CCI ACS Certification Exam Syllabus
Welcome to the official MedicoExam syllabus guide for the CCI Advanced Cardiac Sonographer certification. This page delivers a clear, structured overview of the CCI ACS exam, including key exam details, syllabus topics, and preparation references to support effective study planning. The CCI Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS) is intended for professionals pursuing roles aligned with Advanced cardiac sonography and echocardiography, with assessment centered on applied competencies such as advanced echocardiographic assessment, structural heart and interventional imaging, advanced and multimodality cardiac imaging within real-world settings like echocardiography laboratories, hospital cardiovascular imaging departments, cardiac diagnostic imaging settings.
The syllabus outline below reflects the core domains and expectations defined by the official CCI certification framework and aligns with the cognitive and professional standards assessed in the CCI ACS exam. Candidates can use this guide alongside official vendor resources and structured practice to align their preparation with current exam standards and professional expectations for advanced cardiac sonographers, registered echocardiography sonographers, cardiovascular sonography professionals
CCI ACS Exam Summary and Key Details
| Exam Name | CCI Advanced Cardiac Sonographer |
| Credential | CCI Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS) |
| Vendor | Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) |
| Exam Code | ACS » CCI ACS Certification Practice Exam |
| Exam Delivery Mode | Computer-based testing at Pearson Professional Centers / Pearson VUE test centers |
| Exam Duration | 180 mins |
| Number of Questions | 170 questions (150 scored and 20 unscored) |
| Passing Score | 650 (on a scale of 0-900) |
| Exam Price | $450 (USD) |
| Scheduling Window | ACS testing is offered only during February and August; applications received July 1–December 31, 2026 are assigned to the February 1–28, 2027 testing window |
| Schedule Exam | Pearson VUE |
| Trainings/Resources |
- Publications and Reports of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), Raleigh, NC. All new ASE Guidelines are published on www.asecho.org/Guidelines. - Oh, Jae K., J. B. Seward, and A. Jamil Tajik. The Echo Manual. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. - Otto, Catherine. Practice of Clinical Echocardiography. 4th ed. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2012. - Anderson, Bonita. A Sonographer’s Guide to the Assessment of Heart Disease, 1st ed. MGA Graphics, 2013. - Gillam, Linda, and Otto, Catherine. Advanced Approaches in Echocardiography. 1st ed. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2011. - Armstrong, William F., Thomas Ryan, and Harvey Feigenbaum. Feigenbaum’s echocardiography. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010. - Weyman, Arthur. Principles and Practice of Echocardiography, 2nd ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1994. - Klein, Allan, Asher, Craig. Clinical Echocardiography Review: A Self-Assessment Tool, 1st ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011. - Popham, W.J. (2000). Modern educational measurement: Practical guidelines for educational leaders (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. - Morrison, G. R., Ross, S.M., Kalman, H.K. & Kemp, J.E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Somerset, NJ: John Wiley. - Brassard, Michael, and Diane, Ritter, The Memory Jogger II, Goal/QPC, 1994 (nice compact QI resource) - George, Michael L., John Maxey, David T. Rowlands, and Mark Price, The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to nearly 100 Tools for Improving Quality, Speed, and Complexity, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. - Shea, Gordon F.: Mentoring: A Practical Guide. Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997. - Jacobsen, Kathryn H. Introduction to Health Research Methods. 1st Ed. Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2011. |
| Sample Questions | CCI ACS Exam Sample Questions |
| Recommended Practice | CCI ACS Certification Practice Exam |
CCI ACS Exam Syllabus Topics and Weighting
| Topic Areas | Topic Details, Courses, Books | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assimilating History, Clinical, and Echocardiographic Findings |
- Integrate patient assessment, clinical history, and comparative studies - Review preliminary echo report and images and synthesize findings to ensure report completeness and accuracy - Communicate significant findings to the interpreting physician - Reconcile report and imaging discrepancies |
10% |
| Assessing Cardiovascular Heart Disease |
- Assess cardiomyopathies (e.g., hypertrophic, dilated, restrictive, infiltrative, stress) - Assess cardiac masses (e.g., tumor, thrombus, artifact) - Assess coronary artery disease - Perform stress echo (ischemic and nonischemic) - Assess pericardial diseases - Assess heart failure - Assess diseases of the aorta - Assess right heart and pulmonary hypertension - Assess systemic diseases - Assess cardiac findings with special populations (e.g., athletes, pregnancy, aging, transplant) - Assess chemotherapy related therapeutic dysfunction - Assess mechanical circulatory support devices (e.g., VAD, ECMO, IABP, long- and short-term support) - Perform echo measurements and calculations and assess hemodynamics - Assess diastolic function |
39% |
| Assessing Valvular Heart Disease |
- Evaluate and characterize aortic valve disease - Evaluate and characterize mitral valve disease - Evaluate and characterize pulmonic valve disease - Evaluate and characterize tricuspid valve disease - Evaluate and characterize prosthetic valves - Evaluate and characterize valvular endocarditis |
18% |
| Evaluating Structural Heart and Interventional Procedures |
- Screen for structural heart intervention - Perform peri-procedural image acquisition and analysis of structural heart intervention - Perform follow-up image acquisition and analysis of structural heart intervention - Compare multi-modality imaging - Evaluate procedural complications (e.g. interventional, surgical) |
17% |
| Utilizing Advanced and Multi-Modality Imaging |
- Acquire and analyze 3D imaging (e.g. MPR) - Acquire and analyze strain imaging (e.g. RV, LV) - Integrate multi-modality cardiac imaging (e.g., CMR, cardiac CT, fluoroscopy, nuclear/PET, ICE imaging) |
11% |
| Assessing Congenital Heart Disease |
- Assess simple congenital heart disease pre- and post-repair (e.g., ASD, VSD, PDA, PFO, persistent left SVC, coarctation) - Assess complex congenital heart disease pre- and post-repair (e.g., TGA, ToF, TV atresia, HLHS, syndromes) |
5% |
The CCI ACS certification exam is designed to assess both theoretical knowledge and applied professional judgment in Advanced cardiac sonography and echocardiography. The exam evaluates competencies such as advanced echocardiographic assessment, structural heart and interventional imaging, advanced and multimodality cardiac imaging, ensuring candidates are prepared for real-world responsibilities as advanced cardiac sonographers, registered echocardiography sonographers, cardiovascular sonography professionals working in settings such as echocardiography laboratories, hospital cardiovascular imaging departments, cardiac diagnostic imaging settings.
To prepare effectively for the CCI Advanced Cardiac Sonographer exam, candidates are encouraged to review official vendor materials, complete structured practice assessments, and gain hands-on experience relevant to their professional role.
