Choose Academic Substance Over Name
While its tempting to want a big name school, big names typically come with higher tuition too. Since the Behavior Analyst Certification Board sets guidelines for applied behavior analysis programs, including the required Applied Behavior Analysis course sequence, the academic material is essentially the same from college to college, university to university. What you want is a college that has caring, supportive professors who are good at teaching working adults, like Cambridge College.
Yes, your masters degree is important, but primarily because it qualifies you to sit for the BCBA exam. Once you have the BCBA credential, thats what employers want to see most.
Its even better if you can earn your degree for less money so that youll feel less financial stress before and after graduation.
Take An Exam Review Course
While the BACB doesnt offer its own exam review courses, it does recommend taking one either online or in person near you. The BACB doesnt recommend any in particular, but these types of courses can help you prepare by giving you a better idea of how the exam will go and what will be on it. They also let you refresh your knowledge of ABA basics, as well as more advanced concepts, so you can identify your weaknesses and spend extra time studying them.
These courses also have participants take practice exams. Many offer several practice tests, which show you your progress and help you gain confidence. With a structured approach, you can make studying more manageable rather than cramming all the information the week before the exam.
Taking a course allows for a healthier form of studying that makes you more likely to retain the material. Research shows that studying over time for scheduled periods improves long-term memory and test results. These courses are usually affordable but know that youll likely have to pay a fee to take one.
Who Should Take The Bcba Exam
The Board Certified Behavior Analyst BACB BCBA Practice Tests certification is an internationally-recognized validation that identifies persons who earn it as possessing skilled in Board Certified Behavior Analyst Certification. If a candidate wants significant improvement in career growth needs enhanced knowledge, skills, and talents. The Board Certified Behavior Analyst **BACB BCBA Practic… BACB BCBA dumps
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Continuing Education Requirements For Bcba Certification
Biennial certification requires the completion of at least 32 units of acceptable continuing education units , 4 hours of which must be in ethics content. The cost of biennial renewal is $215.
Acceptable continuing education can be satisfied through the following categories:
At least 25 percent of the total CEUs must come from Categories 1 and 2. A maximum of 75 percent of the total CEUs can come from Categories 3, 4 5, and 6.
You may also take and pass the BCBA® exam in lieu of CEUs. Taking and passing the BCBA® exam meets all continuing education requirements. The cost of taking the exam for continuing education is $130.
Note: If you fail the exam at the end of your certification cycle, you will no longer be BCBA® certified.
At the end of each recertification cycle, you must enter the completion of 32 hours of acceptable continuing education, including at least 4 hours in ethics, along with all necessary renewal forms and the $215 renewal fee into your BACB Gateway account.
Study Strategies For The Bcba Exam

1. Set a study schedule and create deadlines for yourself.For example: Monday , Tuesday , etc. This was one of the most important things that I did while starting to study for the exam. When I first attempted to start studying, I found myself not following through with studying and would get easily distracted. It was also the start of the pandemic and at the time I was balancing two different jobs, which made it difficult to find the time to study. The study schedule that I created allowed me to visually see that material that I needed to study for the day and held me accountable for when I didnt study.2. Set up either a study group or have a study partner.Having someone who are able to have open discussions about different examples and terminology is very important for building up fluency and understanding difficult concepts. I found it effective having a study partner because we were able to keep each other on a strict study schedule and we motivated each other when we were feeling down. My study partner was from my previous employment which was great because throughout the day when we had some downtime, we would quickly quiz each other and would turn it into a fun game, making studying actually fun!3. Take A LOT of mock exams.
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A Time Of Critical Need
As the field of behavior analysis continuously evolves with the number of exam applicants growing each year, there has never been a time of greater need for systematic training systems and exam preparation tools.
Put simply, the world desperately needs more BCBAs to help address issues of massive social significance and that is contingent upon more positive exam results.
For that reason, I would like to share my own experience which allowed me to pass The Exam, in hopes that it may inform, challenge, and motivate perspective test-takers.
While my experience may not be universally applicable for all, my hope is it that might provide at least one new insight to BCBA hopefuls.
I also cannot offer a silver bullet or one-size-fits-all approach guaranteeing certification, but I can share the resources I utilized, strategies I applied, and additional factors for consideration.
Lets get started.
How To Prepare For The Exam
There are three primary resources the BACB identified to help you prepare:
As a certified BCBA, you may carry out your treatment plan yourself and work 1-on-1 with clients. Another option you have is to supervise other professionals who implement the actual ABA sessions.
You can dive deep into your career as a BCBA, but make sure you don’t forget to keep your certification up-to-date by meeting continuing ethics, education, and self-reporting requirements. You also must renew your certification every two years.
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Top 9 Study Resources For The Bcba Exam As Shared By Hopebridge Bcbas:
What To Do First When Preparing For The Bcba Exam
Congratulations! Youve done the hard part. Youve passed your classes, collected your supervision hours, and you are now ready to study for, and pass, the BCBA exam. I know, I know, this might sound like an impossible task to some of you. Weve all heard horror stories of the low BCBA exam pass rate , people who take the exam multiple times, and people who just never pass the exam at all. But the good news is that wont be you. So, before you begin your exam prep, pat yourself on the back for making it this far. Now, lets get into the details of how you are going to prepare for your BCBA exam.
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Wrapping Things Up: How Hard Is The Bcba Exam
How hard is the BCBA exam? It can be hard if you are not eligible and prepared for it. However, suppose you are equipped with enough knowledge from your previous university, adequate skills from your related work experiences, and mastery of the new task list of BCBA. In that case, there is no reason for you to fail the exam.
This article pointed out the importance of starting your preparation from the beginning, which is choosing the best university with a high passing rate. Once you have a strong educational background and complete work experience, you may begin studying from the foundation, application, and Ethics. You will surely make it!
What Can You Do With A Bcba Certification
There are so many successful and rewarding careers in ABA you can pursue as a behavior analyst with BCBA®certification. Some of these careers and other jobs related to applied behavior analysis include:
- Serving as a consultant for large corporations that provide services to children with autism
- Supervising registered behavior technicians or direct-care therapists
- Working with school districts to provide behavior analyses for children with special needs
- Supervising or managing an organization that provides applied behavior analysis therapy
- Working as an Insurance Care Advocate for an insurance company that focuses on this valuable therapy
- Assist special education lawyers
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Rescheduling And Cancellation Fees
Rescheduling Policy:
If you must reschedule your appointment with Pearson VUE, you must do so a minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled examination date. To reschedule your examination, please contact Pearson VUE by visiting Pearson VUEs BACB examination webpage and signing into your account, or contacting Pearson VUEs customer service directly.
Cancellation Policy:
If you must cancel your appointment with Pearson VUE, you must do so a minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled examination date. To cancel your exam please contact Pearson VUE by visiting Pearson VUEs BACB examination webpage and signing into your account, or contacting Pearson VUEs customer service directly
Pearson VUE Customer Servicer
The contact informations and hours of operation for Pearson VUE can be found on the Contact Us webpage of Pearson VUEs BACB examination webpage. For questions about BACB examinations in general, please use the Contact Us form.
Associated Fees
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You will be notified of your results at the testing site as soon as you complete the examination. The BACB will confirm your results via email, and they will appear in your BACB account within approximately one week of completing the examination.
Whats On The Bcba Exam

The BCBA exam is made up of 150 multiple choice questions administered in computer-based testing format. You have four hours to complete the exam.
The exam consists of two main sections: basic behavior-analytic skills and client-centered responsibilities. Each of these sections gets broken down into smaller subsections.
The basic behavior-analytic skills section includes:
For the client-centered responsibilities section, you can expect to see questions on:
- Implementation, management, and supervision
In January 2022, the BACB will make changes to the exam. While the general material stays the same, these changes reorganize and clarify previous text sections. You can check the BACBs Fifth Edition Task List to find out more about the specific changes to the exam so that you can prepare accordingly.
The BCBA test requires you to follow a particular code of ethics. You cant share exam questions with other candidates, current or future. The BACB also has specific rules for taking the exam, including materials you can and cant use at the exam site. You can find more information in the BCBA Handbook.
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Study The Bcba Task List
The good thing about the BCBA exam is it comes with a task list that gives you coverage of the possible questions. You may not value the definition of terms, but if you dont know the basic terms, you will have problems answering the questions. You need to study and learn these topics by heart to prepare for the exam.
The task list has three categories:
- Basic behavioral analytic skills include the common skills practiced by a behavior analyst.
- Client-centered responsibilities include the application of practical work to clients.
- The Foundational knowledge includes the basic concepts.
Moreover, learning about the examination outline can also give you an idea of what the exam looks like, and the BCBA will also provide you with sample questions in the task list.
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Hopebridges Newly Certified Behavior Analysts Share Tips On How To Pass The Bcba Exam
Youve been studying and gathering hands-on knowledge in your graduate program, but working toward your masters degree in behavior analysis is not when the effort ends, especially as you prepare for the BCBA® Exam to receive your certification.
There are hundreds of BCBA® Exam resources out there, so where should you start? It can be tough to know which study materials to review and the added cost can make the decisions all the more challenging.
At Hopebridge, one thing is for sure: you dont have to go at it alone. With hundreds of Board Certified Behavior Analysts on staff and dozens more in your shoes working toward their BACB certification, our team members have each others backsand now they have yours too! We consulted with a few of our newly certified BCBAs for their guidance on how to pass the BCBA® Exam on the first shot.
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Bcba Exam Study Tips From Hopebridge:
We often hear, is the BCBA® Exam difficult? The short answer is that you will need study tools because yes, the exam can be tough. That being said, with the proper resources you got this!
According to our Hopebridge heroes, there are a few things to keep in mind when studying up on ABA therapy for the BCBA® Exam.
Most importantly, you do not need to reference every material suggested to you. Which materials and how many of them to review, as well as how long to study is entirely dependent on your needs. Some people believe one route is enough for them, whereas others have a good experience combining a few materials in order to come at it from different directions.
There are hundreds of BCBA® Exam resources out there, so where should you start?
Consider which study methods have worked for you in the past and start there. Are you a visual learner? Do you learn better by writing notes or actively responding to questions? Do you prefer to study alone or via group discussion? Whether you begin one year in advance or choose to cram it all within two months, review for four hours at a time or in pieces while youre on the go, you have to decide which strategies work for you.
Team Up With Your Coworkers And Classmates
The demand for applied behavior analysts is high. In fact, the demand nationally has more than doubled in recent years.* To help match growth in the profession, organizations that hire applied behavior analysts may offer tuition help to their employees, after even as little as six months on the job.
While you are working on your masters degree, you can often work under people who are already ABA certified and complete your field experience under their direction, which is required to graduate and to sit for the BCBA exam.
Because many of your coworkers will have already completed their degrees and passed the BCBA exam and others will be your masters degree classmates in applied behavior analysis programs, make the most of their advice, recommendations, and study sessions to help increase your chances of passing the BCBA exam on the first try, after you graduate. Cambridge College students provide a valuable network for job openings and for peer support.
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How To Study The Bcba Exam
There are two main types of resources for preparation of certification exams first there are the study guides and the books that are detailed and suitable for building knowledge from ground up then there are video tutorial and lectures that can somehow ease the pain of through study and are comparatively less boring for some candidates yet these demand time and concentration from the learner. Sma… BACB BCBA dumps
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What Do You Need For The Bcba Exam
Before you apply for the BCBA exam, youll need to have completed certain requirements. Chances are youve already fulfilled the eligibility requirements. Still, if you need a refresher, I talk more about specific BCBA requirements in this post.
First, fill out the BCBA exam application and get approval from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board before you can take the test. When you apply, youll need proof of your degree, coursework, and field experience, as well as the application fee. Youll also need to create a BACB account to receive updates about the exam and other important information as you prepare.
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