RBT® competency assessment: a 20-item checklist for 2026

The official form is the source of truth

The BACB publishes the RBT Initial Competency Assessment packet, and your assessor uses that form. The checklist below is our plain-language preparation list organized by the six domains of the Test Content Outline. It is meant to help you practice; it is not a copy of the official form, and the exact wording and number of items on the form can change. Always work from the current BACB packet with your assessor.

20-item preparation checklist

Tick each item when you can do it without prompting and explain why you are doing it.

Data Collection and Graphing

1. Take continuous measurement data (frequency, duration, or latency) during a live or role-played session.
2. Take discontinuous measurement data (partial interval, whole interval, or momentary time sampling) with a timer.
3. Record a permanent product and state what it does and does not tell you.
4. Enter a session's data and update the graph, then describe the trend in one sentence.

Behavior Assessment

1. Run a preference assessment (paired stimulus, MSWO, or free operant) and report the ranking.
2. Assist with a skill assessment as directed, recording responses without prompting beyond the protocol.
3. Take ABC data for a target behavior and describe antecedents and consequences objectively.

Behavior Acquisition

1. Deliver reinforcement immediately and contingently, matched to the plan's schedule.
2. Run discrete-trial teaching: present the SD, wait, respond to correct and incorrect responses as the plan states, and record the trial.
3. Run a naturalistic teaching opportunity following the client's motivation.
4. Teach a task-analyzed skill with the chaining method in the plan.
5. Use the prompt hierarchy in the plan and fade prompts correctly.
6. Run a token economy, including exchange for the backup reinforcer.
7. Implement a generalization or maintenance step as the plan directs.

Behavior Reduction

1. State the function of a target behavior from the plan and match the response to it.
2. Implement a differential reinforcement procedure (DRA, DRO, DRI, or DRL) as written.
3. Implement extinction for a given function and describe the secondary effects you might see.
4. Describe the crisis or emergency procedure for your setting and your role in it.

Documentation and Reporting

1. Write an objective session note and identify which items need to be reported to your supervisor the same day.

Professional Conduct

1. Explain your supervision requirements, how you maintain client confidentiality, and what you do when a caregiver asks for something outside your role.

If you can do all 20 with confidence, the assessment itself usually feels like a normal session with someone watching.

What changed in 2026

• Content follows the 3rd-edition Test Content Outline. The tasks assessed map to the six domains above rather than the 2nd-edition Task List.
• Two-year certification cycles. Starting in 2026, new RBT certification cycles move from one year to two years. The renewal competency assessment is part of renewal; see the RBT Handbook for how it fits the new cycle and the exact timing.
• Assessor rules. The BACB updates who may assess and how observations may be done. Read the current packet rather than an older summary.

Timeline: where the assessment sits

1. 40-hour training (within the BACB's time window).
2. Initial competency assessment with a qualified assessor.
3. BACB application, including your responsible certificant.
4. Authorization to test, then scheduling at Pearson VUE.
5. The exam: 85 questions, 90 minutes. See the exam guide.

After the assessment

Once the assessment is signed and your application is approved, the written exam is next. It tests the same six domains but as multiple-choice scenarios. The study guide covers all 43 tasks, and each domain has a free quiz. You can also take the free 85-question practice exam when you want a full run-through.