Is the RBT Exam Hard? Real Pass Rates, Difficulty, and What Students Struggle With Most

Have you always wanted to become a Registered Behavior Technician? To work with at-risk children and adults to ensure they can live a comfortable life?

To pursue this career, you need to first pass the RBT exam. Without passing this exam, you cannot receive your certification, i.e. practice as a behavior technician. 

Many often ask – is the RBT exam hard? Well, it entirely depends on your preparation levels. The RBT exam is tricky, sure, but not necessarily hard. 

If you cover all the course materials with dedication and take practice tests regularly to sharpen your skills, you’ll ace the RBT exam with ease on your very first try!

In today’s article, we’ll attempt to share an overview of the real pass rates of the RBT exam so you can calculate your chances accordingly. Additionally, we’ll share our two cents on what students struggle with most in these types of exams. 

So, without further ado, let’s get right to it!

A Brief Overview of The RBT Exam

The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) exam is organized by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). This exam allows you to gain the necessary certification needed to work in the ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) field, especially with children with autism and ADHD, to understand their behavioral patterns and preferences. 

As for questions on the RBT exam, the exam covers a total of 85 MCQs and lasts for 90 minutes. Among the 85 MCQs, only 75 MCQs contain marks. 

You can consider the rest of the questions as pilot questions, as they don’t contain any mark i.e. they don’t contribute to the passing score. 

Their aim is to gather candidate feedback regarding the exam so the board can implement the feedback and generate better questions next time around. 

Now, you can’t sit for the RBT exam right away on a whim. It’s a considerably long process and you need to cross quite a few steps first. 

For instance – to qualify for the RBT exam, you need to first pass a background check, and complete the RBT Competency Assessment under a registered supervisor. 

Lastly, to pass in the RBT exam, you have to score 80%. Each question is marked differently based on difficulty. To score the passing mark, you have to get 68 questions right out of 75 MCQs. In terms of marks, you have to score 200 out of 250. 

Looking to sit for a free mock test? Explore our free online RBT mock test!

Real Pass Rates of The RBT Exam

According to the Annual BACB Data Report, in 2024, only 73% of the first-time RBT candidates passed the exam. That means, 27% of the first-time candidates didn’t make the cut. By the end of 2024, a total of 196, 579 candidates received their RBT certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. 

Now, let’s check out the real pass rates of the retakers of the RBT exam. According to the same report, only 36% of the retakers passed in the RBT exam in 2024. The percentage suggests that while you do have the option to retake the RBT exam, your chances of passing drastically decrease with each retake. 

Is The RBT Exam Hard? 

The RBT exam is only hard if you have no preparation at all. If you complete the 40-hour training properly and go through the RBT Task List religiously, you’ll find that the RBT exam is as easy as it comes. Alongside the Task List, it’s important to go through the RBT Handbook to maintain all exam regulations efficiently. 

To do well in the RBT exam, you must develop a good knowledge on the basic ABA domains that the exam covers. Here’s a brief rundown:

1. Measurement 

You’ll receive 12 MCQs from this section. You need to practice data collection, continuous measurement procedures (e.g., frequency, duration), discontinuous measurement procedures (e.g., partial & whole interval, momentary time sampling), permanent-product recording procedures, etc. 

Additionally, you need to learn to enter data and update graphs alongside developing the skill to describe behavior in measurable terms. 

2. Assessment 

You’ll receive 6 questions from this section. It requires knowledge on preference assessments alongside individual and functional assessment procedures. 

3. Skill Acquisition 

You’ll receive 24 questions from this section. You’ll need to identify the essential components of a written skill acquisition plan, use contingencies of reinforcement, implement discrete-trial teaching procedures, naturalistic teaching procedures, discrimination training, token economy procedures, etc.

4. Behavior Reduction 

You’ll receive 12 questions from this section. It requires knowledge on common functions of behavior, differential reinforcement procedures such as DRA and DRO, discriminative stimulus, extinction procedures, crisis protocol, etc.

5. Documentation and Reporting 

You’ll receive 10 questions from this section. You’ll need to discern how to effectively communicate with your supervisor, what factors or variables might hamper this effective communication, and generate objective session notes. 

6. Professional Conduct and Scope of Practice 

You’ll receive 11 questions from this domain. To do well, you’ll need to memorize the BACB’s RBT supervision requirements, the role of RBTs in the service-delivery system, regulations on communicating with stakeholders, etc. 

Download Complete RBT Study Guide PDF for Free

What Do Students Struggle With Most In The RBT Exam?

Even with a good preparation, many qualified students often fail on their first try due to some common RBT exam mistakes. 

Here’s an overview of some of the common issues students struggle with most in the RBT exam and how to overcome them:

Time Management 

It’s surely pressuring to answer 85 MCQs in 90 minutes only! That means, you barely get a minute and a few seconds to answer every question. 

To resolve this issue, you need to create a timeline of your own in advance. For instance – take no more than 13-14 minutes for the Measurement domain, 7-8 minutes for the Assessment domain, 28-30 minutes for the Skill Acquisition domain, and so on. If you’re exceptionally confident about a particular domain, you can reduce the time needed in that one to focus on the weaker domains. 

And most importantly, reach the exam centre at least half an hour before the designated time. That way, you won’t feel frantic when the exam starts and you can use all 90 minutes as efficiently as possible.

Tricky Wording

Remember that the RBT exam doesn’t hand out simple MCQs. Each MCQ is multi-layered with tricky wording in every phrase. Hence, you need to pay extra attention while reading the question to ensure you catch the right meaning. 

Take a look at this practice question for instance –

A and B’s father, C tells them to avoid crossing the bridge because they will have to pay a ‘troll toll.’ Based on this verbal statement, A and B subsequently choose to avoid the bridge. Which behavioral concept best describes the children’s behavior of avoiding the bridge under these circumstances?

1. Contingency-shaped behavior.
2. Rule-governed behavior.
3. High-probability request sequence.
4. Speaker behavior

Here, the correct answer is b i.e. rule-governed behavior as there has been no direct exposure to the contingency itself in the given scenario. If you fail to identify the distinction and answer a i.e. contingency-shaped behavior instead, you’ll get the answer wrong due to a simple, absent-minded misunderstanding. 

Inadequate Preparation 

Many candidates think that they’ll pass the exam easily as they have previous experience in the ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) field. However, there is a lot of difference between working as a nurse and a registered behavior technician. 

To be an RBT, one has to internalize several behavioral theories, memorize tons of laws related to Professional Conduct and Scope of Practice and many more. 

Hence, you cannot ace the exam with inadequate preparation. You need to at least study for 1-2 hours every day for a month before the exam. 

Lack of Understanding of Difficult Concepts 

Oftentimes, candidates fail to understand difficult mathematical and behavioral concepts that contribute to their poor preparation. 

To overcome this, it’s a good idea to join a study group or to seek tutorship from a registered supervisor nearby. You can also sign up for online courses to access functional and easy-to-understand notes and guidelines for the RBT exam. 

And the best way to understand difficult concepts is to take lots of domain-specific practice tests prior to the RBT exam. 

That way, even if you do get the answers wrong, you can check out the explanations to understand the mechanism behind the question. And with practice, you can eventually crack the once-difficult questions in no time!

So, Is The RBT Exam Hard?

One might use the adjective ‘tricky’ in lieu of ‘hard’ in the case of the RBT exam. With good preparation and decent knowledge of the primary domains i.e. measurement, assessment, skill acquisition, behavior reduction, documentation and reporting, and lastly, professional conduct and scope of practice, one can easily score the passing mark on the RBT exam on the first try!

Just remember to stay calm and read the questions thoroughly before answering them. Always notice the wording to discern the tricky questions from the normal ones. Take regular practice tests to sharpen your skills. 

And last but not the least, always keep an eye on the clock. Try not to take more than a minute for each MCQ. If a question demands more than a few minutes, mark it down for later, and come back once you’ve answered the rest.