ACC & PCC Performance Evaluation Changes: What Coaches Need to Know Before 2027

Quick answer: Beginning in 2027, ACC and PCC Portfolio candidates will demonstrate competence through enhanced mentor coaching rather than a Performance Evaluation. The Performance Evaluation will no longer be required for ACC/PCC Portfolio credentials effective April 1, 2027. From January 1, 2027, any new mentor coaching hours for ACC/PCC Portfolio candidates — and all mentor coaching hours for any ACC, PCC, or MCC candidate — must be completed with a Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) mentor coach. MCC Performance Evaluation remains. Source: ICF — Mentor Coaching Requirement Replacing ACC & PCC Performance Evaluations

This is one of the most significant credentialing changes the International Coaching Federation has announced in years. If you are preparing for ACC, PCC, or MCC — or if you run a coaching school that supports candidates — the timing of when you complete mentor coaching, who you complete it with, and what evidence you submit will matter.

This guide walks through the official facts, who is and isn't affected, what enhanced mentor coaching actually requires, and a practical checklist you can use to plan your application.

Important disclaimer. Mentor Coaching AI is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Coaching Federation. We summarize publicly available ICF announcements to help coaches plan, but program rules can change. Always verify the latest requirements directly on the ICF website before submitting an application.

What is changing

ICF is moving the ACC and PCC Portfolio path away from a single, high-stakes recorded evaluation toward formative evaluation over time — competence observed across multiple sessions inside an enhanced mentor coaching engagement.

The official rationale, summarized from the ICF announcement, includes:

• A single recording is a narrow snapshot and rewards "test prep" more than coaching development.
• Cultural, language, and accessibility realities make a single submission inequitable for many candidates.
• Coaches reported complexity, time, and cost as significant barriers — in ICF's referenced survey, 54% described the process as too complex and 38% described it as too time-consuming.
• Mentor coaching is already a structured, evidence-based development relationship. Adding observation forms and a Competency Review Form turns it into a richer assessment vehicle than one recording can be.

Source: ICF — Mentor Coaching Requirement Replacing ACC & PCC Performance Evaluations

This is a paradigm change, not a paperwork tweak. The center of gravity moves from "submit your best recording" to "be observed and developed by a qualified mentor coach over months."

Timeline: the dates that matter

Source: ICF — Mentor Coaching Requirement Replacing ACC & PCC Performance Evaluations

Two practical implications:

1. If you have already started — or can start soon — mentor coaching with a currently qualified mentor coach, those hours don't go to waste. They count even after January 1, 2027.
2. If your application timeline lands close to April 1, 2027, your submission package changes depending on which side of that date you submit. Plan with your mentor coach which path is realistic.

Who is affected — and who isn't

ACC and PCC Portfolio candidates: most affected

This is the group the change is built around. From April 1, 2027, your credential evidence shifts from a recorded Performance Evaluation to the documentation produced inside enhanced mentor coaching.

ACC and PCC Level Path candidates: generally unchanged

ICF states that candidates pursuing ACC or PCC through an accredited education program (Level 1 / Level 2) generally do not need to do anything differently. Programs are responsible for incorporating the new requirements into how they deliver mentor coaching.

If you have already received — or will receive — a Level 1 or Level 2 program certificate of completion before April 1, 2027, ICF says it will still be accepted when you later apply for the credential. You don't need to re-do mentor coaching simply because the framework changed mid-application.

Source: ICF — Mentor Coaching Requirement Replacing ACC & PCC Performance Evaluations

MCC candidates

The Performance Evaluation remains for MCC.

What does change for MCC: any new mentor coaching hours after January 1, 2027 must be with an MCS mentor coach. Hours completed before that date with a previously qualified mentor coach are accepted.

If your MCC submission is on the horizon, our existing guide to selecting and recording your best session is still relevant for you. See: ICF Performance Evaluation: How to Prepare Your Best Recording.

Coaching schools and program directors

You will need to:

• Confirm that the mentor coaches who deliver hours inside your programs are pursuing or hold the Mentor Coach Specialization.
• Update program documentation so candidates understand what enhanced mentor coaching evidence (Session Observation Forms, Competency Review Form) is captured during the program.
• Communicate clearly to in-flight cohorts which date their certificate of completion will fall on and what that means for their credential application.

What enhanced mentor coaching actually requires

The new ACC/PCC Portfolio path is built around mentor coaching that is observed over time and documented with structured forms.

Required evidence

• Session Observation Forms, completed by the mentor coach for each observed coaching session.
• A Competency Review Form, completed by the mentor coach at the end of the engagement. For ACC/PCC Portfolio candidates, this form replaces the recordings and transcripts that were previously submitted as Performance Evaluation.

Engagement minimums for ACC/PCC Portfolio

• At least 3 months of mentor coaching.
• At least 3 individual mentor coaching hours (per current ICF mentor coaching definitions).
• At least 3 of your coaching sessions observed or reviewed by the mentor coach.
• The completed Competency Review Form included with the credential application.
• Session Observation Forms retained and available for audit.

Source: ICF — Mentor Coaching Requirement Replacing ACC & PCC Performance Evaluations

This means three things in practice for the candidate:

1. You can't compress the engagement. A three-month minimum is a real floor, not a guideline.
2. You will be observed coaching real clients. Plan your client roster, consents, and recording setup with that in mind.
3. The mentor coach's read of your competence is the deliverable. Their notes and form completion replace what an external evaluator used to score from a recording.

If you are unsure whether your current coaching is at the ACC or PCC level against the ICF Core Competencies, it is worth getting that read before you start the formal three-month engagement, so the engagement focuses on growth rather than gap discovery.

What "MCS mentor coach" means

Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) is ICF's specialization recognizing mentor coaches who have completed the additional preparation required to evaluate competence inside this enhanced model. From January 1, 2027, mentor coaching hours that count toward an ACC, PCC, or MCC credential must be delivered by an MCS mentor coach.

Source: ICF — Introducing the Mentor Coach Specialization

When choosing a mentor coach for hours that fall after that date, confirm their MCS status before you book the engagement.

Scenario checklist: what should you do?

Find the row that best describes you.

"I plan to apply for ACC Portfolio in 2026"

• You can complete mentor coaching and a Performance Evaluation under current requirements. Plan to submit before the April 1, 2027 cutoff.
• Mentor coaching hours don't have to be with an MCS mentor coach if completed before January 1, 2027.
• Use our recording-prep guide: ICF Performance Evaluation: How to Prepare Your Best Recording.

"I'm targeting ACC or PCC Portfolio in 2027"

• Decide early whether your application will land before or after April 1, 2027.
• If after: assume the enhanced mentor coaching path. Choose an MCS mentor coach for any new hours from January 1, 2027 onward.
• Build a 3+ month engagement window into your timeline, plus client recruitment, consents, and observation sessions.

"I already have some mentor coaching hours from 2025 or 2026"

• Hours completed with a then-qualified mentor coach before January 1, 2027 are accepted.
• You may need to add additional hours with an MCS mentor coach if you continue past that date — confirm with your mentor coach.

"I'm in a Level 1 or Level 2 program right now"

• Generally, you don't need to change anything. Programs will incorporate the new requirements into mentor coaching delivery.
• A program certificate of completion issued before April 1, 2027 is still accepted when you later apply for the credential.

"I'm preparing for MCC"

• Performance Evaluation still applies. The recording-selection logic doesn't change for you.
• Plan any new mentor coaching hours after January 1, 2027 with an MCS mentor coach.

"I run a coaching school"

• Audit your mentor coach roster against MCS pursuit/holding status.
• Update student-facing materials to reflect the 2027 timeline.
• Confirm with ICF how your program documentation should reference Session Observation Forms and the Competency Review Form for cohorts that span the cutover.

How to prepare practically — and how MCAi can help (and where it can't)

Mentor Coaching AI is not an MCS mentor coach, and an AI tool cannot replace the role of an MCS mentor coach in the enhanced mentor coaching engagement. Only a human MCS mentor coach can complete Session Observation Forms or the Competency Review Form. Don't let any vendor — including us — tell you otherwise.

What MCAi is genuinely useful for, in this new context, is structured self-review before and between mentor coaching sessions:

• Mapping recordings of your own sessions against the ICF Core Competencies so you walk into mentor coaching with a clear sense of where you are strong and where you have gaps.
• Tracking whether the patterns your mentor coach flags (for example, leading questions, weak agreement-setting, dropping presence under client emotion) actually shift across subsequent sessions.
• Reducing the cost of "I don't know what I don't know" before you commit to the 3-month engagement clock.

For coaches who want a structured ICF competency read before starting a formal mentor coaching engagement, our free coaching analysis gives you a feedback baseline you can take to your MCS mentor coach. To try it on a session of your own, see the free demo.

Used this way, the AI handles the between-session reps and the human MCS mentor coach handles the assessment and judgment. They are not substitutes; they're complements.

FAQ

Is the Performance Evaluation being eliminated entirely?

No. It is being removed for ACC and PCC Portfolio credentials effective April 1, 2027. It remains for MCC. ACC/PCC Level Path candidates already meet competence through their accredited program plus mentor coaching, so the change in submission package is concentrated on the Portfolio path.

Source: ICF — Mentor Coaching Requirement Replacing ACC & PCC Performance Evaluations

Do my existing mentor coaching hours still count?

Yes. Hours completed before January 1, 2027 with a then-qualified mentor coach are accepted. From January 1, 2027 onward, new hours must be with an MCS mentor coach.

Can I still submit a Performance Evaluation for ACC or PCC Portfolio in early 2027?

Until April 1, 2027, current requirements remain in effect, so a Performance Evaluation submission under the existing process is still on the table. If your timeline lands close to that date, plan with your mentor coach so you don't get stuck with a partial submission package.

What does the Competency Review Form actually do?

For ACC/PCC Portfolio candidates from April 1, 2027, the Competency Review Form — completed by the MCS mentor coach at the end of the engagement — replaces the recordings and transcripts you would previously have submitted for Performance Evaluation. Session Observation Forms support that judgment and are kept for audit.

Does this lower the bar?

ICF frames it as a shift from a single high-stakes evaluation to formative evaluation over time, not a relaxation of the ACC minimum skills requirements. The competence floor is the same; the assessment vehicle is broader.

Is MCAi an approved ICF tool?

No. Mentor Coaching AI is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by ICF. We help coaches self-review and prepare. The official assessment work in the new framework is done by an MCS mentor coach.

Where do I confirm the latest rules?

Always go to the ICF website for the authoritative version. The three pages this article relies on are listed in Sources below.

Sources

• ICF — Mentor Coaching Requirement Replacing ACC & PCC Performance Evaluations
• ICF — Introducing the Mentor Coach Specialization
• ICF — ACC Minimum Skills Requirements

If you want a structured ICF competency read on one of your own sessions before you start enhanced mentor coaching, you can try Mentor Coaching AI free. It won't replace your MCS mentor coach — but it will help you walk into the engagement knowing exactly where to focus.