If you're studying for the PCC or MCC exam right now and someone just forwarded you a link about exam changes, I want to save you the panic. I read the announcement the same day it went up. Here's what's in it, in plain English, and what it means for your prep depending on when you're sitting the test.
TL;DR
- ICF is renaming the exam the PCC-MCC Exam and changing its format, launching November 10, 2026 (ICF announcement).
- The current exam is available through March 31, 2027. After that, everyone sits the new one (ICF).
- New format: 80 questions in 150 minutes, an optional 10-minute break at the midpoint (ICF).
- 44 situational judgment questions (the scenario format you already know) plus 36 knowledge-based multiple-choice questions (new to PCC/MCC, already used on the ACC exam) (ICF).
- The four-domain competency structure stays the same. ICF says existing prep materials still serve candidates well (ICF).
What's changing, and when
ICF announced the change in a blog post published July 17, 2026, written for coach educators. The new PCC-MCC Exam launches November 10, 2026. That date starts a transition period, not an instant cutover.
If you're currently registered or planning to sit the exam soon, you have options. The current ICF Credentialing Exam stays available through March 31, 2027. So for almost five months both exams exist side by side, and ICF's candidate guide says you may choose whichever fits your timeline.
After March 31, 2027, the current exam goes away entirely. Every PCC and MCC candidate sits the new PCC-MCC Exam from that point forward.
Two question types, one of them new to you
The new exam has 80 questions total, up from 78, in 150 minutes, down from 180 (ICF, current exam). That's a real drop in time per question, so pacing matters more than it used to.
The questions split into two types. 44 are situational judgment questions, the same coaching-scenario format the current exam already uses. If you've been practicing best-and-worst scenario questions, that skill still applies directly.
The other 36 are knowledge-based multiple-choice questions. This part is new to PCC and MCC, though it's not new to ICF exams generally. The ACC exam has used a knowledge-based format since ICF launched it on November 18, 2024 (ICF), testing things like ethics, definitions, and competency recall rather than scenario judgment.
I wrote about that change in ICF Credentialing Is Changing back in April, when the PCC/MCC pilot was still in progress and the final format hadn't been announced. Now it has.
The exam is structured in four sections with a break in the middle: 18 multiple-choice questions, then 22 situational judgment questions, then the optional break, then 18 more multiple-choice, then 22 more situational judgment (ICF). The two question types alternate by section rather than sitting in one big block each.
What this means depending on your exam date
If you're sitting before November 10, 2026, nothing changes for you. You're taking the current 78-question, 180-minute exam, the one described in PCC vs MCC Exam: Are They the Same Test?. Same situational judgment format, same 180 minutes, same scoring scale.
If your exam date falls between November 10, 2026, and March 31, 2027, you can take either exam. ICF's candidate guide says "If you're testing or retesting during the transition period (November 10, 2026, through March 31, 2027), you may take either exam." If you'd rather wait for the new one, ICF says all candidates automatically receive a request form to wait for the PCC-MCC exam, and if you're in "ready for exam" status you can ask ICF support for the sign-up form.
If you're testing or retesting on or after April 1, 2027, you take the new PCC-MCC Exam (ICF candidate guide).
What didn't change
If you've already been building your prep around the ICF Core Competencies and the four-domain structure (Foundation, Co-Creating the Relationship, Communicating Effectively, Cultivating Learning and Growth), that structure carries over. ICF kept it in the new exam, and says the difficulty level and pass rate stay consistent with the current exam.
The new exam is also aligned with the 2025 updates to the Core Competencies and the Code of Ethics. That's a meaningful update to something I flagged back in April: at the time, the credentialing exam was still tied to the 2019 competency framework even though ICF had already published the 2025 updates. That gap is closing with this new exam.
ICF has also said, directly in the announcement, that existing prep materials still serve candidates well. That's their language, not mine, and it's a reasonable thing to trust here: the situational judgment core of the exam hasn't been gutted, it's been supplemented. If you've been reading the competencies, working through scenario practice, and sitting with a mentor coach, none of that work is wasted.
ICF has said it will offer a free tutorial for the new exam shortly before it launches. Check ICF's PCC and MCC exam page for it in early November. Once it is out, a few minutes with it will show you the new question types before test day.
What we've done about it
The timed practice test for PCC and MCC now has the new format: 80 questions in 150 minutes, four sections, and the optional break after section 2. Practice mode also has a knowledge-only setting and a mixed setting. The scenario questions are the ones you already know.
If you haven't started scenario practice yet, you can try 10 free questions right now, no card required: start here.
Sources
- Understanding the Latest Credentialing Exam Changes for Educators (ICF, July 17, 2026)
- A Candidate's Guide to the Updated Credentialing Exam (ICF, July 27, 2026: the transition rules)
- ICF PCC/MCC Credentialing Exam page (current exam: 78 situational judgment items, 180 minutes)
- ICF ACC Exam page (60 questions, 90 minutes)
- New ACC Exam to Launch in November 2024 (ICF)
