Free BCBA Certification Examination Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the BCBA Certification Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A behavior analyst has repeatedly observed that a fourth grader's hand raising occurs more often on days when the teacher calls on students frequently. The analyst wants to move the analysis from what these observations alone support to the level of control, the most demanding of the goals of behavior analysis as a science. What must the analyst be able to do?

   1. A. Manipulate the variable thought to produce hand raising, having first predicted the effect before it occurred
   2. B. Show that hand raising and teacher attention covary reliably across many further days of classroom observation
   3. C. Define hand raising precisely enough that two independent observers record its occurrences identically
   4. D. Show that the relation between hand raising and teacher attention also holds in a second, similar classroom

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Control, as a goal of a science of behavior, requires manipulation of the variable responsible for the effect, and it is reached through prediction: "The best way to test reliability is to predict an effect before it occurs. If we can manipulate the independent variables (the efficient causes) that make it occur, then ability to predict makes it possible to control ." Repeated observation of covariation (B) and replication of that covariation in another classroom (D) both strengthen description and prediction without any manipulation, so neither reaches control. Precise response definition (C) is a measurement requirement that must be met before any of the three goals can be pursued, but it establishes none of them.

   Reference: Predict, Control, and Replicate to Understand: How Statistics Can Foster the Fundamental Goals of Science - PMC — Perspectives on Behavior Science, 'Predict, Control, and Replicate to Understand: How Statistics Can Foster the Fundamental Goals of Science', abstract

2. 2A behavior analyst records that a learner sometimes pushes a worksheet away, sometimes drops to the floor, and sometimes swipes materials off the desk. All three produce the same outcome and are maintained by it. On what basis are these three different-looking responses grouped together as a single functional response class?

   1. A. They result in the same consequence
   2. B. They require a similar amount of physical effort to emit
   3. C. They share the same movement topography
   4. D. They occur in a predictable temporal order

   Answer: A

   Explanation: A functional response class is defined by shared consequence, not by shared form: "When a group of responses result in the same consequence, a functional response class exists." Response effort (B) is a real variable within such a class, since "When reinforcement is held constant across several available responses, an organism will likely emit the response that requires the least caloric expenditure (physical effort)," but it governs which member occurs rather than what makes them one class. Shared topography (C) is what groups responses into a topographical class, a real but different basis. A predictable temporal order (D) is the further feature that turns a functional response class into a hierarchy: "If the members of a functional response class occur in a predictable order, a response-class hierarchy is said to exist."

   Reference: DEVELOPMENT AND MODIFICATION OF A RESPONSE CLASS VIA POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT: A TRANSLATIONAL APPROACH - PMC — Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 'Development and Modification of a Response Class via Positive and Negative Reinforcement: A Translational Approach', introduction

3. 3A behavior analyst writes the target for a new case as "aggressive behavior" and records every episode a staff member judges to fit that label. A reviewer objects that this way of defining the target carries a specific risk once the data are summarized. What is that risk?

   1. A. The broad label implies a degree of generality across instances that has not been empirically substantiated
   2. B. The broad label specifies a topographical characteristic where a functional characteristic is required
   3. C. The broad label specifies a functional characteristic where a topographical characteristic is required
   4. D. The broad label specifies the recording procedure rather than the behavior that the procedure records

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Defining targets by everyday category labels was identified as producing exactly this problem: "One outcome of this approach was growing areas of literature referenced by broad behavioral labels (e.g., aggressive behavior, play behavior) that implied a degree of generality that was not necessarily appropriate, or at least not empirically substantiated." Options B and C invoke the topographical-versus-functional distinction, which the same source notes was neglected in these early definitional practices, so each names a real definitional fault, but a label such as aggressive behavior does not commit to either characteristic. Option D describes confusing a measurement procedure with the behavior, which is a further real error but not what a category label does.

   Reference: Behavioral Measurement as Centerpiece - PMC — Perspectives on Behavior Science, 'Behavioral Measurement as Centerpiece', section on the growth of definitional practices in applied work

4. 4A behavior analyst runs a single-case evaluation in which she alternates two levels of praise delivery and records the client's on-task behavior in every session. A supervisee asks her to identify which variable is which. Which pairing is correct?

   1. A. Praise delivery is the independent variable and on-task behavior is the dependent variable
   2. B. On-task behavior is the independent variable and praise delivery is the dependent variable
   3. C. Both praise delivery and on-task behavior are independent variables in this arrangement
   4. D. Both praise delivery and on-task behavior are dependent variables in this arrangement

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The variable the experimenter manipulates is the independent variable and the behavior measured repeatedly is the dependent variable: "the telltale traits of these studies include repeated and frequent assessment of behavior, experimental manipulation of the independent variable, and replication of effects within and across participants." Praise delivery is what the analyst alternates, and on-task behavior is what she measures every session. Option B reverses the two roles. Options C and D collapse the distinction, which would leave nothing for the design to relate to anything else.

   Reference: Single-Case Experimental Designs to Evaluate Novel Technology-Based Health Interventions - PMC — Journal of Medical Internet Research, 'Single-Case Experimental Designs to Evaluate Novel Technology-Based Health Interventions', section on the defining traits of single-case designs

5. 5A behavior analyst is asked which parties' interests she must place first when the wishes of an employer, a funder and a client pull in different directions. Under the core principle that behavior analysts work to maximize benefits and do no harm, whose welfare and rights come first?

   1. A. The client's, whose welfare and rights are protected above all others
   2. B. The employer's, because the behavior analyst's professional role is defined by the employer
   3. C. The funder's, because continued authorization of services depends on the funder's terms
   4. D. The behavior analyst's own, because she remains accountable for the services delivered

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The first core principle is elaborated as a ranked obligation beginning with the client: behavior analysts work to maximize benefits and do no harm by "Protecting the welfare and rights of clients above all others" and then "Protecting the welfare and rights of other individuals with whom they interact in a professional capacity." The same principle requires "Effectively and respectfully collaborating with others in the best interest of those with whom they work and always placing clients' interests first." Employers and funders are stakeholders whose interests are real and must be addressed, and accountability for one's own work is a separate obligation, but none of the three displaces the client's welfare.

   Reference: Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts — Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Updated 08/2024), Introduction, 'Core Principles', principle 1 'Benefit Others'

6. 6A behavior analyst is taking a new case in which the client has very limited verbal skills and cannot describe symptoms. Which practice at intake does the published guidance on addressing medical issues emphasize?

   1. A. Documenting the client's medical history and keeping the medical file updated thereafter
   2. B. Documenting the client's preference hierarchy and updating it before each teaching session
   3. C. Documenting the client's prior placement history and updating it at each annual review
   4. D. Documenting the client's funding authorization and updating it whenever the funder changes

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The guidance singles out this intake practice: "The importance of documenting clients' medical histories at intake and keeping updated medical files is emphasized. Behavioral manifestations and data patterns that may serve as red flags for medical problems are reviewed, with an emphasis on clients with limited verbal skills who cannot describe their symptoms." Options B, C and D each name a genuine record a behavior analyst maintains, a preference hierarchy, a placement history and a funding authorization, but none of them is the record the guidance identifies as central to detecting medical contributions to behavior.

   Reference: Addressing Medical Issues in Behavior Analytic Treatment - PMC — Behavior Analysis in Practice, 'Addressing Medical Issues in Behavior Analytic Treatment', abstract

7. 7A behavior analyst is designing a reinforcement procedure to build independent responding during teaching. A review of differential reinforcement in skill acquisition identifies one arrangement as both the most frequently used and the one associated with better acquisition. Which arrangement is it?

   1. A. Reinforcement favoring independent responses over prompted responses
   2. B. Reinforcement favoring prompted responses over independent responses
   3. C. Reinforcement delivered equally for independent and prompted responses
   4. D. Reinforcement delivered independently of whether a response occurs

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The review identifies both the prevalence and the outcome: "The differential reinforcement condition in which reinforcement favored independent responses (e.g., edible for independent; praise for prompted responses) was the most frequently employed differential reinforcement condition and it resulted in the acquisition of more responses or faster acquisition for most participants." Option B reverses the direction of the differential. Option C removes the differential, leaving no basis for independent responding to be favoured, and option D describes response-independent delivery, which is a real procedure but not a differential reinforcement arrangement at all.

   Reference: Systematic Review of Differential Reinforcement in Skill Acquisition - PMC — Behavior Analysis in Practice, 'Systematic Review of Differential Reinforcement in Skill Acquisition', abstract

8. 8A behavior analyst writes the goal for a client as "will improve social interaction." A reviewer asks her to restate it so that its attainment can be judged from data. What does a comparison of mastery criteria in research and practice show is commonly missing from written criteria, even in published work?

   1. A. A technological description of the mastery criterion adopted
   2. B. A statement of the reinforcer to be used during acquisition
   3. C. A statement of the setting in which teaching will occur
   4. D. A statement of the number of therapists who will teach it

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The descriptive comparison found this gap in the published literature itself: "Surprisingly, a large amount of research (a) lacks technological descriptions of the mastery criterion adopted and (b) does not include assessments of maintenance following acquisition." A goal such as improving social interaction has no such description and so cannot be judged from data. Options B, C and D name a reinforcer, a setting and a number of implementers. Each is a real element of a well-specified program, but none of them is what makes the criterion for goal attainment measurable.

   Reference: Mastery Criteria and Maintenance: a Descriptive Analysis of Applied Research Procedures - PMC — Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 'Mastery Criteria and Maintenance: a Descriptive Analysis of Applied Research Procedures', abstract

9. 9A new supervisor is asked to state, for her supervisee, what the purpose of supervision is. Which purpose does the official supervisor training curriculum list first, and what two activities fall under it?

   1. A. Providing high-quality services that result in client improvement, by creating a context for clear communication and ensuring procedural fidelity of service delivery
   2. B. Providing high-quality services that result in client improvement, by verifying certification status and reviewing certification maintenance requirements
   3. C. Developing the supervisee's professional and ethical repertoires, by creating a context for clear communication and ensuring procedural fidelity of service delivery
   4. D. Developing the supervisee's problem-solving skills, by verifying certification status and reviewing certification maintenance requirements

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The curriculum places client outcome first among the purposes and lists two sub-activities under it: "The supervisor should be able to state the purpose of supervision to the supervisee or trainee" beginning with "Provide high-quality services that result in client improvement," under which fall "Create context for clear communication" and "Ensure procedural fidelity of service delivery." Option C attaches those two activities to the second listed purpose, developing the supervisee's repertoires. Options B and D pair purposes with verification of certification status and maintenance requirements, which the same curriculum lists under preparing for the supervisory relationship rather than under the purpose of supervision.

   Reference: Bacb Supervisor Training Curriculum — BACB Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0), Version 08/2019, 'Supervision of Ongoing Services'

10. 10In behavior analysis the word "control" is used in two distinct senses when the goals of the science are described. One sense is the ability to produce an effect by manipulating an independent variable. What is the second sense in which the term is used?

    1. A. A comparison condition run to show what would have happened had the key ingredient of the hypothesis not been used
    2. B. A limit placed in advance on the range of values that an independent variable is permitted to take during a study
    3. C. A restriction on who may observe the participant, so that the presence of an observer does not alter the data obtained
    4. D. An adjustment made after data collection to remove the influence of variables that the investigator did not manipulate

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The second sense of the term is comparative rather than manipulative: "Control also refers to a comparison condition, conducted to see what would have happened if we had not deployed the key ingredient of the hypothesis: scientific knowledge only accrues when we compare what happens in one condition against what happens in another." Restricting the values an independent variable may take (B), limiting observer presence to avoid reactivity (C), and statistically adjusting for unmanipulated variables (D) are all real procedures in behavioral research, but none of them is the comparison-condition sense of control described here.

    Reference: Predict, Control, and Replicate to Understand: How Statistics Can Foster the Fundamental Goals of Science - PMC — Perspectives on Behavior Science, 'Predict, Control, and Replicate to Understand: How Statistics Can Foster the Fundamental Goals of Science', abstract