Updated September 30, 2026

What is Course hours?

In short

Course hours are the amount of study time a provider expects you to complete before you sit an exam or receive a certificate.

Course hours are the study time a provider expects you to complete, counting online lessons, practical work and self assessment. They set the pace of a course, so it is worth comparing them against the time you actually have free. ACSM's personal trainer certification takes 20 hours, and 101 Blockchains' blockchain expert course takes 13 hours. For BLS training, ACLS Now lists 4 hours, ACLS Certification Institute lists 4 hours, and American BLS lists 3 hours.

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