ADC Addiction Counselor Exam
The IC&RC ADC exam is 150 multiple-choice questions in three hours, spread across four domains. This independent app has 120 original practice questions across all four domains, 44 flashcards and 5 study notes: one on the exam format and one for each domain. One-time purchase of $12.99, no subscription, with up to 10 free questions in every domain.
What the IC&RC ADC exam involves
ADC stands for Alcohol and Drug Counselor. It is an IC&RC credential that, in IC&RC's words, recognizes the core competencies required for counselors addressing substance use and addiction issues. The exam is aimed at entry-to-mid-level professionals working directly with individuals struggling with addiction.
How many questions are on the ADC exam, and how long do you get?
The exam has 150 multiple-choice questions and the length of administration is three hours. 125 of the 150 are scored and 25 are pretest questions. IC&RC states that pretest questions are not identified on the exam and do not affect your score. Each question has either three or four choices, with one correct or best answer.
What are the four domains of the ADC exam?
The exam blueprint in the ADC candidate guide, effective November 2022, gives each domain a weight:
- Scientific Principles of Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders: 25%
- Evidence-Based Screening and Assessment: 20%
- Evidence-Based Treatment, Counseling, and Referral: 30%
- Professional, Ethical, and Legal Responsibilities: 25%
What score do you need to pass the ADC exam?
IC&RC reports a scaled score on a scale from 200 to 800, and the minimum scaled passing score is 500 for all of its exams. The cut score is not based on a percentage of questions answered correctly. IC&RC sets it with a Modified Angoff study, in which a panel of subject matter experts rates the difficulty of each question.
How much of the exam does this app cover?
All four domains, with 120 questions: 30 on Scientific Principles of Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders; 24 on Evidence-Based Screening and Assessment; 36 on Evidence-Based Treatment, Counseling, and Referral; and 30 on Professional, Ethical, and Legal Responsibilities. There are 44 flashcards across the four domains and 5 study notes, one on the exam format, domains and scoring and one for each domain. Some topics are not covered yet, listed below.
What is not covered?
Some exam topics are left out or not yet written, and the app lists them on its own screens too:
- Scope of practice, in the Professional, Ethical, and Legal Responsibilities domain. Conflicts of interest have only one question so far.
- Diagnostic criteria, because the DSM is a copyrighted work. Questions on level-of-care placement do not quote the ASAM Criteria for the same reason.
- State confidentiality and licensing laws. Confidentiality questions follow the federal rule, 42 CFR Part 2, as published on the eCFR in October 2026.
- A timed mock exam. It is switched off until the question set is large enough to fill a 150-question form in the domain weights.
A complete study system, on one device
120 questions across the four exam domains
Practice domain by domain, from how addiction changes the brain to screening, motivational counseling, medications for opioid use disorder and federal confidentiality law. Wrong answers go into a review list, and a readiness score tracks each domain on its own.
Written from U.S. government publications
The questions are original, written from public U.S. government sources: SAMHSA's addiction counseling competencies and Treatment Improvement Protocols, NIDA's Drugs, Brains, and Behavior, and 42 CFR Part 2. Under an explanation you see the passage it rests on, for example TIP 63, Executive Summary. The DSM and the ASAM Criteria are not reproduced or quoted. Everything works offline, with no account.
Study notes and flashcards for every domain
One note sets out the exam format: the question count, timing, the four domain weights and how IC&RC sets the pass mark. Each domain then has its own note with key points, key terms and common mistakes, and every note links the sources it was written from. The exam format note and the Evidence-Based Treatment, Counseling, and Referral note are open in full before you buy. Flashcards cover the facts you need to know cold, each tied to the same source as a practice question.
What to look for in an exam-prep app
| Based on the official public source | Yes, U.S. government addiction counseling publications: SAMHSA TAP 21 Addiction Counseling Competencies, SAMHSA Treatment Improvement Protocols 35, 39, 42, 57 and 63, NIDA Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction, and 42 CFR Part 2 (Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records) |
|---|---|
| Answer explanations mapped to the source | Yes |
| Weak-area review | Yes |
| Flashcards (spaced repetition) | Yes |
| Works fully offline, no account | Yes |
| Ads | None |
| Payment | One-time purchase |
| Last content review | 2026-10-24 |
Where the questions come from, and when we last checked
Built from U.S. government addiction counseling publications: SAMHSA TAP 21 Addiction Counseling Competencies, SAMHSA Treatment Improvement Protocols 35, 39, 42, 57 and 63, NIDA Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction, and 42 CFR Part 2 (Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records) (IC&RC ADC Exam Candidate Guide, effective November 2022; 42 CFR Part 2 as published on the eCFR in October 2026), the official public source, used under Public domain: works of the U.S. federal government are not subject to copyright (17 U.S.C. 105). Every question is original wording by RiverMap Learning; no IC&RC material is reproduced, and the DSM and the ASAM Criteria are not quoted.. View the official source .
Last checked against the source: 2026-10-24.
- Study items
- 100+
- Questions
- 120
- Flashcards
- 44
All questions are original and written from the public source. No official exam questions are copied.
- 2026-10-24 120 questions across the four domains (30, 24, 36, 30), 44 flashcards and 5 study notes (the exam format and one per domain). Exam figures on this page (150 questions, 125 scored and 25 pretest, three hours, three or four choices, the four domain weights, the 200 to 800 scale with 500 to pass, the Modified Angoff method) read from the IC&RC ADC Exam Candidate Guide and the IC&RC examination scoring page on 24 October 2026.
- Questions follow the four IC&RC ADC domains. Some exam topics are not yet covered, and the notes below name them.
- Professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities: federal confidentiality law (42 CFR Part 2), patient rights and complaints under it, ethics codes, professional boundaries, supervision, continuing education and secondary trauma are covered. Conflicts of interest have only one question, and scope of practice is not yet covered.
- Diagnostic criteria are not covered, because the DSM is a copyrighted work. Questions on level-of-care placement do not quote the ASAM Criteria for the same reason.
- Confidentiality questions follow 42 CFR Part 2 as published on the eCFR in October 2026. State laws can differ and are not covered.
Common questions
Which exam does this app prepare for?
The IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) exam. The app follows the four domains of the exam blueprint effective November 2022.
How many questions are on the ADC exam?
150 multiple-choice questions in three hours. 125 are scored and 25 are pretest questions that do not affect your score.
What score do I need to pass the ADC exam?
A scaled score of 500 on IC&RC's scale from 200 to 800. IC&RC does not set the cut score as a percentage of questions answered correctly; it uses a Modified Angoff study.
Does the app cover the whole exam?
Not yet. It has 120 questions across all four domains, and some topics are not covered: scope of practice, DSM diagnostic criteria and state law, and conflicts of interest has only one question. There is no mock exam yet. The full list is on this page and in the app.
Where do the questions come from?
They are original questions written by RiverMap Learning from public U.S. government sources: SAMHSA publications, NIDA and the Code of Federal Regulations. No real exam questions are reproduced, and the DSM and the ASAM Criteria are not quoted.
What does it cost?
The download is free and includes up to 10 practice questions and 6 flashcards in every domain, the exam format note and the Evidence-Based Treatment, Counseling, and Referral note. Everything else unlocks with a one-time purchase of $12.99. There is no subscription and no account.
Is it available on iPhone?
Not at the moment. The app is being prepared for Google Play on Android.
Is this app connected to IC&RC?
No. It is an independent study aid published by RiverMap Learning. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by IC&RC, any IC&RC member board, SAMHSA or NIDA, and it is not a substitute for the official candidate guide. It does not give clinical, diagnostic or legal advice.
Walk into your test prepared.
One purchase. Every question. Yours offline, forever.