IC&RC develops and administers examinations for seven reciprocal credentials:

• Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC)
• Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor (AADC)
• Clinical Supervisor (CS)
• Prevention Specialist (PS)
• Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional (CCJP)
• Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional (CCDP)
• Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional Diplomate (CCDPD)

In addition, IC&RC administers the examination for the Department of Transportation's Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), developed by the Professional Training Center, Inc.

Each IC&RC Member Board offers examinations for only the credentials they carry, and exams can only be scheduled through your local board as a part of the credentialing process. Each board chooses whether to offer Computer Based Testing (CBT) or Paper & Pencil Exams and whether to administer exams during set periods or on demand.

Important Information About Pre-Testing Items

In December 2011, IC&RC began using pretest items on its exams. Pretesting allows IC&RC to streamline its exam development process, provide much needed data on questions, and increase the security of its exams. 

Pretesting began in December 2011 for the Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC), Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor (AADC), and Clinical Supervisor (CS) exams. In March 2012, IC&RC implemented pretesting for the Prevention Specialist (PS), Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional (CCJP), and Certified Co-Occurring Disorders (CCDP) exams. 

On each IC&RC exam there are 25 “unweighted” items that do not count toward candidates’ final scores. Unweighted items are also called pretest items. Pretest items are not identified on exams and appear randomly on all exam forms. All exams are 150 questions in length, including the Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC), which was previously 175 questions.

It is important to include pretest items on an examination, because items should go through a trail period to ensure quality before they contribute to candidates’ scores. Pretesting items provides verification that the items are relevant to competency and contribute toward measuring candidates’ proficiency in the material. The statistical data received from pretesting is analyzed to determine if an item performs within an acceptable range. For example, item statistics tell us if an item is too difficult and possibly outside the candidates’ scope of knowledge or practice, if an item is too easy and does not measure competency, or if the correct answer is misidentified. If an item exhibits acceptable statistical performance, the item can be upgraded to “weighted” status and be included on future examinations as a scored item.

In a larger context, pretesting items allows examinations to stay current with the profession. The field is constantly evolving, and it is important that examinations reflect current practice and the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of competent practitioners. Including pretest items also allows IC&RC to produce more test forms which increases the security of its examinations. 

Overall, pretesting items is in the best interest of candidates as it helps to ensure the quality of future examinations. Pretest items have absolutely no effect on candidates’ scores. For example, if two candidates both answer the same number of weighted items correctly, and one answers all of the pretest items correctly and the other answers none of the pretest items correctly, they both receive the same score and pass/fail status on the exam. In fact, candidates will be protected against poorly-performing items adversely affecting their scores, while at the same time taking an examination that is current with professional trends. 

Study Guides

IC&RC currently endorses study guides for its Alcohol and Drug Counselor Examinations and its Co-Occurring Disorders Professionals Examinations. More information on IC&RC endorsed study guides can be found at here.