MCQ FAQs

Index

What is the ICF MCQ?

The MCQ is ICF’s newly released Mentor Coach Qualification opportunity for Mentor Coaches, establishing the benchmark for mentor coach preparation and practice. The MCQ validates a mentor coach’s ability to:

• Conduct formative evaluation of coaching skills over time

• Apply credential-level evaluation criteria (ACC, PCC, or MCC minimum skills requirements)

• Support coaches’ growth through ongoing, structured feedback rather than one-time assessment.

Why is this being introduced?

Research over the past several years has highlighted variability in mentor coaching quality, indicating a clear necessity for shared professional standards to ensure consistent quality throughout the mentor coaching community.

Do I need it?

If you are a professional providing mentoring that is part of an ICF credential pathway (Level 1, Level 2, ACSTH/Portfolio Path) either as a freelance or within an ICF-accredited program, then you need it. If you work with coaches outside the ICF framework, the MCQ is not required, although having this credential becomes a seal of quality.

How do I get it?

First of all, you have to hold an active ICF credential. If you’re an ACC, you have to have completed at least one renewal cycle.

The MCQ is built around the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies. These were released in September, 2024, and you should get a copy if you don’t already have one. The ICF Mentor Coaching Handbook is a good place to start.

Basically there are two pathways:

• You have no mentor coaching experience.

• You have prior mentor coaching experience

What if I don’t have mentor coaching experience

If you don’t have mentor coaching experience you need to get at least 41 hours of mentor coaching education that:

• has been intentionally designed or used as mentor coach education

• has a clear connection to the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies

What type of training program should I look for?

Your best bet is an ICF-accredited CCE course focused on mentor coaching, or an ICF-accredited Advanced Accreditation in Mentor Coaching (AAMC) program. Be sure to review the course curriculum against the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies to ensure clear alignment.

You can also take non-ICF accredited courses, but make sure that-

• the curriculum is clearly aligned with the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies

• learning is designed to develop mentor coaching skills (not just documenting hours or the experience of being mentored)

Can I use my ICF Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 accredited training?

Generally not. These programs focus on coaching skills. The mentoring exposure you’ve received is experiential, not specific development of mentoring skills. You can only use hours which were specifically focused on mentor coaching skills using the Mentor Coaching Competencies.

I am an experienced Mentor. Do I need 41 hours or more of training?

If you have mentored at least 5 clients (or, if you mentor for an accredited provider, students which have successfully completed a credentialing program) within the past 3 years, you are eligible for the “Credit for Prior Learning Pathway”. The requirements here are:

• Completion of applicable evaluation training (ACC BARS, PCC markers)

• A minimum of 10 hours of mentor coaching education (synchronous or asynchronous)

What qualifies as Mentor Coaching Education?

ICF-accredited coaches engage in a number of activities which can count towards mentor coaching education in some cases-

• Participation in calibration exercises within the Assessor community or within a formal program as an intentional education exercise. Eligible time may include listening to the recording, evaluating the session in preparation, and engaging with the calibration as a structured learning exercise

• Collective mentor coaching within an organization- but only if built into an organization’s faculty development process

• Delivering mentor coaching education- generally doesn’t count unless you created the class, you taught the class, and the course curriculum meets the definition of coach-specific education or training aligned with the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies

• Training for internal mentor coaches offered within an accredited organization, provided the organization can show that the training is clearly aligned with the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies.

• Courses on themes such as ethics, trust and safety, etc. but only if you or the organization can demonstrate how the content directly and explicitly supports the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies

• Coaching supervision training, but only if you or the organization can demonstrate how the content directly and explicitly supports the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies

Does the Mentor Coach Mastery Program satisfy the training requirements for the Credit for Prior Learning Pathway?

Yes. The 10-hour MCM program has been specifically designed to meet the ICF’s Mentor Coaching Education requirements for experienced coaches with the necessary prerequisites for the Credit for Prior Learning Pathway to Mentor Coaching Qualification.

Useful References

ICF Mentor Coaching Handbook

ICF Introduction to Mentor Coach Qualification

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