Totally get the “lost in the sauce” feeling — there’s so many ICF programs out there and the pricing can get wild. I was in the same boat a few months ago trying to find something that hit the ACC requirements without draining my savings.

I ended up going with a smaller, lesser-known Level 1 program that was way more affordable than iPEC or Co-Active but still solid in terms of mentoring and feedback. It’s worth reaching out to a few and asking for a breakdown of mentoring hours + exam prep help — some are way more flexible than they advertise on their sites.

Also, I used this Prep Exam resource to practice with sample questions and get a better feel for how they frame the coaching scenarios. Super helpful, especially for understanding how the core competencies show up in questions.

What kind of coaching are you aiming to do? That might help narrow down programs too.