Free Practice Questions for BCaBA

Through 2026, candidates qualify with a bachelor's degree or higher from an ABAI-accredited program (Pathway 1) or a bachelor's degree in any field plus 225 hours of behavior-analytic coursework (Pathway 2), and both pathways require 1,300 hours of Supervised Fieldwork or 1,000 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork. For applications from January 1, 2027, Pathway 2 coursework rises to 270 hours and Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork drops to 800 hours.

The BCaBA exam has 175 multiple-choice questions, 150 scored and 25 unscored, each with four options and one correct answer. Candidates have 4 hours at a Pearson VUE test center. The exam is based on the BCaBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.), which has 90 tasks in nine content areas, and it is scored pass/fail using a passing score set by the modified Angoff method.

The BCaBA certification application costs $175 and each Pearson VUE exam appointment costs $125, for $300 for a first attempt. Each retake requires a $120 retake application (per the BCaBA Handbook fee table) and a new $125 appointment. Rescheduling within 30 days of the exam costs $59 or $69, and changes are not allowed within 48 hours.

The BCaBA is an undergraduate-level certification and the BCBA is graduate-level. BCaBAs must practice under ongoing BCBA supervision, while BCBAs may practice independently and supervise BCaBAs. The BCaBA exam has 175 questions (150 scored) and the BCBA exam has 185. Both credentials follow the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.

The BACB does not publish a recommended number of study hours. A practical plan is to study in proportion to the scored questions per content area, giving the most time to Behavior-Change Procedures (22 questions), Measurement and Intervention Development (20 each), and Concepts and Principles and Ethics (18 each), and to finish with timed practice at about 80 seconds per question.

According to BACB examination data, 60% of first-time BCaBA candidates passed in 2025 and 30% of retake candidates passed. First-time pass rates were 61% in 2021, 49% in 2022, 56% in 2023, and 54% in 2024.

BCaBAs recertify every two years by earning 20 continuing education units (including 4 in ethics, plus 3 in supervision if they supervised RBTs), meeting ongoing supervision requirements, following the Ethics Code, and submitting a $140 recertification application before the recertification date.

No. A BCaBA may provide behavior-analytic services only while a qualified supervisor (a BCBA) is on record with the BACB. Without one, the certification is inactive and the BCaBA may not practice or supervise RBTs. Under current rules, supervision must equal at least 5% of service hours (with at least 1 hour every 2 weeks) during the first 1,000 post-certification hours and at least 2% afterward; it becomes a flat 5% for those recertifying on or after January 1, 2027.