ICF Credentialing Exams: ACC vs. PCC/MCC and How to Prepare

The phrase ICF credentialing exam now covers three assessments. ACC candidates take the ACC Exam. PCC and MCC candidates take the current ICF Credentialing Exam or, from November 10, 2026, the new PCC-MCC Exam, which replaces it after March 31, 2027. Each uses a different mix of question formats, so preparing for the wrong one wastes time, and old Coach Knowledge Assessment (CKA) guides teach a format ICF no longer administers.

This guide compares the three exams, explains what each tests and how to choose between the two PCC and MCC options, and covers preparation and where to find ICF exam sample questions. ICF’s own exam pages and announcements remain the authority if policies change. For where the exam fits among the other credential steps, see our guide on how to get ICF certified.

ACC Exam vs. PCC and MCC Credentialing Exam

The ACC Exam is unchanged. PCC and MCC candidates have two exams during the transition: the current ICF Credentialing Exam through March 31, 2027, and the PCC-MCC Exam from November 10, 2026. For the new format in detail and how to choose between the two, see what changes on November 10.

ICF delivers the current exams as proctored computer-based assessments through Pearson VUE, either at an approved testing center or through online proctoring where available. Read the current ICF ACC Exam page or ICF PCC/MCC exam page before scheduling.

As of October 2026, ICF’s PCC/MCC page describes only the current exam, so for the PCC-MCC Exam use ICF’s blog post “A Candidate’s Guide to the Updated Credentialing Exam” (July 27, 2026).

What the ACC Exam Tests

The ACC Exam validates foundational knowledge. ICF organizes the content into three areas: ethics; the definition and boundaries of coaching; and coaching competencies, strategies, and techniques. The current weighting is 30% ethics, 30% definition and boundaries, and 40% competencies and strategies. ICF scores the exam on correct answers and does not penalize wrong ones, so answer every item.

ACC preparation should focus on precise distinctions: coaching versus consulting, mentoring, or therapy; confidentiality and conflicts of interest; when referral is appropriate; how agreements are established; and which response best reflects the competencies. The exam asks for one correct answer, so practice identifying why each distractor is less aligned.

What the PCC and MCC Credentialing Exam Tests

The current ICF Credentialing Exam tests application. Each item presents a coaching scenario with four actions. Candidates choose the best action and the worst action. Several options may sound plausible in ordinary professional life; the task is to identify which is most and least aligned with ICF’s coaching definition, competencies, and ethics.

Both PCC and MCC exams cover four domains: Foundation, Co-Creating the Relationship, Communicating Effectively, and Cultivating Learning and Growth. On the current exam, each of the eight ICF Core Competencies carries 12 or 13 percent of the weight. Do not study this as a vocabulary test. Practice explaining what in the scenario makes one response more coach-like, ethical, client-centered, or agreement-aligned than another.

The New PCC-MCC Exam (from November 10, 2026)

ICF set out the new format in its blog post “Understanding the Latest Credentialing Exam Changes for Educators” (July 17, 2026) and repeated it in the candidate’s guide ten days later. The PCC-MCC Exam has 80 items in 150 minutes, including an optional 10-minute break midway. Forty-four are situational judgment questions: you read a coaching scenario and choose the most and least effective response. The other 36 are knowledge-based multiple-choice questions with one correct answer, a format ICF has used on the ACC Exam. ICF says they measure “core coaching concepts, principles, and professional standards”; it has not published a topic outline for them.

The exam runs in four sections: 18 knowledge-based items, 22 situational judgment items, the optional break, then another 18 knowledge-based and 22 situational judgment items. It tests the 2025 updates to the Core Competencies and Code of Ethics across the same four domains. Because the knowledge items are more direct, ICF expects the exam to involve less reading than the current format, and it says difficulty and pass rate remain consistent with the current exam. Passing either exam earns the same PCC or MCC credential.

Which Exam to Take Before March 31, 2027

Both exams lead to the same credential, and ICF says their difficulty and pass rate match, so the choice comes down to your test date and the standards you have been studying. This is Tandem’s guidance, not ICF policy:

• Testing before November 10, 2026: only the current ICF Credentialing Exam is available.
• Ready to test before March 31, 2027, and prepared on the 2019 competencies and 2020 Code: the current exam is a sound choice. Leave room for a retake inside the window. ICF requires 14 days between a first attempt and a retake, and any attempt on or after April 1, 2027, is the PCC-MCC Exam, with a different format and the 2025 standards. Avoid planning a first attempt for the last weeks of March 2027.
• Starting preparation now, or expecting to test in 2027: prepare for the PCC-MCC Exam on the 2025 standards. Those are the standards ICF now uses, and a retake after March 2027 would be the new exam anyway.
• Choosing the new exam: practice both formats. It is 30 minutes shorter and involves less reading, and it adds single-answer knowledge items to the scenarios.

Early test dates carry one more consideration: few practice materials exist yet for the new knowledge items, and ICF’s tutorial on the new formats arrives only shortly before launch. ICF says it will send candidates a form to request the PCC-MCC Exam; if you are already in “ready for exam” status and want to wait for the new exam, contact ICF support. For the rest of the credential path, see the ICF PCC requirements and the MCC credential requirements.

If you choose the current exam, plan around your retake date as well as your first attempt: any attempt from April 1, 2027, is the PCC-MCC Exam.

How to Prepare for the ICF Credentialing Exams

Prepare for the ICF credentialing exam you will actually sit: confirm the exam, study the standards version it tests, practice its question formats, rehearse its timing, and track why you miss questions. For PCC and MCC candidates, that starts with choosing between the current exam and the PCC-MCC Exam.

1. Confirm your exam before choosing materials

ACC candidates need single-answer knowledge practice. PCC and MCC candidates first decide which of the two exams they will take. The current exam needs best-and-worst scenario practice; the PCC-MCC Exam needs scenario practice plus single-answer knowledge practice. A resource that says only “ICF exam” without naming the credential, the exam, and the standards version may be outdated.

2. Build an exam-version source set

For every exam, start with the ICF definition of coaching and the official candidate guide for your credential. For the ACC Exam and the current ICF Credentialing Exam, add the 2019 competencies and the 2020 ethics code. For the PCC-MCC Exam, add the 2025 Core Competencies and the Code of Ethics in effect since April 1, 2025; ICF’s 2019–2025 comparison chart shows which sub-competencies changed. ICF says most existing preparation resources remain relevant, so a good source set for the current exam needs updating rather than replacing.

ACC candidates should also review the ACC Minimum Skills Requirements. PCC candidates can use the ICF PCC Markers to connect competency language with observable coaching behavior, while remembering that the markers are not a substitute for the exam blueprint.

A practice bank helps only when it matches your exam: the same format, the same standards version, and the same pace.

3. Practice reasoning, not answer memorization

For each practice item, state the principle being tested and why the other choices fail. On a situational item, ask: What did the client ask for? What agreement exists? Is there an ethical boundary? Which response preserves client agency? On an ACC item, identify the exact standard that makes one answer correct.

4. Rehearse the actual pace

Complete timed sections rather than isolated questions only. For ACC, rehearse 30 questions per section. For the current PCC/MCC exam, rehearse 39 scenarios per section and remember that each scenario requires two selections. For the PCC-MCC Exam, rehearse the four-section order inside 150 minutes: 18 knowledge items, 22 scenarios, the optional break, then 18 and 22 again. Moving between single-answer recall and two-choice scenarios takes practice of its own. Use the optional break in practice so exam-day pacing feels familiar.

5. Diagnose patterns in missed questions

Sort errors by ethics, boundaries, agreements, trust and safety, presence, listening, awareness, and growth. A score alone tells you little. A pattern tells you what to revisit in your education materials and discuss with a mentor coach.

A Four-Week ICF Exam Study Plan

Four weeks is a planning example, not a required minimum. Candidates who completed training recently and use the competencies in practice may need less review; candidates returning after a gap may need more. Preparation quality matters more than stretching a generic schedule to eight weeks.

Passing Scores, Results, and Retakes

The ACC Exam and the current ICF Credentialing Exam report scaled scores from 200 to 600, with 460 required to pass. Do not convert 460 into a raw percentage; scaled scores account for differences among exam forms. ICF reports that in 2023, 75% of the 9,795 candidates who took the ICF Credentialing Exam passed on their first attempt and 87% passed overall.

For the PCC-MCC Exam, ICF says the difficulty level and expected pass rate remain consistent with the current exam. It has not yet published the scoring details for the new exam, so treat any score scale or passing mark quoted for it as unconfirmed until ICF does.

ICF’s “Schedule Your Exam” page sets a $105 fee for each retake, a 14-day wait after the first attempt, a 30-day wait after later attempts, and up to six attempts within 12 months of the first. If you take the current exam, any retake on or after April 1, 2027, will be the PCC-MCC Exam. Policies can change, so confirm the current rules in your ICF account before paying or scheduling.

Where to Practice ICF Exam Questions

Start with ICF’s official tutorial or sample material for your exam. ICF offers a free interactive tutorial and sample questions for the current exams, and it plans a free tutorial on the new question formats shortly before the PCC-MCC Exam launches. Then use our ICF exam sample questions with answers to practice best-and-worst reasoning, which the scenario items on both PCC and MCC exams use. ACC candidates should prioritize the official ACC tutorial and single-answer knowledge questions rather than assuming every scenario bank matches their exam.

Practice material for the PCC-MCC Exam’s knowledge items is still scarce. Tandem’s free 80-item practice exam in the new format, with 36 knowledge items and 44 scenarios, is coming before launch.

If you are still choosing an education path, Tandem’s ICF Level 1 ACC training and ICF Level 2 ACC/PCC training integrate credential requirements, coaching practice, mentor coaching, and exam readiness.

Conclusion

The most important preparation decision is choosing materials for the exam you will actually take. ACC candidates need foundational knowledge and the ability to differentiate between close single-answer options. PCC and MCC candidates need applied judgment in realistic scenarios, plus a choice between the current exam on the 2019 and 2020 standards, available through March 31, 2027, and the PCC-MCC Exam on the 2025 standards. Use ICF’s current material for your exam, practice the correct format under time, and turn missed questions into a map of what to study next.