May 15, 2023
The ICF Credentialing Exam is a three-hour exam, delivered by computer in a testing center or through Pearson’s OnVUE remote proctored testing service. This is the final step of the credential process and you will reach it once your application has been reviewed for the other elements. You will have 60 days from the time you receive the application to take the exam. You can find more details about the exam process here: https://coachingfederation.org/credentials-and-standards/exam-procedures
The ICF Credentialing Exam contains 81 situational judgment items. Each exam item contains a realistic scenario describing a coaching situation, followed by four response options. For each scenario, candidates are asked to select the best action and the worst action among the options provided for that scenario.
There is only one correct best action and one correct worst action for each coaching scenario. Although more than one response may represent a reasonable response to the scenario presented, candidates will receive credit only for selecting the best possible action or the worst possible action.
Important facts to remember before you get started
The best way to ace the exam is to become really familiar with the ICF Coaching Competencies (which should have been covered in detail in the training program you attended to prepare – you can find them here: https://coachingfederation.org/app/uploads/2021/03/ICF-Core-Competencies-updated.pdf).
The best answer will be one which meets these criteria
Identifying the worst action a coach could take is a little more tricky. I think the best way is to compare the options in terms of the potential for harming the client that each has.
Based on our analysis of the 6 sample examples that the ICF has shared, here are some questions to ask to determine the potential for harm that a coach’s intervention could have:
The ICF has provided 6 sample questions (with the correct answers for the best and the worst option for each). These do appear to be significantly more challenging than the questions in the CKA (the exam that has been replaced with this new one) however with enough preparation and a methodical approach, you should not have a problem.
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I will share the analysis of the sample scenarios the ICF has provided in the next post. For now, take your time to internalize this post and to read through the behaviours that define the ICF competencies carefully.
And then go off and try out your thinking on the sample scenarios here – https://forms.office.com/
We’ve set a timer of 13 minutes for 6 questions so you get a sense of what the time pressure on the exam would be like. If you finish early, take the time to review your answers (like you would in the actual exam) before you hit submit.
For more information about our ICF accredited coach training programs, please click here – https://www.navgati.in/icf-accredited-coach-training/.
Check out https://www.navgati.in/executive-coaching/ for more information about the leadership coaching we offer.