Free RBT Certification Examination Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

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

1. 1A supervisor asks an RBT to measure how many seconds pass between the instruction "Put your shoes on" and the moment the client first reaches for a shoe. Which measurement procedure should the RBT use?

   1. A. Latency recording
   2. B. Duration recording
   3. C. Frequency recording
   4. D. Interval recording

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The IRIS Center brief defines "Latency recording—documents the amount of time that elapses between when a direction or prompt is given and when the student begins the behavior." The supervisor wants the time from the instruction to the start of the response, which is latency. Duration recording would instead time how long the shoe-putting lasts once it begins.

   Reference: IRIS Center Information Brief: Systematic Direct Observation — Data Collection Overview, list of SDO methods

2. 2An RBT is conducting a preference assessment in which she presents two items at a time, lets the client choose and briefly play with one, then presents two more items. When is the assessment complete?

   1. A. When every item has been paired with every other item
   2. B. When the client has chosen the same item three times in a row
   3. C. When only one item remains after the others are removed
   4. D. When the client has engaged with each item for 30 seconds

   Answer: A

   Explanation: AFIRM describes the paired stimulus preference assessment: "Two items are presented to the learner and the learner is asked to make a choice. After giving the learner some time to engage with his/her choice, the item is taken away and two more items are presented to the learner. Trials are repeated until every item has been paired with every other item." Removing items until none remain describes the multiple stimulus without replacement format.

   Reference: AFIRM EBP Brief Packet: Differential Reinforcement — Glossary, Paired stimulus preference assessment, p. 37

3. 3A client in a token economy has started earning tokens reliably for completing worksheets. According to the AFIRM token economy steps, how should the RBT begin thinning token delivery?

   1. A. Stop delivering tokens and give a backup reinforcer at the end of each session
   2. B. Give a token every time the skill occurs but double the price of each menu item
   3. C. Give a token only every other time the skill occurs, then only every third time
   4. D. Give tokens only when the skill occurs within a set number of seconds of the cue

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The AFIRM token economy steps state: "Thin tokens by not reinforcing every instance that the target skill or behavior is used. Rather than rewarding the target skill or behavior every time it is used, only reward every other time, then every third time." Raising menu prices is a separate step for maintaining motivation, not thinning token delivery.

   Reference: AFIRM EBP Brief Packet: Reinforcement — Token Economy Steps, Step 4 (p. 29)

4. 4Each time a client curses during group, the teacher stops and reprimands him in front of the class, and his cursing has been increasing. Which function is most likely maintaining the cursing?

   1. A. Access to items or activities
   2. B. Escape
   3. C. Attention
   4. D. Automatic

   Answer: C

   Explanation: IRIS describes the attention function this way: "The student seeks social interactions, recognition, or assistance from others. Even negative attention from peers or educators (e.g., teacher reprimands, peer reactions) can reinforce a student’s behavior." Cursing that reliably produces a reprimand and continues to increase points to attention.

   Reference: IRIS Center Module: Functional Behavioral Assessment (Elementary), Page 1: Behavioral Form and Function — Functions of behavior table, attention

5. 5At the end of a home session, a client's father tells the RBT that he dislikes the token board and wants her to stop using it during sessions. The token board is part of the written behavior plan. What should the RBT do?

   1. A. Stop using the token board at once, because the father is a stakeholder in the client's services
   2. B. Explain to the father why the token board is necessary and keep using it without any further action
   3. C. Replace the token board with verbal praise for now and tell her supervisor at the next meeting
   4. D. Keep implementing the plan as written and bring the father's concern to her supervisor promptly

   Answer: D

   Explanation: Standard 2.06 says that "RBTs direct any questions or concerns that they or others (e.g., caregivers, coworkers) have about their behavior-technician services to their supervisor," and standard 2.02 says RBTs "follow the direction of their supervisors". Changing the plan on her own, or answering the concern without involving the supervisor, skips the person responsible for the client's program.

   Reference: RBT Ethics Code (2.0) — 2.06 (Section 2)

6. 6At the end of the year, a client's grandmother offers an RBT a gift card as thanks. The RBT's employer has no gift policy of its own. Under the RBT Ethics Code (2.0), what is the highest monetary value of a gift the RBT may accept from this stakeholder?

   1. A. $5 US dollars
   2. B. $10 US dollars
   3. C. $25 US dollars
   4. D. $50 US dollars

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Standard 1.11 states that RBTs "do not give gifts to or accept gifts from clients, stakeholders, or supervisors with a monetary value of more than $10 US dollars". A grandmother is a stakeholder, and because the employer has no stricter policy, the $10 ceiling from the code controls.

   Reference: RBT Ethics Code (2.0) — 1.11 (Section 1)

7. 7An RBT is collecting duration data on a client's crying episodes during a one-hour session. For each episode, when should she start and stop her stopwatch?

   1. A. Start when an instruction is given and stop when crying begins
   2. B. Start when one episode ends and stop when the next one begins
   3. C. Start at the beginning of each interval and stop at its end
   4. D. Start when crying begins and stop when that crying episode ends

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The IRIS duration recording steps are: "1. Start the stopwatch when the behavior begins. 2. Stop the stopwatch when the behavior ends." Timing from an instruction to the start of crying would measure latency, and timing from the end of one episode to the start of the next would measure interresponse time.

   Reference: IRIS Center Activity: Behavior Assessment: Duration and Latency Recording — Overview, duration recording steps, p. 1

8. 8During a multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment, a client picks a toy car from an array of five items and plays with it briefly. What should the RBT do next?

   1. A. Return the car to the array in the same position and present all five items again
   2. B. Take the car away, rearrange the remaining items, and ask the client to choose again
   3. C. Present the car paired with one other item to confirm it is the most preferred
   4. D. Leave the car with the client and record how long he engages with it in the session

   Answer: B

   Explanation: AFIRM describes the MSWO procedure: "After giving the learner some time to engage with his/her choice, the item is taken away and the remaining items are rearranged. The learner is asked to make a choice from the remaining items. Trials are repeated until no items are left." Returning the chosen item to the array would make it a multiple-stimulus assessment with replacement.

   Reference: AFIRM EBP Brief Packet: Differential Reinforcement — Glossary, Multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment, p. 37

9. 9An RBT is helping identify potential reinforcers for an 11-year-old client before a formal preference assessment. According to AFIRM, which considerations should guide the selection of items to test?

   1. A. The learner's diagnosis, each item's cost, and what worked for other clients of that age
   2. B. The learner's age, potential natural reinforcers, and suggestions from parents or team members
   3. C. The learner's age, items the RBT finds fun, and whatever is stocked in the clinic
   4. D. The learner's past problem behavior, edible items only, and the funder's approved item list

   Answer: B

   Explanation: AFIRM's planning step for identifying reinforcers lists "Considerations: age of learner, potential natural reinforcers, and possible suggestions from parents or other team members". Reinforcers are individualized to the learner rather than copied from other clients or chosen by staff preference.

   Reference: AFIRM EBP Brief Packet: Reinforcement — Step-by-Step Guide, Step 1, item 3 Identify reinforcers, p. 33

10. 10A student plays on his phone during independent work, and the teacher sends him to the office for the rest of class. Afterward he plays on his phone even more often during independent work. According to IRIS, what most likely happened?

    1. A. The office visit had no effect; the increase reflects a new setting event
    2. B. The office visit punished the phone use, which is why it later increased
    3. C. Sending him out extinguished the phone use, and this increase is a burst
    4. D. Leaving class let him avoid its demands, which reinforced the phone use

    Answer: D

    Explanation: IRIS uses this example to caution that "leaving the classroom may have allowed the student to avoid its demands, therefore making them more likely to play on their phone again." A consequence intended as punishment functioned as reinforcement through escape.

    Reference: IRIS Center Module: Behavioral Principles, Page 4: Consequences — Reinforcement, caution