MCC credentialing
MCC Performance Evaluation: What Assessors Expect
By Gary Malcolm, Master Certified Coach (ICF) · Updated 1 September 2026
Key takeaways
- MCC candidates submit 2 recordings, each 20 to 60 minutes with a verbatim timestamped transcript, evaluated against the 2025 MCC Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales.
- The 2027 change does not touch MCC: while ACC and PCC portfolio candidates switch to a mentor coach’s Competency Review Form on 1 April 2027, MCC keeps the performance evaluation.
- Assessor judgement varies most at MCC level: recordings of similar quality can fail with one assessor and pass with another.
- From 1 January 2027, MCC candidates’ mentor coaching hours only count with an MCS-credentialed mentor, who must also hold the MCC.
- A failed MCC evaluation costs $150 per recording to retake, plus months of waiting. The official feedback is often too brief to work from.
The 31 March 2027 deadline applies to ACC and PCC portfolio candidates. Nothing changes for MCC. The MCC performance evaluation, two recordings of 20 to 60 minutes evaluated against the MCC Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales, remains mandatory after 2027, on every path.
What MCC assessors listen for
The main difference between PCC and MCC is who leads the session, not how much technique you show. At MCC level assessors expect the client to lead the direction throughout, the coach to work with who the client is rather than the problem they brought, silence treated as the client’s thinking space, and questions that do not point to an answer. Sessions full of competent PCC behavior (clean agreements, tidy summaries, purposeful questions) can fall below the MCC standard because the coach is visibly leading.
Assessors differ
At mastery level, evaluation involves judgement, and judgement varies. Recordings of similar quality can get different outcomes from different assessors, and a candidate can fail, change little, and pass months later with a different assessor. It helps to know before you submit which assessor perspectives your recording convinces and which it does not.
What a failed attempt costs at MCC
A failed MCC evaluation costs up to $300 in retake fees, months of waiting, and feedback that usually names competencies without naming moments. If you know which moments hold a recording below mastery before you submit, you can fix them first.
Check your MCC recordings before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
Does the MCC performance evaluation end in 2027?
No. The 1 April 2027 change replaces recordings with a Competency Review Form for ACC and PCC portfolio candidates only. MCC applications keep the performance evaluation: two recordings, evaluated by ICF assessors, indefinitely.
What does the MCC evaluation require?
Two recordings of real coaching sessions, each 20 to 60 minutes, one continuous unedited file with a verbatim timestamped transcript, demonstrating coaching at MCC level as defined by the 2025 MCC Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales.
What is different about MCC-level coaching?
ACC and PCC evaluations largely reward technique done well. MCC assessors look for mastery: full partnership, the client leading the session throughout, coaching the person rather than the problem, and comfort with silence and not knowing. Sessions that would pass PCC comfortably can fall below MCC standard.
Why do strong MCC recordings still fail?
Two reasons. First, habits that are hard to hear in your own recording: even experienced coaches steer summaries and build direction into questions. Second, assessors differ: at mastery level their judgement varies, and recordings of similar quality can get different outcomes depending on the assessor.
What does failing cost at MCC level?
The retake fee is $150 per recording, so a two-recording failure costs up to $300, plus a 6 to 8 week wait per attempt, plus the application fee already paid. The official feedback on a failed MCC evaluation is often too brief to work from.
Who can mentor-coach an MCC candidate?
An MCC holder, and from 1 January 2027 that mentor must also hold the Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS).
Can I get my MCC recordings reviewed before submitting?
Yes. Review My Coaching reviews both recordings against the current ICF standards and shows which of the five assessor perspectives would pass them. Review My Submission at MCC is $99 and includes a Submit / Not Yet / Do Not Submit verdict reviewed by Gary Malcolm, MCC.