ACC Exam questions on the definition and boundaries of coaching
Definition and Boundaries of Coaching is 30% of the ACC Exam: about 18 of its 60 questions.
What this topic covers
This topic asks what coaching is, and how it differs from therapy, consulting, mentoring and training. The questions are about when a client needs a different kind of help, how to refer them, who sets the agenda, and what coaching supervision is for.
Most questions give you a short case and ask what the coach should do. The right answer keeps the client in charge of their own work and stays inside the coaching role.
Source: ICF, ACC Exam pageFive worked questions: definition and boundaries
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Amara's coach used to be an HR director. Midway through the engagement, Amara asks the coach to write her department's restructuring plan for her. She says she wants the plan written, not coaching on how to write it. What is the most appropriate response?
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The answer is C.
Coaches can coach clients on business topics. What falls outside the coaching role is the coach doing the work or giving the expert answer. When a request shifts the role, the coach names the shift and agrees the service openly with the client. The coach does not decide the service for her or take the question to someone else.
Based on: ICF Core Competencies 2019, Competency 1 Demonstrates Ethical Practice (1.6) and Competency 3 Establishes and Maintains Agreements (3.2 and 3.1); ICF Code of Ethics 2020, Section I Responsibility to Clients (Standard 2).
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What is the main focus of coaching supervision?
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The answer is C.
Coaching supervision is a reflective dialogue in which a coach looks at their own practice, including their reactions, blind spots, ethical dilemmas and the systems they work in. It differs from mentor coaching, which centres on skill feedback against the competencies. It is neither performance management nor personal therapy.
Based on: ICF Core Competencies 2019, Competency 2 Embodies a Coaching Mindset (2.2, 2.3, 2.8); ICF Code of Ethics 2020, Key Definitions (Client includes the coach being supervised) and Section II Responsibility to Practice and Performance (Standards 16 and 17); ACC Candidate Guide (mentor coaching as a separate credential requirement).
An original question in the style of the ACC Exam, written for Robin. Not affiliated with the ICF.
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Beatriz's mother died two weeks ago. She arrives at her scheduled session and says she still wants to work on her plan to apply for a senior role. She adds that her family and friends are supporting her well. What is the most appropriate response from her coach?
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The answer is B.
A recent loss does not by itself put a client outside coaching. The coach acknowledges the loss with care and then partners with the client to confirm what she wants from the session. The client, not the coach, decides whether the planned goal still fits.
Based on: ICF Core Competencies 2019, Competency 3 Establishes and Maintains Agreements (3.6, 3.10) and Competency 4 Cultivates Trust and Safety (4.4).
An original question in the style of the ACC Exam, written for Robin. Not affiliated with the ICF.
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Tendai agreed at the start of the session to work on preparing for a salary negotiation, which is tomorrow. Twenty minutes in, she says, 'Actually, what's really on my mind is whether I want to stay in this job at all.' What should the coach do?
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The answer is B.
The session focus belongs to the client. When the client signals a change, the coach re-checks the direction with her rather than holding to the original plan or jumping to the new topic. The coach's job is to notice the shift, name it and let Tendai choose, not to enforce the first agreement or decide for her.
Based on: ICF Core Competencies 2019, Competency 3 Establishes and Maintains Agreements (3.6, 3.10).
An original question in the style of the ACC Exam, written for Robin. Not affiliated with the ICF.
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Freya studied psychology before she trained as a coach. In a session she notices that her client, Bongani, is very self-critical, and the pattern reminds her of a clinical condition she studied. Which response keeps her work within coaching?
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The answer is B.
A coach with psychology training may use that knowledge to notice patterns, but must not diagnose or treat. Sharing the observed behaviour in neutral language and inviting the client to explore it keeps the distinction between coaching and psychotherapy. If Freya later saw signs that Bongani's functioning was impaired, a referral conversation would be the next step.
Based on: ICF Core Competencies 2019, Competency 1 Demonstrates Ethical Practice (1.6, 1.7) and Competency 7 Evokes Awareness (7.11).
An original question in the style of the ACC Exam, written for Robin. Not affiliated with the ICF.
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Start the five questionsThese are original practice questions written for Robin. They are not questions from the real exam, and they do not reproduce ICF text.
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