RBT Practice Exam — 85 Questions

During a 20-minute reading block, RBT Aisha tallies every time her client Noah blurts out without raising his hand. The BCBA wants to compare this behavior across days when the reading block is sometimes 20 and sometimes 30 minutes long. Which measure should Aisha report so the comparison is fair?

1. The total count of blurt-outs for each session
2. The latency from the start of class to the first blurt-out
3. The rate of blurt-outs (count per minute)
4. The duration of each blurt-out

RBT Marcus is asked to record how long each of Priya’s tantrums lasts, from the moment it begins until it fully stops. Which measurement dimension is Marcus recording?

1. Frequency
2. Latency
3. Duration
4. Inter-response time

After giving the instruction “Touch your nose,” RBT Elena uses a stopwatch to record the number of seconds before her learner Sofia begins to respond. Which dimension is Elena measuring?

1. Duration
2. Latency
3. Rate
4. Momentary time sampling

RBT Daniel divides a 10-minute observation into 20-second intervals and marks an interval if his client’s hand-flapping happens at any point within it. The BCBA warns this method can make the behavior look more frequent than it really is. Which recording method is Daniel using?

1. Whole-interval recording
2. Partial-interval recording
3. Momentary time sampling
4. Permanent product

RBT Hannah is told to record on-task behavior using whole-interval recording during a 15-minute work period. For an interval to be scored, what must happen?

1. The behavior must occur at least once in the interval
2. The behavior must occur at the exact end of the interval
3. The behavior must occur for the entire interval
4. The behavior must occur more than twice in the interval

RBT Omar is busy running a group activity, so his supervisor asks him to glance up only at the moment each 1-minute interval ends and record whether his client is engaged at that instant. Which method is this?

1. Partial-interval recording
2. Whole-interval recording
3. Frequency recording
4. Momentary time sampling

At the end of a session, RBT Zoe counts the number of completed worksheet problems her client finished, even though she did not watch every problem being done. What type of measurement is this?

1. Frequency recording
2. Partial-interval recording
3. Latency recording
4. Permanent product recording

RBT Jamal records 18 occurrences of a behavior while a second observer independently records 20 during the same session. Using total-count interobserver agreement, what is their agreement?

1. 90%
2. 38%
3. 100%
4. 2%

Two RBTs, Maya and Ethan, sit on opposite sides of the room and, without talking, each record the same client’s aggression at the same time so the data can be compared. What are they collecting?

1. Treatment integrity data
2. Social validity data
3. Preference data
4. Interobserver agreement (IOA) data

RBT Layla is graphing her client’s correct responses. Over two weeks the data path on the line graph climbs steadily upward. What does this trend most likely indicate?

1. The skill is not being acquired
2. The intervention is associated with improvement
3. The data are unreliable
4. The program should be discontinued

During a discrete-trial program, RBT Carlos marks each individual trial as correct, incorrect, or prompted on his datasheet. What type of data collection is this?

1. Interval recording
2. Permanent product
3. Duration recording
4. Trial-by-trial data collection

Before teaching begins each day, RBT Nadia presents the target instruction once with no prompts and records whether her client responds correctly on that very first, unprompted try. What is the purpose of this “cold probe”?

1. To reinforce the client for early effort
2. To measure how distracted the client is
3. To measure independent performance before teaching that day
4. To thin the reinforcement schedule

RBT Ben steps out of the room for three minutes to get materials and misses part of the observation while taking frequency data on his client’s hand-raising. What should Ben do with his data?

1. Record only what he directly observed and note the three-minute gap
2. Estimate the count he likely missed and add it in
3. Count for the full session as if he never left
4. Ask the client how many times they raised their hand

RBT Fatima’s supervisor wants to know how often a behavior occurs relative to time so programs can be compared week to week. Which pair of dimensions is Fatima most likely to be asked to convert between?

1. Latency and duration
2. Magnitude and topography
3. Count and rate
4. Trend and variability

RBT Grace is directed to present two items at a time to her learner Hassan, record which one he reaches for, and rotate the pairings so each item is eventually compared against every other item. Which preference assessment is Grace running?

1. Paired-stimulus (forced-choice) preference assessment
2. Free-operant preference assessment
3. Single-stimulus (successive choice) assessment
4. Multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO)

RBT Lily lays out an array of eight toys; after her client selects one, she removes that toy and re-presents the remaining items, repeating until the array is empty. Which assessment is Lily conducting?

1. Paired-stimulus assessment
2. Multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO)
3. Single-stimulus assessment
4. Functional analysis

During an interview portion of a review, RBT Yusuf is asked what his role is when the team conducts a functional analysis. What is the most accurate answer?

1. Determine the function of the behavior and report it to the family
2. Design and manipulate the FA conditions independently
3. Write the behavior intervention plan from the results
4. Implement the procedures and collect data as directed by the supervisor

RBT Mia records the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences she observes in real time as her client engages in self-injury, without changing anything in the environment. What type of assessment data is Mia collecting?

1. Functional analysis data
2. Preference data
3. Permanent product data
4. ABC (descriptive) data

RBT Tariq’s client has not had access to his favorite tablet all morning. That afternoon, the tablet works unusually well as a reinforcer during the session. What concept explains this?

1. An establishing operation
2. An abolishing operation
3. A discriminative stimulus
4. Extinction

A preference assessment tells RBT Sara which toys her client approaches most, but her supervisor wants to confirm whether one of those toys will actually <em>increase</em> a target behavior when delivered as a consequence. What should be done next?

1. Conduct a reinforcer assessment
2. Repeat the same preference assessment
3. Assume the most-approached toy is a reinforcer
4. Switch to a new client

RBT Kevin gathers information about a client’s problem behavior by having the caregiver complete a rating scale and answer interview questions, without directly observing the behavior. Which type of assessment is this?

1. Direct observation
2. Functional analysis
3. Trial-based assessment
4. Indirect assessment

RBT Amara is reviewing the common functions a problem behavior might serve. Which set correctly lists them?

1. Reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and recovery
2. Attention, access to tangibles, escape/avoidance, and automatic/sensory
3. Frequency, duration, latency, and rate
4. Prompting, fading, chaining, and shaping

While running a preference assessment, RBT Ryan notices his client keeps reaching for the same item and seems uninterested in the others. What should Ryan do?

1. Steer the client toward other items for variety
2. Stop and choose an item for the client
3. Tell the supervisor the client is doing the assessment wrong
4. Present the items as instructed and record the client’s actual selections

RBT Elena gives her client free access to several activities and simply records what he chooses to engage with and for how long, with minimal disruption. Which preference assessment format is this?

1. Paired-stimulus
2. Single-stimulus
3. Free-operant
4. MSWO

RBT Noah is teaching a new tacting program. He delivers enthusiastic praise and a token every single time his learner responds correctly. Which schedule of reinforcement is Noah using, and why is it appropriate here?

1. Variable-ratio, to build resistance to extinction
2. Fixed-interval, to space out reinforcement
3. Noncontingent, to reduce problem behavior
4. Continuous (FR1), because the skill is newly being acquired

After weeks of teaching, RBT Priya gradually moves her learner from reinforcement after every correct response to reinforcement after about every third correct response. What is Priya doing and why?

1. Extinction, to eliminate the behavior
2. Shaping, to create a new behavior
3. Schedule thinning, to build durable responding
4. Prompting, to reduce errors

RBT Daniel runs a discrete-trial program using a least-to-most prompting hierarchy. On one trial his learner Liam responds incorrectly. What is Daniel’s correct next step?

1. Provide the next, slightly more supportive prompt level
2. Immediately deliver a full physical prompt
3. End the trial and move on to the next target
4. Repeat the instruction more loudly

RBT Sofia begins each teaching trial with a full physical prompt and, over successive sessions, fades to lighter prompts as her learner succeeds. Which prompting approach is Sofia using?

1. Least-to-most prompting
2. Most-to-least prompting
3. No-prompt (errorful) teaching
4. Noncontingent prompting

To prevent errors while teaching picture identification, RBT Omar delivers the prompt immediately on the first trials, then inserts a growing pause before prompting so his learner can respond independently. Which technique is this?

1. Response cost
2. Time delay (errorless teaching)
3. Extinction
4. Noncontingent reinforcement

RBT Hannah places a small colored sticker on the correct picture to help her learner choose it, planning to fade the sticker later. What type of prompt is the sticker?

1. Response prompt
2. Conditioned reinforcer
3. Stimulus prompt
4. Motivating operation

RBT Jamal teaches handwashing by first teaching the final step (drying hands) to completion, then adding the step before it, and so on, working backward through the task analysis. Which chaining procedure is this?

1. Forward chaining
2. Backward chaining
3. Total-task presentation
4. Shaping

RBT Diego has his learner attempt every step of a tooth-brushing chain each session, prompting any steps the learner cannot yet do independently. Which teaching method is Diego using?

1. Forward chaining
2. Total-task presentation
3. Backward chaining
4. Discrimination training

Before teaching a self-care skill, RBT Zoe breaks “putting on a jacket” into a sequence of small, observable steps. What has Zoe created?

1. A task analysis
2. A preference hierarchy
3. A reinforcement schedule
4. A prompt hierarchy

RBT Maya first reinforces her client for any vocal sound, then only for sounds resembling “ba,” then only for the full word “ball.” Which procedure is Maya using?

1. Chaining
2. Prompting
3. Shaping
4. Extinction

After RBT Ethan teaches his client to greet him, the client spontaneously begins greeting the receptionist, a parent, and a new therapist as well. What has occurred?

1. Response generalization
2. Extinction
3. Prompt dependency
4. Stimulus generalization

After being taught to request a break by saying “break,” RBT Layla’s client spontaneously also signs and points to request a break, even though those forms were never taught. What has occurred?

1. Response generalization
2. Stimulus generalization
3. Maintenance
4. Satiation

Three weeks after RBT Carlos finished teaching a skill, his client still performs it reliably even though active teaching stopped. What is being demonstrated?

1. Generalization
2. Maintenance
3. Acquisition
4. Shaping

RBT Nadia embeds her teaching into play and daily routines, following her client’s interests and motivation rather than running trials at a table. Which teaching approach is this?

1. Discrete-trial teaching
2. Massed-trial teaching
3. Errorless teaching
4. Natural environment teaching (NET)

RBT Ben waits for his learner to reach toward a desired toy, then uses that moment of motivation to prompt a request before delivering the toy. Which strategy is Ben using?

1. Incidental teaching
2. Response cost
3. Noncontingent reinforcement
4. Extinction

RBT Fatima only lets her client access five minutes of a favorite game after he finishes his homework. Which principle is she applying?

1. The Premack principle
2. The matching law
3. Response cost
4. Noncontingent reinforcement

Before presenting a difficult demand, RBT Grace delivers three quick, easy requests her learner readily follows, then immediately presents the hard task. Which strategy is Grace using to increase compliance?

1. Shaping
2. Behavioral momentum (high-probability request sequence)
3. Extinction
4. Time-out

RBT Hassan spends the first sessions with a new client pairing himself with preferred items and fun activities before placing any demands. What is the main purpose of this pairing?

1. To punish early problem behavior
2. To collect interobserver agreement
3. To build rapport and instructional control
4. To thin the reinforcement schedule

RBT Sara’s learner says “cookie” because he wants a cookie, and a cookie is delivered. Which verbal operant is this?

1. Tact
2. Mand
3. Echoic
4. Intraverbal

RBT Kevin’s learner sees a passing bus and says “bus” simply to earn the therapist’s praise, without wanting anything. Which verbal operant is this?

1. Mand
2. Echoic
3. Tact
4. Intraverbal

During teaching, RBT Mia presents a cue that signals reinforcement is available for a particular response, helping her learner discriminate when to perform it. What is this cue called?

1. A conditioned punisher
2. A discriminative stimulus (SD)
3. An abolishing operation
4. A reinforcer

RBT Ryan uses a token board: his learner earns tokens for correct responses and later exchanges them for a preferred backup reinforcer. Why do the tokens work as reinforcers?

1. They are conditioned (secondary) reinforcers paired with backups
2. They are primary reinforcers
3. They are motivating operations
4. They are discriminative stimuli

RBT Noah is asked to help reduce his client’s screaming, which the team has identified as maintained by escape from demands. For the intervention to work, what must the plan primarily be based on?

1. The function the behavior serves (escape)
2. The same procedure used for every client
3. Punishment, since it is fastest
4. Whatever the caregiver prefers

Instead of screaming to escape work, RBT Priya’s learner is taught to hand over a “break” card to request a short break, and the break is delivered for the card. Which procedure is this a specific example of?

1. DRO
2. Response cost
3. DRA, through functional communication training (FCT)
4. Positive punishment

RBT Daniel’s plan reinforces his client for keeping his hands folded in his lap, a behavior that physically cannot occur at the same time as hitting. Which differential reinforcement procedure is this?

1. DRO
2. DRL
3. DRA
4. DRI (differential reinforcement of an incompatible behavior)

RBT Sofia’s plan delivers reinforcement only if her client raises his hand no more than twice during each 10-minute interval; more than twice, and reinforcement is withheld for that interval. Which procedure is this?

1. DRA
2. DRO
3. DRI
4. DRL (differential reinforcement of low rates)

RBT Omar’s plan reinforces his client at the end of each 5-minute interval only if the target behavior did not occur at all during that interval. Which procedure is this?

1. DRO (differential reinforcement of other behavior)
2. DRA
3. DRI
4. DRL

For a behavior the team has determined is maintained by attention, RBT Hannah is told to implement extinction. In practice, what does extinction require Hannah to do?

1. Give brief attention to calm the client
2. Remove a demand when the behavior occurs
3. Withhold attention following the behavior
4. Deliver a preferred item after the behavior

RBT Jamal’s client engages in work refusal maintained by escape. The plan uses escape extinction. What does Jamal do when the refusal occurs?

1. End the session immediately
2. Not allow escape from the demand following the behavior
3. Allow the client to leave the table
4. Deliver a preferred tangible

Shortly after RBT Diego begins an extinction procedure, his client’s problem behavior suddenly becomes louder, longer, and more intense before it starts to decrease. What is happening, and what should Diego do?

1. The plan has failed; he should stop extinction
2. He should give brief reinforcement to calm the client
3. He should switch to a new plan on his own
4. It is an extinction burst; he should continue the plan as written and document it

A behavior RBT Zoe had successfully reduced through extinction suddenly reappears several days later, after not occurring at all. What is this phenomenon called?

1. An extinction burst
2. Response generalization
3. Spontaneous recovery
4. Satiation

To reduce a client’s attention-seeking behavior, RBT Maya delivers attention on a fixed-time schedule — every two minutes — regardless of what the client is doing. Which procedure is this?

1. Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR)
2. Differential reinforcement
3. Response cost
4. Shaping

In a token system, RBT Ethan removes a specific number of earned tokens each time his client engages in the target problem behavior. Which procedure is this?

1. Extinction
2. DRA
3. Response cost
4. Noncontingent reinforcement

Following a problem behavior, RBT Layla briefly removes her client’s access to a highly reinforcing activity for a short, defined period. Which procedure is this?

1. Positive punishment
2. Positive reinforcement
3. Time-out from positive reinforcement
4. Extinction

RBT Carlos offers his client choices, provides frequent attention, and enriches the environment <em>before</em> problem behavior is likely to occur, to make it less likely in the first place. What type of strategy is this?

1. An antecedent intervention
2. A consequence-based procedure
3. Extinction
4. Response cost

During a session, RBT Nadia’s client begins aggression that poses an immediate risk of injury, and the behavior plan includes a crisis protocol. What is Nadia’s best first action?

1. Continue running teaching trials so aggression is not reinforced
2. Improvise whatever feels safest and ignore the plan
3. Implement the plan’s crisis procedures to keep everyone safe, then document and contact the supervisor
4. Leave the room without telling anyone

RBT Ben’s team is reducing a problem behavior but also wants to make sure the client still has a way to meet the need the behavior served. Why is pairing reduction with teaching a replacement behavior important?

1. It makes data collection optional
2. It eliminates the need for reinforcement
3. It gives the learner an appropriate way to meet the same need
4. It speeds up punishment

ABA generally prioritizes reinforcement-based procedures over punishment-based ones. When RBT Fatima is asked why, what is the best explanation?

1. Punishment is always illegal
2. Punishment is faster and always preferred
3. Reinforcement requires no data
4. Reinforcement teaches skills and avoids the side effects and restrictions of punishment

RBT Grace is writing her session note. Which of the following entries is the most appropriate, objective documentation?

1. “Hassan was lazy and defiant during the whole session.”
2. “Hassan hit the table 4 times during the 15-minute math task.”
3. “Hassan clearly did not care about the work today.”
4. “Hassan had a bad attitude and was being difficult.”

RBT Lily is very busy and considers filling in her behavior data from memory at the end of the week. Why is this a problem?

1. It is acceptable as long as she is close
2. Weekly data is always more accurate
3. Data should be recorded as the behavior occurs or immediately after, to protect accuracy
4. Only the supervisor can record data

During a session, RBT Yusuf’s client trips and sustains a minor injury. What should Yusuf do?

1. Keep it private to avoid getting anyone in trouble
2. Decide on his own whether it was serious enough to mention
3. Tell only the caregiver and move on
4. Document the incident accurately and report it to the supervisor per protocol

RBT Mia needs to store and share a client’s session notes. Which practice is correct?

1. Share them freely among staff and friends
2. Post them where caregivers can conveniently see everyone’s
3. Keep them confidential and store them securely, sharing only with authorization
4. Discard them after each session

A caregiver asks RBT Tariq several questions during a session. Which of the following is appropriate for Tariq to communicate?

1. A medical or behavioral diagnosis
2. Information within his scope, as directed by his supervisor
3. A change to the treatment plan
4. His own determination of the behavior’s function

When recording the time and service units for a billable session, RBT Sara realizes the session ran a few minutes short. What should she do?

1. Round up to the scheduled time to be safe
2. Match the previous session’s billing
3. Estimate based on the schedule
4. Record honestly and accurately what actually occurred

Partway through a session, a caregiver mentions to RBT Kevin that the client started a new medication last night and seems unusually drowsy today. What should Kevin do?

1. Advise the caregiver to stop the medication
2. Ignore it, since medication is not an RBT’s concern
3. Decide the session is pointless and end early
4. Document the caregiver’s report and notify the supervisor, since it may affect responding

RBT Amara keeps being unable to deliver scheduled sessions because of repeated access problems at the home. What is the appropriate action?

1. Say nothing to avoid worrying anyone
2. Notify the supervisor so the barriers to service can be addressed
3. Quietly change the treatment plan herself
4. Ask the caregiver to run the sessions instead

RBT Ryan is reviewing what makes a session note professional. Which description best fits?

1. Subjective impressions of the client’s personality
2. Objective, accurate, and timely descriptions of observable behavior
3. A summary written days later from memory
4. The RBT’s emotional reaction to the session

RBT Noah is asked by his supervisor to run a procedure he has never been trained to perform. What is the most appropriate action?

1. Attempt it anyway to be helpful
2. Ask the caregiver how to do it
3. Look it up online and proceed
4. Decline for now and ask the supervisor for training or clarification

A long-term family offers RBT Priya a part-time weekend babysitting job for their child, who is also her client. Why should Priya be cautious?

1. The pay is too low to bother
2. She would need a new certification
3. It is the supervisor’s job to babysit
4. It creates a multiple (dual) relationship that can impair professional judgment

At the end of services, a grateful family insists RBT Daniel accept an expensive watch as a thank-you gift. What should Daniel do?

1. Politely decline, explain the professional guidelines on gifts, and inform his supervisor
2. Accept it to avoid hurting their feelings
3. Accept it but not tell anyone
4. Accept it and promise to work extra hard for them

After a session, a neighbor recognizes that RBT Sofia works with a particular child and asks how that child’s therapy is going. What should Sofia do?

1. Share general progress since the neighbor knows the family
2. Confirm only the positive updates
3. Decline to share any client information, citing confidentiality
4. Briefly describe the behavior plan

RBT Omar is proud of a client’s progress and wants to post about it on social media without using the child’s name. Is this acceptable?

1. No, sharing client information or images on social media risks confidentiality and is not permitted
2. Yes, as long as the name is omitted
3. Yes, if the family follows his account
4. Yes, if it raises awareness

Throughout services, RBT Hannah makes a point of treating her client with respect, protecting his privacy, and considering his preferences and comfort. Which principle is she upholding?

1. Prioritizing speed over comfort
2. Using the client as a public teaching example
3. Avoiding all client preferences
4. Maintaining the client’s dignity

RBT Jamal is working with a family whose cultural values differ from his own, including a preferred nickname and certain routines that are important to them but unfamiliar to him. The practices are not harmful. What is the most appropriate response?

1. Demonstrate cultural responsiveness and respect the family’s values while following clinical direction
2. Apply identical methods regardless of culture
3. Avoid working with the family
4. Let the caregiver run the sessions instead

RBT Diego observes a colleague behaving unethically toward a client. What is his responsibility?

1. Address it appropriately and report it through proper channels
2. Ignore it to avoid conflict
3. Confront the client about it
4. Post about it online

RBT Zoe has been practicing for over a year and feels confident. Is ongoing supervision still required for her?

1. No, supervision is optional once experienced
2. Yes, ongoing supervision is a continuing requirement of practice
3. Only during her first week
4. Only if a caregiver requests it

RBT Maya realizes a new program her supervisor assigned involves a procedure she has not been trained on. To maintain competence, what should she do?

1. Rely only on her initial training
2. Seek training or supervision before performing the unfamiliar task
3. Avoid asking questions so she looks competent
4. Copy whatever another technician does

RBT Ben strongly disagrees with one step in his client’s behavior intervention plan. What is the appropriate action?

1. Quietly change the step to what he thinks is better
2. Implement the plan as written while raising his concern with the supervisor
3. Stop implementing the plan entirely
4. Ask the caregiver to decide what to do

During a session, RBT Fatima notices signs that may indicate her client is being harmed at home. What should she do?

1. Follow mandatory-reporting laws and organizational procedures and notify her supervisor
2. Investigate the situation herself
3. Ignore it unless she is completely certain
4. Confront the caregiver directly

RBT Hassan wants to keep his relationship with his client’s family appropriate. Which of the following reflects maintaining professional boundaries?

1. Keeping interactions professional and within the service relationship
2. Becoming personal friends to build trust
3. Sharing his personal financial problems with them
4. Accepting a personal loan from the family

When RBT Sara is asked why ethics is emphasized so heavily in RBT training, what is the best answer?

1. Because it is easy to test
2. Because it reduces paperwork
3. Because the BACB requires nothing else
4. Because RBTs work directly with vulnerable clients and their decisions affect client welfare