- Which CES This Cheat Sheet Covers
- The One-Page Snapshot
- The Five Curriculum Modules at a Glance
- The Assessment and Pass-Mark Conflict
- Cost, Access, and Retake Mechanics
- Credential Facts: CECs, Expiration, Renewal
- Concepts to Master Before You Test
- Where This Credential Fits Professionally
- A Module-by-Module Study Sequence
- Quick-Fire FAQ
- This CES is the Corrective Exercise Specialty Certification, delivered through ACE's partner program with The BioMechanics Method (TBMM-CES).
- The course lists at $749 and has five self-paced modules, estimated at 50-80 study hours.
- Published passing thresholds conflict: 80% on one listing, 70% on another. Confirm yours inside your portal.
- Tests are untimed, retakes are free and unlimited, and no enrollment prerequisites exist.
Which CES This Cheat Sheet Covers
The acronym "CES" is shared by several unrelated credentials, so precision matters before you memorize a single fact. This page is about the Corrective Exercise Specialty Certification offered through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) partner program developed by Justin Price and The BioMechanics Method. Completing it earns the BioMechanics Method Corrective Exercise Specialist (TBMM-CES) credential. ACE's March 2019 article ties the exact-name Corrective Exercise Specialty Certification to The BioMechanics Method.
One more distinction: ACE also runs a separate 2.5-CEC Corrective Exercise Specialist Program, formerly called the Orthopedic Exercise Specialist program. That course has a different curriculum and is not what this cheat sheet covers. If you are still orienting yourself, our primer on what CES certification is and the explainer on what CES stands for walk through the naming in more depth.
The One-Page Snapshot
Everything below is drawn from published ACE and The BioMechanics Method program pages. Where those pages disagree or stay silent, this table says so rather than guessing.
| Item | What the Published Sources Say |
|---|---|
| Credential awarded | BioMechanics Method Corrective Exercise Specialist (TBMM-CES) |
| Delivering partners | ACE partner specialist program, developed by Justin Price / The BioMechanics Method |
| Format | Online, self-paced; five modules; video, digital texts, assessment forms, quizzes, skill-building activities |
| Study time estimate | 50-80 hours across the five modules (course study time, not an exam timer) |
| List price | $749 (a $599.20 promotional price was observed October 6, 2026) |
| Prerequisites | None for enrollment or education |
| Testing | Untimed; unlimited free retakes |
| Passing threshold | Conflicting listings: 80% (ACE partner listing) vs. 70% (provider full-course listing) |
| Continuing education credit | 8.0 ACE CECs on completion |
| Expiration / renewal | Does not expire; no renewal or recertification fee |
| Course access | Continues after completion; no completion deadline or extension fee |
For a deeper dive on what each line item means for your wallet, see the CES certification cost breakdown.
The Five Curriculum Modules at a Glance
ACE and The BioMechanics Method publish five module headings. These are unweighted preparation curriculum modules: no formal exam blueprint or domain percentages have been published, and the headings do not prove exhaustive exam coverage. Treat them as your study map, not a scoring formula. For a fuller walkthrough, read the complete guide to the five CES content areas.
Domain 1: The Fundamentals of Structural Assessment
This is where the program teaches you to look at a client before you prescribe anything. Expect the course to build your ability to observe, record, and interpret posture and movement.
- Learn the assessment forms provided in the course; they are part of the online materials.
- Practice linking what you observe to a structural cause rather than a symptom.
- Know why assessment precedes exercise selection in this methodology.
Domain 2: Understanding Muscles and Movement
The anatomy and function layer. Corrective exercise depends on knowing what muscles do, how they work together, and what changes when they do not.
- Connect individual muscle function to whole-body movement patterns.
- Be ready to reason from a movement problem back to likely muscular contributors.
- Use the interactive quizzes to find vocabulary gaps early.
Domain 3: The Fundamentals of Corrective Exercise
The principles module. Before you memorize techniques, you need the reasoning that governs why a corrective approach is chosen and how it is applied.
- Understand the core logic of correcting movement rather than simply training it.
- Be able to explain the rationale behind a technique, not only its steps.
Domain 4: The Complete Corrective Exercise Library
The largest practical catalog. This module is where the skill-building activities and video instruction do the heaviest lifting.
- Match each exercise or technique to the problem it addresses.
- Watch the video instruction closely; execution details are easier to retain visually.
- Build your own cross-reference of exercise, purpose, and appropriate scenario.
Domain 5: Corrective Exercise Program Design
The synthesis module. You take assessment findings, muscle knowledge, principles, and the exercise library and assemble them into a coherent plan for a client.
- Practice moving from an assessment result to a sequenced program.
- Expect scenario-style thinking that pulls from every earlier module.
The Assessment and Pass-Mark Conflict
This is the single most important caveat on the cheat sheet. Two undated portal listings describe the assessment differently, and both are marked "Not Available," which means neither can be treated as a verified current configuration.
| Source Listing | Assessment Description | Passing Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| ACE partner-portal listing (undated) | Four multiple-choice exams plus one online practical skills exam | 80% |
| Provider full-course listing (undated) | Multiple-choice assessments | 70% |
What the current provider course page does confirm: tests are untimed and retakes are free. What it does not resolve: the threshold conflict, the current question counts, and whether a practical-assessment requirement applies to your enrollment.
Key Takeaway
Do not memorize "80%" or "70%" as fact. Open your course inside the portal you purchased through, read the assessment instructions there, and plan to the stricter figure until you have confirmed otherwise. For more on how to think about thresholds, see our page on the CES passing score.
Because the official login page routes learners to different Inspire360 portals depending on where the course was purchased, including an ACE-specific portal, the assessment rules you see may differ from what another learner sees. That routing is likely the source of the discrepancy, though the sources do not state this explicitly.
Cost, Access, and Retake Mechanics
The fee structure here is unusually simple compared with credentials that charge separately for study materials, exam sittings, and retakes.
- Price: The digital partner course lists at $749. A promotional price of $599.20 was observed on October 6, 2026; promotions may change, so verify before you buy.
- What is included: Course materials, online assessments, and unlimited free test retakes.
- Technology: Internet access and a compatible computer, tablet, or smartphone.
- Access window: Access continues after completion, with no completion deadline and no extension fee.
- Where to log in: The provider's course-login page sends you to the Inspire360 portal that matches your purchase channel.
Because the course is self-paced and untimed, there is no fixed exam calendar to chase in the way a scheduled proctored test would require. If you are looking for scheduling details, our CES exam dates guide explains how to think about timing for a self-paced program. To check eligibility questions, see CES requirements; the short answer is that no enrollment or education prerequisites are listed, and the course is designed for exercise, health, and fitness professionals.
Credential Facts: CECs, Expiration, Renewal
- 8.0 ACE CECs are awarded on completion.
- Those credits are separate from maintaining an ACE professional certification, so do not assume they replace any other renewal obligation you may have.
- Once earned, TBMM-CES does not expire.
- There is no renewal or recertification fee.
- To earn the credential, complete all five modules and the required course components and assessments.
Concepts to Master Before You Test
Since the published materials describe a curriculum rather than a scored blueprint, the safest preparation is to be genuinely fluent in what each module is built to teach. Use this checklist as a self-audit.
- Assessment fluency. Can you walk through the course's structural assessment process from start to finish, and explain what each finding suggests? This is the foundation for Domain 1 and a prerequisite for sound Domain 5 thinking.
- Muscle-to-movement reasoning. Can you start from a movement observation and reason toward the muscles likely involved? Domain 2 rewards this kind of two-way thinking.
- Rationale, not just recipes. Can you explain why a corrective strategy fits a problem? Domain 3 is about principles you will reuse everywhere else.
- Exercise-to-purpose mapping. For each technique in the library, can you state what it is for and when it applies? Domain 4 is broad, so a personal reference sheet pays off.
- End-to-end program building. Given a client scenario, can you assemble assessment, rationale, and exercises into a sequenced plan? Domain 5 is where everything converges.
If you want to gauge how demanding this is relative to your background, our breakdown of how hard the CES exam is offers context, and the CES pass rate article explains why no reliable pass-rate figure should be assumed. Candidates who want realistic repetition can also work through scenario questions on the CES practice test site.
Where This Credential Fits Professionally
TBMM-CES is aimed at exercise, health, and fitness professionals who want a structured approach to assessing and correcting movement problems in their clients. It is a specialty credential, meaning it supplements an existing professional foundation rather than standing in for one.
- Personal trainers and fitness coaches use it to add assessment and corrective programming to their service menu.
- Health and wellness professionals use it to broaden how they evaluate and address client movement limitations.
- Independent practitioners use it as a visible differentiator when marketing specialized services.
The published sources do not give salary figures or employer lists for this credential, so any specific earnings claim you encounter should be treated skeptically. For a qualitative discussion of career angles, see the CES jobs overview, and for a balanced look at value, the is the CES certification worth it analysis. Earnings context is covered in the CES salary guide.
A Module-by-Module Study Sequence
With 50-80 estimated study hours across five modules and no deadline, pacing is up to you. The sequence below simply follows the course's own build order and gives extra time to the modules most likely to need it. Adjust it to your schedule; these weeks are a suggestion, not a requirement.
Assessment Foundations
- Work through Domain 1 and practice the assessment forms on a willing partner.
- Write a one-paragraph summary of how you would interpret each finding.
Muscles and Principles
- Cover Domains 2 and 3 back to back so the anatomy connects directly to the corrective rationale.
- Use the interactive quizzes to find weak vocabulary.
The Exercise Library
- Give Domain 4 the most time; it is the broadest module.
- Build your exercise-to-purpose reference sheet as you go, and rehearse techniques physically.
Program Design and Review
- Complete Domain 5 by drafting full client programs from sample assessment findings.
- Retake any assessment where you fell short; retakes are free and unlimited.
For a fuller approach to preparing across all modules, the CES study guide goes deeper, and the CES cheat sheet index is a handy bookmark for quick reference.
Quick-Fire FAQ
It means the Corrective Exercise Specialty Certification delivered through ACE's partner program with The BioMechanics Method, which awards the TBMM-CES credential. It is distinct from any other credential that shares the acronym.
The provider's current course page confirms tests are untimed and retakes are free. The course is self-paced with no completion deadline, so there is no fixed testing window published for it. The 50-80 hour figure is a study estimate, not an exam timer.
Published listings conflict: one cites 80% and another 70%, and both are marked Not Available. Confirm the requirement inside the portal where you purchased, and aim for the higher figure in the meantime.
No. Once earned, TBMM-CES does not expire and carries no renewal or recertification fee. The 8.0 CECs it awards are separate from maintaining any ACE professional certification you hold.
No enrollment or education prerequisites are listed. The course is designed for exercise, health, and fitness professionals, and you need only internet access and a compatible computer, tablet, or smartphone.
For a broader introduction to the credential and its naming, start with what CES is, and when you are ready to test your recall under realistic conditions, head to the CES Exam Prep practice tests.