BCBA Exam Guide

Becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) takes many years of studying and work in the field. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) is the organization that handles the official certification process for BCBAs, and it sets the guidelines and requirements that need to be completed.

Once you have obtained your BCBA certification, you will be allowed to work in a supervisory role helping individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) and other related treatments.

After you have completed the requisite schooling, additional coursework (if necessary) and supervised fieldwork hours, candidates must pass the BCBA certification exam before they can become officially licensed.

Below, we provide all the details of the BCBA exam so that you can be better prepared for what’s ahead.

Part of the complete guide on how to become a BCBA

Table Of Contents

What is Included in the BCBA Exam?

The BCBA certification examination is administered in-person at either an authorized Pearson VUE testing site or at a U.S. military base that meets the necessary security requirements for high-stakes examinations.

Testing sites are authorized through the BACB in the United States, the UK, Australia and Canada, so that you can pick the location that’s most convenient for you.

Candidates have four hours to complete the test’s 185 total questions. The exam is a multiple-choice format, where each question will have four possible answers, with only one answer being the correct one.

The exam is administered in a computer-based testing (CBT) delivery format. If you are unfamiliar with how this works, you can visit the BACB Certification Testing website that Pearson VUE publishes to view a full tutorial.

This website will also provide more information about what you can expect at one of the testing centers, as well as locations where you can take the test.

How is the BCBA Exam Scored?

The BCBA exam follows the modified Angoff method, which establishes the passing score for each base examination form. These forms are created roughly every five years, or any time that there’s a significant change to the content of the exam.

The BACB has a large question pool that they can use to generate exam forms, and they’re all equated to the base exam. As such, the passing score for each base exam is established by a panel of experts that are certified by the BACB before final approval from the organization’s board of directors.

Each candidate’s performance for the exam is independent of that of others who take the exam at the same time as you.

Because of the way the exam is scored, you will immediately receive notification of whether you have passed the exam or not. Those results will then be confirmed to you by the BACB via email, and the official results will also appear on your BACB account about one week after you have taken the test.

What is the Passing Rate for the BCBA Exam?

The BACB sets high standards for BCBA certification, which is why the exam itself is rather challenging. It’s not a big surprise, then, that only about half of the candidates who take the exam for the first time pass.

According to the BACB, there were 9,911 candidates who took the BCBA exam for the first time in 2024, and 54% of those candidates passed. That same year, there were 11,780 retakes of the exam, and 25% of those candidates passed.

This is why it’s very important that you ensure that you are well-prepared for the exam before you take it. The BACB publishes a full BCBA handbook that provides detailed information about the exam itself, including what to expect and good ways to prepare.

Category	Details
Certification Authority	Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)
Exam Format	Computer-Based Testing (CBT)
Location Options	Pearson VUE sites in the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, and U.S. military bases
Time Limit	4 hours
Number of Questions	185 multiple-choice
Passing Method	Modified Angoff Method
Notification of Results	Immediate preliminary result; official confirmation via email and BACB account within one week
2024 First-Time Pass Rate	54% (9,911 candidates)
2024 Retake Pass Rate	25% (11,780 candidates)
Resource	BCBA Handbook & Pearson VUE Tutorial

Blue Gems ABA Has a Team of Experienced BCBAs

The BCBA exam is very challenging, and it’s designed to be that way by the BACB to ensure those who receive certification are the best of the best.

At Blue Gems ABA, we have a team of experienced BCBAs who are dedicated to administering ABA therapy to children with autism on a one-to-one basis. By crafting personalized treatment plans that target each individual patient’s unique strengths and challenges, we can better help them build the social, communication and daily life skills with which they might struggle.

To learn more, please contact us today.