- The Plain Meaning: Heartsaver, CPR and AED
- Who Issues It and What the Card Actually Is
- What the Course Covers: The 12 Topics
- Heartsaver CPR AED vs. Similar-Sounding Courses
- How You Are Assessed
- Course Formats, Cost and Duration
- Who It Is Meant For
- Card Validity and Renewal
- A Topic-Ordered Review Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Heartsaver CPR AED is an American Heart Association course for people with little or no medical training, covering CPR and automated external defibrillator use.
- AHA issues a course-completion card documenting satisfactory performance; it is not a license and not a "certification in CPR" in the AHA's own wording.
- The core requirement is passing the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test; a written exam is optional unless an employer or regulator requires one.
- If a written exam is given, the current AHA policy requires at least 84% and permits reference materials.
The Plain Meaning: Heartsaver, CPR and AED
If you have seen "Heartsaver CPR AED" on a job posting, a workplace compliance checklist or a training-center schedule and wondered what each word is doing there, the answer is simple once you break it into three parts.
- Heartsaver is the American Heart Association's family of courses designed for laypeople, meaning workers and community members who are not healthcare professionals. The brand name signals the audience: people who might be the first to respond when someone collapses.
- CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths used when someone's heart has stopped or they are not breathing normally.
- AED stands for automated external defibrillator, the portable device that analyzes a heart rhythm and, when appropriate, delivers a shock. Modern AEDs give spoken step-by-step prompts so that an untrained bystander can use one.
Put together, the phrase names one specific course: an AHA program that teaches CPR and AED use for adults, with optional child and infant components, plus a handful of related emergencies. If you want the shorter definitional versions of this topic, see What Is Heartsaver CPR AED? and What Does Heartsaver CPR AED Stand For?.
Who Issues It and What the Card Actually Is
The governing body is the American Heart Association. Instruction runs through AHA Training Centers and their Instructors, and through approved hands-on training pathways. The reviewed issuer materials identify no independent examination vendor, so there is no separate testing company you book with; your Training Center or instructor handles the assessment.
The current course follows the 2025 AHA Guidelines. For U.S. instructors, the official transition FAQ requires 2025 teaching materials from March 1, 2026. Practically, that means a class taught from older decks or a study resource built on pre-2025 material may not match what your instructor teaches today.
What the Course Covers: The 12 Topics
AHA's Heartsaver Instructor Manual lists course topics for each course path, and the CPR AED path contains twelve topics, including an introduction and a conclusion. These are preparation-curriculum topics, not weighted exam domains. AHA publishes no percentage weights and no "largest domain," so be skeptical of any site that tells you a topic is "30% of the test." For a topic-by-topic walkthrough, see our guide to all 12 content areas.
Domain 1 and Domain 12: Introduction and Conclusion
The opening sets the course goals and the framing for emergency response; the closing wraps up key actions and next steps. Both are required in this path.
Domain 2: Adult CPR AED: Compressions, Breaths, and AED
This is the heart of the course and the focus of the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test. Expect to practice compressions, breaths and AED pad placement and prompts on a manikin.
- Recognizing when someone needs CPR and calling for help
- Effective compressions and rescue breaths
- Using an AED correctly, including following its voice prompts
Domains 3 and 4: Child and Infant CPR AED
These are optional components. Whether they are taught depends on the audience your class is built for, for example childcare workers, teachers or parents, and on what your employer needs. If your workplace needs them, confirm they are included before you book.
Domains 5, 6 and 7: Adult, Child and Infant Choking Relief
Adult choking relief is required. The child and infant choking topics are optional components, like their CPR counterparts.
Domain 8: Opioid-Associated Emergency
A current-course topic that many older study materials omit. It covers recognizing and responding to a suspected opioid-related emergency.
Domain 9: Water Competency and Drowning
Another topic that distinguishes the current course from older outlines, addressing drowning and water-safety competency.
Domains 10 and 11: Heart Attack and Stroke
These cover recognizing the warning signs of a heart attack and a stroke and acting quickly, which connects naturally to why prompt CPR and AED use matter.
Key Takeaway
Domains 3, 4, 6 and 7 are the optional child and infant components; the other listed topics are required in this course path. Topics marked not applicable in AHA's table, including the separate First Aid curriculum, are excluded from CPR AED.
Heartsaver CPR AED vs. Similar-Sounding Courses
Most confusion about this name comes from neighboring AHA courses. Searches often use "Heartsaver" as shorthand for First Aid CPR AED or even BLS, which makes the exact-course picture murky. Here is how they differ.
| Course | Intended audience | Scope note |
|---|---|---|
| Heartsaver CPR AED | Laypeople with little or no medical training | CPR, AED, choking relief, plus opioid emergency, drowning, heart attack and stroke topics; child and infant parts optional |
| Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED | Laypeople who also need first aid skills | Adds the separate First Aid curriculum, which is excluded from CPR AED |
| BLS | Healthcare providers and similar professionals | A different, provider-level course; not interchangeable with Heartsaver |
| Instructor Essentials | People becoming AHA instructors | Instructor training, not a learner CPR course |
One practical wrinkle: the ShopCPR online product for this course includes a combined Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Student eBook. That does not expand the scope of the CPR AED course itself. If you are choosing between courses, our comparison-oriented pieces on Heartsaver CPR AED certification and the Heartsaver CPR AED meaning can help you decide, but the most reliable step is asking your employer exactly which card they accept.
How You Are Assessed
The skills test is the main event
To complete the course, you attend the applicable curriculum and satisfactorily perform the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test. If child and infant components are taught in your class, you also perform the Child CPR and Infant CPR Skills Tests. A separate fixed skills-test duration is not publicly verified, so do not trust a site that quotes an exact number of minutes.
The written exam is conditional
A written exam is optional, used when an employer or regulator needs one. When it is given, AHA's current policy sets these terms:
- A minimum passing score of at least 84%
- Reference materials are allowed, including the workbook or eBook, your notes and the guidelines
- Questions are scenario-based
- No AHA-mandated completion time
- Discussion with other students or the instructor during the exam is prohibited
The exact number of written questions for this course is not publicly verified. AHA's 2026 faculty guide mentions a range of 10 to 25 questions, but that describes five Heartsaver exam forms collectively, not this one course. Likewise, AHA does not publish a pass rate. Claims of "99% pass rates" or "100% guarantees" on training-provider pages are marketing statements about local classes, not issuer statistics. Our pages on the pass rate evidence, the passing score and how hard the exam is walk through what can and cannot be said.
Course Formats, Cost and Duration
Ways to take it
Delivery options include classroom, blended and approved self-guided learning. Blended learners complete the online portion first and then do hands-on assessment. The faculty guide describes classroom administration of any written exam even for blended learners. AHA's Heartsaver Virtual route allows instructor-observed hands-on completion using a training kit and feedback app, so sitting in a shared classroom is not universal. What never works is online study alone, because the hands-on skills demonstration is required.
What it costs
There is no single national price. The one verified issuer figure is for the online portion: the 2025 Heartsaver CPR AED Online product (SKU 25-1401) is listed on the official ShopCPR store at USD $19.50 and includes the student eBook. The required hands-on skills session is purchased separately. Independent Training Centers set their own all-inclusive and renewal fees, and no national member or non-member rate structure was verified. Our certification cost breakdown separates the online fee, the skills session and any all-in class price so you can compare quotes accurately.
How long it takes
AHA's course FAQ estimates about 1.5 hours of instructor-led instruction for the required topics, excluding optional topics and breaks. That figure reflects required-topic video time with some discussion. Other AHA pages show broader estimates, and your actual time depends on configuration, optional modules and class size. Instructional hours should never be confused with exam timing; there is no AHA-mandated written-exam timer.
Who It Is Meant For
The course targets learners with little or no medical training. No prior credential, degree, experience hours or references are specified, and AHA sets no minimum age, though you must demonstrate the required skills. Because of that, the course is commonly requested for workplace-safety roles, and employers decide whether it satisfies their requirements. Details on eligibility are in our requirements article.
On the earnings side, be careful. No Heartsaver-specific salary distribution or causal pay premium has been verified. It is better to treat this as a workplace training requirement that supports eligibility for some roles rather than a standalone occupation. The Heartsaver CPR AED jobs, salary guide and worth-it analysis pages explain how to compare employer requirements and total cost instead of chasing an invented wage bump.
Card Validity and Renewal
The Heartsaver CPR AED card is valid for two years through the end of the issue month. Renewal options, completion requirements and prices are arranged with your Training Center. No separate continuing-education maintenance quota was verified for this course-completion card. One detail worth knowing: a continuing-education termination date shown on a product listing is not the same thing as your card's expiry.
For scheduling specifics, see exam dates and scheduling; because classes are run by individual Training Centers, there is no single national test calendar.
A Topic-Ordered Review Plan
Because the written exam is optional and open-resource, your real preparation target is the skills test. Use a short plan that follows the course topics rather than a generic study template.
Adult CPR AED first
- Review Domain 2: compressions, breaths and AED sequence
- Practice the order of actions aloud until it feels automatic
- Read your AED's prompts so pad placement is familiar
Choking and optional age groups
- Adult choking relief (Domain 5)
- Child and infant topics only if your class includes them (Domains 3, 4, 6, 7)
Recognition topics
- Opioid-associated emergency, water competency and drowning, heart attack and stroke (Domains 8 to 11)
- Review scenarios, since any written questions are scenario-based
Our full study guide expands on this, and the one-page cheat sheet is useful for last-minute review. If you want to test yourself on scenario-style questions, try the free practice questions on our main practice test site, but remember they are for self-checking and do not replace a hands-on skills session.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is an American Heart Association course for people without medical training, teaching CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator. "Heartsaver" is AHA's lay-responder course family, "CPR" is cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and "AED" is automated external defibrillator.
No. BLS is a separate AHA course aimed at healthcare providers. Heartsaver CPR AED is aimed at laypeople. If your employer or program requires BLS, a Heartsaver card will not substitute unless they explicitly say so, so check before booking.
Only if an employer or regulator requires one. The core requirement is passing the Adult CPR and AED Skills Test, with child and infant skills tests when those components are taught. If a written exam is given, AHA policy requires at least 84%, allows reference materials and sets no mandated completion time.
No. Online study alone is insufficient. You must also demonstrate hands-on skills, either in a classroom, in a skills session after online learning, or through an approved virtual route where an instructor observes you using a training kit.
Two years through the end of the month it was issued. Renewal details and fees are handled by your Training Center, so ask them what the renewal class involves.