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BCBA Exam (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) Exam Cheat Sheet (2026)
A free, printable BCBA Exam (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) exam cheat sheet: the 132 highest-yield points to know, grouped into 9 sections that follow the exam's content areas, each section with its published weight.
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- The real BCBA Exam (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) exam: 185 questions · 240 minutes.
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- Last updated: September 2026.
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Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations
5% of the exam- Description
- Systematic observation that produces quantifiable facts about behavior, such as when and how often it occurs.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.1
- Prediction
- Knowing that two events reliably co-vary, which allows one to be predicted from the other; correlation alone does not show cause.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.1
- Control
- Showing that behavior changes when a specific environmental variable is manipulated, and only then: a functional relation.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.1; Skinner, Science and Human Behavior (1953)
- Selectionism
- Operant behavior is selected by its consequences over a lifetime, in parallel with natural selection of species and selection of cultural practices.· Skinner, Selection by consequences, Science 213 (1981)
- Determinism
- Behavior is lawful: it is the result of identifiable causes rather than random or self-initiated.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.2
- Empiricism
- Knowledge comes from objective observation and measurement rather than opinion or authority.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.2
- Parsimony
- Rule out the simplest, already-established explanations before turning to more complex or hypothetical ones.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.2
- Pragmatism
- Ideas are judged by whether they lead to effective action and prediction.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.2
- Private events
- Thinking and feeling are behavior, not inner causes; excluding them because only one person can observe them is methodological, not radical, behaviorism.· Skinner, The operational analysis of psychological terms (1945); About Behaviorism (1974)
- Mentalism rejected
- Explaining behavior by inner states (drives, will, the mind) is circular unless those states are themselves explained by environmental variables.· Skinner, About Behaviorism (1974)
- Four branches
- Behaviorism is the philosophy; the experimental analysis of behavior is basic research; applied behavior analysis studies socially significant behavior; professional practice delivers services guided by the science.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) A.4
- Applied and behavioral
- Targets are socially significant for the person, and what is changed and measured is behavior itself.· Baer, Wolf & Risley, JABA 1 (1968)
- Analytic
- A believable demonstration that the intervention, and not something else, produced the change.· Baer, Wolf & Risley, JABA 1 (1968)
- Technological and conceptually systematic
- Procedures are described fully enough to replicate, and are tied to basic principles.· Baer, Wolf & Risley, JABA 1 (1968)
- Effective and generality
- The change is large enough to matter in practice, and it lasts over time or spreads to other settings or behaviors.· Baer, Wolf & Risley, JABA 1 (1968)
Concepts and Principles
14% of the exam- Response class
- A set of responses that share a function, such as several forms of behavior that all produce attention.· Skinner, The generic nature of the concepts of stimulus and response (1935); BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) B.1
- Respondent conditioning
- A neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus comes to elicit a conditioned response; presenting it repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus is respondent extinction.· Pavlov, Conditioned Reflexes (1927)
- Operant extinction
- Discontinuing reinforcement for a previously reinforced response (operation), producing a decrease in that response (process).· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) B.11
- Four contingencies
- Adding or removing a stimulus after a response, followed by an increase (reinforcement) or decrease (punishment) in that response.· Skinner, Science and Human Behavior (1953)
- Automatic versus socially mediated
- Automatic contingencies are produced by the behavior itself; socially mediated ones depend on another person delivering or removing something.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) B.6
- Generalized conditioned reinforcer
- A conditioned reinforcer paired with many backup reinforcers, such as money or tokens, so it does not depend on a single deprivation state.· Skinner, Science and Human Behavior (1953)
- Simple and compound schedules
- Ratio schedules depend on response counts and interval schedules on time; multiple, mixed, chained and concurrent schedules combine them in different ways.· Ferster & Skinner, Schedules of Reinforcement (1957)
- Discriminative stimulus
- A stimulus in whose presence a response has been reinforced and in whose absence it has not; it comes to evoke the response.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) B.12-B.13
- Motivating operation
- An environmental variable with a value-altering effect on a consequence and a behavior-altering effect on responses that have produced it.· Laraway, Snycerski, Michael & Poling, JABA 36 (2003)
- MO versus SD
- MOs alter reinforcer effectiveness; SDs signal differential availability.· Michael, JEAB 37 (1982)
- Stimulus and response generalization
- The trained response occurring to new stimuli, versus new response forms occurring under the trained conditions.· Stokes & Baer, JABA 10 (1977)
- Mand, tact, intraverbal, echoic
- Mand: controlled by a motivating operation. Tact: controlled by a nonverbal stimulus. Intraverbal: controlled by verbal stimuli without point-to-point correspondence. Echoic: vocal copy of a vocal model.· Skinner, Verbal Behavior (1957)
- Multiple control
- Most verbal responses have more than one controlling variable at once.· Skinner, Verbal Behavior (1957)
- Stimulus equivalence
- After training some conditional relations, untrained relations (reflexivity, symmetry, transitivity) emerge.· Sidman & Tailby, JEAB 37 (1982)
- Momentum and matching
- Resistance to change tracks the reinforcement rate in a context; relative response rates tend to match relative reinforcement rates.· Nevin, JEAB 21 (1974); Herrnstein, JEAB 4 (1961)
Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation
12% of the exam- Operational definition
- States what the behavior looks like in observable terms so two observers would score the same instances.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.1
- Direct, indirect, product
- Direct measures observe behavior as it happens; indirect measures rely on reports; product measures record lasting outcomes such as completed work.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.2
- Rate
- Count divided by observation time, which allows sessions of different lengths to be compared.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.3
- Duration, latency, IRT
- How long a response lasts; time from a stimulus to the response; time between two successive responses.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.4
- Partial-interval recording
- Scores an interval if the behavior occurs at any point, so it can only add occurrence and tends to overestimate duration.· Powell, Martindale & Kulp, JABA 8 (1975)
- Whole-interval recording
- Scores an interval only if the behavior lasts throughout, so it tends to underestimate duration.· Powell, Martindale & Kulp, JABA 8 (1975)
- Momentary time sampling
- Records whether behavior is occurring at the end of each interval; practical when the observer cannot watch continuously.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.6
- Total count IOA
- Smaller count divided by larger count, times 100.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.8
- Agreement is not accuracy
- Two observers can agree and both be wrong in the same way.· Johnston & Pennypacker, Strategies and Tactics of Behavioral Research
- Procedural integrity
- Measure whether the intervention was delivered as designed, including accuracy of each component and dosage.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.12
- Cumulative record
- Slope is response rate; a flat segment means no responses, and the line never goes down.· Skinner, A case history in scientific method (1956)
- Steady state first
- With highly variable or trending baseline data, extend baseline before introducing an intervention so its effect can be judged.· Sidman, Tactics of Scientific Research (1960)
- Choose the graph for the question
- Use an equal-interval line graph for ongoing decisions and a bar graph for summary comparisons across conditions.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) C.10
Experimental Design
7% of the exam- Independent and dependent variables
- The intervention is the independent variable; the measured behavior is the dependent variable.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.1
- Internal versus external validity
- Confidence that the intervention produced the effect, versus generality to other people, settings and behaviors.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.2
- Threats to internal validity
- Uncontrolled factors such as history, maturation and changes in measurement that could explain a change.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.3
- Prediction
- A stable baseline lets you predict what behavior would do without intervention.· Sidman, Tactics of Scientific Research (1960)
- Verification
- Showing that behavior would have stayed at baseline levels, for example by withdrawing the intervention.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.4
- Replication
- Repeating the effect, for example by reintroducing the intervention, increases confidence in it.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.4
- Strength over group designs
- Effects on each individual are visible instead of being averaged across a group.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.5
- Reversal
- Introduce, withdraw and reintroduce the intervention; requires behavior that can return toward baseline.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.7
- Multiple baseline
- Stagger the intervention across behaviors, settings or people; suited to behavior that will not reverse. Change in an untreated tier weakens the demonstration.· Baer, Wolf & Risley, JABA 1 (1968)
- Multielement
- Rapidly alternate conditions and compare their separate data paths.· Barlow & Hayes, JABA 12 (1979)
- Changing criterion
- Behavior is shown to track a series of stepwise criteria.· Hartmann & Hall, JABA 9 (1976)
- Component analysis
- Isolates which parts of a treatment package are responsible for its effect.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.8
- Comparative analysis
- Compares two or more distinct treatments.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.8
- Parametric analysis
- Compares different values of one independent variable, such as reinforcer magnitude.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) D.8
Ethical and Professional Issues
13% of the exam- Four core principles
- Benefit others; treat others with compassion, dignity and respect; behave with integrity; ensure their competence.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Core Principles
- Scope of competence
- Practice only within your competence; enter new areas only after documented study, training, supervised experience or consultation, otherwise refer.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 1.05
- Multiple relationships
- Avoid them; if one arises, resolve it, and where that is not immediately possible, put safeguards in place and document.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 1.11
- Gifts
- No gifts given to or accepted from clients, stakeholders, supervisees or trainees worth more than $10 US; tell clients at the start.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 1.12
- Romantic relationships
- None with current clients, stakeholders, supervisees or trainees; at least two years after the end of the professional relationship with former clients or stakeholders; at least six months after a past romantic relationship before accepting that person as a supervisee or trainee.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 1.14
- Disclosing confidential information
- Only with informed consent, to protect from harm, to resolve contractual issues, to prevent a crime likely to cause harm, or when compelled by law.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.04
- Accurate billing
- Do not bill nonbehavioral services under behavioral authorizations; inform parties of errors, correct them and document.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.06
- Informed consent
- Required before assessments and interventions, when making substantial changes, and when releasing records; obtain assent when applicable.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.11
- Medical needs
- Ensure medical variables are assessed when they may influence behavior; document referrals and follow up.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.12
- Restrictive procedures
- Only after less intrusive means have not worked, or when the risk of harm from the behavior outweighs the procedure's risk, with required reviews.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.15
- Referrals
- Include multiple providers when available and disclose any relationships, fees or incentives.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 3.13
- Discontinuing services
- Give a written discharge plan, document its acknowledgment and review it throughout discharge.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 3.15
- Testimonials
- Do not solicit testimonials from current clients or stakeholders for advertising.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 5.07
- Social media
- No client content on personal accounts; on professional accounts only with informed consent and a disclaimer.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 5.10
- Nonbehavioral services
- Must carry the disclaimer that they are not behavioral in nature and not covered by BACB certification.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 5.06
- Address directly when safe
- Raise concerns with the person directly when that seems likely to resolve the issue without undue risk.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Application of the Code
- Immediate harm first
- Criminal activity or behavior that puts clients at risk of direct and immediate harm is reported to relevant authorities before the BACB or a licensure board.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Application of the Code
- Document
- Document the steps taken and the outcomes when addressing possible violations.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Application of the Code
Behavior Assessment
13% of the exam- Records review
- Educational, medical and historical records are relevant sources at the outset of a case.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) F.1
- Cultural variables
- Integrate relevant cultural variables in assessment and involve the family in selecting goals.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) F.2; BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.09
- Referral
- Interpret assessment data to decide whether behavior-analytic services, a referral to others, or both are needed.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) F.7; BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.12
- Criterion- versus norm-referenced
- Performance compared with a fixed standard, versus with a group of peers.· Glaser, American Psychologist 18 (1963)
- Paired-stimulus
- Items presented two at a time, each paired with every other.· Fisher et al., JABA 25 (1992)
- Multiple-stimulus without replacement
- An array from which each chosen item is removed, producing a hierarchy quickly.· DeLeon & Iwata, JABA 29 (1996)
- Free-operant
- Open access to all items with time engaged recorded; no items are withdrawn.· Roane et al., JABA 31 (1998)
- Preference is not reinforcement
- Only a reinforcer assessment shows that an item increases a response when made contingent on it.· Pace et al., JABA 18 (1985)
- Indirect assessment
- Information from interviews, checklists or rating scales rather than direct observation.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) F.5
- ABC recording
- Records antecedents and consequences of each episode as they naturally occur.· Bijou, Peterson & Ault, JABA 1 (1968)
- Correlation only
- Descriptive data show what co-occurs with behavior, not what controls it.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) F.5
- Standard conditions
- Attention, demand (escape), alone and play (control) conditions, with a tangible condition added when relevant.· Iwata et al., JABA 27 (1982/1994); Hanley, Iwata & McCord, JABA 36 (2003)
- Reading results
- Elevated responding in one test condition points to that reinforcer; high responding in alone or across all conditions suggests automatic reinforcement.· Iwata et al., JABA 27 (1982/1994)
- Latency-based
- End each session at the first response to limit exposure to dangerous behavior.· Thomason-Sassi et al., JABA 44 (2011)
- Trial-based
- Brief test and control segments embedded in classroom routines.· Bloom et al., JABA 44 (2011)
Behavior-Change Procedures
14% of the exam- DRA and FCT
- Reinforce an alternative, often communicative, response that produces the same reinforcer as the problem behavior.· Carr & Durand, JABA 18 (1985)
- DRO
- Reinforce the absence of the target behavior for an interval.· Reynolds, JEAB 4 (1961)
- DRL
- Reinforce the behavior when it occurs at or below a set rate, to lower but not eliminate it.· Deitz & Repp, JABA 6 (1973)
- Fixed-time schedules
- Deliver the reinforcer on a time schedule regardless of behavior (noncontingent reinforcement).· Vollmer et al., JABA 26 (1993)
- Token systems
- Tokens gain value through exchange for backup reinforcers.· Ayllon & Azrin, The Token Economy (1968)
- Prompt hierarchies
- Most-to-least starts with high assistance to limit errors; least-to-most starts with the learner's independent attempt.· Libby et al., Behavior Analysis in Practice 1 (2008)
- Prompt delay and stimulus fading
- Insert a delay before the prompt, or gradually change a physical dimension of a stimulus prompt until it is gone.· Snell & Gast (1981); Terrace, JEAB 6 (1963)
- Shaping
- Reinforce successive approximations, placing earlier forms on extinction.· Skinner, Science and Human Behavior (1953)
- Chaining
- Forward, backward (last step first) and total-task methods for teaching sequences.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) G.12
- Trial-based and free-operant teaching
- Adult-led discrete trials versus learner-initiated teaching such as incidental teaching.· Hart & Risley, JABA 8 (1975)
- Group contingencies
- Independent, dependent and interdependent arrangements.· Litow & Pumroy, JABA 8 (1975)
- Generalization tactics
- Train sufficient exemplars, program common stimuli, train loosely, use natural maintaining contingencies, among others.· Stokes & Baer, JABA 10 (1977)
- Schedule thinning after FCT
- Thin reinforcement gradually, for example with signaled periods when requests will and will not be reinforced.· Hanley, Iwata & Thompson, JABA 34 (2001)
- Time-out depends on time-in
- If the setting left is aversive, removal can reinforce the behavior by escape.· Solnick, Rincover & Peterson, JABA 10 (1977)
- Overcorrection
- Restitutional overcorrection restores the environment to better than before; positive practice repeats the correct behavior.· Foxx & Azrin, Behaviour Research and Therapy 10 (1972)
- Extinction side effects
- Temporary increases (bursts) and aggression can occur early in extinction.· Lerman, Iwata & Wallace, JABA 32 (1999)
Selecting and Implementing Interventions
11% of the exam- Measurable goals
- State the behavior, the conditions and a criterion.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) H.1
- Response efficiency
- A replacement competes with problem behavior when it is at least as easy, fast and richly reinforced.· Horner & Day, JABA 24 (1991)
- Social validity
- Consumers judge the significance of goals, the acceptability of procedures and the importance of effects.· Wolf, JABA 11 (1978)
- Selection criteria
- Assessment results, evidence, client preferences and contextual fit such as implementer expertise and resources.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) H.2
- Positive reinforcement first
- Interventions prioritize positive reinforcement and fit the client's needs, context and resources.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.14
- Collaboration
- Work with other professionals in the client's interest, compromising where possible.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.10
- Warn about bursts
- Caregivers should know behavior may temporarily worsen under extinction.· Lerman, Iwata & Wallace, JABA 32 (1999)
- Satiation
- Vary reinforcers and use small amounts to keep them effective.· Laraway et al., JABA 36 (2003)
- Resurgence
- Previously extinguished behavior can return when reinforcement for the alternative is reduced or stops.· Volkert et al., JABA 42 (2009)
- Integrity before effectiveness
- Low procedural integrity must be ruled out before concluding that a procedure does not work.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) H.6
- Act on the data
- Use graphed data to decide whether to continue, modify or terminate services, and take corrective action when goals are not being met.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Codes 2.17-2.18
- Other services affecting the plan
- When services delivered by another professional appear to be undermining the intervention, review and address it with that professional.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.18
Personnel Supervision and Management
11% of the exam- Benefits
- Improved client outcomes and improved staff performance and retention.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) I.1
- Contracts and expectations
- Execute supervisor-supervisee contracts and establish clear expectations.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) I.2; BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 1.04
- Supervisory volume
- Take on only as many supervisees as allow effective supervision; document and communicate when the threshold is reached.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 4.03
- Equity
- Use methods that promote equity in supervision practices.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) I.3
- Behavioral skills training
- Instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback, repeated until the skill is performed correctly.· Parsons, Rollyson & Reid, Behavior Analysis in Practice 5 (2012)
- Feedback
- Timely praise and feedback designed to improve performance, with a focus on positive reinforcement.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Codes 4.06 and 4.08
- Task clarification
- Checklists and clear descriptions of steps as antecedent supports.· BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) I.5
- Performance diagnostics
- Examine training, task clarification and prompting, resources and processes, and consequences, effort and competition.· Carr et al., Behavior Analysis in Practice 6 (2013)
- Improvement plans
- When problems arise, develop, communicate, implement and evaluate an improvement plan.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 4.08
- Delegation
- Delegate only after confirming the supervisee can perform the task competently.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 4.09
- Evaluate with outcomes
- Use feedback and supervisee and client outcomes to evaluate supervisory practices.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 4.10; BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) I.7
- Documentation
- Retain supervision documentation for at least 7 years and as otherwise required.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 4.05
- Diversity and bias
- Address diversity in supervision and evaluate supervisees' biases.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Codes 1.07 and 4.07
- Terminating supervision
- Develop a plan with relevant parties that minimizes negative effects on the supervisee.· BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 4.12
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