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A lot is happening in the coaching world right now. In this episode, host Elias Scultori, MCC, breaks down the latest ICF updates that every coach should know about — including a new pilot credentialing exam for PCC and MCC levels, and the release of the Minimum Skills Requirements across all credential tiers. More than just reporting, Elias challenges us to think beyond compliance and strive for excellence in our craft.
🔹 Episode Highlights
01:27 - ICF’s pilot credentialing exam – What’s changing, who qualifies, and how it could reshape the testing experience.
03:27 - Minimum Skills Requirements explained – What these new documents cover for ACC, PCC, and MCC levels.
08:55 - Beyond the minimum – Elias’s invitation to see the new standards not as a goal but as a starting point.
🎧 Tune in for
- Insider updates from the ICF
- A powerful reflection on professional excellence
- A call to elevate your coaching practice beyond standards
Links
- PRIME SPACE - Episode 56 - ICF Core Competencies 2025 - What's Changed?
- PRIME SPACE - Episode 8 - "ACC, PCC, MCC in a nutshell"
- New Pilot Credentialing Exam
- ACC Minimum Skills Requirements
- PCC Minimum Skills Requirements
- MCC Minimum Skills Requirements
#CoachingExcellence #ICFUpdates #CoachingCommunity #ProfessionalCoaching #PRIMESPACE #EliasScultori #CoachingStandards #ICFCredentials #CoachEducation #MCCCoach #PCCCoach #ACCtoMCC
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Transcript
Introduction to Prime Space Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to Prime Space, a Prime Coaching Academy podcast with your host, Elias Scultori
ICF Updates and Their Importance for Coaches
00:00:15
Speaker
Coaches, there is a lot going on with the ICF these days, and I thought it would be valuable for me to use today's episode of Prime Space to share with you some of these updates.
00:00:31
Speaker
A few weeks ago, i created a whole podcast talking about the new version of the ICF Core Competencies and giving you my perspective on the changes that occurred in this new version. I highly encourage you to listen to that episode if you haven't done that yet.
00:00:52
Speaker
It's episode 56, ICF Core Competencies 2025, What's Changed? I'll put a link to that episode in the description of today's episode.
New Pilot Credentialing Exam Announcement
00:01:07
Speaker
But besides this up update of the ICF Core Competencies, there are two things that I would love for you to become aware of. The first one is that the ICF just announced that they have a new pilot credentialing exam at PCC and MCC level.
00:01:27
Speaker
This means that if you have an active application at these two levels, right now or if you are planning to apply for your PCC or or your MCC in the next few weeks, this can be a possibility for you. The pilot exam will be available to the first 300 applicants.
00:01:48
Speaker
And the ICF says that this pilot exam is a shorter and a more candidate-friendly version of the credentialing exam.
00:01:59
Speaker
That sounds very appealing. The current exam consists only of those situational judgment items. Those are the questions where you have a scenario and the candidate is supposed to select What is the best action or what is the worst action that a coach can take in that particular situation?
00:02:22
Speaker
Those are complex questions that can be mentally taxing to the candidate when you're taking the exam. So now in this new pilot exam, the ICF includes knowledge items in the exam, which means these are the multiple choice questions that you simply need to choose a correct answer.
00:02:45
Speaker
So combining these two types of questions, it will certainly make the exam and more fluid and easier to take and still be very solid and reliable in examining the candidate.
00:02:59
Speaker
So this is ah an opportunity and a choice for you. Again, if you are applying for a PCC or an MCC, perhaps it's ah an option for you. Remember that only the first 300 candidates will be able to take this pilot exam.
ICF Essential Skills Documents
00:03:14
Speaker
And I will keep you posted on developments as far as if and when the ICF makes this exam the official exam for these two levels of certification.
00:03:27
Speaker
The second update I want to give you is about the release of the minimum skills requirements. These are documents that the ICF released for all three levels of certification, ACC, PCC, and MCC.
00:03:43
Speaker
And the purpose of these documents is to give us an outline of the essential skills needed for a coach to demonstrate at any specific certification level.
00:03:56
Speaker
When you review these documents, you will see that below each competency, the ICF lists the key essential skills about that competency, the summary of what that competency is about.
00:04:13
Speaker
It also lists the behaviors expected for that certification level as well the behaviors that would indicate inconsistencies with ICF standards.
00:04:25
Speaker
So it's a good snapshot of what an assessor is looking for when they are assessing ah recording for the ICF, as well as the expectations for when you go for your credentialing exam.
00:04:41
Speaker
As far as the behaviors consistent with the ICF coaching standards, the behavioral statements for PCC level remain the same as the previous version, but we have brand new behavioral statements for ACC and MCC levels, which is very exciting.
Improving Coaching Skills Beyond ICF Standards
00:05:00
Speaker
A new updated version with a more refined thought process behind and clarity of language in both statements.
00:05:11
Speaker
These documents are very valuable because they are a good way to provide us with a greater clarity of expectations around the certification process, is particularly at each level.
00:05:26
Speaker
It refines our distinction between what it means to be an ACC coach, a PCC coach, and an MCC coach. And I've discussed this before in Prime Space.
00:05:40
Speaker
Last year, during Season 1, I believe it's Episode 8, I gave, the in a nutshell, the distinctions about ACC, PCC, and MCC in a way that I...
00:05:52
Speaker
I verbalize these distinctions and I encourage you also to listen to that episode. You can see through these documents a little bit of the evolution or the path or the journey a coach takes through this process of refining their skills and becoming an expert in the field.
00:06:14
Speaker
It's a good way for us to notice the steps and the evolution of a coach along the way. But here's the bottom line. Although these are great resources, important resources for our coaching community at large, primarily these documents are, I believe, for coach educators, mentors, supervisors, if you have a good supervisor, and assessors.
00:06:43
Speaker
If you are just a practicing coach, it's good information, but it can be overwhelming. And i wouldn't be overly concerned about them.
00:06:55
Speaker
That's why you go through coaching education. That's why you hire a mentor coach, a coach supervisor, because the job of the coach educator, the mentor, the supervisor is to translate all of this code and all of this jargon and all of these points for you to understand and make it practical, make it real.
00:07:17
Speaker
We cannot be thinking about all of these bullet points and all of these pages and pages of documents when we are in front of our clients. It would be overwhelming and it would interfere in the ability, in our ability to be present to our clients.
00:07:32
Speaker
So it's good information. i encourage you to read it. However, work with your coach educator and work with your mentor and supervisor to dissect and to understand and translate this information for you.
00:07:50
Speaker
But I want to stress what I believe to be an essential point about these documents. And for that, let's go back to the title of these documents, Minimum Skills Requirements.
00:08:06
Speaker
The ICF here is listing what is the minimum a coach needs to demonstrate in order to achieve that level of certification.
00:08:18
Speaker
And as important as it is for us to have these standards for our profession globally, For the individual coach, for me, myself is specifically, I would not want to operate at a minimum level.
Engaging with the Coaching Community
00:08:35
Speaker
So I approach these documents not as the goal, but the starting point. And this is how I operate when I am reflecting on my own practice and also when I am training new coaches mentoring new coaches along the way.
00:08:55
Speaker
It's important for us to know the standards, the minimum requirements for our profession, but it's important for us to strive for excellency.
00:09:07
Speaker
Even at MCC level, those are MCC minimum skills requirements. What is beyond the minimum requirements? That is what I would encourage you and I would encourage every coach to think about.
00:09:22
Speaker
These documents that the ICF provides us with are crucial for the standardization of the profession, but they are just the starting point, not the goal.
00:09:34
Speaker
Important for us to strive for perfecting our craft and be able to provide our clients with the maximum amount of value, not the minimum.
00:09:47
Speaker
And that would take each coach to strive for that. It's up to us. It's up to each one of us. And it is through this process of perfecting. it is in this process of reflecting.
00:10:00
Speaker
It is in this process of noticing what are skills that are working and perhaps not working as well. that we are able to then go back to the community go back to the ICF and refine our standards even further it's a cycle that goes back and forth between the professionals who are looking at the standards but also the practitioner that is in the field having this one-on-one contact with their clients, direct contact with their clients.
00:10:34
Speaker
And it is this healthy communication between the ones who are writing these standards and the ones who are being the practitioner that makes this community healthy, prosperous, and sustainable.
00:10:49
Speaker
So let's continue this conversation. ah We can't be isolated in our practices only. And also, the ones who are working towards the the standardization cannot be isolated either ah from this level of communication. It's important that we continue this conversation so that our standards become real, practical, and valuable to our clients.
00:11:16
Speaker
So I encourage you to take a look at these documents. have links to them in the description of this episode. scan through them and become curious.
00:11:28
Speaker
Always remember, those are the minimum skills requirements. And we are looking for excellence. We are looking to provide value to our clients.
00:11:41
Speaker
And although important, although establishing standards for our profession, this is just the starting point. I also encourage you to participate in the community.
00:11:54
Speaker
When was the last time you attended and participated and an event in your local ICF chapter? When was the last time that you volunteered to be a part of the community, to contribute to this to this community?
00:12:11
Speaker
We are stronger because of your voice. we are stronger because of your experience. So come and join us and be part of the conversation.
Conclusion and Upcoming Events
00:12:24
Speaker
Thank you again for listening to this episode of Prime Space. Please share this with your coach colleagues. Don't forget to subscribe. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
00:12:36
Speaker
And remember, Prime Coaching Academy right now has open registrations for our Level 1 and Level 2 program. It would be a joy for us to partner with you on this journey of your coaching education.
00:12:51
Speaker
This week I will be at Converge, the ICF Global Conference in San Diego, California, and I will surely be paying attention to news and updates for you as well. And i hope to bring some of those for you here at Prime Space next time.
00:13:08
Speaker
For now, take good care, everyone, and I'll speak with you next week.