About the BCaBA Exam: 2026 Format, Fees, Blueprint, and Study Plan
Key Takeaways
The BCaBA exam has 175 multiple-choice questions (150 scored and 25 unscored), each with four options, and candidates have 4 hours at a Pearson VUE test center (BCaBA Handbook, updated June 2026).
The exam follows the BCaBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.), in effect since January 1, 2025: 90 tasks in nine content areas, with Behavior-Change Procedures the largest at 22 scored questions (15%).
Fees are a $175 certification application, $125 for each Pearson VUE appointment, and $120 for each retake application, with up to 8 attempts in a 2-year authorization period and 30 days between attempts.
The exam is pass/fail; the BACB sets the passing score with the modified Angoff method and does not publish a percentage cut score.
In 2025, 60% of first-time BCaBA candidates and 30% of retake candidates passed (BACB examination data).
About the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) Exam
Note
Quick answer: The BCaBA exam has 175 four-option multiple-choice questions (150 scored, 25 unscored pilot items) and a 4-hour time limit at Pearson VUE test centers. It is pass/fail, and its content comes from the BCaBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.): 90 tasks in nine content areas. The certification application costs $175 and each exam appointment costs $125.
The Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) is the BACB's undergraduate-level certification in behavior analysis. BCaBAs may provide behavior-analytic services only under the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and they may supervise Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs). The facts below come from the BACB's BCaBA Handbook (updated June 2026), the BCaBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.), and the BACB's examination information page.
Exam Format
| Detail | Current fact |
|---|---|
| Questions | 175 multiple-choice: 150 scored and 25 unscored |
| Answer options | 4 per question, 1 correct; all scored questions are weighted equally |
| Time | 4 hours, which includes the terms and conditions, a navigation tutorial, and the exam itself |
| Delivery | Computer-based, in person at authorized Pearson VUE test centers (no remote option) |
| Availability | Continuously available; results are given at the test center |
| Language | English only |
| Scoring | Pass/fail on overall performance, not per content area; passing score set with the modified Angoff method |
Breaks are allowed, but the clock keeps running and you may not leave the building. Arriving more than 30 minutes late means you are turned away and lose the appointment fee.
The Test Content Outline (6th ed.)
| Content area | Tasks | Scored questions | Share of exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations | 5 | 10 | 7% |
| B. Concepts and Principles | 15 | 18 | 12% |
| C. Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation | 10 | 20 | 13% |
| D. Experimental Design | 6 | 10 | 7% |
| E. Ethical and Professional Issues | 11 | 18 | 12% |
| F. Behavior Assessment | 6 | 17 | 11% |
| G. Behavior-Change Procedures | 20 | 22 | 15% |
| H. Intervention Development and Monitoring | 8 | 20 | 13% |
| I. Supervisory Relationships | 9 | 15 | 10% |
| Total | 90 | 150 | 100% |
The BACB no longer uses the term "task list"; the exam is described by its test content outline (TCO). The BACB has stated that there are currently no upcoming changes to the BCaBA exam or the TCO, and that future exam updates will happen independently of certification-requirement changes.
Fees, Scheduling, and Retakes
- Certification application: $175 (BACB fees are nonrefundable).
- Exam appointment: $125 paid to Pearson VUE for every appointment, plus any applicable tax.
- Retake application: $120 per retake in the handbook's fee table (the handbook's retake paragraph lists $140, so confirm the amount in your BACB account), plus a new $125 appointment fee.
- Rescheduling or canceling: free 30 or more days ahead; $59 from 30 to 5 days before; $69 from 5 days to 48 hours before; no changes within 48 hours.
- Attempts: up to 8 attempts within the 2-year authorization period that starts when your application is approved, with at least 30 days between attempts. A retake application appears in your BACB account within 48 hours of a failed attempt.
Eligibility Now and From January 1, 2027
Through 2026, candidates qualify through Pathway 1 (a bachelor's degree or higher from an ABAI-accredited program, earned in 2015 or later) or Pathway 2 (a bachelor's degree in any field plus 225 hours of behavior-analytic coursework), and both pathways require supervised fieldwork: 1,300 hours of Supervised Fieldwork (5% supervised) or 1,000 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (10% supervised).
For applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027, Pathway 2 coursework rises to 270 hours in freestanding courses, Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork drops to 800 hours, the monthly fieldwork cap rises from 130 to 160 hours, and observation requirements become duration-based. The exam itself stays on the 6th edition TCO.
Recent Pass Rates
| Year | First-time candidates | First-time pass rate | Retake pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,130 | 61% | 32% |
| 2022 | 1,190 | 49% | 25% |
| 2023 | 931 | 56% | 25% |
| 2024 | 1,011 | 54% | 22% |
| 2025 | 1,196 | 60% | 30% |
Roughly two in five first-time candidates do not pass, and retake pass rates are about half of first-time rates, so it pays to prepare thoroughly before the first attempt.
After You Pass
Your certification number appears in your BACB account within 24 hours, but you may not practice until a qualified supervisor is on record. BCaBAs recertify every two years by earning 20 CEUs (including 4 in ethics, plus 3 in supervision if they supervised RBTs), meeting ongoing supervision requirements, following the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, and submitting a recertification application.
How to Use This Guide
The chapters follow the nine TCO content areas. Each section ends with practice questions, and the supervision, ethics, and measurement chapters include the current BACB rules that exam items test. A practical plan:
- Spend time in proportion to the question counts: G, C, H, B, and E together account for 98 of the 150 scored questions.
- After each chapter, answer the end-of-section questions without notes, then reread the sections you missed.
- Finish with timed mixed sets from the free BCaBA practice questions to build the pace needed for 175 questions in 4 hours (about 80 seconds per question).
How is the BCaBA exam structured under the current BCaBA Handbook?
175 questions, of which 150 are scored, with a 4-hour limit
175 questions, all of which are scored, with a 3.5-hour limit
150 questions, of which 130 are scored, with a 3-hour limit
185 questions, of which 160 are scored, with a 4-hour limit
Which content area of the BCaBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) contributes the most scored questions?
Behavior-Change Procedures (22 questions)
Concepts and Principles (18 questions)
Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation (20 questions)
Ethical and Professional Issues (18 questions)
A candidate does not pass the BCaBA exam on March 2. What must happen before the next attempt?
The candidate must wait one full year and then submit a new certification application.
Nothing extra; the candidate can rebook the same week with Pearson VUE.
The candidate submits a retake application, pays the fees, and waits at least 30 days.
The candidate must first complete 10 additional CEUs in ethics and supervision.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.