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User Manual

ICI-ICF PCC-MCC Exam Prep — Application Documentation

Table of Contents

  1. App Overview
  2. User Roles and Access
  3. Learning Experience
  4. Question and Content Model
  5. Progress and Review
  6. Subscription and Access
  7. Learning Guide
  8. Application Architecture
  9. Data Model
  10. Getting Started and Practicing
  11. Progress and Subscription Access
  12. Common Issues

1. App Overview

The ICI-ICF PCC-MCC Exam Prep app is an essential practice platform for ICF PCC and MCC exam candidates. It provides structured scenario-based learning, teaching sequences, and performance tracking to help coaches develop competency-based decision-making using the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics.

The app features interactive practice scenarios, assessor-level reasoning explanations, session history, bookmarking, and a companion Learning Guide available as a separate one-time purchase.

2. User Roles and Access

The app supports two user roles:

  • Admin: Can create, update, and delete scenario content. Admins also manage user invitations and roles.
  • User (Learner): Can register, log in, subscribe, practice scenarios, review session history, bookmark scenarios, and purchase the Learning Guide.

Unauthenticated visitors can access the Welcome page, the Learning Guide landing page, and authentication pages. A free trial is available to registered users and provides access to two sample scenarios only; it does not include History, Bookmarks, or the full practice modes. Full practice features (Practice and Prepare modes, History, and Bookmarks) require an active subscription or a subscription still within its grace period.

3. Learning Experience

Subscribed learners choose between Practice and Prepare modes from the home screen. Free-trial learners can start a free session containing two sample scenarios. Each session presents coaching scenarios one at a time:

  1. Scenario Reading: The learner reads the scenario stem and four response options.
  2. Answer Selection: The learner selects the best and worst responses.
  3. Immediate Feedback: The app shows whether selections were correct, with quick explanations.
  4. Teaching Sequence: A full teaching module explains why an assessor prefers the best answer, why the worst is worst, why other options are wrong, hidden PCC clues, how ICF thinks, logic traps, and a mentor debrief.
  5. Progression: The learner moves to the next scenario or completes the session.

A "Reread Scenario" modal is available throughout the flow. Sessions can be abandoned, and progress is saved for resume.

4. Question and Content Model

Each scenario contains:

  • Scenario number, title, difficulty, and category
  • Scenario stem: The coaching situation description
  • Four options (A, B, C, D): Possible responses
  • Best answer and worst answer: The correct selections
  • Quick explanations: Brief rationale for the best and worst answers
  • Why an Assessor Prefers This: Detailed reasoning for the best answer
  • Why the worst is worst: Detailed reasoning against the worst answer
  • Why each wrong option is wrong: Individual explanations for the non-best, non-worst options
  • Hidden PCC clue: The subtle indicator an assessor would notice
  • How ICF thinks: Steps and principle behind the reasoning
  • Logic trap: Label and description of common reasoning pitfalls
  • Debrief: What happened, what mattered, and a future takeaway

5. Progress and Review

  • Auto-save: Session progress is saved as the learner completes each scenario.
  • Resume: In-progress sessions can be resumed from the home screen or history page.
  • Completion: Sessions are marked complete only after all scenarios are finished, with a final score recorded.
  • History: Completed and unfinished sessions are listed on the History page with scores and timestamps. History is available to subscribed users only.
  • Session Review: Completed sessions can be reviewed scenario-by-scenario, showing the learner's selections, correct answers, and explanations.
  • Bookmarks: Subscribed learners can bookmark scenarios for later review. Bookmarking is not available to free-trial users.

6. Subscription and Access

  • Subscription model: Monthly subscription via PayPal, rendered inline on the Pricing page.
  • Free trial: Available for registered users; provides access to two sample scenarios only. Free-trial users do not have access to History, Bookmarks, or the full Practice and Prepare modes.
  • Activation: Subscription is activated client-side in the PayPal onApprove flow, with server-side verification of ownership.
  • Cancellation: Users can cancel from the Welcome or Pricing page. Cancellation preserves access through the current billing period.
  • Grace period: A subscription_access_until date is stored on the user record; access remains until that date passes.
  • Lifecycle statuses: active, pending_cancellation (user-initiated cancel), and canceled (webhook-confirmed expiration).
  • Access gating: Subscription-protected routes are wrapped in a SubscriptionGuard that checks subscription status and grace period. A developer bypass is available in development via import.meta.env.DEV.

7. Learning Guide

The Learning Guide is a companion digital PDF for PCC and MCC exam candidates. It explains assessor-level reasoning through realistic coaching scenarios and helps learners understand why one response is stronger than another, alongside the app's interactive scenario practice.

The public Learning Guide page describes the product, answers common questions, and offers a one-time PayPal purchase for $6.99. Visitors must create an account or log in to purchase. After checkout, the confirmation page provides a direct PDF download.

8. Application Architecture

The app is built as a React single-page application. Its router separates public pages, authenticated pages, and subscription-protected practice features. Authentication is handled through the platform's auth services, while scenario content, learner sessions, and bookmarks are stored in app entities.

Session progress is saved to the database as learners complete scenarios, enabling unfinished sessions to resume and completed sessions to appear in history and review. PayPal subscription actions use backend functions to activate and cancel subscriptions, with subscription status and billing-period access stored on the learner's account. The Learning Guide purchase uses a separate PayPal flow and provides access to a downloadable PDF after checkout.

9. Data Model

The app uses four data areas:

  • Scenario: Stores the scenario stem, four answer options, best and worst answers, and the teaching and debrief content.
  • Session: Stores the learner's study mode and scenario order, tracks completed scenarios, answers and scores, and records the final score when all scenarios are complete. Progress is saved during the session.
  • Bookmark: Stores a learner's saved scenario reference, title, number, and related session.
  • User subscription details: Store subscription status, PayPal subscription ID, plan, and the date through which canceled subscribers retain access.

Session and bookmark records are restricted to their creator. Scenario content can be created, updated, and deleted by administrators.

10. Getting Started and Practicing

Create an account or log in to access the app. New users can start a free trial to work through two sample scenarios. To unlock the full Practice and Prepare modes, History, and Bookmarks, subscribe from the Pricing page. From the home screen, choose a mode to begin a session. Read each coaching scenario, select your responses, and review the teaching sequence to understand the assessor's reasoning. Your progress is saved so you can resume an unfinished session.

Use History to resume sessions or review completed results, and Bookmarks to revisit saved scenarios. The companion Learning Guide is available as a separate one-time purchase; after checkout, its confirmation page provides the PDF download.

11. Progress and Subscription Access

Your in-progress sessions are saved so you can return and continue later. Completed sessions are available in History for score review, and bookmarked scenarios are available in Bookmarks.

Subscription access unlocks the practice features. If you cancel, access continues through the remaining billing period; after that period ends, subscription-protected features are no longer available. The Learning Guide is a separate one-time purchase and is delivered as a downloadable PDF after checkout.

12. Common Issues

  • Can't access practice features: Check whether your subscription is active or still within its access period. Free-trial users have access to the two sample scenarios only; History, Bookmarks, and the full Practice and Prepare modes require an active subscription. The app redirects users without access to the pricing page.
  • Session is unfinished: Return to your in-progress session and resume it; saved progress is intended to remain available.
  • Can't find a completed session or bookmark: Check History for completed sessions and Bookmarks for saved scenarios.
  • Learning Guide download: After the one-time PayPal checkout, use the download link on the confirmation page.