General Overview of the ICF Performance Evaluation Process
Coaching is dynamic and deeply personalized, which is why it’s essential to assess your skills in action. That’s the purpose of ICF performance evaluations. They provide a real-world glimpse into your effectiveness, validating your readiness to coach at a professional level.
But performance evaluations are more than a requirement — they’re also a catalyst for your growth. By assessing how you apply the ICF Core Competencies in authentic coaching scenarios, they highlight your strengths and reveal areas for refinement. They also ensure your practice upholds ICF’s ethical standards, fostering trust, integrity, and excellence in the profession.
Embracing the performance evaluation process affirms your commitment to excellence in coaching and your dedication to embodying the ICF Core Competencies in every session. It’s not just about meeting a standard — it’s about growing into the best coach you can be.
Do You Need to Submit a Performance Evaluation?
All ACC, PCC, and MCC credential candidates must pass a performance evaluation — but not everyone needs to submit one as part of their application.
If your ICF-accredited coaching education program included a performance evaluation as part of its curriculum, you’ve already fulfilled this requirement. This applies to candidates using the Level 1 or Level 2 application path for the ACC credential and the Level 2 path for the PCC credential. In these cases, there’s no need to submit a separate performance evaluation for your ICF credential.
If you are using one of the application paths below, then you must complete the performance evaluation requirement and submit it as part of your ICF credential application.
| Application Path | Performance Evaluation Requirement |
|---|---|
| ACC Portfolio Path | 1 recording with transcript |
| PCC Level 1 Path | 2 recordings with transcripts |
| PCC Portfolio Path | 2 recordings with transcripts |
| MCC Level 3 Path | 2 recordings with transcripts |
| MCC Portfolio Path | 2 recordings with transcripts |
Did you complete an ACTP or ACSTH program? Learn more about the requirements for an ACC credential and the requirements for a PCC credential.
Credential Specific Evaluation Criteria
Using a standardized set of criteria based on the ICF Core Competencies, every recorded coaching session is carefully reviewed by a trained ICF assessor, who is an experienced coach holding a PCC or MCC credential. These criteria vary by credential level — ACC, PCC, or MCC — reflecting the increasing depth, nuance, and mastery required as you progress in your growth as a coach.
The evaluation criteria serve as both a benchmark for success and a guide for growth. They outline the minimum skill level needed to demonstrate competence at each credential level, while also helping you understand which non-coaching behaviors could hinder your performance.
The criteria promote:
- Consistency and Fairness: All credential candidates are evaluated using the same globally recognized standards, ensuring a transparent, equitable process.
- Client-Centered Excellence: By emphasizing key coaching skills, the criteria uphold the professionalism and quality expected of ICF credentialed coaches, safeguarding the client experience and adding value to the credential.
- Growth and Development: These requirements help coaches identify areas for improvement and focus on effectively demonstrating the competencies essential for impactful coaching.
While these criteria provide valuable insight for coaches, educators, and mentors to identify areas for growth, they should be applied in the broader context of Core Competency development. Importantly, they are not intended as a rigid checklist but as a framework for fostering coaching excellence at every credential level.
Criteria for Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
The ACC Minimum Skills Requirements focus on foundational skills and basic application of the ICF Core Competencies. They are also intended to help you stay in the role of the coach, per the definition of coaching.
Criteria for Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
The PCC Markers ensure proficiency in the ICF Core Competencies, with deeper client connection and partnership. Sessions should be fully client-driven with shared responsibility, and coaches are diving deeper into meaning and alignment.
Criteria for Master Certified Coach (MCC)
The MCC Minimum Skills Requirements focus on mastery, artistry, and a deep integration of the ICF Core Competencies. At the MCC level, a coach can foster profound client empowerment and transformation.
Key Steps of Performance Evaluation Success
Achieving success in your performance evaluation doesn’t happen by chance. It takes a focused approach to every key step — from preparation to submission — to make your skills stand out.
Prepare for Your Evaluation
To ensure you feel confident in your skills and ready to coach at your best, do the following prior to making any recordings:
- Study the ICF Core Competencies and observe them in your coaching.
- Ask your mentor coach for feedback on how your coaching demonstrates each of the ICF Core Competencies and which competencies have room for improvement.
- Review the ACC Minimum Skills Requirements, PCC Markers, or MCC Minimum Skills Requirements for insights into what assessors are listening for when they conduct performance evaluations at each credential level.
Plan and Record Coaching Sessions
It’s important your recording(s) meet all requirements, so pay attention to the following details to ensure you end up with an acceptable recording for success.
Keep Session Requirements in Mind
When thinking about who and what to record, there are a few important things to remember, such as:
- Session Length: The coaching session must be a full, unedited recording lasting between 20 and 60 minutes. Sessions longer than 60 minutes will not be scored.
- Real Coaching Session: The recording must come from an actual coaching session with a paid or pro bono client. They should not come from your coaching education, and they cannot be scripted sessions.
- Regular Client: Your client must be a regular client who has hired you specifically for coaching and not for other reasons. Your client can be another coach, as long as they are a regular client. For example, a coach you work with through the Reciprocal Peer Coaching program is considered a regular client because you have had multiple sessions with them.
These guidelines ensure your submission accurately reflects real-world coaching practices.
Obtain Written Client Permission
Before recording a client, you must receive their written permission to use the recorded session for performance evaluation purposes. Use the Release of Confidential Information template if needed. Submitting a recording without the permission of the client is a violation of the ICF Code of Ethics and may result in the denial of an ICF credential and/or other disciplinary actions.
Record Coaching Sessions
You’ll want to record several coaching sessions using a good-quality recording device that is kept in close proximity during the session. Here are some other things to keep in mind:
- Only audio recordings are accepted (no video/pictures) in the following file formats: MP3, WMA, MP4, or M4A.
- The audio file must be in one part. Multiple files for one coaching session will not be reviewed.
- The audio file must be 95 megabytes (MB) or less. The clarity of the session matters more than the bit rate, so you can use a lower bit rate to decrease file size if needed.
Select Session(s) to Submit
Now is the time to make you shine! When selecting your coaching session recording for the performance evaluation, pick one that truly showcases your skills and strengths.
Look for a session that highlights your use of a wide range of ICF Core Competencies — this will give assessors a full picture of your abilities. Make sure the recording is clear and audible, with only first names used during the coaching session to maintain confidentiality. High-quality audio is essential; poor sound quality can impact your evaluation score and cause delays in the credentialing process.
If you’re submitting two recordings, feel free to choose sessions in different languages. And yes, both recordings can be from sessions with the same client.
Create a Transcript
You will need to submit a transcript with each recording as part of your credential application.
The transcript must:
- Be a word-for-word (verbatim) record of the session.
- Indicate the speaker (coach or client) for each statement.
- List the coach’s statements and the client’s statements on separate lines of the transcript.
- Include timestamps for every change in speaker (coach and client).
- Be created as a Word document (.doc or .docx). Other formats will not be accepted.
- Be in the same language used during the session. If ICF does not offer a performance evaluation in your language, you will need to submit a transcript in the language spoken AND an English transcript. (See criteria for ACC, criteria for PCC, or criteria for MCC for more information.)
Need help creating a transcript? There are plenty of tools available! To find one, try conducting an internet search using phrases like “transcription service,” “audio recording transcription,” or “interview transcription services.” You can also use this sample transcript as a guide.
Submit Your Performance Evaluation
Ready, set, upload! The moment you’ve been waiting for is here: time to upload your recordings and transcripts. Simple enough, right? Make it seamless by reviewing the following:
- File Quality: Listen to your selected recording(s) again to confirm clear sound quality. Then, compare them with your transcript to ensure accuracy.
- File Format: Double-check that your files are in the correct format to avoid any hiccups.
- File Names: Keep file names clean and simple. Use only letters and numbers, and skip any special characters (? / | \ ! @ # = $ % +).
- File Type: Make sure to upload the actual audio and transcript files. Links or URLs for streaming or downloading won’t be accepted.
Lastly, don’t forget to save a copy of everything you upload for your records. You’re one step closer to completing your journey — let’s get this done!
Fuel Your Growth: Understanding Performance Evaluation Scoring and Your Results
As you work toward achieving your ICF credential, the ICF performance evaluation is a critical step in demonstrating your coaching expertise. Let’s dive into how the competency-based assessment works.
Competency-Based Assessment
The performance evaluation goes beyond simply confirming that you meet professional standards; it also highlights the real-world impact of your coaching in creating transformative client experiences. As a competency-based assessment, it provides valuable insight into how you apply essential coaching skills — such as active listening, presence, and evoking awareness — during actual coaching sessions.
Trained assessors evaluate your recordings against criteria that outline the minimum skills required for each ICF Core Competency, based on the credential level you're pursuing. The assessor considers both your ability to demonstrate the Core Competencies and the depth with which you integrate them into real coaching situations.
Key elements assessors consider include:
- Depth of Engagement: How effectively do you build trust, stay fully present, and guide the client toward meaningful insights?
- Client-Centric Focus: Are you empowering the client to take the lead in their journey, rather than offering advice or steering the conversation?
- Ethical Standards: Do your actions consistently align with ICF’s ethical guidelines?
- Adaptability and Intuition: How skillfully do you adjust your methods to meet the client’s unique needs and context in real time?
Feedback and Scoring
The performance evaluation isn’t just a score — it’s a powerful tool for your growth as a coach. In addition to the outcome of your assessment, you’ll also receive feedback from the assessors, pinpointing both your strengths and opportunities for development. This personalized insight offers you the chance to deepen your skills and enhance your impact as a coach. This constructive feedback is a catalyst for lifelong learning, empowering you to evolve and elevate your coaching practice.
Tracking Results and Next Steps
This part takes patience. The performance evaluation is typically the longest part of the credential application review process. But don't worry — you're not in the dark! You’ll receive email notifications to keep you in the loop. Here’s the email updates you can expect:
- Assignment to Assessor: From this point, it generally takes 6-8 weeks for the assessment to be completed.
- Evaluation Is Complete: Once the evaluation is done, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to access your results report, which includes the assessor’s feedback.
- Evaluation Status: If you pass, you will receive additional guidance for scheduling your written exam. If you don’t pass, the email will outline the next steps available to you.
In addition to watching your email inbox, you can also monitor the status of your application at any time by logging into your ICF Profile.
Options for Retake and Rescore
If you don’t achieve a passing score on your performance evaluation, you can still meet this requirement for your credentialing application by choosing one of the following options.
Performance Evaluation Retake Option
Through the retake option, you may submit a new coaching session recording and its accompanying transcript(s) within six months of receiving your results notice.
The retake fee is $150 USD per recording, which represents ICF’s cost for administering the evaluation. Retake fees are non-refundable.
Performance Evaluation Rescore Option
You may request a rescore of your originally submitted recording(s) and transcript(s) within six months of receiving your results. A rescore allows a different assessor to evaluate the recording and transcript that did not pass. However, only one rescore is permitted per performance evaluation recording.
You must pay a fee of $150 USD per recording before the rescore is conducted. If the rescore results in a passing score, your fee will be fully refunded.
If the rescore does not meet the passing standard, the fee is non-refundable, and you can continue your application through the Retake Option.
Preparing for Performance Evaluations
As a coach, confidence is everything. Performance evaluations are your opportunity to demonstrate your growth and application of the ICF Core Competencies and the ICF Code of Ethics.
