RBT Practice Exam — 75 Questions (Free, 2026)

Jordan records how many times a learner claps during a 15-minute session that varies in length day to day. To compare across days, she should convert the count to:

1. Total duration
2. Rate (responses per minute)
3. Latency
4. Percentage of intervals

An RBT marks a 10-second interval as ‘occurred’ only if the behavior was happening at the exact moment the interval ended. This is:

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

A behavior technician times how long it takes a learner to begin cleaning up after the instruction ‘Time to clean up.’ This measures:

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

Two staff independently record a learner’s hand-flapping and get counts of 15 and 12. The smaller divided by the larger gives roughly 80%. This calculation is a form of:

1. Treatment integrity
2. Social validity
3. Interobserver agreement (IOA)
4. Procedural fidelity

A learner completes 18 of 24 trials correctly. Reported as a percentage of correct responding, this is:

1. 18%
2. 24%
3. 75%
4. 42%

On a line graph, each data point sits well above the previous one across six sessions. The BCBA would describe the LEVEL and TREND as:

1. Stable level with no trend
2. Rising level with an increasing trend
3. High variability with no trend
4. Decreasing trend

An RBT is asked to graph data at the end of each session so the BCBA can review progress. The RBT should:

1. Plot the data accurately and promptly as trained, without interpreting or altering it
2. Only graph sessions that show improvement
3. Smooth the data so the trend looks cleaner
4. Wait until several weeks of data accumulate

For a behavior that occurs at a very high, hard-to-count rate (e.g., rapid hand mouthing), which method is usually most practical?

1. Exact frequency count of every instance
2. An interval or time-sampling method
3. Latency recording
4. Permanent product

A plan asks the RBT to measure ‘number of puzzles completed,’ counted after the session from what’s left on the table. This is:

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

Which is the BEST reason to collect data continuously rather than relying on memory at the end of the day?

1. It makes sessions longer
2. Real-time data are more accurate and reduce bias and forgetting
3. Memory-based notes are prohibited by Pearson VUE
4. It is only needed during the first week

A learner’s target is ‘duration of independent play.’ The RBT should start the timer when the learner:

1. Is given the instruction to play
2. Finishes the whole session
3. Requests a preferred toy
4. Begins independent play and stop it when the play ends

If observers frequently disagree on whether a behavior ‘counts,’ the first thing to improve is usually:

1. The reinforcement schedule
2. The number of sessions per week
3. The graph’s scale
4. A clear, objective operational definition of the behavior

A BCBA asks the RBT to run a paired-stimulus preference assessment. The RBT should:

1. Decide the learner’s favorite item without presenting any
2. Present two items at a time and record which one the learner selects, per the protocol
3. Interpret the results and choose the reinforcers
4. Change to a different assessment if the learner hesitates

The RBT collects ABC narrative data during natural routines. In the ABC format, the ‘A’ refers to:

1. The action the RBT takes
2. The amount of reinforcement
3. The antecedent — what happened right before the behavior
4. The assessment conclusion

A learner tends to engage in problem behavior mostly when asked to do hard tasks and it stops when the task is removed. This pattern suggests a possible function of:

1. Access to attention
2. Escape/avoidance
3. Access to tangibles
4. Automatic reinforcement

During an MSWO assessment the learner selects and consumes the top item, and the RBT then:

1. Removes that item and re-presents the remaining array for the next selection
2. Returns the item to the array for the next trial
3. Ends the assessment after one choice
4. Offers only that item for the rest of the session

An RBT is asked to identify reinforcers but notices the learner ignores all the offered items today. The best action is to:

1. Record the learner’s least-disliked item as the top reinforcer
2. Force the learner to interact with an item
3. Note it and inform the BCBA, since motivation (MOs) may be affecting responding
4. Assume the learner has no reinforcers

Which activity is OUTSIDE the RBT’s role during assessment?

1. Collecting ABC data as directed
2. Determining the function of the behavior from the data
3. Running a preference assessment under supervision
4. Graphing assessment data accurately

A caregiver fills out a questionnaire about when and where problem behavior happens. This information is part of a(n):

1. Direct observation
2. Indirect assessment
3. Functional analysis
4. Preference assessment

Why does the team repeat preference assessments periodically rather than once?

1. Preferences change over time, so reinforcers must be re-checked to stay effective
2. It is required for billing each month
3. The first assessment is always wrong
4. Learners must be tested the same way forever

The RBT’s accurate ABC data primarily helps the BCBA to:

1. Diagnose the learner
2. Bill the insurance company
3. Decide the learner’s long-term prognosis
4. Develop a hypothesis about why the behavior occurs

A learner needs a full physical prompt at first, then the RBT fades to partial physical, gesture, and independence over sessions. This systematic reduction is:

1. Prompt fading (most-to-least)
2. Shaping
3. Chaining
4. Satiation

The three-term contingency taught in DTT is, in order:

1. Behavior → antecedent → consequence
2. Consequence → behavior → antecedent
3. Antecedent → behavior → consequence
4. Prompt → reinforcement → behavior

To teach tooth-brushing, the RBT breaks it into ordered steps and teaches the first step to mastery before adding the next. This is:

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

A learner can imitate, match, and follow simple instructions but can’t yet string the steps of making a sandwich together. The best chaining approach is often:

1. Teaching only the last step for weeks
2. Refusing to teach until all steps are independent
3. Total-task presentation with prompts on the difficult steps
4. Shaping a single approximation

A learner reliably labels ‘apple’ only in the therapy room with the RBT. To get the skill to occur at home and school, the team programs for:

1. Generalization
2. Maintenance
3. Extinction
4. Discrimination

A learner has mastered requesting with words. Months later the skill still occurs without any teaching. This durability is called:

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

Reinforcement is delivered after every single correct response while a learner is first acquiring a skill. This schedule is:

1. Continuous reinforcement (CRF)
2. Variable ratio
3. Fixed interval
4. Variable interval

When teaching a new skill, why reinforce successive approximations rather than wait for the perfect response?

1. Shaping builds the target gradually when the full behavior isn’t yet in the learner’s repertoire
2. It is faster to skip teaching entirely
3. Perfect responses should never be reinforced
4. Approximations are only used for behavior reduction

A learner requests a cookie by signing when hungry. This verbal operant is a:

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

A learner sees a dog and says ‘dog’ with no prompt and nothing requested. This verbal operant is a:

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

To minimize errors while transferring stimulus control, the RBT gives the SD, waits a set and growing number of seconds, then prompts if needed. This is:

1. Least-to-most prompting with no delay
2. Noncontingent reinforcement
3. Time delay (constant or progressive)
4. Total-task chaining

A learner becomes dependent on the RBT’s pointing prompt and rarely responds without it. The best corrective strategy is to:

1. Keep pointing so errors never occur
2. Switch to a stronger full physical prompt
3. Fade the prompt systematically and reinforce more independent responses
4. Stop all teaching of that skill

In discrete trial training, the brief pause that separates one trial from the next is the:

1. Latency
2. Reinforcement delay
3. Inter-trial interval
4. Prompt delay

Pairing a neutral person or item with established reinforcers so they too become reinforcing is:

1. Extinction
2. Response cost
3. Satiation
4. Pairing (stimulus–stimulus pairing)

A token economy delivers tokens for target behavior that are later exchanged for backup reinforcers. The tokens function as:

1. Unconditioned reinforcers
2. Punishers
3. Discriminative stimuli only
4. Conditioned (secondary) reinforcers

A learner performs a chain better when the RBT teaches the LAST step first so the learner always finishes and contacts reinforcement. This is:

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

The RBT should select targets and teaching procedures based on:

1. The written skill-acquisition plan from the BCBA
2. Whatever seems fun that day
3. The parent’s preference in the moment
4. Social media tips

A learner masters labeling in DTT but can’t use the words in conversation. The team should program to promote:

1. More massed DTT trials only
2. A stronger prompt
3. Extinction of labeling
4. Generalization across formats and natural settings

Which is the BEST example of a well-written, observable skill target?

1. ‘Learner will understand how to dress.’
2. ‘Learner will feel confident getting dressed.’
3. ‘Learner will independently put on a jacket in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 days.’
4. ‘Learner will be better at self-care.’

A plan reinforces the learner whenever a set period passes with NO target behavior. This is:

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

A learner’s hand-raising is appropriate but has become excessive. The plan reinforces raising a hand no more than twice per 10 minutes. This is:

1. DRL (differential reinforcement of low rates)
2. DRO
3. Extinction
4. NCR

A learner throws items to get a toy (tangible function). The plan teaches and reinforces asking ‘my turn, please’ instead. This is:

1. DRA / functional communication training
2. DRO
3. Response cost
4. Noncontingent reinforcement

A learner bites their own wrist, which the plan addresses by reinforcing holding a chewy — a behavior that can’t co-occur with biting the same wrist. This is:

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

Right after a behavior goes on extinction, it briefly gets worse before improving. This expected effect is a(n):

1. Spontaneous recovery
2. Behavioral contrast
3. Response generalization
4. Extinction burst

During an extinction burst the behavior spikes and the parent urges the RBT to ‘just give in this once.’ The RBT should:

1. Give in, since the parent asked
2. Continue the plan as written and document the event for the BCBA
3. Change the plan on the spot
4. End the session immediately

NCR (noncontingent reinforcement) works mainly by:

1. Providing the maintaining reinforcer on a time schedule, reducing motivation for the problem behavior
2. Punishing the behavior each time
3. Reinforcing a specific replacement response
4. Reinforcing only the absence of behavior

Which statement about the RBT and behavior-reduction plans is correct?

1. The RBT may add a punishment procedure if needed
2. The RBT implements the plan as written and collects data on its effects
3. The RBT may change the schedule when progress stalls
4. The RBT may stop the plan if the parent objects

A function-based plan for attention-maintained screaming would most likely include extinction in the form of:

1. Removing task demands when screaming occurs
2. Giving a preferred toy to calm the learner
3. Ignoring all of the learner’s behavior all session
4. Withholding attention when screaming occurs, while reinforcing an appropriate bid for attention

The safest, most ethical hierarchy for reducing behavior generally emphasizes:

1. Punishment-first approaches
2. Whatever stops the behavior fastest regardless of restrictiveness
3. Reinforcement-based, least-restrictive procedures first
4. Removing data collection to simplify

A token is removed contingent on a target behavior, per the plan. This procedure is:

1. DRO
2. Extinction
3. Response cost
4. NCR

A learner’s problem behavior suddenly reappears weeks after it had been successfully extinguished, with no obvious trigger. This is:

1. An extinction burst
2. Response cost
3. Spontaneous recovery
4. Shaping

When implementing a reductive procedure, the RBT must also:

1. Continue collecting accurate data on the behavior and the procedure’s effects
2. Stop recording to avoid bias
3. Decide when the behavior is ‘reduced enough’ to stop
4. Modify the procedure to speed results

The MAIN advantage of pairing extinction with DRA (rather than extinction alone) is that it:

1. Guarantees no extinction burst ever occurs
2. Teaches the learner an appropriate replacement behavior while reducing the problem behavior
3. Eliminates the need for data
4. Allows the RBT to skip the written plan

Which session note is objective and defensible?

1. ‘Learner was in a terrible mood and refused everything.’
2. ‘From 3:00–3:20, learner completed 6 of 8 trials independently and left the seat twice.’
3. ‘Learner was manipulative today.’
4. ‘Learner clearly hates coming to therapy.’

An RBT must correct a charting error from an earlier note. The correct method is to:

1. Erase or white-out the original entry
2. Rewrite the note from memory and change the date
3. Ignore it; corrections aren’t allowed
4. Follow agency policy — typically note the correction with date and initials, never deleting the original

A learner is injured during a session and needs first aid. The RBT should:

1. Wait and mention it in next month’s report
2. Ensure safety, then document and report the incident promptly per policy and notify the supervisor
3. Decide whether it’s serious enough to report
4. Only tell the parent verbally

Session notes and data often support billing. Entering inaccurate data could therefore:

1. Only affect the RBT’s personal records
2. Constitute fraud and harm the client’s care
3. Be corrected informally with no consequence
4. Improve the client’s outcomes

A parent asks the RBT to leave a difficult behavior out of today’s note. The RBT should:

1. Document what actually happened — notes must be accurate and complete
2. Omit it because the parent asked
3. Write that the session went well instead
4. Record it only if the BCBA later asks

Why should session notes be completed as soon as possible after the session?

1. Notes are just the RBT’s private reminders
2. So the RBT can round the numbers up
3. Accuracy is highest when details are fresh, and timely notes support billing and continuity
4. Late notes are fine if the memory is good

Confidential client records should be stored and shared:

1. In any shared drive for convenience
2. With coworkers who are curious
3. Securely, and only with authorized team members on a need-to-know basis
4. On personal devices without protection

An RBT writes ‘client was aggressive.’ A more useful, objective entry would specify:

1. That the client has anger issues
2. The RBT’s guess about the cause
3. How the parent should discipline at home
4. The exact behavior, count, and context (e.g., ‘hit the table 3 times during math demands’)

An RBT must always provide services:

1. Within their scope of competence and under qualified supervision
2. Independently once comfortable
3. However the employer directs, even outside scope
4. Without supervision after certification

A client’s family offers the RBT a large holiday gift. The most appropriate response is to:

1. Accept it to maintain the relationship
2. Accept it but not tell the supervisor
3. Politely decline and follow agency policy on gifts to avoid conflicts of interest
4. Ask for cash instead

While shopping, the RBT sees a client’s parent who is with friends. The parent’s friend asks how therapy is going. The RBT should:

1. Give a quick progress update since the parent is there
2. Confirm they work with the child but share no details
3. Introduce themselves as the child’s behavior tech
4. Not confirm the client relationship or share any information in front of others

An RBT is asked to run a procedure they were never trained to implement. They should:

1. Try it and learn on the job
2. Watch a quick video and proceed
3. Decline until trained and supervised, and request training
4. Hand it to a newer colleague

An RBT believes a plan procedure may not be in the client’s best interest. The correct action is to:

1. Quietly stop doing that procedure
2. Change it to something gentler on their own
3. Continue and say nothing
4. Raise the concern with the BCBA and document it, without unilaterally changing the plan

Posting about a ‘tough client who bit me today’ on public social media, even with no name, is:

1. Fine because no name was used
2. A confidentiality and professionalism violation
3. Acceptable venting on a personal account
4. Only a problem if the family sees it

Informed consent for ABA services is generally obtained:

1. By the RBT at the first session
2. Only if the family requests it
3. After a month of services
4. Before services begin, from the client or legal guardian, by the responsible professional

A supervisor instructs the RBT to delete data from sessions where behavior spiked, to please a funder. The RBT should:

1. Comply, since a supervisor said so
2. Delete just one or two sessions as a compromise
3. Average the spikes away
4. Decline, because altering data is falsification, and report it appropriately

A caregiver asks the RBT to also provide services to a sibling who is not a client and has no plan. The RBT should:

1. Start working with the sibling informally
2. Give the parent a quick plan to use
3. Agree if it fits in the session time
4. Explain it’s outside their scope and refer the request to the BCBA/agency

If the supervising BCBA is temporarily unavailable and a situation arises that the plan doesn’t cover, the RBT should:

1. Create a new procedure to handle it
2. Keep everyone safe within their training and contact the designated backup supervisor
3. Let the parent decide the new approach
4. Do nothing until their usual BCBA returns

During a session an RBT reasonably suspects child abuse. The correct action is to:

1. Investigate the family themselves first
2. Follow mandated-reporting laws and agency policy and notify the supervisor
3. Say nothing unless absolutely certain
4. Confront the caregiver directly

An RBT realizes a personal friendship with a client’s parent is starting to affect professional objectivity. This is a potential:

1. Non-issue as long as sessions still happen
2. Multiple relationship / conflict of interest to disclose to the supervisor
3. Reason to quietly continue as normal
4. Matter only for the parent to manage

A learner responds correctly only when the RBT subtly glances at the right answer. This unplanned cue the learner is relying on is a(n):

1. Discriminative stimulus that should be kept
2. Form of generalization
3. Appropriate natural cue
4. Inadvertent prompt the RBT should identify and fade