RBT Practice Exam
This is a free 15-question RBT practice test, written by the StudyPDF team to the BACB's RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.), the version the exam follows from 2026. It covers measurement, preference and functional assessment, teaching procedures, behavior reduction, session notes and the limits of the RBT role, mixing multiple choice, select all that apply and fill in the blank. Answer all 15 questions, then check your score and read the explanation for every question.
A technician splits a 10-minute observation into 30-second intervals. At the exact end of each interval, she looks up and records only whether the client is out of seat at that moment. Which procedure is she using?
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All 15 questions at a glance
Prefer to read before you play? Every question in the sampler is listed below. Answers and explanations stay collapsed until you open them.
1. A technician splits a 10-minute observation into 30-second intervals. At the exact end of each interval, she looks up and records only whether the client is out of seat at that moment. Which procedure is she using?
- A. Whole interval recording
- B. Partial interval recording
- C. Momentary time sampling
- D. Permanent product recording
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Momentary time sampling
Momentary time sampling only looks at the instant each interval ends, so whatever happens in between is not recorded. Partial interval recording scores an interval if the behavior happens at any point in it, whole interval recording only if it lasts the entire interval, and permanent product recording measures what a behavior leaves behind, such as a finished worksheet.
2. Which of these definitions describe behavior in observable and measurable terms?
Select all that apply.
- A. Hits the table with an open hand hard enough to be heard across the room
- B. Gets frustrated when asked to clean up
- C. Says "no" or turns away within 5 seconds of an instruction
- D. Is defiant during work time
- E. Leaves the chair so that no part of the body touches the seat
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Hits the table with an open hand hard enough to be heard across the room, C. Says "no" or turns away within 5 seconds of an instruction, E. Leaves the chair so that no part of the body touches the seat
A good definition describes what the person does, so that two observers would count the same events. Hitting the table, saying no or turning away, and leaving the chair can all be seen and counted. Frustrated and defiant are labels for an inner state or an attitude, and two people watching the same session would score them differently.
3. Complete the sentence.
Partial interval recording tends to _____ how much a behavior occurs, while whole interval recording tends to _____ it.
Options for blank 1: overestimate, underestimate, measure exactly
Options for blank 2: overestimate, underestimate, measure exactly
Show answer and explanation
Answer: overestimate, underestimate
In partial interval recording, a single brief occurrence marks the whole interval, so the result runs high. In whole interval recording, the behavior has to last the entire interval to be scored, so short episodes drop out and the result runs low. That is why partial interval suits behavior you want to reduce and whole interval suits behavior you want to see more of.
4. A technician places five items in front of a client and lets the client take one. She then removes the chosen item and presents the remaining four again, and repeats until one item is left. Which preference assessment is this?
- A. Paired stimulus
- B. Multiple stimulus without replacement
- C. Free operant
- D. Single stimulus
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Multiple stimulus without replacement
In a multiple stimulus without replacement assessment, the chosen item is not put back, so the order of choices gives a ranking from most to least preferred. A paired stimulus assessment offers two items at a time, a free operant assessment watches how long the client engages with freely available items, and a single stimulus assessment offers one item at a time.
5. During a functional analysis, what is the RBT's role?
- A. Choosing which test conditions to run and in what order
- B. Interpreting the graphs and deciding which function the behavior serves
- C. Explaining the results to the family once the sessions are done
- D. Running the conditions exactly as designed and recording the data
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Running the conditions exactly as designed and recording the data
The outline says an RBT participates in components of functional assessment. Designing the analysis, interpreting the results and explaining them to the family belong to the supervising behavior analyst. The RBT's part is to carry out the conditions as written and to collect accurate data, because a sloppy condition or a missed data point can point the whole team at the wrong function.
6. Which sequence shows the parts of a discrete trial in the correct order?
- A. Discriminative stimulus, response, consequence, intertrial interval
- B. Response, discriminative stimulus, consequence, intertrial interval
- C. Discriminative stimulus, consequence, response, intertrial interval
- D. Intertrial interval, consequence, discriminative stimulus, response
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Discriminative stimulus, response, consequence, intertrial interval
A discrete trial starts with the instruction or cue, the discriminative stimulus, followed by the learner's response and then the consequence, such as reinforcement for a correct answer or a correction. A short pause, the intertrial interval, separates it from the next trial. When a prompt is needed, it comes right after the instruction and before the response.
7. Complete the sentence.
In _____ chaining, the learner is taught the last step of the task analysis first, while the technician completes all the earlier steps.
Options for blank 1: forward, backward, total task
Show answer and explanation
Answer: backward
Backward chaining starts at the end, so the learner finishes the task and contacts the natural reinforcer of completing it on every trial. Steps are then added from the back toward the front. Forward chaining starts with the first step, and total task chaining teaches every step on every trial with whatever prompting each one needs.
8. After giving an instruction, a technician waits a few seconds. If the learner does not respond, she gives a gesture, then a model, then physical guidance, stopping as soon as the learner responds. Which prompting procedure is this?
- A. Most-to-least prompting
- B. Least-to-most prompting
- C. Stimulus fading
- D. Constant time delay
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Least-to-most prompting
Least-to-most prompting gives the learner the chance to respond with as little help as possible, adding more support only when needed. Most-to-least runs the other way, starting with full help and fading it, which is the usual choice when errors should be kept low. Stimulus fading changes the material itself, and time delay changes the wait before a prompt.
9. Which statements about a token economy are correct?
Select all that apply.
- A. Tokens should be delivered right after the target behavior, not saved up for the end of the session
- B. Tokens keep working without backup reinforcers once the client is used to earning them
- C. Tokens are conditioned reinforcers that get their value from being exchanged for backup reinforcers
- D. Backup reinforcers work best when the client already has free access to them all day
- E. An RBT can change the exchange rate on the spot if the client seems bored
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Tokens should be delivered right after the target behavior, not saved up for the end of the session, C. Tokens are conditioned reinforcers that get their value from being exchanged for backup reinforcers
A token has no value of its own. It works because it can be exchanged for backup reinforcers, and it works best when it follows the behavior immediately. If the backup items are freely available anyway, there is no reason to earn tokens for them, and without any exchange the tokens soon lose their value. The exchange rate is part of the plan, so a change goes through the supervisor.
10. A child screams whenever a math worksheet is put in front of him, and the worksheet is usually taken away until he calms down. What is the most likely function of the screaming?
- A. Escape from the task
- B. Access to attention
- C. Access to a tangible item
- D. Automatic reinforcement
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Escape from the task
The pattern to look for is what reliably follows the behavior. Here the worksheet goes away, so the screaming is most likely maintained by escape, a form of negative reinforcement. Attention would look like adults reacting, tangible would look like receiving an item, and automatic reinforcement would mean the behavior happens regardless of what anyone does.
11. Complete the sentence.
In _____, reinforcement is delivered at the end of a set interval only if the problem behavior has not occurred during it.
Options for blank 1: DRA, DRO, DRI, DRL
Show answer and explanation
Answer: DRO
Differential reinforcement of other behavior, DRO, reinforces the absence of the problem behavior for a set time. DRA reinforces a specific alternative behavior, DRI a behavior that cannot happen at the same time as the problem behavior, and DRL a lower rate of a behavior that is fine in moderation.
12. A behavior that used to get attention is now placed on extinction as part of the plan. Which of these might the technician see, especially early on?
Select all that apply.
- A. A temporary increase in the behavior
- B. New variations of the behavior
- C. Emotional responses such as crying or anger
- D. An immediate drop to zero on the first day
- E. A permanent end to the behavior that can never return
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. A temporary increase in the behavior, B. New variations of the behavior, C. Emotional responses such as crying or anger
When a behavior stops working, it often gets worse before it gets better. That temporary increase is the extinction burst, and it often comes with new forms of the behavior and emotional responding. A behavior that has faded can also come back later, through spontaneous recovery or resurgence, so neither an instant drop nor a permanent end is something to expect.
13. Which session note is written most objectively?
- A. Client was in a bad mood all morning and did not want to work on any of his programs today.
- B. Client seemed tired and unfocused, probably because he went to bed late the night before.
- C. Client completed 8 of 10 matching trials independently and cried for 2 minutes when the tablet was removed.
- D. Client was manipulative during clean-up and kept testing limits with every adult in the room.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Client completed 8 of 10 matching trials independently and cried for 2 minutes when the tablet was removed.
An objective note reports what happened in terms anyone could have observed: counts, durations and the events around them. Bad mood, tired because of bedtime, and manipulative are guesses about feelings, causes or intent. If something might affect progress, such as a late night or a new medication you were told about, you report it to your supervisor as information rather than writing it in as the explanation.
14. A parent asks the RBT to stop using the visual timer in the behavior plan because it seems to upset the child. What should the RBT do?
- A. Stop using the timer from now on, since the parent is the client's guardian and knows the child best
- B. Tell the parent that a behavior plan can never be changed once it is written
- C. Look up research on timers and suggest a different approach to the parent at the next session
- D. Keep following the plan as written, thank the parent, and pass the concern to the supervisor promptly
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Keep following the plan as written, thank the parent, and pass the concern to the supervisor promptly
An RBT implements the plan and does not change it. The parent's concern matters and may well lead to a change, but deciding that belongs to the supervisor, so the RBT passes it on in a timely manner. Dropping the timer alone, dismissing the parent, or giving a recommendation of your own all step outside the role.
15. A client's parent offers to pay the RBT to babysit the client on weekends. What is the best response?
- A. Accept, since babysitting happens outside work hours and is a private arrangement with the family
- B. Decline or ask the supervisor first, since a second paid role with the family is a multiple relationship
- C. Accept, but avoid running any ABA programs or taking data while babysitting
- D. Accept, because the extra hours with the client will help skills generalize to the home
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Decline or ask the supervisor first, since a second paid role with the family is a multiple relationship
Being the client's technician and the family's paid babysitter at the same time is a multiple relationship. It can blur professional boundaries and make objective work harder, even with the best intentions. The outline asks RBTs to recognize these risks and how to handle them, which in practice means not starting the second role and talking to the supervisor.
What is on the RBT exam in 2026
The Registered Behavior Technician exam is set by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) and taken in person at a Pearson VUE test center. According to the RBT Handbook, it has 85 questions, of which 75 are scored and 10 are unscored pilot questions you cannot tell apart from the rest. Every question is multiple choice with four options and one correct answer, and you get 90 minutes. Your result depends on your overall performance, not on passing each area separately.
Since 2026 the exam follows the RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.), which some prep sites call Task List 3.0. It has 43 tasks in six domains, and the 75 scored questions split like this: Data Collection and Graphing 13, Behavior Assessment 8, Behavior Acquisition 19, Behavior Reduction 14, Documentation and Reporting 10, and Ethics 11. Behavior acquisition is the biggest single block, so teaching procedures such as discrete trials, prompting, chaining and reinforcement deserve the most study time.
The exam is one step of several. Before you sit it, the BACB expects you to be at least 18, to have finished high school, to pass background and abuse registry checks, to complete a 40-hour training and to pass an Initial Competency Assessment. After you pass, you work under ongoing supervision and recertify on a cycle the BACB sets, which moved from one year to two years in 2026. These rules have changed before and can change again, so take the current details, including deadlines and fees, from the RBT Handbook on bacb.com rather than from any prep page, this one included.
How to use this sampler
These 15 questions follow the outline's weights in miniature: 3 on data collection and graphing, 2 on behavior assessment, 4 on behavior acquisition, 3 on behavior reduction, 1 on documentation and reporting, and 2 on ethics. Most are short session scenarios, because that is how the real exam asks: not what a term means, but which procedure a technician is running and what they should do next.
The real exam only uses single answer questions with four options. This sampler also uses select all that apply and fill in the blank, which is harder on purpose, since you cannot get those right by ruling out three wrong answers. Take it in one sitting without notes, then read every explanation, including the ones you got right. Treat a wrong answer as a topic rather than a fact. If you missed the partial interval question, review all the measurement procedures together, because the exam loves to set them side by side.
One thing to be clear about. This is exam practice, not clinical guidance. The ethics questions here are about the limits of the RBT role, such as who changes a plan and who you take a concern to. With a real client, you follow the behavior plan your supervisor wrote and ask your supervisor, not a quiz page.
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Written by the StudyPDF team. Last updated 2026-08-19.