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Navigating the New ICF Credentialing Exam: How I Prepared Without Losing My Mind (And Passed🎉)

9 min read

Greetings, fellow coaches! I write to you today as a coach who successfully passed ICF‘s new credentialing exam to achieve my ACC. 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

The best way I could think to celebrate was to write this blog post. Of course, this occurred after the happy dance, shedding some tears of joy/relief, and the sending of a flurry of notes to those who traveled with me. My hope is to help you prepare by sharing some of my learnings and insights along the way. The credentialing exam is nothing like the old coach knowledge assessment (CKA). Since it is still new, the amount of resources out there are slim compared to what there was for the CKA. That actually brings me to my first point…

Thoughts On Preparing For The ICF Credentialing Exam

  1. The new exam is not the same as the CKA. It is VERY different than the CKA. While the concepts are not revolutionary different, if you spend your time reading sites or watching videos about the CKA, you’re not making the most effective use of your time or brainpower. Not only is the format and delivery entirely different, but the core competencies have changed. To read more about the new exam and changes, mosey on over to ICF’s website.
  2. The actual testing process is very…technical. By that I just mean there are specific steps you need to follow from registering, to preparing your space, and day-of preparations. I am not going to get into the details of this here, there are many sites and videos that have already done this. Just read all the communications ICF and Pearson sends you. Reach out for help if you have questions. Procrastination in any of this is really your enemy and will just cause anxiety along the way. And if you’re like me, over-prepare by removing every possible thing from your desk/walls/area to avoid issues before the exam.
  3. Mindset matters, especially day of the test. I scheduled my test for the time of day I am usually at my best. I cleared my schedule around it. I communicated to my partner how he could support me leading into it and the day off. I meditated. I blocked time each day leading up to the test for studying, reviewing, and contemplating. For me, I scheduled the exam the day I received the passing notice on my performance evaluation and set it for 1 week from that day. That gave me a firm due date with enough time to prepare. I settled in 30 minutes before I could log in for the exam and just listened to some music, raised my vibe, and did some square breathing. And a secret between us friends? I told myself that if I didn’t pass today, I will another day. Many people are passing on the first attempt, but many are also passing on subsequent attempts and I needed that to be okay if that were the case for me.

Resources I Used To Prepare For The Exam:

There are many videos out there of coaches trying to help other coaches prepare for the exam. Many of them are great, some are free, and some you pay to view. I relied on free resources because the more I watched, the more I realized people were sharing the same sample exam questions the ICF showed on their website. By the third video I was frustrated (but now an expert on those questions, so there was some value in watching them be discussed multiple times), so I decided that at this point I didn’t want to invest in a paid video or training. That’s just me though and your viewpoint and experience may be different.

I started my journey preparing for the exam by watching ICF’s video series on the Core Competencies and their Code of Ethics. I watched these in their entirety to understand the concepts and any changes that have taken place from the previous versions. It was helpful to hear the discussion about them versus just reading them on paper.

Next up, I printed…

Remember, you have already prepared to pass this. Before you can even get to the exam, you’ve gone through the performance evaluation, 10+ hours of mentor coaching, and you’ve had at least 60 hours of coaching training (not to mention the 100+ actual coaching hours). You’ve trained on this already and demonstrated you exhibit both the ethics and core competencies. Breathe. This is NOTHING new. But, carry on…

I scoured my coaching-related Facebook groups, notably the ICF ACC PCC MCC Journeys to see what other coaches were thinking, seeing, and doing.

Reading was helpful, but I also found some videos that were helpful, like…

I also found some mock exams/exam simulators (both free and paid versions). I actually avoided taking them because I knew upon taking the test you’re unable to see what you score correct and incorrect. This means that the simulators are based on memory and what they think was the appropriate answers. I was just too nervous I’d get caught up in it and be learning something not accurate. I am far too literal of a person to leave it up to chance. So, I shifted my mindset and told myself that if necessary, the actual credentialing exam would be my simulator. What better way to learn than by doing?

Tips For Passing ICF’s Credentialing Exam

In all of my research, here are the tips I found myself referring to most often (in no specific order):

  • You need to choice the VERY BEST option and the VERY WORST option. Ask yourself, “What is the best option that increases client autonomy?” Conversely, “What is the worst option that decreases client autonomy?”
  • Keep an eye out for responses that are looking for more information, that benefits you as the coach and not the client (this would a possible worst option).
  • In the possible responses, is the action taken the responsibility of the coach or the client? Respond accordingly.
  • In my mentor coaching, I was primarily trained on the CKA (😱 Yeah, I know. The timing was weird because the new exam had just come out and nothing was really known about it). During this, I was told to keep an eye out for verbs like “acknowledge” and “ask” because those will usually be the right answer. “Suggest” was another one which didn’t always prove to be a worst response. Well, in just the sample questions on ICF’s site I learned fairly quickly that they can and will put “Acknowledge” in EVERY. SINGLE. ANSWER. CHOICE. So, do yourself a favor and don’t rely too heavily on verbs in selecting your responses. However, do look for neutral language that gives the client the most opportunity for choice.
  • You will want to choose which of the answer is most (or least) aligned with the competency. It can be tough since sometimes you’ll see 3 pretty okay answers. When in doubt, ask yourself:
    • “What is the competency under review here?” Once you identify that, ask yourself…
    • “What is under that competency that ICF wants to hear?”
  • I am a person who has trouble with the grey, so I had to sideline that when taking the exam. In most cases, I was able to use the process of elimination. At a certain point, you just need to breathe through it and go with your gut. Likely, you can flag the questions and go back to them with fresh eyes and perspectives. For me, they gave enough time on both sections and I finished the test within 2 hours (I believe you have up to 3). There was plenty of time for me to review at the end of both sections, which I was grateful for.
  • Finally, someone shared with me that if it’s a choice between ethics and competencies, choose ethics first. So, if you’re reading the answer choices and have narrowed it down, go with the most ethical choice over the one that meets a competency.

Final Thoughts…

I can confidently say that preparing for the exam has made me a better coach. There are a lot of scenarios in the exam that I never even thought of. While it was challenging, there was nothing I could not answer.

Familiarize yourself with the ethics and competencies.

There is nothing in here designed to surprise you or “get you.”

Be prepared for the awkwardness of taking a test staring at yourself with nothing around you but silence.

You’ve got this! And if you’d like to hear more about my experience or need some help in preparing for the exam, let’s setup some time to talk!

Disclaimer: The content of this blog post reflects my personal experience and research as of May 2023. Keep in mind that the ICF credentialing exam and its resources may have been updated or revised since then. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, I highly recommend visiting the official ICF website and referring to their latest guidelines and materials regarding the exam.