learner must be able to perform in the skills test. Expect to practice on a manikin until your technique is consistent.
- Checking for responsiveness and breathing, and activating emergency response
- Hand placement, depth and rate of compressions with full chest recoil
- Rescue breaths and the compression-to-breath cycle
- Turning on an AED, applying pads, following prompts, and clearing the victim for a shock
Topics 3 and 4: Child and Infant CPR AED (optional)
These modules apply only when your instructor teaches them. Technique differs by age: hand position, depth, and AED pad selection change with the size of the patient. If your job involves children, confirm these modules are included, because an adult-only card may not satisfy a childcare or school requirement.
Topic 5: Adult Choking Relief
Recognizing severe airway obstruction and delivering effective relief for a responsive adult, and understanding what changes if the person becomes unresponsive.
Topics 6 and 7: Child and Infant Choking Relief (optional)
Like the CPR modules, these are taught only when included in your session. Infant technique in particular looks very different from adult technique, so these benefit from hands-on repetition.
Topic 8: Opioid-Associated Emergency
A current-course topic that many older study materials omit. It addresses recognizing a suspected opioid-related emergency and responding appropriately while emergency help is on the way.
Topic 9: Water Competency and Drowning
Covers drowning emergencies and the concept of water competency. Learners often underestimate this topic because it feels peripheral to CPR, yet it is part of the current exact-course topic list.
Topics 10 and 11: Heart Attack and Stroke
Recognition and response for two time-sensitive emergencies. The emphasis is on spotting warning signs early and calling for help quickly, rather than on advanced treatment.
One caution: the exact-course list does not import the full First Aid syllabus. Topics marked as not applicable for CPR AED in AHA's table, including the separate First Aid curriculum, are excluded. If a study resource spends pages on bleeding control, burns or splinting, it is mixing in Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED material.
How Assessment Works: Skills Test First, Written Exam Optional
This is the section where generic test-prep websites most often get things wrong, so it is worth being careful.
The required part: hands-on skills testing
To earn the card, you complete the applicable course curriculum and satisfactorily perform the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test. If your session teaches the optional components, you also complete the Child CPR and Infant CPR Skills Tests. A separate fixed skills-test duration is not publicly verified, so be skeptical of any provider that quotes a universal number of minutes. Our guide to how hard the Heartsaver CPR AED exam is explains why most learners find the practical portion more demanding than the knowledge portion.
The optional part: the written exam
A written exam is optional under AHA policy and is typically relevant when an employer or regulator asks for it. If one is administered, the current policy states:
- The minimum passing score is 84%.
- Reference materials are allowed, including the workbook or eBook, your notes and the guidelines.
- Questions use scenarios.
- AHA mandates no completion time limit.
- Discussing answers with other students or the instructor during the exam is prohibited.
AHA does not publish an aggregate pass rate for this course. Providers that advertise a "99% pass rate" or a "100% pass guarantee" are describing their own local policies, often meaning free remediation, not an issuer-wide statistic. Our article on the Heartsaver CPR AED pass rate goes through what the available evidence does and does not show.
Cost Components and Time Commitment
Cost confusion comes from the fact that the price you see first is rarely the price you pay in full. The money typically splits into pieces.
- The online portion. The official ShopCPR listing for 2025 Heartsaver CPR AED Online is $19.50, including the student eBook.
- The hands-on skills session. Purchased separately from a Training Center or instructor.
- All-inclusive or classroom fees. Independent Training Centers set their own prices. No national member or non-member rates were verified.
- Renewal. Fees and requirements are arranged with the Training Center.
Because every Training Center sets its own rates, compare the total cost of getting the card in your area, not just the headline online price. We break the components down in our Heartsaver CPR AED certification cost guide.
How long does it take?
AHA's course FAQ estimates about 1.5 hours of instructor-led instruction, excluding optional topics and breaks. That figure reflects required-topic video time with some discussion. Other issuer pages show broader estimates, and your real time depends on configuration, class size and whether child and infant modules are added. Do not confuse instructional hours with any exam timer; AHA mandates no time limit on the optional written exam.
Your Course Completion Card and Renewal
A Heartsaver CPR AED card is valid for two years through the end of the month it was issued. Renewal options, completion requirements and prices go through your Training Center. No separate continuing-education quota was verified for this course-completion card.
Key Takeaway
Before paying for any class, confirm in writing that the booked configuration issues the exact "Heartsaver CPR AED" card. Many listings use similar names for the First Aid CPR AED version or for BLS, and an employer who asked for one will not necessarily accept another.
If the card is for a job, ask the employer or licensing program which card and which optional components they require. Acceptance is set by the employer or program, not by the course provider, and nobody can promise universal acceptance.
Who Takes This Training and Where It Gets Used
The audience is deliberately broad: people who are not healthcare providers but may be the first to respond in a cardiac emergency. Typical situations include workplaces that designate trained responders, schools and childcare settings, fitness and recreation facilities, volunteer organizations, and individuals who simply want the skills for family or community use.
Be realistic about career claims. No verified Heartsaver-specific salary distribution or earnings premium exists. Heartsaver CPR AED is not a standalone occupation; for most people it is a workplace prerequisite or a useful add-on to another role. If you are weighing the investment, read our analyses of the salary picture, jobs where the card comes up, and whether the certification is worth it. A better question than "what will this earn me?" is "does my employer require it, and what will the full course cost?"
| Course | Scope | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Heartsaver CPR AED | CPR, AED, choking relief, opioid emergency, drowning, heart attack, stroke | Lay responders; workplaces needing CPR and AED only |
| Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED | Adds a separate first aid curriculum | Roles requiring broader first aid |
| BLS | Healthcare-provider level CPR and team skills | Clinical and healthcare roles |
A Topic-Ordered Preparation Plan
Because the skills test is the gate to the card, schedule your preparation around hands-on repetition rather than memorization. Here is a short plan tied to the actual topic list, assuming you are doing the self-guided or blended route and want to arrive ready.
Adult CPR and AED first
- Work through the online portion and the eBook sections on adult compressions, breaths and AED steps
- Say the sequence aloud until you can recite it without notes
Choking relief and the newer emergency topics
- Review adult choking relief, then opioid-associated emergency, water competency and drowning
- Add child and infant choking only if your session includes them
Heart attack, stroke and the skills session
- Review warning signs for heart attack and stroke
- Attend the hands-on session and practice compressions and AED use until it feels automatic
Adult CPR and AED goes first because it is required and it is what the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test checks. If your role involves children, fold the optional child and infant topics in earlier. For a condensed review, our Heartsaver CPR AED study guide and one-page cheat sheet are useful companions. To check your recall of scenario-style content, try the practice questions on the main practice test site, and keep in mind that practice questions test knowledge, not the hands-on skill you will be evaluated on. The practice test hub is a good place to start if you are also preparing for an employer-requested written exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Online study alone is insufficient. Every delivery route, including blended, self-guided and virtual, ends with hands-on skills practice and an Adult CPR and AED Skills Test observed by an instructor. The online portion on ShopCPR lists at $19.50 and does not include the skills session.
A written exam is optional and generally comes into play when an employer or regulator asks for it. If administered, AHA's current policy requires at least 84%, allows reference materials, and sets no mandated completion time. The exact question count is not publicly verified.
Two years through the end of the month it was issued. Renewal options and fees are arranged with your Training Center, and no separate continuing-education quota was verified for this course-completion card.
Only if your session includes those optional components. The child and infant CPR, AED and choking topics are optional; adult topics are required. Check with your employer or program, since an adult-only card may not meet a childcare or school requirement.
No. BLS is a healthcare-provider course, and Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED adds a separate first aid curriculum. Confirm that your booking issues the exact Heartsaver CPR AED card, and see our scheduling guide for how sessions are typically arranged.