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IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) Examination
The ADC Examination is the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium's entry-level certification exam for alcohol and drug (addiction) counselors, administered by IC&RC member and administering boards across US states and multiple countries.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions150 questions: 125 scored plus 25 unscored pretest items
Testing time3 hours (computer-based session; brief tutorial and survey receive additional time)
ScoringMinimum scaled passing score of 500 on a 200-800 scale; raw scores equated across exam forms
Exam feeNo owner-published fee: each Administering/Member Board sets its own exam fee and eligibility charges (example: New York State OASAS charges USD 245 each time the exam is taken); Prometric/IQT charges a USD 35 reschedule or cancellation fee
Prep options
Study resources for ADC Exam
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- IC&RC
- Category
- Counseling & Addiction
- Current version
- ADC Candidate Guide blueprint, effective November 2022 (current published blueprint; NYS OASAS notes ADC domain updates effective March 2023)
- Where it applies
- International / multi-country
- Exam languages
- English, Spanish
- Score scale
- 200–800 scaled score
- Testing provider
- Prometric, through its ISO-Quality Testing (IQT) division
- Format
- Computer-based at Prometric/ISO-Quality Testing test centers worldwide, or via remote proctoring where the Administering Board permits it
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment (NY OASAS: 'offered weekly at secure locations worldwide'); each Administering Board pre-registers candidates and sets their testing window
- Results
- Preliminary pass/fail score at the test center immediately upon completion; official score report issued by the Administering Board (NY: approximately four weeks by email)
- Remote testing
- Varies by jurisdiction
Exam structure
150 multiple-choice items (three or four answer options each) across four domains: Scientific Principles of Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders (25%), Evidence-Based Screening and Assessment (20%), Evidence-Based Treatment, Counseling, and Referral (30%), and Professional, Ethical, and Legal Responsibilities (25%).
Where rules vary
The exam is one uniform instrument, but it is administered by independently run member/administering boards - US state boards plus DC, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, US military branches and IHS regions, and international boards in Canada (CACCF), Bermuda, Hong Kong/Taiwan/Macau/PRC, India, Israel, Korea, Nigeria, and Singapore. Each board sets its own eligibility, fees, remote-proctor policy, and retake rules. In New York the ADC exam is the credentialing exam for the CASAC credential, administered by NYS OASAS.
Eligibility
Board-specific: candidates must apply through their local Administering Board, which sets eligibility (typically education plus supervised substance-use counseling work experience) for its jurisdiction
Retake policy
Minimum 90-day waiting period between attempts (individual boards may extend; NY requires remedial coursework after three failures); after four consecutive failed attempts, Administering Boards must require remedial action before retesting