The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification exam is administered by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) to assess the knowledge and skills of future behavior technicians. Passing the RBT exam will award you the RBT certification.
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Eligibility
To be eligible for the RBT exam, you must be at least 18 years old and meet the following requirements:
- You must hold a high school diploma or some equivalent
- You must pass a criminal background check
- You must pass an abuse registry check
- You must have at least 40 hours of qualified training
- You must pass an initial RBT competency assessment
RBT Competency Assessment
The RBT Initial Competency Assessment is used to ensure you are able to perform essential tasks necessary to be eligible for the RBT certification exam. This assessment must be completed after you obtain your minimum of 40 training hours, and you must submit your exam application within 90 days of completing this assessment.
Assessment Outline
The competency assessment contains 20 tasks, all of which must be completed, and will likely take between 1 and 3 hours to complete. Each task will be administered using one of the following assessment types:
- With a client (C): You are observed by an assessor as you perform the task with a client receiving behavior analytic services
- Roleplay (R): You are observed by an assessor as you perform the task in a scenario similar to what may occur with a client
- Interview (I): You are interviewed by an assessor and expected to provide relevant examples and nonexamples for given concepts
The 20 tasks on the assessment are grouped into four sections:
1. Measurement
| Task | Available Assessment Types |
|---|---|
| Continuous Measurement | C/R/I |
| Discontinuous Measurement | |
| Data and Graphs |
2. Assessment
| Task | Available Assessment Types |
|---|---|
| Preference Assessments | C/R |
| ABC Data |
3. Skill Acquisition and Behavior Reduction
Three of these tasks must be demonstrated with a client.
| Task | Available Assessment Types |
|---|---|
| Discrete-Trial Teaching | C/R |
| Naturalistic Teaching | |
| Chaining | |
| Shaping | |
| Discrimination Training | |
| Stimulus Control Transfer | |
| Prompting | |
| Token Systems | |
| Crisis/Emergency | |
One of the following:
|
4. Professionalism and Requirements
| Task | Available Assessment Types |
|---|---|
| Session Notes | C/R/I |
| Client Dignity | I |
| Professional Boundaries | |
| Supervision Requirements | |
| Clinical Direction |
Exam Outline Review
The RBT exam contains 85 multiple-choice questions, 10 of which are unscored, and you will be given a time limit of 1.5 hours.
The exam is split into six content areas, and each area contains an RBT task list.
1. Measurement (12 scored questions)
- Prepare for data collection
- Implement continuous measurement procedures
- Implement discontinuous measurement procedures
- Implement permanent-product recording procedures
- Enter data and update graphs
- Describe behavior and environment in observable and measurable terms
2. Assessment (16 scored questions)
- Conduct preference assessments
- Assist with individualized assessment procedures
- Assist with functional assessment procedures
3. Skill Acquisition (24 scored questions)
- Identify the essential components of a written skill acquisition plan
- Prepare for the session as required by the skill acquisition plan
- Use contingencies of reinforcement
- Implement discrete-trial teaching procedures
- Implement naturalistic teaching procedures
- Implement task analyzed chaining procedures
- Implement discrimination training
- Implement stimulus control transfer procedures
- Implement prompt and prompt fading procedures
- Implement generalization and maintenance procedures
- Implement shaping procedures
- Implement token economy procedures
4. Behavior Reduction (12 scored questions)
- Identify essential components of a written behavior reduction plan
- Describe common functions of behavior
- Implement interventions based on modification of antecedents such as motivating operations and discriminative stimuli
- Implement differential reinforcement procedures
- Implement extinction procedures
- Implement crisis/emergency procedures according to protocol
5. Documentation and Reporting (10 scored questions)
- Effectively communicate with a supervisor in an ongoing manner
- Actively seek clinical direction from supervisor in a timely manner
- Report other variables that might affect the client in a timely manner
- Generate objective session notes for service verification by describing what occurred during the sessions, in accordance with applicable legal, regulatory, and workplace requirements
- Comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and workplace data collection, storage, transportation, and documentation requirements
6. Professional Conduct and Scope of Practice (11 scored questions)
- Describe the BACB’s RBT supervision requirements and the role of RBTs in the service-delivery system
- Respond appropriately to feedback and maintain or improve performance accordingly
- Communicate with stakeholders as authorized
- Maintain professional boundaries
- Maintain client dignity
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Registration
To register for the RBT exam, you must submit an application to BACB. Your application must include any necessary proof of eligibility, as well as the $50 application fee.
Once your application is approved, you will receive confirmation of your approval and information on how to schedule your exam appointment with Pearson VUE. To take the exam, you must pay a $45 examination fee to Pearson VUE.
Test Day
In-person Testing
On the day of your exam, you should arrive at the Pearson VUE testing center 15-30 minutes earlier than the scheduled exam time. After you arrive, you will be asked to sign in and present your photo ID to the proctor. You will be photographed and asked to sign a roster and other rule forms.
Personal items are not allowed in the testing room, so they should be left at home or placed in a secure locker outside the testing area.
Just before the exam starts, you will be given a brief tutorial on the testing system and will be asked to sign an NDA.
Remote Testing
Before the day of the exam, you should ensure your equipment meets the minimum requirements. You must have a desktop or laptop with a webcam and microphone, and you should take your exam in a private workspace. The exam cannot be taken on mobile devices, smartphones, or tablets. The technical requirements can be detailed on Pearson’s website.
On the day of your exam, you will be asked to show the remote proctor your testing space and submit a valid form of photo ID. The proctor will walk you through the examination process after the check-in process is complete.
How the Exam is Scored
Your RBT exam score is determined using a modified version of the Angoff method. This means that a group of BACB subject-matter experts have predetermined a difficulty rating system for each question, which allows your raw score to be converted to a universal scaled score. The final scaled score you need in order to pass the exam is not made public, but BACB indicates that you will generally need to answer at least 68 questions correctly to pass.
You should receive a score report before you leave the testing center for in-person testing. For remote testing, you should see your score report in your account immediately following the exam.
Retaking the Exam
If you fail the exam, you may retake it up to three times in a year. You must pay the full examination fee for each retake.
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FAQs
Q
What is an RBT?
A
A registered behavior technician (RBT) is a paraprofessional who works to provide treatment for patients with various types of mental health issues.
Q
How do you become an RBT?
A
To become an RBT, you must meet all of the necessary requirements to take the certification exam, which includes taking a competency assessment, and then pass the exam.
Q
What does RBT stand for?
A
RBT stands for registered behavior technician.
Q
How many questions are on the RBT exam?
A
There are 85 multiple-choice questions on the exam.
Q
How long is the RBT exam?
A
The exam generally takes anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours to complete.
Q
What is the passing score for the RBT exam?
A
Though the scaled score required to pass is not made public, BACB indicates that answering at least 80% of the questions correctly will allow you to pass the exam.
Q
How much does the RBT exam cost?
A
The application fee is $50, and the examination fee is an additional $45.
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