RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) Practice Test

Sample practice questions

A few real questions from this free bank, with full explanations. Use the practice tool above for the whole set.

1. 1. Data Collection and Graphing

   Maya's program says to record how long it takes her to start brushing her teeth after the instruction 'Time to brush' is delivered. The RBT starts a stopwatch as the instruction ends and stops it the instant Maya picks up the toothbrush. Which measurement procedure is the RBT using?

   • a.Latency recording, timing from the instruction to the start of the response
   • b.Duration recording, timing from the start of the response to its end
   • c.Interresponse time, timing from one response to the next response
   • d.Frequency recording, counting each toothbrushing response in the session

   Answer: a

   Explanation: (a) is correct: latency is the elapsed time between the onset of a stimulus — here the instruction — and the beginning of the response, which is exactly what the stopwatch captures. (b) is plausible because duration is also a timed measure, but duration would begin when Maya starts brushing and end when she stops; the RBT stops the watch at the moment brushing begins, so no duration is recorded. (c) is plausible because interresponse time is timed too, but IRT runs from the end of one response to the start of the next, and only one response is involved here. (d) is wrong because frequency produces a count, not a time value; it would tell the team how often Maya brushed, not how long she took to begin.

2. 2. Data Collection and Graphing

   A BCBA asks the RBT to check whether the definition of 'elopement' on the data sheet could be used by any observer. Which definition meets that standard?

   • a.Moving more than three feet from the assigned area without permission
   • b.Trying to get away from the activity because the work feels too hard
   • c.Wandering off whenever the learner becomes bored with the activity
   • d.Leaving the area in a way that shows the learner wants to escape

   Answer: a

   Explanation: (a) is correct: it names a movement and a measurable boundary, so two observers watching the same moment would score it the same way. (b) is plausible because escape is often the reason for elopement, but 'trying to get away' and 'feels too hard' are inferences that different observers would judge differently. (c) has the same problem with 'bored,' which cannot be seen. (d) sounds objective until 'shows the learner wants to escape,' which asks the observer to read intent.

3. 3. Behavior Assessment

   An RBT finishes a paired-stimulus assessment in which each of five items appeared in eight trials. The BCBA asks how the results should be summarized. What should the RBT report?

   • a.The percentage of trials in which each item was selected when presented
   • b.The total time the learner spent engaging with each item today
   • c.The order in which each item was removed from the array during trials
   • d.The number of prompts needed before the learner selected any one item

   Answer: a

   Explanation: (a) is correct: in a paired-stimulus assessment each item appears a fixed number of times, so dividing selections by presentations gives a percentage that ranks the items fairly. (b) describes how a free-operant assessment is scored, which was not the format used. (c) describes how an array assessment without replacement is scored; no array was presented here. (d) is plausible because prompt counts appear on many data sheets, but prompting has no place in a preference assessment, where the learner's unprompted choice is the measure.

4. 4. Behavior Acquisition

   During a matching program, a learner reaches for the tablet and whines whenever a trial is presented. To keep the session pleasant, the RBT hands over the tablet for a minute each time this happens, then resumes trials. What is the most likely effect on the learner's behavior?

   • a.Reaching and whining will increase, because they are now producing the tablet and a pause in work.
   • b.Correct matching responses will decrease, because the tablet has been made freely and continuously available.
   • c.Correct matching responses will increase, because the tablet is a powerful reinforcer for this learner.
   • d.Reaching and whining will decrease, because the learner receives the tablet before the behavior escalates.

   Answer: a

   Explanation: (a) is correct: the tablet and the break both follow reaching and whining, so those responses are being reinforced and will occur more often — the consequence is contingent on exactly the behavior the RBT does not want to build. (b) misdescribes the arrangement: the tablet is not freely available, it is available specifically after whining, which is a contingency rather than free access. (c) is wrong because the tablet is not following correct matching responses at all, so it cannot be strengthening them. (d) is a common intuition but backwards: delivering a preferred item after a behavior strengthens it rather than heading it off.

5. 5. Behavior Acquisition

   Nadia correctly touches the "spoon" card on nearly every trial. The RBT notices that the spoon card has been placed on the left side of the table for every trial this month. Nadia's plan calls for randomized placement. How should the RBT proceed?

   • a.Present the spoon card alone for several trials to confirm that Nadia can identify it correctly.
   • b.Continue with the current placement but add a third distractor card to increase the difficulty.
   • c.Randomize the position of the cards each trial as the plan states, so position cannot control responding.
   • d.Continue with the current placement, since Nadia's accuracy shows the discrimination is mastered.

   Answer: c

   Explanation: (c) is correct: if the target is always in the same spot, position rather than the picture may be controlling responding, and randomizing placement — which the plan already requires — is what tests whether Nadia is discriminating the card itself. (a) removes the discrimination entirely; with one card on the table there is nothing to discriminate and any reach appears correct. (b) makes the array harder while leaving the confound in place, so the results remain uninterpretable. (d) treats accuracy as proof of discrimination when a position bias produces exactly the same accuracy.

6. 6. Behavior Acquisition

   A shaping program for tolerating a haircut states that the RBT should reinforce sitting in the chair, and once the learner does so on five consecutive opportunities, move the requirement to sitting with the cape on. The learner has met that criterion for three weeks, and the RBT is still reinforcing sitting alone. What is the problem?

   • a.The learner has come to depend on the RBT's presence rather than on the haircut routine.
   • b.The reinforcement criterion was not advanced when the plan's condition for advancing was met.
   • c.The reinforcer has been used for too long and is no longer effective for this learner.
   • d.The approximations in this program are too small for the learner's current skill level.

   Answer: b

   Explanation: (b) is correct: shaping works only when the requirement moves, and holding the criterion after the plan's advancement condition was met stalls the program and leaves the learner practicing an approximation instead of progressing toward the terminal behavior. (a) speculates about a different kind of dependence that the scenario gives no evidence for. (c) is not supported by anything in the scenario; the learner is still responding, which suggests the reinforcer is working. (d) proposes a plan-design judgment when the recorded fact is simply that a written step was skipped.

7. 7. Behavior Reduction

   Aiden's plan directs the RBT to reinforce every instance of his 'help me' sign and to withhold reinforcement for whining. During a session Aiden signs 'help me' while the RBT is still setting out materials for the next task. What should the RBT do?

   • a.Finish setting out the materials, then respond so the routine is not disrupted.
   • b.Prompt Aiden to wait quietly and reinforce the sign after ten seconds pass.
   • c.Ask the supervising BCBA whether every single sign must really be reinforced.
   • d.Stop setting up and respond to the sign immediately, as the plan specifies.

   Answer: d

   Explanation: (d) is correct: during the teaching phase the plan calls for reinforcing every occurrence, and immediacy is what builds the new response strongly enough to compete with whining. (a) delays reinforcement, which weakens the sign and makes whining more likely to reappear when the sign does not work quickly. (b) adds a waiting requirement the plan does not contain; thinning the schedule is a clinical decision, not an in-session adjustment. (c) is unnecessary escalation over a procedure the plan states explicitly — the question of when to thin reinforcement can be raised with the BCBA outside the session.

8. 8. Behavior Reduction

   After safely resolving a crisis in which Bea attempted to bite staff, the RBT has returned Bea to her activity and she is now calm and working. What should the RBT do NEXT?

   • a.Complete the agency's incident report and required documentation promptly.
   • b.Resume the program and mention the episode at the next team meeting.
   • c.End the session early so that Bea has the rest of the day to recover.
   • d.Describe the episode in the session note as Bea being aggressive and upset.

   Answer: a

   Explanation: (a) is correct: crisis episodes carry mandatory reporting and documentation requirements, and completing them promptly and objectively is part of the RBT's role once the client is safe. (b) delays reporting a safety event until a scheduled meeting, which is not timely and may violate agency requirements. (c) ends services contingent on the crisis, which can deliver escape from the session and does not meet any reporting obligation. (d) documents the event in subjective, labeling language instead of observable and measurable terms, which is not acceptable session-note practice.

9. 9. Documentation and Reporting

   An RBT is writing a brief report of a variable that could affect client progress. Which entry best meets the requirement to report such a variable objectively?

   • a.The client has been struggling since the family's schedule became so chaotic this month.
   • b.The caregiver reported that the client's school day now ends ninety minutes later.
   • c.The client's new school schedule is clearly making the afternoon programs impossible.
   • d.The client seems much more tired lately, most likely because of the later school day.

   Answer: b

   Explanation: (b) is correct: it names the source, states a specific and verifiable fact, and adds no inference about its effect. (a) uses the evaluative words struggling and chaotic, neither of which is observable. (c) draws a conclusion about program viability that only the supervisor can reach. (d) attributes tiredness to a cause and hedges it with most likely, which is speculation inside a clinical record.

10. 10. Ethics

    RBT Nia attended two supervision meetings this month, both of them small-group sessions with six other RBTs, and her supervisor observed her running a session during one of them. What is still missing?

    • a.A third contact, because two monthly contacts are the minimum only for part-time RBTs.
    • b.An individual contact, because at least one of the two monthly sessions must be individual.
    • c.A second observation, because the supervisor must observe service delivery in both meetings.
    • d.A written summary, because group supervision counts only when minutes are distributed.

    Answer: b

    Explanation: (b) is correct: at least one of the two monthly supervision sessions must be individual, meaning no other RBTs or trainees present, and the other may occur in a small-group meeting. (a) invents a part-time distinction; two contacts is the minimum for everyone. (c) overstates the observation rule, which requires observation in at least one of the monthly meetings. (d) invents a documentation format requirement for group supervision.