BCBA Handbook

BCBA

BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST

HANDBOOK

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | ii

ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK

This handbook describes the requirements for obtaining and maintaining BCBA certiﬁcation, including the eligibility

requirements that went into eect on January 1, 2022. Applicants and certiﬁcants must comply with the requirements

outlined in this handbook. Failure to do so may result in the BACB taking summary action (e.g., suspension,

revocation, invalidation) against your eligibility or certiﬁcation and/or submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation to the

BACB Ethics Department.

This handbook contains clickable images that link directly to BACB documents and web pages. To help with

navigation, this handbook also includes PDF bookmarks and a clickable Table of Contents icon ( ) on the corner

of each page. New versions of the BCBA Handbook will be published quarterly as needed. Applicants completing

requirements in a future year should make note of upcoming implementation dates for revised requirements, as they

must meet the requirements in place at the time they apply and take the version of the examination in eect when

they schedule their examination appointment. Please refer to the BACB Newsletter and the Upcoming Changes web

page for the most updated information on future certiﬁcation requirements.

The BACB does not discriminate against any individual because of race, ethnicity, gender, age, creed, disability,

religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or national origin. Allegations of discrimination can be reported via our

Administrative Appeal Request Form.

For a complete list of updates included in this version of the BCBA Handbook, please see page 68.

The BACB reserves the right to amend the procedures outlined in thishandbook.

copying, or transmission in any medium is strictly prohibited.

®The trademarks “Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board®, Inc.,” “BACB®,” “Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst®,” “BCBA®,” “Board

Certiﬁed Assistant Behavior Analyst®,” “BCaBA®,” and “RBT®,” are owned by the Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board®.

Unauthorized use or misrepresentation is strictly prohibited.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Overview ................................................................................................................ 1

About the Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board ............................................................................................................ 1

What Is a Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst? .................................................................................................................. 1

Overview of Becoming and Maintaining BCBA Certiﬁcation ................................................................................... 2

Reasons for Becoming a BCBA .........................................................................................................................................2

Accreditation ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Eligibility Requirements ......................................................................................... 6

Eligibility Pathways .................................................................................................................................................................6

Supervised Fieldwork Requirements ..............................................................................................................................15

Applying for BCBA Certication .......................................................................... 26

Submit Your Application .................................................................................................................................................... 26

Schedule Your Examination Appointment ................................................................................................................... 28

Fees ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

Examination ......................................................................................................... 29

Examination Development ............................................................................................................................................... 29

Preparation ............................................................................................................................................................................ 29

Examination Outline ............................................................................................................................................................ 29

Scheduling ...............................................................................................................................................................................31

Pearson VUE Examination Fees .......................................................................................................................................31

Examination Accommodations .........................................................................................................................................32

What to Expect on Examination Day ..............................................................................................................................32

General Rules for Taking the Examination ...................................................................................................................33

Examination Terms and Conditions ................................................................................................................................34

Examination Security ...........................................................................................................................................................35

Examination Appeals ...........................................................................................................................................................36

Examination Results .............................................................................................................................................................36

Examination Retakes ...........................................................................................................................................................36

Scoring Methodology ..........................................................................................................................................................36

What to Expect After Passing the Examination................................................... 37

Certication Maintenance Requirements ............................................................ 39

Continuing Education ..........................................................................................................................................................39

Ethics and Self-Reporting ....................................................................................................................................................41

Recertiﬁcation ........................................................................................................................................................................45

Inactive Policy ........................................................................................................................................................................47

Supervision, Assessment, Training, and Oversight ............................................. 49

Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs ................................................................................................................. 50

Supervising BCBA and BCaBA Trainees ..................................................................................................................... 52

Supervising BCaBAs ........................................................................................................................................................... 52

Board Certied Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) ......................................... 53

BCBA-D Eligibility Requirements .....................................................................................................................................53

Applying for the BCBA-D Designation .......................................................................................................................... 55

Maintaining the BCBA-D Designation ........................................................................................................................... 56

Click this icon to return to the Table of Contents.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Other Relevant Policies ....................................................................................... 57

Administrative Appeals ....................................................................................................................................................... 57

Name Change Policy .......................................................................................................................................................... 58

Acceptable Signatures Policy .......................................................................................................................................... 58

Documentation Policy ........................................................................................................................................................ 58

Submission of False, Forged, or Untrue Information to the BACB ...................................................................... 58

Timely Responding to the BACB .................................................................................................................................... 59

Documents and Resources ................................................................................. 60

Eligibility and Applying for Certiﬁcation ........................................................................................................................ 60

Coursework ........................................................................................................................................................................... 60

Supervised Fieldwork ........................................................................................................................................................ 60

Examination ........................................................................................................................................................................... 60

Continuing Education ......................................................................................................................................................... 60

Ethics and Self-Reporting .................................................................................................................................................. 60

Voluntary Inactive Status ................................................................................................................................................... 60

Supervising, Training, and Assessing ..............................................................................................................................61

Administrative Appeals ........................................................................................................................................................61

Glossary .............................................................................................................. 62

Appendix ............................................................................................................. 66

Application Processing Agreement ............................................................................................................................... 66

Version History and Updates ............................................................................... 68

Version 1/1/2022 Updates ................................................................................................................................................. 68

Version 4/1/2022 Updates ................................................................................................................................................ 68

Version 5/31/2022 Update ............................................................................................................................................... 68

Version 7/15/2022 Updates ............................................................................................................................................. 68

Version 8/26/2022 Updates ............................................................................................................................................ 68

Version 12/31/2022 Updates ............................................................................................................................................ 69

Version 6/29/2023 Updates ............................................................................................................................................ 69

Version 11/1/2023 Updates ................................................................................................................................................ 69

Version 12/29/2023 Updates ........................................................................................................................................... 69

Version 5/1/2024 Updates ................................................................................................................................................ 69

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Overview

About the Behavior Analyst Certication Board

The Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board, Inc.® (BACB®) has been the leader in behavior analyst certiﬁcation for over two

decades. The BACB is a nonproﬁt corporation that was established in 1998 to meet professional certiﬁcation needs identiﬁed

by behavior analysts, governments, and consumers of behavior-analytic services. The BACB’s mission is to protect consumers

of behavior-analytic services by systematically establishing, promoting, and disseminating professional standards of practice.

In the profession of applied behavior analysis, the BACB’s primary role is to operate certiﬁcation programs, which involves

responsibilities similar to regulatory boards. In this role, the BACB establishes practice standards, administers examinations, and

provides ethics requirements and a disciplinary system for each of its certiﬁcation programs. To learn more about our role and

limitations, read our blog post, The BACB: What it is, What it Does, and Why, and listen to Episode 11 of our podcast, Inside the BACB.

Jurisdiction

The BACB currently accepts certiﬁcation applications from individuals who reside in the United States (US), Canada,*

Australia, and the United Kingdom (UK).** For more information about the BACB’s jurisdiction, visit the International

Development & Support web page. The BACB will conﬁrm that you’ve met this jurisdictional residency requirement

via the address listed in your BACB account.

What Is a Board Certied Behavior Analyst?

The Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®) is a graduate-level certiﬁcation in behavior analysis. Professionals

certiﬁed at the BCBA level are independent practitioners who provide behavior-analytic services.

BCBA certiﬁcants may supervise the work of Board Certiﬁed Assistant Behavior Analyst® (BCaBA®) certiﬁcants,

Registered Behavior Technician® (RBT®) certiﬁcants, and other professionals who implement behavior-analytic

services. They may also function in the role of a BCaBA or RBT.

Note: In the interest of consumer protection and to ensure that the BACB certiﬁcation mark is only used to accurately represent

certiﬁcation status, the BACB may seek legal and other remedies to address any misrepresentation of BACB certiﬁcation (and/

or any misuse of other BACB trademarks and logos) that constitutes trademark infringement. For more information about the

use of BACB certiﬁcation marks, see the September 2008, October 2013, and July 2021 BACB Newsletters.

Board Certied Behavior Analyst—Doctoral

BCBAs with doctoral training in behavior analysis may receive the designation of Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst-

Doctoral® (BCBA-D®). The BCBA-D is not a separate certiﬁcation, and it does not grant any privileges above or

beyond BCBA certiﬁcation. BCBA-Ds function in the same capacity as BCBAs (i.e., as independent practitioners who

provide behavior-analytic services) and are required to meet all BCBA maintenance requirements.

* BCBA applicants and candidates in Ontario must meet all eligibility requirements, submit an approvable application, and pass

the examination by June 30, 2026, to become certiﬁed. Please review the Upcoming Changes to BACB Certiﬁcation in Ontario

announcement for details.

** Individuals who reside in the UK may continue to apply for BACB certiﬁcation through 2025. This date may be moved earlier

if the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis seeks national recognition for UK behavior analysts, develops its own credentialing

system, and transitions current BACB certiﬁcants into the UK system.

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Overview of Becoming and Maintaining BCBA Certication

Reasons for Becoming a BCBA

There are many beneﬁts to obtaining BCBA certiﬁcation, including:

• BCBA certiﬁcation is the leading behavior analyst credential and is required by many funders and licensure

boards. BCBA certiﬁcation is oered by the ﬁrst certifying entity in behavior analysis, the BACB, which has

been certifying behavior analysts for over 20 years.

• BCBA certiﬁcation shows that you have met certain requirements that are critical in providing and overseeing

behavior-analytic services.

• BCBA certiﬁcation provides increased consumer protection since you must meet certain eligibility and

maintenance requirements to obtain and maintain certiﬁcation.

• BCBA certiﬁcation makes it easier for employers, funders, and consumers, among others, to verify that you

have certain knowledge, skills, and abilities and are not under disciplinary sanctions.

Accreditation

The BCBA, BCaBA, and RBT certiﬁcation programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying

Agencies (NCCA), the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE). NCCA’s

Standards for the Accreditation of Certiﬁcation Programs were the ﬁrst standards developed for professional

certiﬁcation programs to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public. NCCA standards articulate

the essential elements of a high-quality certiﬁcation program. Consistent with these standards, the BACB’s

certiﬁcation requirements, examination content, and procedures undergo regular review by subject matter

experts in the discipline. To learn more about accreditation, see ICE’s video, Value of Accreditation: Why it Matters.

MEET ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS*

APPLY

TAKE & PASS BCBA EXAM

MAINTAIN

MEET CONTINUING

EDUCATION

REQUIREMENTS

ADHERE TO ETHICS

REQUIREMENTS

RECERTIFY EVERY

TWO YEARS

PATHWAY 4: POSTDOCTORAL EXPERIENCE

PATHWAY 3: FACULTY TEACHING AND RESEARCH

PATHWAY 2: BEHAVIOR-ANALYTIC COURSEWORK

ed.

PATHWAY 1: ABAI- OR APBA-ACCREDITED DEGREE

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You Want to Pursue Certication… Now What?*

So, you are interested in pursuing BCBA certiﬁcation. What should you do now? Although the BACB cannot

instruct you on how to meet our requirements, the content in this section is intended to provide some guidance

that might be helpful as you start this journey.

A Few Tips Before Getting Started

First. carefully review both the eligibility and maintenance requirements that are detailed in this handbook. Then,

determine which eligibility pathway you plan to pursue. The majority of BCBA certiﬁcants apply under Pathway 1

or Pathway 2, so this section focuses primarily on those pathways. Once you have selected a pathway, determine

when you might apply, as it may take a few years to meet all of the requirements, and the eligibility requirements

may change.

Third, you will want to create a BACB account using these tips:

• Enter your full legal name exactly as it appears on your government-issued identiﬁcation. If it does not

match exactly, you will not be able to take the examination. Name changes require review by BACB sta,

so a name change could delay your ability to take the examination.

• Use a personal email address and not a work or school email address. Important notiﬁcations and

reminders are sent to this address, so if you change employers or lose access to your school email

address, you will not receive reminders, correspondence, or password resets.

• Set up the proﬁle yourself and do not share your account information with anyone else, including your

employer. This is your certiﬁcation—no one else should be managing it for you. The contact information

you provide must include your current address and phone number. It is very important that you list your

current address, as your residence must be under the BACB’s jurisdiction.

• Update your information in your BACB account as soon as changes occur (e.g., name change, address

change, email address change).

• Do not create more than one account. If you are having trouble getting into your account, please use

the Contact Us Form for assistance.

Creating a BACB account will give you a BACB account ID number, which you will need to add to documents as

you work toward certiﬁcation. Having a BACB account also means that you will receive important updates from

the BACB.

Considerations When Exploring Training Options

You only receive your initial training once. If possible, don’t pick your training out of convenience, expense,

or geography. We recommend thoroughly researching the trainings before committing to one. While we can’t

provide guidance on where to receive your behavior-analytic coursework, here are some things to consider.

Ideally, you should obtain your education in behavior analysis from a behavior-analytic degree program. There are

many beneﬁts to this option. For instance, in most cases, you can meet all BCBA eligibility requirements in one place

while also having engaging, non-classroom interactions with behavior-analytic faculty and students that will greatly

enhance your education and begin to develop your behavior-analytic social networks. Even if you don’t receive all of

your supervised ﬁeldwork through the degree-granting program, your faculty will likely help you identify where you

can accrue your hours in an immersive behavior-analytic environment. If completing your education in a behavior-

analytic degree program is a possibility for you, here are a few things to consider as you research programs.

First, research the faculty members and determine whether the program’s interest(s) align with yours (see the ABA

Subspecialty Resources on the About Behavior Analysis web page for some of the areas in which behavior analysis

has been applied). Second, identify the program’s structure to determine how much time you will have with your faculty

and fellow students. Third, conﬁrm that the program has a pathway to meet the BACB’s coursework requirements.

* This is not a comprehensive resource for all activities you will need to or should complete as you prepare for certiﬁcation.

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You may obtain your behavior-analytic coursework in one of the following ways:

• APBA-Accredited or ABAI-Accredited or Recognized Behavior Analysis Degree Program (Pathway1):

Master’s degree (or higher) behavior analysis programs that have been accredited by APBA or

accredited or recognized by ABAI (under ABAI Tiers 1, 2a, or 2b) have met quality standards for their

curriculum, faculty, and supports, among others. If you receive a master’s degree or higher from one

of these programs, both the coursework and degree eligibility requirements will be met. Accredited or

recognized programs may be found on the APBA and ABAI websites.

• Veriﬁed Course Sequence (Pathway 2): The other option for completing behavior-analytic coursework

is through a Veriﬁed Course Sequence. A Veriﬁed Course Sequence is a set of courses that have

been veriﬁed by ABAI as having met the BACB’s behavior-analytic coursework requirements. Although

some Veriﬁed Course Sequences are embedded in an ABAI-accredited graduate program, many are

not. Veriﬁed Course Sequence status merely indicates that the content-hour requirements for certain

behavior-analytic courses have been reviewed. Veriﬁed Course Sequences may be located using ABAI’s

Veriﬁed Course Sequence Directory.

Finally, when determining where to obtain your coursework, you might also want to consider:

• Program Focus: Do you have any existing areas of interest? If so, does the program align with your

professional goals? Is the program led by faculty with similar interests? Will the program help facilitate

experience in areas that are meaningful to you?

• Program Size: Find out the size of each cohort and determine if the size is a good ﬁt for you as a learner.

This information can usually be found on the program’s website. Our university pass rate documents also

give an idea of program size by looking at the number of candidates who took the examination from an

institution each year (see the Sort by Volume section of the document).

• Program Structure: Courses are usually taught on campus, online, or in a combination of online and

on-campus experiences (again, this information should be available on the program’s website). Consider

what structure is the best ﬁt for you as a learner. You might want to consider what has worked for you in

the past. Were you successful in online courses? Did you need or value in-person experiences? In what

setting did you learn the most and feel the most engaged?

• Number of Faculty: Determine how many part- and full-time faculty are on sta, especially in relation to

the program size, to understand the student-to-faculty ratio.

• University Pass Rates: The BACB annually publishes examination pass rate data for universities with

Veriﬁed Course Sequences. Passing the BCBA examination is not the most important part of your

training, but, at a minimum, your training should prepare you to pass the examination.

Once you have identiﬁed where you will get your behavior-analytic coursework, your faculty mentor/advisor,

program chair, and/or Veriﬁed Course Sequence Coordinator will be your resource(s) to help you meet the

BACB’s requirements along the way.

Considerations When Identifying Practical Fieldwork Opportunities

Hold on! Remember that qualifying behavior-analytic coursework needs to begin before ﬁeldwork, so make sure

you get your coursework situation ﬁgured out beforehand. Once you have started your coursework, determine

where you want to accrue your structured ﬁeldwork hours and whether it will give you the applied experience

that will prepare you to practice independently after you are certiﬁed. For instance, consider the population(s)

and setting(s) where you want to ultimately provide behavior-analytic services. The BACB cannot provide this

guidance, so you should reach out to your Veriﬁed Course Sequence Coordinator, advisor, or employer for

guidance about where to accrue ﬁeldwork in your chosen area.

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When identifying supervisor(s) to oversee your ﬁeldwork hours, ensure that they are qualiﬁed to be your supervisor

(see the Fieldwork Requirements section). In addition, you should focus on ﬁnding supervisors who have a

successful track record of BACB supervision. You could do this in a number of ways, but here are a fewideas:

• Check on their certiﬁcation status in the Certiﬁcant Registry to ensure that they are qualiﬁed to supervise

and to see if they have any disciplinary sanctions.

• Look at how long they have been certiﬁed. We recommend identifying supervisors who have been

certiﬁed for at least a year, if not longer. Note: BCBAs in their ﬁrst year of certiﬁcation who are supervising

ﬁeldwork must have a consulting supervisor.

• Gather information from the supervisor and past supervisees about the supervisor’s style to make sure

they are a good ﬁt for you.

• Ask about their time and document-management systems. Caution: If you can’t produce all of the

necessary documents to support your ﬁeldwork in the event of an audit, you might lose ﬁeldworkhours,

so you will want a very organized supervisor!

• Determine whether they are familiar with the BACB’s requirements.

• Consider whether they could customize the ﬁeldwork to your interests (while still meeting their ethical

obligations as a BCBA to stay within their area of competence).

Once you have identiﬁed ﬁeldwork site(s) and supervisor(s), complete the Fieldwork Checklist and Tip Sheet

before you get started with each ﬁeldwork site/supervisor. The BACB is not able to provide guidance beyond

what is in our ﬁeldwork requirements, as each situation is unique (e.g., whether a speciﬁc activity will qualify

toward your ﬁeldwork hours). Work together with your supervisor(s) to ensure that you are meeting the ﬁeldwork

requirements while also meeting your professional goals.

A Few Final Tips

• Keep this handbook close by. We will update the handbook quarterly as needed, so always make sure

that you are reviewing the most current handbook to see what has changed since the last version. It is

also important that you become familiar with all applicable licensure requirements in your area.

• Frequently check the BACB website for new resources, including videos, blogs, and podcasts. For

example, the Tips for New Certiﬁcants blog shares valuable information for newly certiﬁed individuals,

and The Professional Infrastructure of Applied Behavior Analysis video describes the various

organizations within the ABA profession.

• Get involved and engaged with your behavior-analytic community! This might include joining or

volunteering with your local, regional, or national professional associations and groups focused in your

area(s) of interest. You will likely learn a lot and have an opportunity to contribute to behavior analysis

and its consumers. Having professional support is helpful at every stage of your career, so create

opportunities to identify trusted colleague(s), mentors, and/or groups now.

• As you pursue certiﬁcation, ensure that you do not represent yourself as a BCBA trainee or applicant to

prevent consumers from being confused about your qualiﬁcations. For more information about use of the

BCBA certiﬁcation mark, see the September 2008, October 2013, and July 2021 BACB Newsletters.

ELIgIBILITy rEqUIrEmENTS

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 6

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility Pathways

You may apply for BCBA certiﬁcation through one of the following pathways. Each pathway requires a

degree, behavior-analytic content, supervised ﬁeldwork, and passing the BCBA certiﬁcation examination.

Overview of Eligibility Pathways

Pathway 1:

Degree From

APBA-Accredited

Program or

ABAI-Accredited

or Recognized

Program (ABAI Tier

1, 2a, or 2b)

Pathway 2:

Behavior-Analytic

Coursework

Pathway 3: Faculty

Teaching and

Research

Pathway 4:

Postdoctoral

Experience

Degree Master’s degree

or higher from an

APBA-accredited

program or an

ABAI-accredited

or recognized

behavior analysis

degree program

(ABAI Tier 1, 2a,

or2b)

Graduate degree Graduate degree Doctoral degree

Behavior-analytic

content

Behavior-analytic

coursework

Faculty teaching

and research

Postdoctoral

experience in

applied behavior

analysis

Fieldwork

Practical ﬁeldwork

in applied behavior

analysis

Practical ﬁeldwork

in applied behavior

analysis

Practical ﬁeldwork

in applied behavior

analysis

Practical ﬁeldwork

in applied behavior

analysis

The following pages provide further details for each eligibility pathway.

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 7

Pathway 1: Degree From Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) Accredited Program

or Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Accredited or Recognized Program

To apply for BCBA certiﬁcation via this pathway, you must have a degree from an APBA-

accredited program or an ABAI-accredited or recognized behavior analysis master’s or

doctoral degree program (ABAITier 1, 2a, or 2b) and have completed supervised ﬁeldwork.

Degree

You must have obtained:

• a master’s degree while the program was accredited by APBA OR

• a master’s or doctoral degree in 2015 or later, and the degree must have been obtained while the program

was accredited or recognized by ABAI under Tier 1, 2a, or 2b. For example, your degree would meet the

degree requirement if you received your master’s or doctoral degree in 2018 from a program that was

accredited from 2016 to 2022.

Supervised Fieldwork

You must complete supervised ﬁeldwork in applied behavior analysis. You may accrue your ﬁeldwork hours

under one or more ﬁeldwork types: Supervised Fieldwork or Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork. The following

table provides a general overview of the requirements for ﬁeldwork; however, your ﬁeldwork must meet all of the

requirements in the Supervised Fieldwork Requirements section.

Overview of Fieldwork Requirements

Supervised Fieldwork Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

Fieldwork hours

required to qualify

2,000 1,500

Supervisor

qualiﬁcations

(see the Supervised

Fieldwork Requirements

section for additional

supervisor requirements)

Supervisors must be one of the following:

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for at least

one year and meets an ongoing supervision CEU requirement;

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for less than one

year and is receiving consultation on a monthly basis from a qualiﬁed consulting supervisor;

• a licensed or registered psychologist certiﬁed by the American Board of Professional Psychology

in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied behavior analysis; OR

• an authorized Veriﬁed Course Sequence instructor.

Supervision hours per

supervisory period

5% of hours 10% of hours

Does the BACB

use primary source

veriﬁcation of degrees

and coursework?

Yes! Under every

eligibility pathway, we rely

on ofﬁcial transcripts to

verify that an applicant’s

degree and coursework

meet our requirements.

SUPERVISED FIELDWORK

DEGREE FROM APBA-

ACCREDITED PROGRAM

OR ABAI-ACCREDITED OR

RECOGNIZED PROGRAM

(ABAI TIER 1, 2A, OR 2B)

PASS

EXAMINATION

CERTIFICATION

( )

Check out ABAI’s Accredited Programs web page for a directory of degree

programs that meet this requirement, and visit APBA’s About Accreditation

web page to learn more about their upcoming program.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting an ocial transcript

with a conferral date for your qualifying degree.

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Pathway 2: Behavior-Analytic Coursework

To apply for BCBA certiﬁcation via this pathway, you must have an acceptable graduate degree from a qualifying

institution, have completed acceptable graduate coursework in behavior analysis, and have completed

supervisedﬁeldwork.

Degree

You must have a master’s degree or higher from aqualifying institution. Any degree earned outside of the United

States, Canada, Australia, or United Kingdom must undergo a degree equivalency evaluation to demonstrate that it

is equivalent to a US master’s degree or higher. The BACB only accepts degrees that have undergone the degree

equivalency evaluation process that it oversees at its expense. As of September 2021, the BACB no longer allows

applicants to refute its determinations using another degree evaluation service.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting your signed Final

Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form(s) (F-FVF). Note: If your ﬁeldwork is audited, you may need to submit an

audit log and other documents, such as your supervision contract, Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation

Forms (M-FVFs), and/or documentation system, to support the information entered in your audit

log. All current ﬁeldwork requirements must be met.

BEH

AVIOR-ANALYTIC

COURSEWORK

CERTIFICATION

PASS

EXAMINATION

SUPERVISED

FIELDWORK

DEGREE

( )

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting an ocial transcript

with a conferral date for your qualifying degree.

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Behavior-Analytic Coursework

You must complete behavior-analytic coursework that meets the following requirements:

• The coursework was graduate level (i.e., master’s or doctoral) and from thequalifying

institutionat which you were enrolled.

• The coursework was obtained within 10 years of the year the application was submitted

(e.g., to apply in 2024, coursework must have been completed in 2014 or later).

• You received academic credit for the coursework.

• The coursework reﬂects that you received a passing grade (“C” or higher in a graded

course or “pass” in a pass/fail system) in each course.

• The coursework covers all of the content areas and number of hours speciﬁed in thistable:

Coursework Content Requirements

Content Areas Hours*

BACB Ethics Code and Code-Enforcement System; Professionalism

Note: The content must be taught in one or more freestanding courses,

meaning that the BACB’s ethics code and code-enforcement system and

professionalism must constitute the majority of each course’s content.

45 hrs

Philosophical Underpinnings; Concepts & Principles Note: 45 hours

must be taught in one freestanding course, meaning that concepts and

principles must constitute the majority of the course’s content.

90 hrs

Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation; Experimental Design

Note: The content must be taught in one freestanding course, meaning that

measurement, data display, and interpretation and experimental design

must constitute the majority of the course’s content.

45 hrs

Behavior Assessment 45 hrs

Behavior-Change Procedures; Selecting and Implementing Interventions 60 hrs

Personnel Supervision and Management 30 hrs

Total 315 hrs

* For the purpose of establishing instructional requirements that can be applied globally, 1 semester credit hour will

represent 15 hours of classroom instruction, and 1 quarter credit hour will represent 10 hours of classroom instruction. This

conversion is based on US Federal Rule.

Check out the You Want

to Pursue Certiﬁcation...

Now What? section

for guidance on where

to get your behavior-

analytic training.

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Supervised Fieldwork

You must complete supervised ﬁeldwork in applied behavior analysis. You may accrue your ﬁeldwork hours under

one or more ﬁeldwork types: Supervised Fieldwork or Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork. The following table

provides a general overview. You should thoroughly review the Supervised Fieldwork Requirements section to

ensure that you meet all of the detailed requirements.

Overview of Fieldwork Requirements

Supervised Fieldwork Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

Fieldwork hours

required to qualify

2,000 1,500

Supervisor qualiﬁcations

(see the Supervised

Fieldwork Requirements

section for additional

supervisor requirements)

Supervisors must be one of the following:

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for at

least one year and meets an ongoing supervision CEU requirement;

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for less than one

year and is receiving consultation on a monthly basis from a qualiﬁed consulting supervisor;

• a licensed or registered psychologist certiﬁed by the American Board of Professional

Psychology in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied

behavior analysis; OR

• an authorized Veriﬁed Course Sequence instructor.

Supervision hours per

supervisory period

5% of hours 10% of hours

How is my coursework evaluated? When applying for BCBA certiﬁcation under Pathway 2,

you can show that you meet the coursework requirements in one of two ways:

1. Veriﬁed Course Sequence (VCS) Coordinator Coursework Attestation: Your BCBA-

certiﬁed VCS Coordinator reviews all of your course materials and, if all requirements

have been met, completes the VCS Coordinator Coursework Attestation.

2. Course-by-Course Review: ABAI works with institutions to identify and verify sequences

of courses—known as Veriﬁed Course Sequences—that have been prescreened to

meet BCBA coursework requirements. The ABAI Veriﬁed Course Sequence Directory

includes all Veriﬁed Course Sequences, VCS Coordinators and content hours, and

dates on which the courses were veriﬁed. Under this option, the BACB reviews each

course you completed with the courses in ABAI’s VCS records to determine whether

all requirements, including all content hour requirements, have been met. Note: This

method for evaluating coursework will be discontinued as of January 1, 2026.

If you completed qualifying coursework that was not part of a VCS, you must have

your department chair complete a Nonveriﬁed Course Content Attestation and

submit it with your BCBA Certiﬁcation Application or your preliminary coursework

evaluation. The BACB will then add the attestation to the course database for

consideration during the course-by-course review. Note: Nonveriﬁed coursework will

no longer be accepted as part of a BCBA certiﬁcation application as of January 1, 2026.

Demonstrate that you meet the coursework requirements when you apply by submitting

ocial transcript(s) for all qualifying behavior-analytic courses that you will use to meet the

requirements. Please keep in mind that if you transferred schools while completing your

coursework, you must submit a transcript from each institution. In addition, if your VCS

Coordinator completes a VCS Coordinator Coursework Attestation, they must email it directly

to the BACB as stated in the form.

Not sure your

coursework qualiﬁes?

If you are uncertain

whether your

coursework qualiﬁes,

you can request a

preliminary coursework

evaluationonline. This

will include a $100 fee.

Note: Due to the VCS

system ending, this

service will no longer be

provided as of January

1, 2026.

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Pathway 3: Faculty Teaching and Research

To apply for BCBA certiﬁcation via this pathway, you must have an acceptable graduate degree from a qualifying

institution, have held a full-time faculty position in behavior analysis that includes research and teaching, and have

completed supervised ﬁeldwork.

Degree

You must have a master’s degree or higher from aqualifying institution. Any degree earned outside of the United

States, Canada, Australia, or United Kingdom must undergo a degree equivalency evaluation to demonstrate that it

is equivalent to a US master’s degree or higher. The BACB only accepts degrees that have undergone the degree

equivalency evaluation process that it oversees at its expense. As of September 2021, the BACB no longer allows

applicants to refute its determinations using another degree evaluation service.

Faculty Appointment

You must have at least three years (cumulative) of full-time work as a faculty member at a qualifying institution within a

ﬁve-year period.

Teaching: Your faculty appointment must have included the following teaching characteristics:

• You taught at least ﬁve sections/iterations of behavior-analytic coursework.

• You taught at least two of the following behavior-analytic content areas in separate courses: concepts and

principles of behavior, single-subject research methods, applied behavior analysis, and ethics in behavioranalysis.

• Each course must have been exclusively or primarily devoted to behavior-analytic content.

• You taught this coursework at the graduate level.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting your signed

FinalFieldwork Veriﬁcation Form(s) (F-FVF). Note: If your ﬁeldwork is audited, you may need to

submit an audit log and other documents, such as your supervision contract, Monthly Fieldwork

Veriﬁcation Forms (M-FVFs), and/or documentation system, to support the information entered in

your audit log. All current ﬁeldwork requirements must be met.

FACULTY

APPOINTMENT

CERTIFICATION

PASS

EXAMINATION

SUPERVISED

FIELDWORK

DEGREE

( )

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting an ocial transcript

with a conferral date for your qualifying degree.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting a letter from the

department chair indicating that these requirements were met along with course syllabi.

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Research: You must have published one journal article with the following characteristics:

• It was behavior analytic in nature.

• It included at least one experimental evaluation.

• It was published in a high-quality, peer-reviewed journal.

• You were the ﬁrst, second, or corresponding author.

• It was published at any point in your career.

Supervised Fieldwork

You must complete supervised ﬁeldwork in applied behavior analysis. You may accrue your ﬁeldwork hours under

one or more ﬁeldwork types: Supervised Fieldwork or Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork. The following table

provides a general overview. You should thoroughly review the Supervised Fieldwork Requirements section to

ensure that you meet all of the detailed requirements.

Overview of Fieldwork Requirements

Supervised Fieldwork Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

Fieldwork hours

required to qualify

2,000 1,500

Supervisor qualiﬁcations

(see the Supervised

Fieldwork Requirements

section for additional

supervisor requirements)

Supervisors must be one of the following:

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for at

least one year and meets an ongoing supervision CEU requirement;

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for

less than one year and is receiving consultation on a monthly basis from a qualiﬁed

consulting supervisor;

• a licensed or registered psychologist certiﬁed by the American Board of Professional

Psychology in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied

behavior analysis; OR

• an authorized Veriﬁed Course Sequence instructor.

Supervision hours per

supervisory period

5% of hours 10% of hours

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting a copy of your

published article.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting your signed Final

Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form(s) (F-FVF). Note: If your ﬁeldwork is audited, you may need to submit an

audit log and other documents, such as your supervision contract, Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation

Forms (M-FVFs), and/or documentation system, to support the information entered in your audit

log. All current ﬁeldwork requirements must be met.

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Pathway 4: Postdoctoral Experience

To apply for BCBA certiﬁcation via this pathway, you must have an acceptable doctoral degree from a qualifying

institution that was conferred at least 10 years ago, have completed at least 10 years of postdoctoral practical

experience, and have completed 500 hours of supervised ﬁeldwork.

Doctoral Degree

You must have a doctoral degree from aqualifying institution. Any degree earned outside of the United States,

Canada, Australia, or United Kingdom must undergo a degree equivalency evaluation to demonstrate that it is

equivalent to a US doctoral degree. The BACB only accepts degrees that have undergone the degree equivalency

evaluation process that it oversees at its expense. As of September 2021, the BACB no longer allows applicants to

refute its determinations using another degree evaluation service.

Postdoctoral Experience

The postdoctoral experience must:

• include 10 years of full-time, cumulative experience practicing behavior analysis (time spent teaching

behavior analysis does not count) AND

• have occurred under a relevant state/provincial license or national professional credential. You may have

held dierent credentials at dierent times during the 10 years.

POSTDOCTORAL

EXPERIENCE

CERTIFICATION

PASS

EXAMINATION

SUPERVISED

FIELDWORK

DOCTORAL

DEGREE

( )

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting an ocial transcript

with a conferral date for your qualifying degree.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting a curriculum vitae

showing this experience, signed attestations describing the behavior-analytic practice from current

or former employers, and proof of the applicable professionalcredential(s).

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Supervised Fieldwork

You must complete supervised ﬁeldwork in applied behavior analysis. You may accrue your ﬁeldwork

hours under Supervised Fieldwork. This ﬁeldwork must have started once you have completed 10 years of

postdoctoralexperience. The following table provides a general overview. You should thoroughly review the

Supervised Fieldwork Requirements section to ensure that you meet all of the detailed requirements.

Overview of Fieldwork Requirements

Supervised Fieldwork

Fieldwork hours

required to qualify

500

Supervisor qualiﬁcations

(see the Supervised

Fieldwork Requirements

section for additional

supervisor requirements)

Supervisors must be one of the following:

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for at

least one year and meets an ongoing supervision CEU requirement;

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for

less than one year and is receiving consultation on a monthly basis from a qualiﬁed

consulting supervisor;

• a licensed or registered psychologist certiﬁed by the American Board of Professional

Psychology in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied

behavior analysis; OR

• an authorized Veriﬁed Course Sequence instructor.

Supervision hours per

supervisory period

5% of hours

Qualication for Examination via Past Certication

If your BCBA certiﬁcation expired within the last ﬁve years, you may be able to requalify as a BCBA by sitting for and

passing the BCBA certiﬁcation examination. Qualiﬁcation via past certiﬁcation applications are only accepted from

individuals residing in countries in which the BACB accepts new certiﬁcation applications.

To be eligible for this option, you must also meet the following continuing education requirements:

• You obtained 16 continuing education units (CEUs) each year since the date your BCBA certiﬁcation expired

(prorated to the month you submit a Qualify for Examination via Past Certiﬁcation Application).

• The CEUs you earned meet the BACB’s current CEU requirements.

If you become certiﬁed again via this option, you will receive a new certiﬁcation number and recertiﬁcation cycle. You

must also adhere to the same requirements as a new certiﬁcant (e.g., 8-hour supervision training, consulting supervisor).

Applying via Past Certiﬁcation

If you want to apply for BCBA certiﬁcation via this option, you must complete and submit a Qualify for Examination

via Past Certiﬁcation Application after your reinstatement period has ended. If your application is approved and you

are authorized to sit for the BCBA examination, you must pass the examination within a two-year authorization period

(see the Examination section for more details).

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting your signed Final

Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form(s) (F-FVF). Note: If your ﬁeldwork is audited, you may need to submit an

audit log and other documents, such as your supervision contract, Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation

Forms (M-FVFs), and/or documentation system, to support the information entered in your audit

log. All current ﬁeldwork requirements must be met.

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Supervised Fieldwork Requirements

Applicants must complete supervised ﬁeldwork in applied behavior analysis. The following sections describe all of

the requirements for supervised ﬁeldwork (hereafter referred to as “ﬁeldwork”). Regardless of when the hours were

earned, applicants who apply for BCBA certiﬁcation must meet all of these requirements.

Fieldwork Hour Requirements

Total Fieldwork Hours Required: Based on the type of ﬁeldwork hours accrued (see the A Comparison of Fieldwork

Types table), you will need to complete either 2,000 Supervised Fieldwork hours or 1,500 Concentrated Supervised

Fieldwork hours to meet the ﬁeldwork requirement. If you are mixing ﬁeldwork types, please see the Combination of

Fieldwork Types section.

Onset of Fieldwork: Trainees may not start accumulating ﬁeldwork hours until they have:

• secured a qualiﬁed supervisor (see Supervisor Qualiﬁcations section), AND

• developed and signed a supervision contract with each supervisor (see Supervision Contract section), AND

• if applying under Pathway 1 or 2: started qualifying graduate-level behavior-analytic coursework*, OR

• if applying under Pathway 4: completed 10 years of postdoctoral experience.

Accrual of Fieldwork: No fewer than 20 hours but no more than 130 hours of ﬁeldwork requirements may be accrued per

month. Fieldwork hours include independent hours (supervisor not present) and supervised hours (supervisorpresent).

Duration of Fieldwork: The time frame of the ﬁeldwork may not exceed ﬁve continuous years (e.g., May 1, 2020, to

April 30, 2025).

Clients: Any person (or group of people) for whom behavior-analytic services are appropriate may be a client. However,

the trainee may not be related to the client, be the client’s primary caregiver, or be related to the client’s primary

caregiver. Trainees must work with, be observed by, and receive feedback from their supervisor for multiple clients

during the ﬁeldwork. This requirement is applicable for the duration of the ﬁeldwork (i.e., not per supervisory period).

Acceptable Activities: The trainee’s primary focus should be on acquiring the skills necessary to demonstrate

competence in behavior analysis and the skills necessary to interact eectively with consumers, supervisors, families,

and others. The supervisor will be responsible for determining whether activities qualify for accruing ﬁeldwork hours

and are consistent with the requirements in this document.

Trainees are strongly encouraged to have multiple experiences (e.g., dierent settings,

populations) with multiple supervisors from each of these areas of activity:

• conducting assessments related to the need for behavioral intervention (e.g., stimulus

preference assessment, functional assessment, sta performance assessment) or for

evaluating behavioral interventions;

• designing, implementing, and systematically monitoring skill-acquisition and behavior-

reduction programs;

• writing behavior plans, progress summaries, clinical notes, transition summaries, and

professional correspondence;

• overseeing the implementation of behavior-analytic programs by others;

• training others, designing behavioral systems, and performance management;

• communicating and collaborating eectively with caregivers and other professionals;AND

• other activities normally performed by a behavior analyst that are directly related to

behavior analysis, such as attending planning meetings regarding the behavior-analytic

program and researching the literature that is relevant to a current client’s programming.

* They may begin accruing hours after attending the ﬁrst class meeting. For ﬁeldwork to be counted, a passing grade of “C” or

higher in a graded course or “pass” in a pass/fail system must be earned in at least one qualifying behavior-analytic course.

Now is the time to

explore! Find out

what areas of interest

you might have and

what populations and

settings you enjoy

working in. Get different

perspectives by working

with different supervisors

with various areas

ofexpertise.

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Restricted Activities: There is a restriction on the overall amount of hours you may

spend delivering therapeutic and instructional procedures during ﬁeldwork. This

restriction is designed to ensure that trainees have sucient time to acquire the other

skills necessary for practice as a BCBA. Restricted activities may comprise no more

than 40% of the total ﬁeldwork hours—this requirement does not need to be met

during each supervisory period. Please note that this restriction does not necessarily

refer to all time spent working with clients.

Unrestricted Activities: Activities that are unrestricted are those that are most likely

to be performed by a BCBA. Unrestricted activities must comprise at least 60% of the total ﬁeldwork hours—this

requirement does not need to be met during each supervisory period. Examples of unrestricted activities include:

• observation and data collection

• training sta and caregivers on behavior-analytic programs or content

• conducting assessments related to the need for behavioral intervention

• meeting with clients about behavior-analytic programming and services

• conducting behavior-analytic assessments (e.g., functional analyses, stimulus preference assessments)

• data graphing and analysis

• researching the literature relevant to a current client’s programming

• writing and revising behavior-analytic programs

Unacceptable Activities: Only behavior-analytic activities may be counted toward ﬁeldwork requirements.

Nonbehavior-analytic activities, while valuable, may not be counted. Examples of activities that will not count as

ﬁeldwork include:

• attending meetings with little or no behavior-analytic content

• providing interventions that are not based in behavior analysis

• performing nonbehavioral administrative activities

• nonbehavior-analytic trainings related to service delivery (e.g., crisis management, CPR, billing systems)

• completing nonbehavioral assessments (e.g., diagnostic assessments, intellectual assessments), paperwork,

documentation, billing, or any other activities that are not directly related to behavior analysis

• attending professional conferences, workshops, or university courses

• didactic-course assignments (e.g., completing homework assignments, readings)

Why are unrestricted activities so important?

Following certiﬁcation, most behavior analysts primarily perform unrestricted activities. It is

important, therefore, to have experience with these activities before becoming certiﬁed.

Can the BACB tell me if an activity counts toward my ﬁeldwork hours?

Unfortunately not. Since every trainee’s goals are unique—and we cannot possibly know

or anticipate all of the situational variables, populations, and settings in which they may be

working—we cannot provide guidance beyond our certiﬁcation requirements. We rely on qualiﬁed

supervisors to determine how to develop ﬁeldwork that meets our requirements and best supports

clients’ needs and trainees’ goals.

Before You Start Your Fieldwork

The BACB strongly encourages you (the trainee) to complete the Fieldwork

Checklist and Tip Sheet and share it with the supervisor at each ﬁeldwork setting.

Fieldwork Checklist and

Tip Sheet

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Supervisor Requirements

Supervisor Qualiﬁcations: Supervisors must be one of the following:

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for at

least one year and meets an ongoing supervision CEU requirement;

• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who has been certiﬁed for less than one

year and is receiving consultation on a monthly basis from a qualiﬁed consulting supervisor;

• a licensed or registered psychologist certiﬁed by the American Board of Professional

Psychology in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied

behavior analysis (Note: This will no longer be a qualiﬁcation method as of January

1, 2026. Fieldwork obtained before January 1, 2026, may be submitted with a

certiﬁcation application until January 1, 2032.); OR

• an authorized Veriﬁed Course Sequence instructor (Note: This will no longer be a

qualiﬁcation method as of January 1, 2026. Fieldwork obtained before January 1, 2026,

under the supervision of a noncertiﬁed Veriﬁed Course Sequence instructor may be

submitted with a certiﬁcation application until January 1, 2032.).

Supervisor Training: Supervisors must complete an 8-hour supervision training before

providing any supervision to those accruing ﬁeldwork hours.

Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that they have completed the training (available in the Certiﬁcant Registry)

and uploaded the certiﬁcate into their BACB account before signing a supervision contract. Trainees should conﬁrm

the date on which the supervisor completed the training before signing a supervision contract.

Supervisor/Trainee Relationship: The supervisor may not be related to, subordinate to, employed by, or in a multiple

relationship with (e.g., personal or business relationship) the trainee during the ﬁeldwork period. Employment does

not include compensation paid to the supervisor by the trainee for supervision services.

Multiple Supervisors/Settings: Trainees are strongly encouraged to receive supervision from multiple supervisors

and across various settings over the course of their ﬁeldwork hours. This may occur as several individual supervisors,

multiple supervisors at one organization, or a combination of these supervision structures.

Individual Supervisor: An individual supervisor must ensure that all of their trainees’ ﬁeldwork requirements are

being met during their supervision. In this situation:

• the supervision contract should clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the trainee and

supervisor (see the Supervision Contract section);

• all supervision must be related to speciﬁc client programming;

• the supervisor must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the

organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND

• the person signing the M-FVFs and F-FVF for Individual Supervisors must be able to agree to all of the

relevant attestations, including that all ﬁeldwork requirements were met.

Multiple Supervisors at One Organization: An organization may coordinate and oversee multiple supervisors

who provide ﬁeldwork to a trainee. For example, a service organization might have multiple supervisors providing

supervision, or a university might coordinate all on- and o-campus activities under one system. The supervisors

must work together to ensure that all of their trainees’ ﬁeldwork requirements are met (e.g., all of the hours provided

by the supervisors are used to calculate the supervision percentage). One supervisor must ensure that the activity is

well organized and coordinated. In this situation:

Check the Certiﬁcant

Registry to ﬁnd actively

certiﬁed supervisors

who meet BACB

requirements. You may

do this by choosing

to show certiﬁcants

who are willing to

supervise those

pursuing BCBA and

BCaBAcertiﬁcations.

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• the supervision contract should list all supervisors and clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and

expectations of each supervisor and the trainee (see the Supervision Contract section);

• all supervision must be related to speciﬁc client programming;

• the supervisor(s) must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the

organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND

• the person signing the M-FVFs and F-FVF for Multiple Supervisors at One Organization (i.e., the responsible

supervisor) must be able to agree to all of the relevant attestations, including that all ﬁeldwork requirements were met.

Requirements for Supervision of Fieldwork Hours

Nature of Supervision: The purpose of supervision is to improve and maintain the behavior-analytic, professional,

and ethical repertoires of the trainee and facilitate the delivery of high-quality services to the trainee’s clients.

Eective behavior-analytic supervision includes:

• monitoring the skills of the trainee throughout the supervised ﬁeldwork

• developing and communicating performance expectations to the trainee

• conducting behavioral-skills training for the trainee

• observing the trainee’s performance with clients and delivering feedback

• modeling technical, professional, and ethical behavior

• guiding the development of behavioral case conceptualization and problem-solving and decision-

makingrepertoires

• reviewing the trainee’s written materials (e.g., behavior programs, data sheets, reports) and delivering related

feedback about the products

• overseeing and evaluating the eects of the trainee’s behavior-analytic service delivery

• evaluating the eects of supervision throughout the supervised ﬁeldwork

Responsibilities of the Supervisor: When behavior analysts are functioning as supervisors, they must take full

responsibility for all facets of this experience. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that the

trainee abides by all ethical and legal requirements.

Responsibilities of the supervisor include:

• being ﬂuent in, current in, and compliant with all BACB requirements relating to ﬁeldwork

• conﬁrming that the trainee has met all requirements before the outset of supervised ﬁeldwork

• consistently demonstrating technical, professional, and ethical behavior for the trainee

• ensuring that ﬁeldwork activities are in the best interest of the client rather than strictly for the purpose of

meeting the ﬁeldwork requirements

• providing supervision only within their areas of deﬁned competence

• taking on only a volume of supervisory activity that is commensurate with their ability to be eective

• delegating to their trainees only those responsibilities that trainees can reasonably be expected to perform

competently, ethically, and safely, or providing the conditions for the trainee to acquire those skills in an

ethical and safe manner

• ensuring that supervision, ﬁeldwork activities, and trainings are behavior analytic in content, are eectively

and ethically designed, and meet the requirements for licensure, certiﬁcation, or other deﬁned goals

• providing a clear written description of the purpose, requirements, evaluation criteria, conditions, and terms

of supervision before the onset of supervision (i.e., behavior analysts are responsible for the development

and execution of the supervision contract). See the Supervision Contract section.

• designing and implementing feedback and reinforcement systems in a way that improves

traineeperformance

• providing documented, timely feedback regarding the trainee’s performance on an ongoing basis

• designing systems for obtaining ongoing evaluation of their own supervision activities

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Structure of Supervision: Supervision contacts should ideally consist of individual (i.e., one-on-one) contacts

between the supervisor and trainee; however, group supervision is permitted in certain circumstances.

• Group Supervision Restrictions: Groups are interactive meetings in which 2–10 trainees who share similar

experiences participate in the supervision activities described earlier (see the Nature of Supervision

section). The number of trainees in a group meeting may not exceed 10 at any time, regardless of the

number of supervisors in the meeting. If nontrainees are present, their participation should be limited, and

their presence must not inhibit discussion or interfere with participation by trainees. The amount of group

supervision may not exceed the amount of individual supervision in a given supervisory period. In other

words, supervision may be conducted in groups for no more than half of the total supervised hours in each

supervisory period. Unless the trainee is receiving supervision at an organization with multiple supervisors,

group supervision must be provided by the same supervisor who provides individual supervision.

• Observation-With-Client Requirements: The trainee must be observed working with a client in the natural

environment during each supervisory period by at least one supervisor. In-person, on-site observation

is preferred. However, the observation may be conducted using asynchronous (e.g., recorded video) or

synchronous (e.g., live video conference) formats.

Please refer to the A Comparison of Fieldwork Types table for information about supervision contacts and

observations with clients and how these dier across the ﬁeldwork types.

Amount of Supervision: Based on the type of ﬁeldwork hours accrued, you will need to have 5% (Supervised

Fieldwork) or 10% (Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork) of your hours supervised by a qualiﬁed supervisor each

supervisory period. The supervision percentage is calculated by dividing supervised hours by total ﬁeldwork hours

(i.e., independent and supervised hours).

Fieldwork Types: There are two supervised ﬁeldwork types: Supervised Fieldwork and Concentrated Supervised

Fieldwork. Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork provides a pathway for individuals to complete their ﬁeldwork in

fewer hours and with more supervision than Supervised Fieldwork.

Can the observation with a client and supervisor-trainee contact requirements be met at the

same time?

It depends. For the beneﬁt of you and your clients, supervisor-trainee contacts must happen in real

time. For example, if your supervisor watches an hour-long video of you delivering services but

does not provide immediate, real-time feedback, that hour could count toward the observation with

a client requirements but not the supervisor-trainee contact or total supervised hours requirement.

If you and your supervisor watch the video together, pausing to discuss feedback and behavior-

analytic principles, the hour could count toward all requirements at once.

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The following table illustrates the requirements for each ﬁeldwork type.

A Comparison of Fieldwork Types

Supervised Fieldwork

Concentrated Supervised

Fieldwork

Fieldwork hours required to qualify 2,000* 1,500

Supervisory period 1 calendar month

Fieldwork hours per supervisoryperiod min of 20 hours–max of 130 hours

Number of contacts with supervisor per

supervisory period

4 contacts 6 contacts

Observations with client per supervisory

period

1 observation 1 observation

Supervision per supervisory period 5% of hours 10% of hours

Individual supervision hours per

supervisory period

At least 50% of supervised hours must be individual (i.e., group

supervision may not exceed 50%).

Unrestricted activities

At least 60% of overall supervised ﬁeldwork must be spent engaged in

unrestricted activities.

* Under Pathway 4, only 500 hours of Supervised Fieldwork are required.

Combination of Fieldwork Types: To meet this requirement, trainees may accrue hours under Supervised Fieldwork,

Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork, or a combination of both. When combining types, the trainee may only accrue

one type per month per supervision structure. For example, one month may count as Concentrated Supervised

Fieldwork while the others count as Supervised Fieldwork. If the trainee has multiple supervisors, one supervisor may

provide all Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork while another provides all Supervised Fieldwork. Each month, all of

the relevant requirements for that ﬁeldwork type (e.g., percentage of supervision, number of contacts) must be met.

Combination of Fieldwork Settings: Trainees may accrue hours in multiple settings to reach 2,000 total hours, but

they must meet all of the relevant requirements for each organized ﬁeldwork experience (i.e., for each M-FVF and

F-FVF). For example, if a trainee is accruing some hours with an individual supervisor in one setting and some hours

with multiple supervisors in another setting, the trainee must independently meet the requirements at both sites.

Partial Months: Some ﬁeldwork requirements (e.g., number of contacts) may need to be prorated in instances where

a trainee does not work a full calendar month (e.g., four contacts were required, but only two weeks of ﬁeldwork

were accrued within the month). The BACB does not provide formulas for prorating every instance where there

may be a deviation in the calculation of the supervisory period. Instead, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to

determine how best to prorate the ﬁeldwork. If at any time throughout the ﬁeldwork experience a partial month was

completed, please mark the partial month box on the M-FVFs and F-FVF, and mark the hours under the Supervised

Fieldwork type. In the event of an audit, the BACB will require evidence of how the supervisor prorated the ﬁeldwork

(and all associated requirements) to ensure the partial ﬁeldwork was compliant with theserequirements.

I accrued hours under a combination of ﬁeldwork types. How do I know when I have enough

total hours?

To determine whether you have enough hours to meet the ﬁeldwork requirement, add your

Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork hours, multiply that number by 1.33, and add your Supervised

Fieldwork hours to the total. You should have 2,000 total hours.

Note: When entering Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork hours into your documentation system,

the M-FVFs and F-FVF will not multiply the hours by 1.33. The BACB will make those conversions.

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 21

Documentation Requirements

Supervision Contract: Before supervision may start, the trainee and supervisor(s) must develop

and sign a written contract at the outset of the supervisory relationship. The purpose of the

contract is to protect all involved parties and align ﬁeldwork activities with the purpose of

supervision. The contract should include:

• the responsibilities of the supervisor(s) and trainee, including the completion of the

8-hour supervision training by the supervisor(s) and the adherence of all parties to the

ﬁeldwork requirements

• if there are multiple supervisors at one organization, outline each supervisor’s roles, responsibilities, and

expectations, including how the documentation and forms will becompleted

• a description of the appropriate activities and training objectives individualized to thetrainee

• the objective and measurable circumstances under which the supervisor(s) will not sign the trainee’s M-FVFs

and F-FVF

• the consequences if the parties do not adhere to their responsibilities (including proper termination of

therelationship)

• a statement requiring the trainee to obtain written permission from the trainee’s on-site

employer or manager when applicable

• an attestation that all parties will adhere to the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Code)

• a statement declaring that the trainee and supervisor(s) (a) will retain a copy of the

contract and supervision documentation for at least seven years from the date of the ﬁnal

supervision meeting and (b) will provide all documentation to the BACB ifrequested

Please note that supervision contracts may be amended throughout the supervisory

relationship; however, each amendment must be signed and dated by all relevant parties.

Documenting Fieldwork: Because ﬁeldwork varies across settings and practice areas,

the BACB gives supervisors and trainees the ﬂexibility to develop their own system for

documenting ongoing supervision and ﬁeldwork in a way that demonstrates adherence to all

relevant requirements and the Code.

Documentation must include the following:

Independent Hours Supervised Hours Observations

For each session, document:

• date

• start time

• end time

• ﬁeldwork type

• supervisor name

• activity category: restricted

or unrestricted

For each supervision contact, document:

• date

• start time

• end time

• ﬁeldwork type

• supervision type: individual or group

• activity category: restricted or unrestricted

• summary of supervision activity (e.g.,

discussion of activities completed during

independent hours, feedback provided,

progress toward goals discussed)

For each observation, document:

• date

• start time

• end time

• ﬁeldwork type

• setting name

• supervisor name

• activity category: restricted

orunrestricted

Download our sample

supervision contract

for guidance in creating

your own contract.

For more information

on documenting

ﬁeldwork, check out the

Documenting Fieldwork

Hours video and the

Documenting Fieldwork:

Helpful Answers to Your

FAQs blog.

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 22

In addition to tracking data by session and supervision contact, the documentation system should be regularly

reviewed to ensure that all relevant requirements are met each supervisory period and across all ﬁeldwork hours:

• Each Supervisory Period: The trainee and supervisor should have documentation that shows they are

meeting the quantitative requirements (e.g., minimum number of supervisory meetings and contacts) and

qualitative requirements (e.g., summary of what happened during the supervision meeting).

• Across all Fieldwork Hours: The trainee should have documentation that shows they are accruing the

minimum number of unrestricted hours and making progress toward completing the necessary requirements

for obtaining certiﬁcation.

Fieldwork Forms: Supervisors and trainees are required to use two forms to verify ﬁeldwork:

• Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form (M-FVF): must be provided to the BACB upon request

• Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form (F-FVF): must be submitted in the certiﬁcation application. Please keep in

mind that each F-FVF you submit must show that you met all ﬁeldwork requirements during that organized

ﬁeldwork experience (e.g., ﬁeldwork hours per supervisory period, supervision hours per supervisory period).

Multiple F-FVFs can be submitted to demonstrate that the combined ﬁeldwork experiences meet the total

required ﬁeldwork hours. A new F-FVF should be completed for each supervision experience. Taking a break

from accruing ﬁeldwork under the same supervision contract constitutes a new supervision experience.

Two versions of each form are available and should be selected based upon the supervisory structure (i.e., individual

supervisor, multiple supervisors at one organization). Non-BACB forms will not be accepted.

Individual Supervisor Forms

• Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Individual Supervisor

• Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Individual Supervisor

Organization Forms

• Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization

• Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization

The M-FVF must be signed by the last day of the calendar month following the month of supervision, and we

recommend that the F-FVF be signed at the end of a speciﬁc ﬁeldwork experience. Both parties must retain a copy

of the completed ﬁeldwork forms for at least sevenyears. Note: Backdated or retroactively completed forms will not

beaccepted.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Individual Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form

FINAL | FIELDWORK VERIFICATION FORM

INDIVIDUAL SUPERVISOR

2022 Fieldwork Requirements

Instructions: Please complete one form per supervisor, per ﬁeldwork type.

Trainee Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID: _____________________ Start Date: _____________ End Date: _____________

Fieldwork Type (Select One):

 Supervised Fieldwork  Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

State Where Fieldwork Occurred: ________________ Country Where Fieldwork Occurred: _______________

Fieldwork Hours

A. Independent Hours (supervisor not present): __________

B. Supervised Hours (supervisor present): __________

 This ﬁeldwork included prorated hours for partial months.

Supervisor and Trainee Attestation

Supervisor Name: _________________________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID#: _______________________________ Qualiﬁcation: ____________________________

By signing below, we hereby attest that:

⊲ Information presented on this Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form and the corresponding Monthly Fieldwork

Veriﬁcation Forms is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

⊲ The trainee completed the ﬁeldwork under my supervision in compliance with all relevant Fieldwork

Requirements (BCBA/BCaBA) including, but not limited to; the minimum number of contacts per month, required

amounts of unrestricted activities, required observations each month with clients, and adherence to the BACB’s

ethics requirements.

⊲ I am the supervisor designated in the signed supervision contract with this trainee.

Supervisor Signature: _______________________________________________ Date: ________________

This document must be signed in accordance with the Acceptable Signatures Policy.

SUPERVISOR AND TRAINEE MUST EACH RETAIN A COPY OF THIS FORM FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS.

Total Fieldwork Hours _______________

(add A & B):

Percent of Hours Supervised _________

(supervised/total):

Note: Please download this form and complete it on your computer’s

desktop rather than in your web browser. This form contains

dropdown menus. If you prefer to print and manually ﬁll out the

form, please write your answers over the dropdowns.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Individual Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form

MONTHLY | FIELDWORK VERIFICATION FORM

INDIVIDUAL SUPERVISOR

2022 Fieldwork Requirements

Instructions: Please complete one form per supervisor, per ﬁeldwork type.

Trainee Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID: ______________________ Month/Year: ____________________________________

Fieldwork Type (Select One):

 Supervised Fieldwork  Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

State Where Fieldwork Occurred: ________________ Country Where Fieldwork Occurred: _______________

Supervisor Name: ________________________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID#: _______________________________ Qualiﬁcation: ____________________________

Fieldwork Hours (this month only)

A. Independent Hours (supervisor not present): __________

B. Supervised Hours (supervisor present): __________

Supervisor and Trainee Attestation

By signing below, we hereby attest that:

⊲ The information contained on this form is true and correct to the best of our knowledge;

⊲ The required number of supervisory contacts occurred during this month;

⊲ Observation of the trainee with a client occurred during this supervisory period with a frequency appropriate for

this ﬁeldwork type;

⊲ The trainee was supervised for the required amount of time for this supervisory period;

⊲ We have read and understand the most recent version of the Fieldwork Requirements (BCBA/BCaBA)

⊲ We are only including appropriate behavior-analytic activities in our totals listed above; and

⊲ The ﬁeldwork hours obtained during this supervisory period are otherwise compliant with the Fieldwork

Requirements (BCBA/BCaBA)

Supervisor Signature: ________________________________________________ Date: ________________

Trainee Signature: __________________________________________________ Date: ________________

This document must bear the signature (see the Acceptable Signatures Policy) of the responsible supervisor and trainee and must be signed by the last day of

the calendar month following the month of supervision.

SUPERVISOR AND TRAINEE MUST EACH RETAIN A COPY OF THIS FORM FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS.

Total Fieldwork Hours _______________

(add A & B):

Percent of Hours Supervised _________

(supervised/total):

Note: Please download this form and complete it on your computer’s

desktop rather than in your web browser. This form contains

dropdown menus. If you prefer to print and manually ﬁll out the

form, please write your answers over the dropdowns.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Organization Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form

FINAL | FIELDWORK VERIFICATION FORM

MULTIPLE SUPERVISORS AT ONE ORGANIZATION

2022 Fieldwork Requirements

Instructions: Please complete one form per organization, per ﬁeldwork type.

Trainee Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID: _____________________ Start Date: _____________ End Date: _____________

Fieldwork Type (Select One):

 Supervised Fieldwork  Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

State Where Fieldwork Occurred: ________________ Country Where Fieldwork Occurred: _______________

Supervisors at the Organization

Supervisor Name: ___________________________ Supervisor Name: ___________________________

BACB

Account ID#: ______________ BACB Account ID#: ______________

Qualiﬁcation: ___________________ Qualiﬁcation: ___________________

Supervisor Name: ___________________________ Supervisor Name: ___________________________

BACB

Account ID#: ______________ BACB Account ID#: ______________

Qualiﬁcation: ___________________ Qualiﬁcation: ___________________

Supervisor Name: ___________________________ Supervisor Name: ___________________________

BACB

Account ID#: ______________ BACB Account ID#: ______________

Qualiﬁcation: ___________________ Qualiﬁcation: ___________________

Fieldwork Hours

A. Independent Hours (supervisor not present): __________

B. Supervised Hours (supervisor present): __________

 This ﬁeldwork included prorated hours for partial months.

Responsible Supervisor and Trainee Attestation

Supervisor Name: _________________________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID#: _______________________________ Qualiﬁcation: ____________________________

By signing below, we hereby attest that:

⊲ Information presented on this Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form and the corresponding Monthly Fieldwork

Veriﬁcation Forms is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

⊲ The trainee completed the ﬁeldwork in compliance with all relevant Fieldwork Requirements (BCBA/BCaBA)

including, but not limited to; the minimum number of contacts per month, required amounts of unrestricted

activities, required observations each month with clients, and adherence to the BACB’s ethics requirements.

⊲ All supervisors, including the responsible supervisor, met BACB supervision requirements during these

experience hours.

⊲ I am the responsible supervisor designated in the signed supervision contract with this trainee.

Supervisor Signature: _______________________________________________ Date: ________________

This document must be signed in accordance with the Acceptable Signatures Policy.

SUPERVISOR AND TRAINEE MUST EACH RETAIN A COPY OF THIS FORM FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS.

Total Fieldwork Hours _______________

(add A & B):

Percent of Hours Supervised _________

(supervised/total):

Note: Please download this form and complete it on your computer’s

desktop rather than in your web browser. This form contains

dropdown menus. If you prefer to print and manually ﬁll out the

form, please write your answers over the dropdowns.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Organization Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form

MONTHLY | FIELDWORK VERIFICATION FORM

MULTIPLE SUPERVISORS AT ONE ORGANIZATION

2022 Fieldwork Requirements

Instructions: Please complete one form per organization, per ﬁeldwork type.

Trainee Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID: ______________________ Month/Year: ____________________________________

Fieldwork Type (Select One):

 Supervised Fieldwork  Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork

State Where Fieldwork Occurred: ________________ Country Where Fieldwork Occurred: _______________

Responsible Supervisor Name: _______________________________________________________________

BACB

Account ID#: _______________________________ Qualiﬁcation: ____________________________

Fieldwork Hours (this month only)

A. Independent Hours (supervisor not present): __________

B. Supervised Hours (supervisor present): __________

Responsible Supervisor and Trainee Attestation

By signing below, we hereby attest that:

⊲ The information contained on this form is true and correct to the best of our knowledge;

⊲ All supervisors, including the responsible supervisor, met BACB supervision requirements during this month;

⊲ The required number of supervisory contacts occurred during this month;

⊲ Observation of the trainee with a client occurred during this supervisory period with a frequency appropriate for this

ﬁeldwork type;

⊲ The trainee was supervised for the required amount of time for this supervisory period;

⊲ We have read and understand the most recent version of the Fieldwork Requirements (BCBA/BCaBA)

⊲ We are only including appropriate behavior-analytic activities in our totals listed above; and

⊲ The ﬁeldwork hours obtained during this supervisory period are otherwise compliant with the Fieldwork

Requirements (BCBA/BCaBA)

Supervisor Signature: ________________________________________________ Date: ________________

Trainee Signature: __________________________________________________ Date: ________________

This document must bear the signature (see the Acceptable Signatures Policy) of the responsible supervisor and trainee and must be signed by the last day of

the calendar month following the month of supervision.

SUPERVISOR AND TRAINEE MUST EACH RETAIN A COPY OF THIS FORM FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS.

Total Fieldwork Hours _______________

(add A & B):

Percent of Hours Supervised _________

(supervised/total):

Note: Please download this form and complete it on your computer’s

desktop rather than in your web browser. This form contains

dropdown menus. If you prefer to print and manually ﬁll out the

form, please write your answers over the dropdowns.

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 23

Audits

The BACB can audit trainees and supervisors at any time to determine compliance with BACB requirements. See the

following ﬁgure for an overview of the ﬁeldwork audit process.

A Notice of Alleged Violation may also be submitted against the trainee’s supervisor(s) if portions of the trainee's eldwork

are not in compliance with the requirements.

AUDIT INITIATED

he BACB may initiate a eldwork audit at any time for any reason. For instance, it might be initiated as part of a quality

ssurance check, contested eldwork, or ethics-related matter.

Note:

In the event that a certication application is

udited for eldwork, application processing will be suspended until completion of the audit.

BACB REQUESTS AUDIT INFORMATION

he BACB will contact the trainee and/or supervisor by email. The audit may require submission of the supervision

ontract, consulting supervisor meetings (if the supervisor was in their rst year of supervision), M-FVFs, the

ocumentation system, and/or an audit log (or other supervisor-related documents as described in the Documentation

equirements section).

PARTIES SUBMIT AUDIT DOCUMENTS TO BACB

ll relevant parties will submit requested documents to the BACB as a direct reply to the audit initiation email within the

pecied time frame, typically 14 days. The BACB will send an acknowledgment of the documentation submitted following

he given deadline. Documents submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed or considered in the determination.

Note

f the BACB does not receive a response in the specied time frame, the eldwork will be considered noncompliant, and a

Notice of Alleged Violation will be submitted against the relevant parties (see the Code-Enforcement Procedures).

ACB REVIEWS INFORMATION

ACB staff will review information submitted to evaluate compliance with the eldwork requirements and other applicable

ACB requirements. If additional documents or information is required, relevant parties will be notied via email.

BACB PROVIDES A DETERMINATION AND FEEDBACK

he BACB will contact the trainee and supervisor with the results of the audit. If the BACB concludes that some or all of

he eldwork was not in compliance with the eldwork requirements or any other applicable BACB requirements, some

or all of the eldwork may be disqualied.*

Fieldwork Audit Process

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 24

Disputes About Fieldwork Verication Form Signatures

Disputes that occur during supervisory relationships should ﬁrst be addressed directly between the supervisor

and the trainee. If there is an ethics violation related to the experience, the trainee may report the matter to the

BACB by ﬁling a Notice of Alleged Violation. Note: A Notice of Alleged Violation may only be submitted against

someone who has applied for BACB certiﬁcation.

Trainees may submit a Contested Fieldwork Form when the supervisor refuses or is unable to sign the Final

Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form even though the supervision-contract terms have been met. Submission of a

Contested Fieldwork Form may involve a ﬁeldwork audit. Disputes over signing M-FVFs should be handled

between supervisors and trainees. In the event of a contractual dispute, issues may need to be addressed

through an appropriate independent legal process.

Tips for Preventing Disputes Between Supervisors and Trainees

A supervisor may feel justiﬁed in not signing a trainee’s F-FVF or M-FVF even though the trainee may believe

that they are entitled to the signature. Although it is impossible to eliminate the likelihood of disputes about

supervised ﬁeldwork hours, there are ways to mitigate that risk. The following guidance might be helpful:

• Before the supervisory relationship begins, trainees and supervisors should review the supervision

contract and BACB requirements together and clarify expectations. Speciﬁcally, supervisors should

identify conditions under which they will and will not sign a trainee’s F-FVF or M-FVF, as well as situations

that could end the supervisory relationship.

• Supervision should adhere to BACB ethics requirements as described in the Code. It should be behavior

analytic and eectively and ethically designed to meet the requirements for certiﬁcation; supervisors

should communicate conditions with trainees before beginning supervision, including evaluation

criteria and supervision terms; and supervisors should provide documented, timely feedback about

traineeperformance.

• Supervisors should be familiar with BACB supervision requirements and provide supervised ﬁeldwork

accordingly. This is an ethics requirement for all supervisors and will help ensure that trainees can count

their hours when applying for certiﬁcation.

• Before the end of the supervisory relationship, supervisors should take the steps necessary to avoid

abandoning their trainees. This includes discussing relevant client services and transition needs with

their trainees; organizing, gathering, and signing supervision documentation; and, if appropriate, helping

to facilitate a timely transfer of responsibility to another supervisor.

Guidance in the Event of a Dispute

The BACB’s Contested Fieldwork Form was developed to help resolve supervisor/trainee disagreements about

signing F-FVFs. Based on past contested-ﬁeldwork cases ﬁled with the BACB, the following are the most common

issues we have encountered—along with some guidance:

• Accuracy of Information on FVFs: Under the Code, a supervisor may not submit or allow the submission

of false or misleading information and has an obligation to correct inaccurate information submitted to the

BACB. If a contested-ﬁeldwork case is ﬁled with the BACB that alleges inaccurate information, supporting

documentation should clearly identify how the information is inaccurate and outline the eorts taken to

correct the inaccuracies.

• Questions About a Trainee’s Competence After Concluding Supervision: Under the Code, if a

supervisor questions a trainee’s competence after supervision has ended, they must provide sucient

documentation of feedback given to the trainee about performance issues, along with training and

retraining eorts that occurred during the supervisory period. In other words, supervisors should not

question competence after the conclusion of supervision without clear evidence showing they provided

performance-based feedback during the supervised ﬁeldwork.

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 25

• Business Disputes Over Supervision Service Payments: Should a trainee refuse to pay for supervision

services, supervisors should seek enforcement of the supervision contract through the appropriate

venue (e.g., lawsuit, arbitration, mediation). Supervisors should not withhold signatures on FVFs until

they receive payment. If a trainee demonstrates that supervision occurred in accordance with BACB

requirements, we will allow the hours to be counted.

• Potential Ethics Violations Discovered After Concluding Supervision: If potential ethics violations are

discovered following the conclusion of supervision, report the alleged violation immediately through

one of the BACB’s reporting options. If there is a serious risk of harm to a consumer, follow all applicable

mandated-reporting requirements in addition to reporting to the BACB. Note: A Notice of Alleged

Violation may only be submitted against someone who has applied for BACB certiﬁcation.

• Potential Supervisor Ethics Violations Discovered: The trainee should review the Reporting Alleged

Violations Against BCaBAs/BCBAs web page to determine whether submitting a Notice of Alleged

Violation isappropriate (see the Considerations for Reporting an Alleged Violation Against a BCaBA/BCBA).

Supervisors contemplating not signing an FVF should determine if (a) not signing is appropriate, (b) they

delineated the conditions for not signing an FVF in the supervision contract, and (c) they have sucient

documentation to justify withholding their signature. Trainees who contest a signature denial must be prepared to

demonstrate that the denial violates BACB requirements and that they have tried to resolve the situation with the

supervisor ﬁrst.

AppLyINg FOr BCBA CErTIFICATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 26

Applying for BCBA Certication

To apply for BCBA certiﬁcation, complete these steps:

Submit Your Application

1. Complete the BCBA Certication Application in Your BACB Account

Once you have met all of the current eligibility requirements, you may apply for BCBA

certiﬁcation at any time by completing an application in your BACB account under the

Certiﬁcation Applicationtab. Please note that you must select the pathway you are applying

under in your application. If you are unsure of which pathway to choose, check with your

training program before submitting your application. If you happen to identify the wrong

pathway, you may need to submit and pay for a new application.

Please also make sure that the personal information in your BACB account, application, and application

documentation matches and reﬂects your current ocial identiﬁcation (e.g., ﬁrst and last name). If the information

in your application does not match your ocial identiﬁcation, your application may be denied, or you may not be

permitted to sit for the examination when you arrive at the testing center. If your name has changed since your

application documentation was issued, you must complete a Name Change Request in your account by selecting

Update Proﬁle to notify of a former name for application documents.

When you submit your application, you will be asked to provide attestations in the Eligibility Adavit section of the

application and agree to the Application Processing Agreement. You will be asked to (a) arm that you have read, are

in compliance with, and will continue to comply with all BACB requirements, (b) report whether you have a physical or

mental health condition or substance use disorder that could impair your ability to safely and competently work as a

behavior analyst, and (c) report any relevant disciplinary or legal investigations or actions. Please read each question

and answer truthfully. Answering “yes” to the second or third question will require that you also complete and submit

an Ethics Self-Reporting Form. Your application will be placed on hold while your self-report is reviewed by BACB sta.

You will be asked if you are requesting an examination accommodation. Please see the Examination

Accommodations section for more information.

Note: You may only have one active examination authorization at a time. If you already have an active examination authorization

for the BCaBA examination, you will need to Contact Us to cancel your authorization before applying for BCBA certiﬁcation.

2. Submit Your Payment

Once you complete your application, you can pay online with a credit card or mail a check to the BACB. You have 90 days

from the time of payment to submit your supplemental documents. A new application and payment are needed after 90 days.

3. Submit Supplemental Documents

Submit all required supplemental documents, including any required documents that you submitted with a previous

application. Please keep a record of all documents submitted, as once they are sent, they become the property of

the BACB and will not be released back to you (see Documentation Policy). Note that the BACB is unable to process

any documentation until you have a paid application on ﬁle.

PASS

EXAMIN

ATION

COMPLETE BCBA CERTIFICATION APPLICATION

SUBMIT

DOCUMENTS

PAY FEE

RECEIVE

APPLICA

TION

TERMINATION

(Allow 45 da

ys for

ocessing)

COMPLETE BCBA

CERTIFICATION

APPLICATION IN

YOUR BACB

ACCOUNT

MEE

T CURRENT

ELIGIBILITY

REQUIREMENTS

The BACB blog provides

tips for a smoother

application process.

AppLyINg FOr BCBA CErTIFICATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 27

Note: Ensure that the information you submit is accurate and truthful. The BACB reserves the right to invalidate

any certiﬁcation (immediately making the certiﬁcation null and void) and/or prohibit any individual from taking a

BACB examination in the event that the individual submitted falsiﬁed, forged, or untrue information (see the Code-

Enforcement Procedures for more details).

Pathways Requirements Documentation Submission Information

Pathway 1:

Degree From

APBA-Accredited

Program or

ABAI-Accredited

or Recognized

Program

Master’s degree or higher from

an APBA-accredited program

or an ABAI-accredited or

recognized behavior analysis

degree program (ABAI Tier 1,

2a, or 2b)

Ocial transcript(s)

Institution sends electronic transcript(s)

to [email protected]

Institution or applicant mails sealed

transcript(s) to BACB–Applications 7950

Shaer Pkwy, Littleton, CO 80127 USA*

Practical ﬁeldwork in applied

behavior analysis

Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation

Form(s)

Submit via the Contact Us form

Pathway 2:

Behavior-Analytic

Coursework

Graduate degree

Ocial transcript(s) and

BCBA VCS Coordinator

Coursework Attestation

(ifrelevant)

Institution sends electronic transcript(s)

to [email protected]

Institution or applicant mails sealed

transcript(s) to BACB–Applications 7950

Shaer Pkwy, Littleton, CO 80127 USA*

AND

VCS Coordinator emails BCBA VCS

Coordinator Coursework Attestation to

VCSatt@bacb.com

Behavior-analytic coursework

Practical ﬁeldwork in applied

behavior analysis

Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation

Form(s)

Submit via the Contact Us form

Pathway 3:

Faculty Teaching

and Research

Graduate degree Ocial transcript(s)

Institution sends electronic transcript(s)

to [email protected]

Institution or applicant mails sealed

transcript(s) to BACB–Applications 7950

Shaer Pkwy, Littleton, CO 80127 USA*

Faculty teaching and research

Letter from department

chair and course syllabi

Submit via the Contact Us formCopy of published article

Practical ﬁeldwork in applied

behavior analysis

Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation

Form(s)

Pathway 4:

Postdoctoral

Experience

Doctoral degree Ocial transcript(s)

Institution sends electronic transcript(s)

to [email protected]

Institution or applicant mails sealed

transcript(s) to BACB–Applications 7950

Shaer Pkwy, Littleton, CO 80127 USA*

Postdoctoral experience in

applied behavior analysis

Curriculum vitae, signed

attestations from current

or former employers,

and proof of professional

credentials

Submit via the Contact Us form

Practical ﬁeldwork in applied

behavior analysis

Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation

Form(s)

* The BACB cannot accept packages that require a signature for delivery.

AppLyINg FOr BCBA CErTIFICATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 28

4. BACB Staff Will Review Your Application and Issue a Determination

You will receive an email once the BACB receives your supplemental documents. It may take up to 45 days for

sta to review your application and issue a determination from the date your payment and all documents have

been received. If missing or updated documentation is submitted, it will require additional time for processing.

Applications are processed in the order they are received. For current application processing timelines, please visit

the Application Processing Updates web page.

Note: During the application-review process, your ﬁeldwork hours might be audited. If so, additional documentation

will be requested (see the Fieldwork Audit Process).

If your application is:

• Approved: You will receive instructions via email for scheduling your BCBA examination.

• Not approved: You will receive feedback and guidance for next steps via email. If you do not meet the

requirements within 90 days of submitting your application, you must submit a new BCBA Certiﬁcation

Application, including paying another certiﬁcation application processing fee.

Note: If you believe the decision was made in error, you will need to review the Administrative Appeals Policy and, if

appropriate, submit an appeal within 30 days of the determination.

Schedule Your Examination Appointment

Within 24–48 hours of your application being approved, you will receive an email with instructions on how to

schedule your BCBA certiﬁcation examination with Pearson VUE. The examination is continuously available, and

results are provided on site immediately upon completion. Except for candidates residing outside of the US, Canada,†

Australia, and the United Kingdom, you have two years from the date your application is approved to pass the BCBA

examination. Your BACB account will include your speciﬁc testing deadlines. During this time, you may take the

examination up to 8 times with at least 30 days between each appointment.

Fees*

Application Fees

Certiﬁcation Application $245

Examination Retake Application** $140

Examination Appointment (paid to Pearson VUE)*** $125

Preliminary Coursework Evaluation (optional) $100

* BACB fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. The BACB only accepts US currency. Please do not send cash.

** Each examination retake will require a new retake application and new examination appointment fees.

*** Veterans who qualify for the GI Bill can receive reimbursement for BACB certiﬁcation examination fees from the Department of

Veterans Aairs, regardless of whether they pass the examination. Learn more about this beneﬁt on the GI Bill website.

† Eective November 1, 2023, BACB examinations are no longer delivered in Quebec. Beginning July 1, 2026, the BCBA

examination will no longer be delivered in Ontario.

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 29

Examination

Once you meet all applicable eligibility requirements, submit your application, and receive

an approved determination, you must take and pass the BCBA certiﬁcation examination. This

examination assesses your knowledge of the BCBA Task List (5th ed.) at a level consistent with

that of an entry-level behavior analyst.

Note: Candidates permitted to take the BCBA examination will test under the current edition of

the task list. If a new edition goes into eect while a candidate’s authorization period is active,

they must test under the new edition. Exceptions will not be granted.

Examination Development

Job task analysis (JTA) is the predominant method for developing high-stakes examinations for professions, and

it has been used in the development of all BACB examinations. The JTA process involves the development of the

following: a draft task list, a content-validation survey of the profession that active BACB certiﬁcants are invited

to participate in, and a new examination blueprint (also known as a task list or test content outline). The BCBA

examination is currently based on the 5th edition of the BCBA Task List.

Preparation

The BACB recommends that you prepare for the BCBA examination by reviewing the BCBA Task List (5th ed.), the

Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, and the materials gathered from your training. The BACB cannot endorse speciﬁc

study guides or other preparation materials, and the purchase of any study materials does not guarantee that you will

pass the examination.

Examination Outline

The BCBA examination comprises 185 multiple-choice questions, 10 of which are unscored. Each question has 4

possible answers and only 1 correct answer. Candidates have 4 hours to complete the examination.

Content Area

Number of

Questions

Percentage of

Examination

Foundations

A. Philosophical Underpinnings 6 3.43%

B. Concepts and Principles 32 18.29%

C. Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation 21 12.00%

D. Experimental Design 12 6.86%

Applications

E. Ethics 18 10.29%

F. Behavior Assessment 18 10.29%

G. Behavior-Change Procedures 35 20.00%

H. Selecting and Implementing Interventions 16 9.14%

I. Personnel Supervision and Management 17 9.71%

Total 175 100%

Beginning January

1, 2025, the BCBA

examination will be

based on the BCBA Test

Content Outline (6th ed.).

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 30

Sample Examination Questions

The following retired questions appeared on previous administrations of the BCBA examination and represent

content areas that are currently on the examination. These questions are provided to oer candidates insight into

the format of the BCBA examination.

1. An employee is having diculty staying on task at his job. His supervisor wants to graph the employee’s

time on task. Based on these data, what would be the appropriate labels for the vertical and

horizontalaxes?

Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Minutes on Task 45 45 42 35 28

Number of Minutes

Observed

60 65 60 45 55

a. Number of minutes on task; number of minutes observed

b. Number of minutes on task; time of day observed

c. Percentage of minutes on task; day observed

d. Percentage of minutes on task; number of minutes observed

2. Delivering a potential reinforcer one-half hour after the occurrence of a response to be strengthened is:

a. Generally eective for low response-eort behaviors

b. Eective, provided the individual understands the contingency

c. Most eective with high-frequency behaviors

d. Inconsistent with best practices in applied behavior analysis

3. If Terry puts his dishes in the sink after dinner, he earns computer time, which he enjoys. However, Terry

does not consistently put the dishes in the sink. Near the end of the dinner, his dad says, “Remember,

you only get to use the computer if you put your dishes in the sink.” Terry ﬁnishes dinner and puts his

dishes in the sink. Dad’s reminder is an example of which of the following?

a. Motivating operation

b. Verbal prompt

c. Positive reinforcer

d. Negative reinforcer

4. Injections reliably cause Johnny to cry and scream. Originally, Johnny liked the doctor, but because of

frequent pairings of the doctor with painful injections, the sight of the doctor walking into the examination

room came to elicit crying and screaming. In the respondent paradigm, the crying and screaming elicited

by the sight of the doctor would be called a(n):

a. Conditioned response

b. Discriminative stimulus

c. Generalized fear response

d. Unconditioned response

5. Randy is rarely aggressive. However, when he is, his behaviors are extreme in their intensity. Emergency

procedures have been developed to ensure the safety of Randy and others. One essential component of

addressing the problem behavior should be to:

a. Make a referral to a psychiatrist to access PRN medication

b. Immediately implement a behavior-reduction program

c. Perform a functional assessment to determine antecedents and consequences to the target behavior

d. Perform social validation to establish the sta’s tolerance and willingness to continue the procedure

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 31

Scheduling

The BACB contracts with Pearson VUE to deliver BACB examinations in person at authorized Pearson VUE testing

sites and US military bases that meet the security requirements necessary for the administration of high-stakes

examinations. The BACB authorizes the use of testing sites in the US, Canada,* Australia, and the UK and evaluates

the addition of new sites routinely and by requests made through Pearson VUE’s website.

You can schedule a BCBA examination using your BACB Candidate ID in your Pearson VUE account or by contacting

Pearson VUE’s customer service center. If you plan to retake the examination after an unsuccessful attempt, you must

wait 30 days following your previous attempt. Please note that if you request examination accommodations, you will

receive a separate email from the Accommodations Review Team with details on how to schedule your examination.

Pearson VUE Examination Fees

Pearson VUE charges $125 for every BCBA examination appointment. This fee is in addition to BACB application

fees, and Pearson VUE will collect it at the time of scheduling. You may be required to pay applicable sales tax,

value-added tax, GST, or similar tax required by law in the country or locality in which you are testing. If taxes are

applicable, Pearson VUE will collect them at the time of scheduling.

Any appointment canceled or rescheduled within 30 days of the examination date will be subject to a fee. If you are

within 48 hours of your appointment, you will be unable to cancel or reschedule your appointment, and a refund will

not be issued. Please note that all fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

Cancelation and rescheduling fees are as follows:

Cancelation/Rescheduling Time Period Cancelation/Rescheduling Fee

30 days—5 days before examination

appointment

$59

5 days—48 hours before examination

appointment

$69

* Eective November 1, 2023, BACB examinations are no longer delivered in Quebec. Beginning July 1, 2026, the BCBA

examination will no longer be delivered in Ontario.

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 32

Examination Accommodations

Examination accommodations are available for individuals with a current disability as deﬁned by the Americans with

Disabilities Act (ADA) or a comparable human rights law in their country. Accommodation requests must include the

BACB Examination Accommodation Request Form and documentation from a qualiﬁed professional (e.g., physician,

school ocial, licensed psychiatrist, licensed psychologist).

Appropriate documentation must identify the disability and state the need for the requested accommodation(s).

Examples of appropriate documentation include ocial letters, reports of test results, and documentation of

past accommodation(s) received, including accommodation(s) received for standardized testing (e.g., previous

Individualized Education Plan [IEP], documentation from another organization similar to the BACB).

All documentation must be compiled into a single PDF ﬁle and submitted through the Submit Accommodations

Documentation web page. Once the accommodation request and supporting documentation are received, the BACB

will conduct a review, which typically takes 10–14 days. The BACB may require additional documentation, which can

result in longer processing times.

Individuals should not attempt to schedule their examination until they receive an email about the status of their

accommodation request and how to schedule their examination. Please note that certiﬁcation applications and

accommodation requests are reviewed separately, and the approval of a certiﬁcation application does not equal the

approval of an accommodation request.

What to Expect on Examination Day

At all Pearson VUE testing centers, the BCBA examination is administered using a computer-based testing

(CBT) format. For additional information, visit Pearson VUE’s BACB Certiﬁcation Testing web page, which oers

thefollowing:

• a tutorial to help you become familiar with the CBT format,

• details about what to expect at a Pearson VUE testing center, and

• testing center locations.

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 33

General Rules for Taking the Examination

• You are advised to arrive at the testing center approximately 30 minutes before your examination

appointment to allow sucient time for the check-in process. This process includes security measures, such

as photographing, palm vein scanning, and obtaining an electronic signature from each candidate. Once an

examination has been underway for 30 minutes, no candidates will be admitted to the examination area.

• You must provide TWO forms of valid identiﬁcation to be admitted into the examination area. Both pieces of

identiﬁcation must show your ﬁrst and last name exactly as they appear on your BACB account. Any name

discrepancies will prevent admission to the examination (e.g., providing a nickname on your BACB account,

identiﬁcation that shows a dierent last name due to marriage). Pearson VUE does not make exceptions to

name discrepancies based on marriage certiﬁcates.

• Both pieces of identiﬁcation must have your signature and be current (i.e., not expired). The primary

identiﬁcation must be government issued and include both a photo and signature (e.g., a driver’s license or

state/national ID). The secondary identiﬁcation must include a signature but need not include a photo (e.g., a

signed credit card with a signature that matches the government-issued identiﬁcation).

• Failure to present two fully valid pieces of identiﬁcation will prevent your admission to the testing center. If

this happens, you will be marked absent and will forfeit the entire examination fee.

• No cameras, phones, recording devices, watches, beepers or electronic transmitting devices, notes or

reference materials, books, briefcases, backpacks, portfolios, purses, etc. may be taken into the examination

area. Personal items may be stored in lockers available at all testing centers.

• Scratch paper, calculators, rulers, textbooks, reference materials, and notes are NOT permitted in the

examination area, and you are not allowed to remove any examination materials from the administration

room. A dry-erase board will be provided at each workstation.

• Earplugs are available upon request at all testing centers, some of which also provide noise-canceling

headphones upon request.

• No food or beverage items are permitted in the examination area.

• No visitors are permitted in the examination area.

• If you leave the examination area to use the restroom, you will go through palm vein scanning when you

leave and again before you reenter. During breaks, you are prohibited from accessing phones, electronic

devices, and notes, among other items stored in lockers. However, you are permitted to access food, drink,

or medication duringbreaks.

• Smoking areas are not provided at the testing centers.

• No questions concerning the examination’s content may be asked during the examination period. Please

listen carefully to instructions from testing-center sta and read all directions thoroughly.

• BACB examinations are delivered via the Internet and, occasionally, Internet connectivity at Pearson VUE

testing centers may result in technical problems (e.g., slow screen-load times, screen freezes), which may

require rebooting the computer. Answers and examination times (time allotted and time used) are not

aected by these technical issues, even in the case of a computer restart.

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 34

Examination Terms and Conditions

Before the commencement of a BACB examination, the candidate must read and agree to the following examination

Terms and Conditions. Failure to agree to these Terms and Conditions will result in immediate dismissal from the

examination. Please note that the time spent reviewing these Terms and Conditions is part of the examination time.

Condentiality

• BACB examinations are copyright protected and highly conﬁdential trade secrets. Any disclosure or

reconstruction of test questions or content is a violation of BACB rules and is subject to damages, including,

but not limited to:

• BACB investigation fees, court costs, and legal fees;

• the cost of replacing the compromised question(s); AND

• the cost of reconstructing the examination at the discretion of the BACB.

• CANDIDATES ARE PERMANENTLY PROHIBITED FROM EVER DISCLOSING THE CONTENT OF BACB

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS. Candidates may not communicate with other examinees or other individuals

during the examination. The BACB considers unauthorized sharing of examination content with others

a violation of BACB copyright and a form of cheating on the examination. This prohibition includes, but

is not limited to, verbal, written, and/or electronic (e.g., email, social media, other Internet or electronic

medium)disclosure.

Test Security

• BACB examinations may only be taken by individuals wishing to apply for BACB certiﬁcation and for no

otherpurpose.

• Proctors continuously monitor candidates by video and audio during the examination. The candidate

recognizes that they have no right to privacy during examination delivery and that they waive all claims

asserting a right to privacy. The candidate also acknowledges and consents to audio and video recording

of their face, voice, the physical room in which they are seated when they check in, and their location during

examination delivery.

• ANY use of electronic devices while an examination is in progress is prohibited and is grounds for

termination of the examination and invalidation of the examination results. No materials, documents, or notes

of any sort may enter or leave an on-site testing center or be in the proximity of the remote examination

area. Additionally, any item visible or items worn by the candidate before or during an examination, including,

but not limited to, cell phones, watches, electronic devices, bags, purses, briefcases, and jewelry, may be

investigated at the discretion of the examination proctor.

• Proctors are authorized to maintain a secure and proper examination administration and assist with

operational issues but will not provide comments or recommendations regarding examination questions.

Tampering with Pearson VUE’s software or equipment, cheating, or permitting cheating (e.g., letting someone

copy answers, letting someone provide answers, providing information on the content of examination

questions to others) is cause for termination of the examination and invalidation of the examination results.

At the sole discretion of the BACB and/or Pearson VUE, irregular, disruptive, inappropriate, or suspected

cheating behavior by the candidate may result in any combination of the following:

• relocation or removal from the examination site;

• immediate termination of examination delivery;

• invalidation of examination results;

• inactivation of certiﬁcation pending investigation of the irregularity;

• a required retest to validate a candidate’s examination results;

• a permanent restriction on sitting for any future BACB examination;

• another disciplinary action related to eligibility or certiﬁcation status;

• forfeiture of all application and examination fees paid by the candidate; AND

• any other remedy necessary to protect BACB examination content and security.

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 35

• The BACB reserves the right to report examination content theft to applicable law enforcement authorities,

and the candidate authorizes the BACB to release the candidate’s name, examination performance data,

audio and video ﬁles from the examination administration, and any other pertinent information necessary

to demonstrate the basis for ﬁnding that the candidate participated in or beneﬁted from theft of BACB

examination content.

Breaks

• Candidates taking the examination at a testing center may take breaks, including using the restroom, but

must ﬁrst raise their hand to inform the proctor. The proctor will secure the workstation while the candidate

takes a break. The examination time will not stop during breaks. Candidates CANNOT leave their seat at

any time unless the proctor has secured the workstation and WILL NOT be permitted to access or use a cell

phone or electronic device. If at any time the candidate leaves their computer without the permission of the

proctor, the candidate will be unable to continue testing.

Examination Security

The BACB and Pearson VUE take examination security seriously because the value of your certiﬁcation and our

credibility depend on it. BCBA certiﬁcation examination content is conﬁdential; it is never appropriate to share,

discuss, post, or upload examination content. In addition, candidates are required to adhere to the Ethics Code

for Behavior Analysts, which includes the following requirement: “Behavior analysts are truthful and arrange the

professional environment to promote truthful behavior in others.”

Unauthorized possession, reproduction, publication, or disclosure of any BACB examination materials—including

storing or disclosing examination questions to any person or entity by any means before, during, or after the

examination—is prohibited. Individuals violating these terms will not be permitted to retest or take any BACB

examination until the matter has been resolved and the BACB has determined whether the candidate can have

access to BACB examinations. Examples of violations and misconduct include:

• submitting false, inconsistent, or misleading statements or omitting information the BACB requests

• attempting to take the examination for someone else or having someone else take the examination for you

• copying or sharing information or any other form of cheating

• obtaining advanced access to examination materials

• stealing examination materials

• bringing prohibited items into the examination room

• failing to follow directions from testing-center sta

• violating Pearson VUE scheduling or testing-center rules and regulations

ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 36

Examination Appeals

The BACB is committed to reporting valid examination results; however, certain circumstances may cause results

to be invalidated. The BACB reserves the right to invalidate examination results and certiﬁcation status due to

suspected or documented misconduct during testing or violation of the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts. The Ethics

Code for Behavior Analysts requires certiﬁcants, candidates, and applicants to immediately report any conﬁrmed or

suspected examination misconduct by others to the BACB.

Additionally, invalidation may also occur due to situations beyond your control—or that of the BACB’s—at the testing

site. If you experience examination condition irregularities (e.g., poor lighting or disruptive noises at the testing site,

long screen-load times) during your examination, you may ﬁle an examination appeal with the BACB. Pearson VUE

delivers BACB examinations via a web browser, so minor Internet bandwidth variances are to be expected.

BACB standards, requirements, deadlines, procedures, fees, examination content, examination delivery modality,

examination results, and examination-speciﬁc questions/answers may not be appealed.

How to appeal: You must ﬁle a request for appeal within 7 days of your examination appointment by completing the

Administrative Appeal Request Form.

Examination Results

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 24 hours. The Certiﬁcant

Registry will be updated to include those who passed the examination approximately 2 weeks after Pearson VUE

releases the examination results.

Examination Retakes

You may retake the BCBA examination for a maximum of 8 total attempts within a 2-year period following your initial

examination approval. An Examination Retake Application will be available in your BACB account within 48 hours of

each failed examination attempt. You will receive an examination authorization email within 48 hours of submitting

the Examination Retake Application, which will provide further instructions on how to schedule a new examination

appointment. You must pay a $140 retake application fee and a $125 examination appointment fee each time you

retake the examination. You must wait 30 days to retake the examination following your previous attempt.

Note: If you do not pass the examination after 8 attempts and you still have time in your 2-year authorization period,

you must wait until your 2-year authorization period is over to reapply for BCBA certiﬁcation.

Scoring Methodology

The BACB uses the modiﬁed Ango method to establish the BCBA examination’s passing score. This method is

criterion-referenced, meaning that the passing score is determined by a panel of BACB-certiﬁed subject matter

experts and then approved by the BACB Board of Directors. Your performance on the examination is solely

dependent on your understanding of entry-level behavior analyst knowledge.

A new passing score is established when a signiﬁcant change to the industry or examination content occurs (e.g.,

introduction of a new task list).

wHAT TO ExpECT AFTEr pASSINg THE ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 37

What to Expect After Passing the Examination

What happens after I leave the testing center? In most instances, you will receive a pass/fail

report at the testing center. If you passed the examination, your BCBA certiﬁcation number will be

generated and available in your BACB account within 24 hours of passing the examination. You

will receive your BCBA certiﬁcate in the mail within 4–6 weeks (so make sure that your mailing

address is correct in your BACB account).

When can I start using my BCBA certiﬁcation? You may start using your BCBA certiﬁcation as

soon as you have passed the examination. However, please contact your state, regional, or national

behavior-analytic professional associations to learn about any additional requirements for practice as a behavior analyst

in your region and to access valuable support in the profession. If you reside in a US state where behavior analysts are

licensed, you should immediately contact your state licensure board to determine whether or how you should submit

an application for licensure before practicing with your new BACB certiﬁcation. Please note that, starting January 1,

2025, once you pass the BCBA examination, any other BACB certiﬁcation you hold will expire after 90 days or on its

expiration date, whichever comes ﬁrst. See the September 2023 BACB Newsletter for more information.

How can employers and funders, among others, verify my certiﬁcation? Newly certiﬁed BCBAs appear in the Certiﬁcant

Registry within 48 hours of passing the examination. The Certiﬁcant Registry shows the status of your certiﬁcation and

recertiﬁcation date, and if your certiﬁcation becomes inactive for any reason, this will be indicated on the registry.

Anyone may request a written veriﬁcation of their current certiﬁcation status from the BACB for a $25 fee per

veriﬁcation. The veriﬁcation letter is delivered as an emailed PDF document or state-issued veriﬁcation form and

contains the information shown on the registry.

Would you like to give others the opportunity to contact you through the Certiﬁcant Registry? Log into your BACB

account, select Email Preferences, and indicate that you can be contacted.

What does it mean now that I am certiﬁed? Becoming certiﬁed means you have demonstrated that you have the

knowledge and skills of an entry-level practicing behavior analyst. That said, consider what you are proﬁcient in, what

you know a little about (but need more experience and mentorship in), and what you do not know to ensure that you

do not overstate your expertise to the public. Consider your scope of competence (e.g., populations or behavior-

analytic techniques you are capable of serving or using) because you have an ethical obligation to refrain from

practicing outside of your scope of competence (see the Code).

When can I start supervising?

RBTs and BCaBAs: You may start providing ongoing supervision to RBTs and BCaBAs as soon as you are certiﬁed

and have met all other relevant supervision requirements (e.g., supervisor training). See the Ongoing Supervision

sections in the RBT and BCaBA Handbooks for details.

BCBA Certiﬁcate Sample

What steps should I take to begin my career as a professional?

The BACB cannot provide guidance on this outside of the requirements to maintain your

certiﬁcation, so the ﬁrst step might be to identify a mentor who can help you develop a professional-

development plan. That plan might include determining your scope of competence; recognizing

skill sets that you need support with (e.g., billing) to move toward your goals; identifying ways to

stay in contact with the literature (as a certiﬁcant, you have free access to recent issues of major

behavior-analytic journals in your BACB account); and identifying ways to stay or get involved with

the professional community, such as joining professional associations. A mentor might also be able

to help you determine how to assess job opportunities to make sure they ﬁt within your scope

of competence and career goals; whether you are ready and qualiﬁed to serve as a supervisor,

assessor, or trainer (see the Supervision, Assessment, Training and Oversight section); and whether

a service organization has an environment that is set up to promote ethical behavior.

wHAT TO ExpECT AFTEr pASSINg THE ExAmINATION

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 38

Tips for Protecting Your BACB Information

The BACB works to ensure the security of our certiﬁcants’ information. Despite our eorts, however, you are

still at risk of someone misusing your credential, most commonly for billing fraud. Given the prevalence of

open electronic access and digital identity theft, here are a few ways that you can take a proactive approach to

maximizing the security of your professional credentials.

• Check your BACB account regularly. Put a reminder in your calendar to log in and check the accuracy

of the information in your BACB account every six months or more frequently if you have been—or

suspect you may be—the target of identity theft. It is critical that you log in to ensure that your information

is accurate and review how your information is publicly displayed in the Certiﬁcant Registry. In addition to

your personal information, review the information speciﬁc to supervisees or supervisors to make sure it is

correct. If you ﬁnd any inconsistencies or inaccuracies, use the Contact Us form to immediately inform us

of the potential issue.

• Protect your BACB certiﬁcate. While your certiﬁcation number is publicly available in the Certiﬁcant

Registry, you should protect your BACB certiﬁcate from being copied and/or modiﬁed. Think twice before

posting photos of your certiﬁcate on social media platforms, and be sure to keep your private BACB

account ID number protected. This number is not published in the Certiﬁcant Registry and is generally

only needed by your supervisees/trainees, the BACB, and certain fundingsources.

• If you suspect misuse of your information, contact a specialist (e.g., attorney/advisor) in identity theft

to help you determine your options. While BACB sta cannot provide legal advice, we are sympathetic

to the frustrations you may experience if your information is misused. Finally, if you suspect the misuse

or misappropriation of another certiﬁcant’s credential (or the creation of false credentials), please

immediately report your evidence to the appropriate authorities (e.g., law enforcement, funders) and to

the BACB using the Reporting Infringement or Misuse Form.

For additional guidance, please refer to the August 2019 newsletter on our Newsletters web page.

Trainees accruing ﬁeldwork hours: You may start providing supervision to trainees accruing ﬁeldwork as soon as

you are certiﬁed and have met all other relevant supervision requirements (e.g., supervisor training). Please note

that during your ﬁrst year of certiﬁcation, you must meet with a consulting supervisor each month that you provide

supervision to trainees accruing ﬁeldwork. See the Consulting Supervisor Requirements for New BCBAs Supervising

Fieldwork document for more information.

How should I maintain my certiﬁcation moving forward?

• Review the Certiﬁcation Maintenance Requirements section and develop a plan to meet them, including

accruing continuing education and complying with ethics requirements (e.g., ensure that you accept clients

within the boundaries of your competence, have appropriate service contracts, provide appropriate services,

follow procedures to ensure continuity of care and appropriate client transitions).

• Be sure to keep an eye out for helpful resources, like BACB videos, blogs, and podcasts. For example,

the Tips for New Certiﬁcants blog shares valuable information for newly certiﬁed individuals, and The

Professional Infrastructure of Applied Behavior Analysis video describes the various organizations in ABA.

• Keep your contact information up to date in your BACB account to ensure that you receive important

updates about certiﬁcation requirements, and periodically review bacb.com to stay informed of changes. This

is especially important because if the BACB tries to contact you and receives no response after reasonable

attempts are made, the BACB may take summary action (e.g., suspension) against your certiﬁcation (see the

Timely Responding to the BACB section).

• Report critical events to the BACB Ethics Department (see the Self-Reporting web page).

• Stay up to date with licensure requirements in your area.

• If your certiﬁcation status changes (e.g., your certiﬁcation becomes inactive), ensure that you accurately

reﬂect your certiﬁcation status to the public. For more information about the correct use of the BCBA

certiﬁcation mark, see the September 2008, October 2013, and July 2021 BACB Newsletters.

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 39

Certication Maintenance Requirements

To maintain your BCBA certiﬁcation, you must obtain ongoing continuing education, adhere

to the BACB’s ethics requirements and self-reporting requirements, and submit a completed

recertiﬁcation application and associated fees every two years before your recertiﬁcation date.

Continuing Education

Initial BCBA certiﬁcation indicates that an individual has met entry-level standards of practice as a behavior analyst.

The purpose of the BACB’s continuing education (CE) requirement is to ensure that BCBA certiﬁcants engage in

activities that will expand their behavior-analytic skills beyond the requirements for initial certiﬁcation and help them

stay up to date on developments in the profession.

CEU Requirements

As a BCBA, you are required to obtain 32 continuing education units (CEUs) within each 2-year recertiﬁcation cycle,

including 4 CEUs in ethics and 3 CEUs in supervision (for supervisors).

All CEUs must occur within the recertiﬁcation cycle to which they are applied. For example, if you submit your

recertiﬁcation application on September 27, 2021, and your recertiﬁcation date is September 30, 2021, you may

only count CEUs accrued from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2023, toward your next recertiﬁcation application.

Making up missed CEUs after your recertiﬁcation date is not permitted, and CEUs in excess of the requirements

cannot be applied to a subsequentcycle.

Recertify

Original Certification /

Recertification Date

Overview

Last chance to meet CEU requirements.

Recertify once you have entered all of

your CEUs (no sooner than 45 days

before your recertification date).

Failure to meet the requirements or to

apply by the end of this period results in

certification expiration.

Complete 32 CEUs (4 in Ethics,

3 in Supervision, if applicable)

Abide by BACB Ethics and

Self-Reporting Requirements

2 Year Cycle

Remember to keep your

information up to date

in your BACB account,

and please ensure that

bacb.com is in your

email contacts and list

ofsafe senders.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement by entering your CEUs into your BACB account as

soon as you have supporting documentation. Use the following table to identify which type of CEU

was earned. Depending on the type of CE selected, you will need to enter speciﬁc information

about the activity and upload supporting documentation.

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CEU Types

You can earn CEUs via three types of activities, as illustrated in the following table. There are no restrictions or

limitations on the number of CEUs you can earn via each activity type.

Continuing Education By: Documentation CEU Values

Learning

Attending behavior-analytic learning

events oered by Authorized

Continuing Education (ACE) Providers

(see ACE ProviderDirectory)

Certiﬁcate from the ACE Provider

25 minutes

of learning =

.5CEU

(i.e., 50

minutes of

learning =

1CEU)

Completing didactic behavior-analytic

graduate courses with a passing

grade (“C” or higher in a graded

course or “pass” in a pass/fail system)*

Syllabi and transcripts from universitycourses

Participating in certain BACB

certiﬁcationactivities

No documentation is needed for BACB events

(these are issued directly into BACB accounts)

Teaching

Teaching ACE events

Documentation from the ACE Provider

demonstrating that the certiﬁcant taught an

ACE event

25 minutes

ofinstruction =

.5CEU

(i.e., 50

minutes of

instruction =

1CEU)

Teaching university courses in

behavior analysis at an accredited,

degree-granting university*

Letter from a department chair indicating that

the certiﬁcant taught a universitycourse

Scholarship

Publishing an article on behavior

analysis in a peer-reviewed journal

A PDF of the ﬁnal published article

1 publication =

8 CEUs

Writing a review or decision letter

for an article on behavior analysis

submitted to a peer-reviewed journal

Conﬁrmation from the journal (e.g.,

conﬁrmation email, snapshot of the portal),

associate editor, or editor. Note: Please redact

title and author information.

1 review/

decision letter

= 1 CEU

* For the purpose of establishing instructional requirements that can be applied globally, 1 semester

credit hour will represent 15 hours of classroom instruction, and 1 quarter credit hour will represent 10

hours of classroom instruction. This conversion is based on US FederalRule.

CEU Content

Continuing education may address any aspect of behavior analysis: practice, science,

methodology, theory, or the profession. CEUs must cover material that goes beyond the current

BCBA/BCaBA Task List and coursework required to sit for the certiﬁcation examinations.

Ethics CEUs

Acceptable ethics content must cover ethical issues in behavior-analytic practice or research.

Ethics content should relate to the BACB’s ethics requirements. Sample ethics topics include

the (in)appropriateness of implementing nonbehavioral therapies, strategies for avoiding/

managing dual relationships, creating a culture of ethics in an organization, and ethical

implications of media and technology, among many others.

Supervision CEUs

BCBAs who have supervised the ongoing practice of RBTs or BCaBAs on record or trainees

pursuing BCBA or BCaBA certiﬁcation at any point during their recertiﬁcation cycle must obtain

and enter 3 supervision CEUs to recertify. Supervision is behavior analytic in nature and covers

eective supervision as described in the BACB Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0)

and the Nature of Supervision section.

There are a lot of options

for continuing education

in terms of format,

content, and providers,

among others.

Consider obtaining

CEUs that will help

with your professional-

development plan. And

remember that the

intent is for ongoing

development, so we

highly recommend

accruing continuing

education throughout

your recertiﬁcation cycle.

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Ethics/Supervision CEU Overlap

A CEU may be counted as either an ethics CEU or a supervision CEU, but not both. CEUs acquired from the 8-hour

supervision training may count as supervision CEUs only.

Repeating CE Activities

Repeating CE activities does not provide new or expanded knowledge or skills and therefore does not meet BACB

certiﬁcation requirements.

Ethics and Self-Reporting

You must adhere to the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts and self-

reporting requirements. The BACB is prohibited from providing any

legal advice and from interpreting any ethics requirements.

Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Code): The Code contains six

sections outlining candidates’ and certiﬁcants’ responsibilities related

to professional conduct, clients and service provisions, supervision,

and colleagues. Certiﬁcants are required to remain knowledgeable

about the Code. Those supervising others (i.e., trainees, RBTs, BCaBAs)

must ensure that they review and address the Code (and the RBT

Ethics Code [2.0] where applicable) with their supervisees or trainees.

Certiﬁcants should also endeavor to address potential violations

directly with the relevant individual if appropriate. When considering

whether submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation is appropriate,

certiﬁcants should consult the Considerations for Reporting an Alleged

Violation Against a BCaBA/BCBA or the Considerations for Reporting

an Alleged Violation Against an RBT document.

Self-Reporting

Per the BACB’s ethics requirements, applicants and certiﬁcants must self-report to the BACB

any personal conduct, condition, or event that may pose a risk to others or reasonably

impact their ability to safely or competently practice. These events may relate to their roles

as service providers, supervisors, educators, trainers, or business owners or managers of any

organization or company that provides behavior-analytic services, supervision, education, and/

or training. Please see the following sections for details on the three main types of information

that must be self-reported to the BACB.

For further guidance on when to self-report, please review the information on the Self-

Reporting web page.

Changes to Personal Information

You are required to keep the personal information in your BACB account up to date, including your address, email

address, and legal name. Please change or correct any outdated information within 30 days of the change or

of becoming aware of the outdated information. Please note that name changes will require the submission of

government-issued documentation reﬂecting your previous and current name, and address changes may require the

submission of documentation that veriﬁes your residence.

Noncompliance With BACB-Required Supervision

BCaBAs, BCaBA Supervisors, RBTs, RBT Supervisors, and RBT Requirements Coordinators, among others, are

required to self-report any supervision noncompliance to the BACB in a timely manner.

Ethics Code for

Behavior Analysts

Code-Enforcement

Procedures

Visit the Ethics web

page for information

about code-enforcement

procedures, ethics

resources, and more.

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Critical Events

The following events must be self-reported to the BACB in a timely manner. This guidance does not constitute ethics

or legal advice. If it is not required that you self-report your situation to the BACB, but you are still unsure, the best

course of action is to self-report. Please note that for the purposes of self-reporting, funder refers to any entity (e.g.,

healthcare organization, state or federally funded service, commercial payer, managed care organization, educational

institution, other payment entity) that you have contracted with to provide behavior-analytic, educational, or health-

care services.

Violations of Ethics Standards: You must self-report any violation of one or more standards in the applicable BACB

ethics code (i.e., Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts for BCBAs and BCaBAs, RBT Ethics Code [2.0] for RBTs). This

includes, but is not limited to, the following events:

• leaving a position without ensuring continuity of services or in a manner that fails to appropriately transition

or discontinue services

• engaging in a multiple relationship with a client or supervisee

• failing to maintain appropriate client records (including documentation for billing purposes)

Physical and Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders: You must self-report the following events

related to physical and mental health conditions and substance use disorders:

• You currently have, or within the past 3 years have had, a physical or mental health condition or substance

use disorder that directly impacts your ability to provide services safely and competently, and:

• you do not have an active, eective care plan in place;

• you have an active, eective care plan in place, and your care provider recommends that you self-report

to the BACB; OR

• you have an active care plan in place, but it is no longer eective.

• Within the past 3 years, you have been voluntarily or involuntarily hospitalized or placed in a treatment facility

(e.g., in-patient, intensive out-patient) because of a physical or mental health condition or substance use

disorder for which you do not or did not have a care plan in place, and your ability to provide services safely

and competently is or was directly impacted.

• Within the past 3 years, you have participated in a diversion plan or treatment plan related to a physical or

mental health condition or substance use disorder in accordance with a license or credential held by you in

any profession.

• Within the past 3 years, you have participated in a diversion plan or treatment plan in accordance with

a court of law following criminal charges against you for which a physical or mental health condition or

substance use disorder lessened the oense that resulted in the diverted or deferred outcome.

You do not need to self-report the following events:

• a new or existing diagnosis of a physical or mental health condition or substance use

disorder that is unlikely to impact the competent and safe delivery of services

• a new or existing diagnosis of a physical or mental health condition or substance use

disorder for which you have an active, eective care plan, and you and your care provider

have determined that it will not likely impact the competent and safe delivery of services

• unless advised otherwise, an event that has already been self-reported and that the BACB

has dismissed or cleared

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Investigations: You must self-report any investigation naming you, a company that you own, or a company in which

you hold a primary role related to the matter under investigation (e.g., billing, clinical quality control) within 30 days of

becoming aware of the investigation. Do not wait until the conclusion of the investigation to self-report. This includes,

but is not limited to, the following events:

• any investigation conducted by an employer in response to an alleged violation of any BACB ethics standard

• any investigation or audit conducted by a state or federal entity (e.g., funder, licensure or regulatory board),

professional association, or educational institution that was triggered by a complaint or irregularity identiﬁed

by the entity

• any investigation or audit triggered by a self-identiﬁed irregularity

• any billing or quality control audit (e.g., random or scheduled audit that was not triggered by a complaint or

concern) conducted by a funder, governmental insurance provider, licensure or regulatory board, or other

entity (e.g., department of health, ﬁre department) that resulted in an order to repay money due to overbilling

and a penalty that exceeded $2,500 (USD or equivalent)

Agreements and Actions: You must self-report certain agreements and actions within 30 days of (a) receiving an

order from the court, civil or criminal charges, a ﬁnal determination, or a disposition or (b) signing an agreement or

consent order that relates to any of the following events:

• termination by an employer in response to a violation of any BACB ethics standard

• requirement to report a situation or action that posed a risk of harm to others and occurred during the

delivery of behavior-analytic, health-care, or educational services to a licensure or regulatory board,

professional liability insurance company (i.e., if the event triggered malpractice coverage), or other

governmental agency (i.e., if the event warranted mandated reporting to a welfare or protective agency)

• denial of a professional licensure application for conduct or competence reasons, such as eligibility

requirements deﬁcits, that would not otherwise constitute ethics code violations (e.g., unmet education,

training, experience, application, and/or documentation requirements; unpaid fees)

• an arbitration decision or a settlement or consent agreement/order between yourself and any funder,

licensure board, or certiﬁcation entity

• required actions (e.g., repayment, compliance or remediation plan, participation restrictions, probation or

suspension, voluntary surrender or relinquishment of license or certiﬁcation, revocation or suspension,

practice restrictions or inclusions, mandatory mentorship or continuing education) assigned to you by a state

or federal entity (e.g., licensure or regulatory board), professional association, court or tribunal, arbitrator,

funder, or educational institution in response to a complaint, audit, or investigation related to the delivery of

behavior-analytic services or a behavior-analytic service company that you own or manage

• public health and safety tickets, citations, or ﬁnes greater than $750 (USD or equivalent) or of any amount

if the situation (a) led to an arrest warrant, jail time, or other incarceration or (b) involved or occurred in the

presence of a client

• criminal or civil suits naming you that are directly or indirectly related to the delivery of behavior-analytic

services or involve assault, battery, or abuse of a person or animal (this must be reported within 30 days of

becoming aware of the criminal or civil suit)

• criminal or civil suits in which you have been found guilty, have entered a plea of no contest, or have

otherwise been sanctioned related to a misdemeanor or felony involving public health and safety or the

delivery of behavior-analytic, health-care, educational, or other human services (this must be reported within

30 days of becoming aware of the criminal or civil suit)

You do not need to self-report the following events:

• any billing or quality control audit (e.g., random or scheduled audit that was not triggered

by a complaint or concern) conducted by a funder, governmental insurance provider,

licensure or regulatory board, or other entity (e.g., department of health, ﬁre department)

that did not result in any corrective actions, improvement plans, ﬁnes, or repayments

exceeding $1,000 (USD or equivalent)

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• ocial expungement of court records that meet BACB self-reporting requirements if the action occurred

during the delivery of behavior-analytic, health-care, or educational services or involved the assault, battery,

or abuse of a person or animal

• probation, parole, pretrial diversion agreements, settlement agreements, or consent orders assigned to you

• current detainment (e.g., you are being held in custody in a jail, prison, other correctional facility, court-

mandated treatment facility, or under house arrest)

• any conviction of a felony that carried a maximum sentence of more than 5 years imprisonment and that has

not been expunged

You do not need to self-report the following events:

• credit or tax hearing

• personal bankruptcy

• ﬁnes related to tax, revenue, or wage garnishment

• parking tickets or tickets generated by trac cameras

• trac tickets not exceeding $750 (USD or equivalent)

• family court proceedings (e.g., divorces, custody hearings)

• employer layos and actions that do not involve a violation of a BACB ethics standard

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Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 45

Recertication

As a BCBA, you are required to submit a recertiﬁcation application (including payment) every two years.

Recertiﬁcation applications are available in your BACB account within 45 days of your recertiﬁcation date AND as

soon as you have entered your required CEUs. You must complete your recertiﬁcation application on or before your

recertiﬁcation date to avoid lapses in your certiﬁcation and late fees.

Recertifying

1. Throughout your certiﬁcation cycle, enter your CEUs into your portal. All CEUs must be completed and

entered into your account before your recertiﬁcation date. If you supervised the ongoing practice of one or

more RBTs or BCaBAs on record at any point during your recertiﬁcation cycle, you must have obtained and

entered 3 supervision CEUs to recertify. Note: These entries require that CEU documentation is submitted to

support each entry.

2. As soon as all of your CEUs are entered AND you are within 45 days of your recertiﬁcation date, a

recertiﬁcation application will appear in your BACB account under the Recertiﬁcation tab. This tab will not

be visible until these two elements are met.

3. Complete the application and pay the fee. Make sure that you are reviewing your information closely in

your recertiﬁcation application to ensure that it is accurate, including your contact information and mailing

address. Note: At the time of application, you will be asked to attest to questions in the Eligibility Adavit

section of the application and agree to the Application Processing Agreement. You will be asked to (a) arm

that you have read, are in compliance with, and will continue to comply with all BACB requirements; (b) report

whether you have a physical/mental condition or substance addiction that could impair your service delivery;

and (c) report about any disciplinary or legal investigations or actions. Please read each question carefully

and answer truthfully. Answering “yes” to the second or third questions will require that you also complete

and submit an Ethics Self-Reporting Form. Your application will be placed on hold while your self-report is

reviewed by BACB sta.

4. If your CEU entries are selected for audit, we might reach out for additional information via email. If we do

not receive the appropriate documentation to indicate that you met the CE requirements, your certiﬁcation

will expire.

If your application has been approved:

• Your certiﬁcation dates will update with a new expiration date that is two years from your last

recertiﬁcationdate.

• After your new recertiﬁcation date, you may start accruing CEUs for your next recertiﬁcation cycle. Even

if you complete the recertiﬁcation application before your recertiﬁcation date, you can only count CEUs

for your next cycle once that new cycle starts.

• You will receive a new certiﬁcate in the mail at the address on record within 4–6 weeks.

If you do not recertify:

• By your recertiﬁcation date: Your certiﬁcation status will become inactive, and you will not be permitted

to bill, practice, supervise, or represent yourself as a BCBA. If you complete all of your CE requirements

but fail to recertify before your recertiﬁcation date, you will have 30 days from your recertiﬁcation date

to reinstate your certiﬁcation and pay the late fee. Additional CEUs may not be accrued during the

reinstatement period. After this reinstatement period, you will lose your certiﬁcation and will need to

reapply and meet the eligibility requirements applicable at that time.

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• By the end of your reinstatement period: Your certiﬁcation will expire, and you will not be permitted to

bill, practice, supervise, or represent yourself as a BCBA. You will need to reapply and meet the eligibility

requirements applicable at that time to become a BCBA (see the following graphic).

Fees**

Recertiﬁcation Fees BCBA BCBA-D

Recertiﬁcation Application $215 $290

Late Fee $50 $50

Insucient Funds/Returned Check $45 $45

Certiﬁcate Replacement $35 $35

* Starting January 1, 2024, BCBAs will have 30 days from their recertiﬁcation date to reinstate their certiﬁcation and pay the

latefee.

** BACB fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. The BACB only accepts US currency. Please do not send cash.

COMPLETE AN APPLICATION

TO QUALIFY FOR AN

EXAMINATION VIA PAST

CERTIFICATION

YES

REVIEW CURRENT

REQUIREMENTS AND

COMPLETE A NEW

APPLICATION FOR

CERTIFICATION

CERTIFICATION INAC

TIVE

You must stop using your BCBA

certication immediately.

YES

ACCOUNT AND COMPLETE

THE RECERTIFICATION

APPLICATION

YES

MISSED MY DATE

I missed my recertication date.

What should I do?

Did you complete all of

your CEUs by your

recertication date?

Has it been 5 years or

less since your

certication expired?

Has it been 30* days or

less since your

recertication date?

GUIDANCE FOR THOSE WHO MISSED THEIR RECERTIFICATION DATE

AND WISH TO REMAIN CERTIFIED

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Inactive Policy

BCBAs may become inactive because:

• they placed their certiﬁcation on voluntary inactive status or active duty/reserve status,

• they did not recertify by their recertiﬁcation date, or

• they have sanctions against their certiﬁcation.

Voluntary Inactive Status

BCBAs who need a break from maintaining their certiﬁcation for a period—and who are within their recertiﬁcation

cycle and have completed continuing education for their recertiﬁcation cycle (prorated to the month)—may request

inactive status. As an inactive BCBA, you are not permitted to practice, bill, supervise, or represent yourself as an

active BCBA, and you will be listed as inactive on the Certiﬁcant Registry. Once granted voluntary inactive status, you

may remain inactive for up to four years. There are no certiﬁcation maintenance requirements (e.g., recertiﬁcation

fees) during the period of inactivity.

Applying for Voluntary Inactive Status

If you wish to request voluntary inactive status, you must complete the BCBA Application for Voluntary Inactive Status

and pay a one-time, inactive-request fee of $50. You may not apply for voluntary inactive status while you are in your

reinstatement period.

Applying for Return From Voluntary Inactive Status

If you are on voluntary inactive status for less than 4 years and wish to reactivate your certiﬁcation, you must submit a

BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application. If you are on voluntary inactive status for

2 to 4 years, please note that you must obtain and enter 8 CEUs to apply for reactivation. These CEUs will not count

toward your recertiﬁcation cycle. Once your certiﬁcation has been reactivated, your recertiﬁcation cycle will resume.

You may not apply for voluntary inactive status again until your next recertiﬁcation cycle.

If you do not apply for reactivation within 4 years, your certiﬁcation will expire as of the date you placed your

certiﬁcation on voluntary inactive status, and you must reapply for certiﬁcation if you wish to become certiﬁed

again. Please note that new BACB certiﬁcations will not be available to individuals who reside outside of the United

States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom as of January 1, 2023, including those who qualify via the past

certiﬁcation option.

BCBAs with an inactive certiﬁcation may not bill, practice, supervise, or represent themselves as

active BCBAs.

Example of how your recertiﬁcation cycle is paused while on voluntary inactive status:

If you go on inactive status 18 months into your recertiﬁcation cycle, you will have needed to

complete 24 CEUs. When you return, you will need to accrue the remaining CEUs for the next 6

months of your cycle before your next recertiﬁcation date. Your next recertiﬁcation date will be

6months from the date that you return from inactive status.

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Active Duty/Reserve Status

If you are called to active military duty in the armed forces and are actively certiﬁed, you may apply for a temporary

pause of your recertiﬁcation cycle to cover the time frame for which you are called (not to exceed two years). While

on reserve inactive status, you are prohibited from representing yourself as an active BCBA. This policy only applies

to service members just joining the military or those being deployed. If a spouse of a service member wishes to go

on inactive status, they must apply for voluntary inactive status.

If you are called to active military duty in the armed forces and have an active examination authorization, please see

the Compassionate Appeals criteria.

Applying for Active Duty/Reserve Status

Upon being called to active duty, notify the BACB via the Contact Us web page and provide a copy of your ocial

call-up notice. The BACB will place your certiﬁcation on inactive status during your active duty period. Following

completion of your active duty or two years, whichever is earlier, you must contact the BACB to update your

certiﬁcation status. When your certiﬁcation becomes active again, your recertiﬁcation cycle will resume.

Fees*

Inactive Status Fees

BCBA Application for Voluntary Inactive Status $50

BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application

(0–2 years inactive)

BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application

(2–4 years inactive)

$50

Active Duty/Reserve Status $0

* BACB fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. The BACB only accepts US currency. Please do not send cash.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 49

SUpErvISION, ASSESSmENT, TrAININg, AND OvErSIgHT

Supervision, Assessment, Training, and Oversight

As a BCBA, you may serve in the important role of overseeing the work, training, or

assessment of others who are providing behavior-analytic services or working toward BACB

certiﬁcation. This oversight may occur in three primaryroles:

• Supervisor: As a supervisor, you will oversee those who are providing behavior-

analytic services (i.e., RBTs, BCaBAs) and/or those who are accruing ﬁeldwork hours

toward becoming certiﬁed (i.e., trainees). Note: In overseeing RBTs, you may also

be an RBT Requirements Coordinator who is responsible for ensuring that multiple

supervisors in an organization are providing appropriate supervision to RBTs (see the

Ongoing Supervision section of the RBT Handbook for more details).

• Assessor: As an assessor, you will be responsible for directly conducting or

overseeing assessments of those pursuing RBT certiﬁcation or those who are

maintaining their RBT certiﬁcation to determine whether they are competent in

speciﬁc tasks commonly conducted by behavior technicians (i.e., Initial Competency

Assessment or Renewal Competency Assessment).

• Trainer: As a trainer, you will develop and/or provide the RBT 40-hour training and/or

oversee individuals who are providing the RBT 40-hour training.

Because of the obvious importance of these roles, failure to comply with BACB

requirements and ethics standards constitutes a violation of the Code and may result in a

Notice of Alleged Violation being ﬁled against you and subsequent action being taken by

the Ethics Department.

This section of the handbook provides an overview of each role; however, you will need to carefully review the

linked requirements speciﬁed in each section. It is the responsibility of every candidate, certiﬁcant, and supervisor to

ensure that any supervision provided or received is consistent with current BACB requirements, any applicable state

regulatory requirements (e.g., licensure), and relevant third-party payerrequirements.

Overview of Additional Requirements by Role: Although holding BCBA certiﬁcation is the primary qualiﬁcation,

additional requirements are indicated in the following table.

Additional Requirements by Role

Role

8-Hour

Supervision

Training*

Ongoing CEUs in

Supervision

May Not Be Related to,

Subordinateto, or Employed by the

Trainee, Supervisee, Certiﬁcant

Consulting

Supervisor

Assessing RBTs

(competency

assessments)

✓ × ✓ ×

Training RBTs (RBT

40-hour training)

× × ✓ ×

Supervising RBTs ✓ ✓ ✓ ×

Supervising BCBA

and BCaBA trainees

in your ﬁrst year of

certiﬁcation

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Supervising BCBA

and BCaBA trainees

after your ﬁrst year

of certiﬁcation

✓ ✓ ✓ ×

Supervising BCaBAs ✓ ✓ ✓ ×

* You can ﬁnd a list of ACE Providers who may oer 8-hour supervision training on the ACE Provider Directory.

How are eligible

supervisors identiﬁed

BCBAs who meet

supervision requirements

are identiﬁed in the

Certiﬁcant Registry

with the statement

“Completed supervision

training on DATE.” The

date shown is the date

the certiﬁcant became

eligible to provide

supervision.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 50

SUpErvISION, ASSESSmENT, TrAININg, AND OvErSIgHT

Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs

Assessing RBTs (Competency Assessments)

One of the primary eligibility and maintenance requirements for

RBT certiﬁcation is demonstrating competence in the tasks on the

Initial/Renewal Competency Assessment. A qualiﬁed assessor

conducts these assessments and, in some cases, may also involve

and oversee assistant assessors.

Requirements: The Initial Competency Assessment and the

Renewal Competency Assessment include the requirements for

administering the assessments.

Training RBTs (RBT 40-Hour Training)

As one of the requirements to obtain certiﬁcation, RBT applicants

must complete a 40-hour training based on the RBT Task List (2nd

ed.). A qualiﬁed trainer conducts the training and, in some cases,

may also involve and oversee assistanttrainers.

Requirements: The RBT 40-Hour Training Packet outlines the

requirements for conducting the RBT 40-hour training.

Supervising RBTs

RBTs practice under the close, ongoing supervision of an RBT

Supervisor and/or an RBT Requirements Coordinator who is

responsible for the RBT’s work (see the Ongoing Supervision section

of the RBT Handbook for a full description of each role’srequirements).

Requirements: The Ongoing Supervision section of the RBT Handbook helps RBT Supervisors, RBT Requirements

Coordinators, and RBTs ensure that the appropriate ongoing supervision is provided in order to maintain activecertiﬁcation.

Initial Competency

Assessment

Renewal Competency

Assessment

RBT 40-Hour Training

Packet

RBT Handbook

Managing Alleged Ethics Violations by RBTs

As an RBT Supervisor, you are responsible for the actions of all RBTs under your supervision, so it’s important to be

aware of the special considerations for submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation against an RBT. You can learn more

about these considerations by visiting the Reporting Alleged Violations Against RBTs web page and by reviewing the

Considerations for Reporting an Alleged Violation Against an RBT document. Supervisors are often best positioned

to immediately and directly address some ethics violations by an RBT. Therefore, in an instance where an RBT

Requirements Coordinator or RBT Supervisor becomes aware of a potential ethics violation by an RBT, they must

take steps to investigate and document the alleged violation. If they determine that a violation did occur, they should

decide if the matter should be addressed internally or by submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation to the BACB.

Submit a Notice of Alleged Violation against the RBT if the alleged violation:

• involves abuse or neglect of a client;

• results in the RBT being charged with or convicted of a violation of the law;

• is a violation of subsection 1.03, 1.05, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, or 3.05 of the RBT Ethics Code (2.0); OR

• has occurred repeatedly despite reasonable attempts to address the problem with the RBT.

If none of these situations apply, the RBT Requirements Coordinator and/or RBT Supervisor should develop and

implement an individualized corrective-action plan for the RBT and document the outcome. The BACB reserves

the right to audit the RBT Requirements Coordinator or RBT Supervisor for documentation of the complaint,

investigation, and resolution.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 51

SUpErvISION, ASSESSmENT, TrAININg, AND OvErSIgHT

Tips for Supervising Trainees, RBTs, or BCaBAs

Being a supervisor is an important responsibility in both shaping future behavior analysts and helping to facilitate

quality services being provided to clients. With that in mind, here are a few tips for those who supervise.

• Know the relevant supervision requirements. This might be obvious by now, but supervisors should

know the relevant requirements for supervision and stay up to date about requirements changes by

reading the BACB Newsletter and periodically reviewing the BACB website and BCBA Handbook. It’s

also vital to remember that the BACB reserves the right to contact you to share or request information

regarding individuals for whom you are or were the supervisor on record. For example, if your RBT or

BCaBA supervisee is named in a Notice of Alleged Violation, they must immediately notify you, share

all documentation they received from the BACB, and review it with you. Then, the BACB may ask you to

complete a form acknowledging that you are the individual’s supervisor on record.

• Become intimately familiar with the BACB’s ethics Codes. Supervisors should know the Code and, if

relevant, the RBT Ethics Code (2.0). Not only do you need to follow the Code in your practice and supervision,

but you will also need to be an ethical resource and guide for your supervisees/trainees. Of note, abruptly

discontinuing supervision, especially in the case of ongoing supervision of RBTs and BCaBAs, can negatively

impact services, so make sure that you have transition plans in place when discontinuing supervision

services. See the November 2019 Newsletter on our Newsletters web page for the most recent ethics data.

So, it is important to review these sections carefully and take them into account when determining how you

will provide supervision. For instance, when determining how many supervisees you can supervise, consider

the number of clients on your caseload, how many hours each supervisee is working, and how much of your

time will be dedicated to their supervision, the clients’ needs, and the program settings, among others.

• Consider whether you are ready to be a supervisor. We highly recommend waiting until after you have

ample experiences of your own before you supervise others. In addition, consider whether supervision

activities will be within your area of deﬁned competence and whether you have the time and ability to

supervisetrainees. As a reminder, if you are a ﬁrst-year BCBA who provides supervision to BCBA and

BCaBA trainees accruing ﬁeldwork, you must meet with a consulting supervisor each month in which you

provide supervision for the remainder of your ﬁrst year.

• Determine whether your trainee is pursuing or maintaining more than one credential. If so, you will

need to ensure that all requirements are being met and separately documented for each credential that

you areoverseeing.

• Develop your time management and

organizational systems. Have these systems

in place before you start supervision to

ensure that you are meeting all relevant

requirements. For example, you will need

a system for keeping your RBT and BCaBA

supervisee accounts up to date with the BACB,

documenting feedback, and evaluating the

eects of your supervision, among other areas.

In the event of an audit, it is your responsibility

to produce the requesteddocumentation.

For additional guidance, use these optional

supervisionchecklists:

Supervision Checklist

for RBTs

Supervision Checklist

for RBT Supervisors

and RBT Requirements

Coordinators

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 52

SUpErvISION, ASSESSmENT, TrAININg, AND OvErSIgHT

• Evaluate ﬁt before agreeing to supervise. Identify your work and supervision style before taking on a

supervisee/trainee to determine whether their style is a good ﬁt. Both you and the trainee/supervisee have a

history of experiences coming into the relationship, so it is helpful to know a little about them before agreeing to

be their supervisor. If your styles don’t ﬁt, determine whether you are open to adjusting your supervisionstyle.

• Set clear expectations. Although a supervision contract is only required for supervising trainees and BCaBAs—

not RBTs—setting clear expectations at the beginning of supervision is valuable in all supervisory relationships.

• Aim to provide high-quality, individualized, and eective supervision. Don’t just focus on doing enough

to meet the BACB’s requirements. These were established as minimum requirements that allow ﬂexibility

for variations in each setting. Think about what your past supervisors have done well (and maybe not so

well) so that you can identify how you can provide high-quality supervision. For instance, you may want

to develop a supervision curriculum for the trainee/supervisee that includes behavior-analytic topics,

speciﬁc skills that are important in practice (e.g., problem solving, interpersonal skills), and skills that they

will need when they become a supervisor (see the Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline [2.0]).

• Continue your professional development as a supervisor and seek out a trusted mentor. These tips

are only a starting point. There is growing literature on supervision, as well as continuing education

events and resources on the topic, so make continued growth and learning part of your regular schedule.

Supervising BCBA and BCaBA Trainees

To obtain BCBA and BCaBA certiﬁcation, individuals must complete a deﬁned practical

experience in applied behavior analysis under the supervision of a qualiﬁed supervisor.

Requirements: Supervisors must provide supervision in accordance with the BCBA or

BCaBA ﬁeldwork requirements.

Supervising BCaBAs

BCaBA certiﬁcants may not practice independently, so they must practice under the

supervision of a qualiﬁed supervisor.

Requirements: The Ongoing Supervision section of the BCaBA Handbook helps both

supervisors and BCaBAs ensure that the appropriate ongoing supervision is provided in

order to maintaincertiﬁcation.

BCaBA Handbook

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 53

BOArD CErTIFIED BEHAvIOr ANALyST-DOCTOrAL

Board Certied Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D)

BCBAs with doctoral training in behavior analysis may apply for the designation of Board Certiﬁed Behavior

Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D). The BCBA-D is not a separate certiﬁcation and does not grant any privileges beyond

the BCBA certiﬁcation. If you hold the BCBA-D designation, you function in the same capacity as a BCBA (i.e.,

as an independent practitioner who provides behavior-analytic services) and are required to meet all BCBA

maintenancerequirements.

BCBA-D Eligibility Requirements

If you wish to become a BCBA-D, you must be actively certiﬁed as a BCBA and meet one of the following options.

Option A: Accredited Doctoral Program

Doctoral Degree From an ABAI-Accredited Program: You hold a doctoral degree from a doctoral program

accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International.

Option B: Nonaccredited Doctoral Program

Doctoral Degree With a Behavior-Analytic Dissertation: You hold a doctoral degree from a qualifying institution,

conducted a behavior-analytic dissertation, AND meet ONE of the following requirements:

• Doctoral Coursework: You passed at least four behavior-analytic courses as part of your doctoral

programofstudy.

• Mentorship: You received formal mentorship from a faculty member who, at the time of your mentorship,

held the BCBA credential and met the supervisor qualiﬁcations in place at that time.

• Publications: You authored two published peer-reviewed journal articles that are behavior analytic in nature.

These articles may have been published before, during, or after conferral of your doctoral degree. These

publications do not need to be experimental in nature, and ﬁrst authorship is not required

BCBA-D

DOC

ORAL DEGREE FROM ABAI-

ACCREDITED PROGRAM

ACTIVE BCBA

CERTIFICATION

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting an ocial transcript

listing a doctoral degree that was conferred by an ABAI-accredited doctoral program.

BCBA-D

DOCTORAL DEGREE

WITH BEHAVIOR-

ANALYTIC

DISSERTATION

ACTIVE BCBA

CERTIFICATION

DOCTORAL COURSEWORK

MENTORSHIP

PUBLICATIONS

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 54

BOArD CErTIFIED BEHAvIOr ANALyST-DOCTOrAL

Option C: Postdoctoral Respecialization

Doctoral Degree: You hold a doctoral degree from a qualifying institution.

AND

Postdoctoral Experience: You accumulated a minimum of 1,800 hours (beyond the experience hours used to qualify

for BCBA certiﬁcation) in applied behavior analysis during a postdoctoral fellowship or postdoctoral employment

experience, which included explicit, ongoing education in behavior analysis conducted under the supervision of a

BCBA who met the supervision requirements in place at that time.

AND

Publications: You authored two peer-reviewed journal articles that (a) are behavior analytic in nature and (b)

were completed as a product of the training experience described earlier. These publications do not need to be

experimental in nature, and ﬁrst authorship is not required.

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting:

• a copy of an ocial transcript or a diploma from the institution showing a conferred

doctoral degree;

• a copy of the published (e.g., in ProQuest) dissertation abstract; AND

• one of the following:

• if applying with doctoral coursework: a copy of the ocial doctoral program of study

showing all courses and syllabi from the courses to demonstrate that they were

entirely behavior analytic in nature;

• if applying with mentorship: a letter on university letterhead that attests to the formal

mentorship relationship from the faculty member who held a BCBA certiﬁcation; OR

• if applying with publications: copies of the journal articles.

BCBA-D

DOCTORAL

DEGREE

ACTIVE BCBA

CERTIFICATION

POSTDOCTORAL

EXPERIENCE

PUBLICATIONS

Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting a copy of an

ocial transcript showing a conferred doctoral degree, a letter of attestation from the BCBA who

supervised the 1,800 hours of postdoctoral experience/fellowship, and copies of your publications.

The supervising BCBA may determine how the ongoing experience is documented.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 55

BOArD CErTIFIED BEHAvIOr ANALyST-DOCTOrAL

Applying for the BCBA-D Designation

If you are currently a BCBA, an application is required to apply for the BCBA-D designation. The application requires

supplemental documentation and a fee. Applications are accepted on a continual basis.

1. Complete the BCBA-D Designation Application online.

2. Submit all required supplemental documentation as described in the following table:

Please note that all application documents in a non-English language must be submitted with an

Englishtranslation.

Options Requirements Documentation How to Submit Documentation

Option A:

ABAI-Accredited

Doctoral Program

Doctoral degree

from a doctoral

program accredited

by the Association

for Behavior Analysis

International

Ocial university

transcript(s)

Institution sends

electronic transcript(s) to

[email protected]

Institution or applicant mails

sealed transcript(s) to

BACB–Applications

7950 Shaer Pkwy

Littleton, CO 80127 USA**

Option B:

Nonaccredited

Doctoral Program

Doctoral degree and

behavior-analytic

dissertation

AND

Ocial university

transcript(s) or a diploma

from the institution

Institution sends

electronic transcript(s) to

[email protected]

Institution or applicant mails

sealed transcript(s) to

BACB–Applications

7950 Shaer Pkwy

Littleton, CO 80127 USA**

Copy of the published

dissertation abstract

showing that it meets

the behavior-analytic

dissertation* requirement

File is uploaded in the BCBA-D

Designation Application

Doctoral coursework

Copy of the ocial doctoral

program of study showing

all courses and syllabi from

the courses to demonstrate

that they were entirely

behavior analytic innature

Mentorship

A letter on university

letterhead that attests to

the formal mentorship

relationship from the

faculty member who held

a BCBAcredential

Publications

Copies of the two peer-

reviewed journal articles

that are behavior analytic

innature

* The BACB reserves the right to request a copy of the complete dissertation.

** The BACB cannot accept packages that require a signature for delivery.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 56

BOArD CErTIFIED BEHAvIOr ANALyST-DOCTOrAL

Options Requirements Documentation How to Submit Documentation

Option C:

Postdoctoral

Respecialization

Doctoral degree

Ocial university

transcript(s)

Institution sends

electronic transcript(s) to

[email protected]

Institution or applicant mails

sealed transcript(s) to

BACB–Applications

7950 Shaer Pkwy

Littleton, CO 80127 USA*

Postdoctoral

experience

A letter of attestation from

the BCBA who supervised

the 1,800 hours of

postdoctoral experience or

fellowship

File is uploaded in the BCBA-D

Designation Application

Publications

Copies of the two peer-

reviewed journal articles

that are behavior analytic in

nature

* The BACB cannot accept packages that require a signature for delivery.

3. Submit your payment: Pay the $105 processing fee by either:

• including a check with your application documentation (The BACB only accepts US currency. Please do

not send cash.) OR

• having BACB sta add a $105 invoice to your BACB account for online payment (credit card) after

submitting your application.

4. Allow up to two weeks from the date the BACB receives your complete application and payment for your

application to be reviewed.

5. If your application is:

• Approved: You will be notiﬁed via email. Your certiﬁcation will be updated in your BACB account, and

you will receive a new certiﬁcate in the mail within four to six weeks. Your certiﬁcation number and

recertiﬁcation date will stay the same.

• Not approved: You will receive feedback and guidance on next steps via email.

Note: If you believe the decision was made in error, you will need to review the Administrative Appeals Policy, and, if

appropriate, submit an appeal within 30 days of the determination.

Maintaining the BCBA-D Designation

As a BCBA-D, you are required to meet all BCBA maintenance requirements. The BCBA-D recertiﬁcation fee is $290

every 2 years. Please note that you may choose to discontinue your BCBA-D designation and retain your original

BCBA certiﬁcation at the time of your recertiﬁcation by contacting the BACB.

The BCBA-D designation is not a distinct certiﬁcation. It is merely an addition to the BCBA

certiﬁcation, indicating that the BCBA has earned a doctoral or postdoctoral education in

behavioranalysis.

OTHEr rELEvANT pOLICIES

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 57

Other Relevant Policies

Administrative Appeals

Application Appeals

Adverse BACB decisions including, but not limited to, the denial of a certiﬁcation, renewal, recertiﬁcation, or other

applications submitted to the BACB may be appealed if (a) you have sucient evidence to support that you properly

completed and submitted all of the required documentation to the BACB by the deadline, (b) you were given

incorrect feedback or guidance from the BACB, or (c) you experienced a technical issue with your BACB account

that prevented you from meeting the deadline. This type of appeal applies to all trainees, applicants, certiﬁcants, and

Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Providers.

BACB standards, requirements, deadlines, procedures, and fees may not be appealed. Do not submit an appeal

in order to request information about a denied application; you will receive detailed information (i.e., reasons for

the application denial, steps that must be taken to correct any deﬁciencies) at the time of the denial. To request

information about a denied application, please use the Contact Us Form. If you have an active application and must

submit additional or corrected documentation, please follow the instructions in your application determination.

How to appeal: You must ﬁle a written request for an appeal within 30 days of the determination by completing

the Administrative Appeal Request Form. You must include evidence with your submission to support your

appealrequest.

Examination Appeals

If you experience examination condition irregularities (e.g., poor lighting, disruptive noises, long screen-load times)

during your examination, you may ﬁle an appeal with the BACB. Note: Pearson VUE sites deliver BACB examinations

via a web browser, so minor Internet bandwidth variances are to be expected. BACB standards, requirements,

deadlines, procedures, fees, examination content, examination delivery modality, examination results, and speciﬁc

questions/answers may not be appealed.

How to appeal: You must ﬁle a written request for appeal within 7 days of your examination appointment by

completing the Administrative Appeal Request Form.

Compassionate Appeals

If you have experienced a qualifying unforeseen life event or extenuating circumstance that warrants relief (e.g.,

hospitalization, act of nature) within 1 year before the determination that you wish to appeal (e.g., the day that your

certiﬁcation expires), you may submit an appeal request. This type of appeal applies to all trainees, applicants,

candidates, certiﬁcants, and ACE Providers who have supporting evidence that a qualifying life event occurred.

BACB sta will evaluate the appeal based on the date of the event, its potential impact on your ability to obtain or

maintain BACB certiﬁcation, the amount of time you had to meet the applicable requirements (e.g., whether you

are using the 2 years between recertiﬁcation to accrue continuing education), and whether you could have taken

preventative actions (e.g., applied for voluntary inactive status).

How to appeal: You must ﬁle a written request for an appeal within 6 months of the determination by completing

the Administrative Appeal Request Form. This appeal request requires documentation that veriﬁes the event or

circumstance in question.

OTHEr rELEvANT pOLICIES

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 58

Name Change Policy

Depending on where you are in the certiﬁcation process, submitting a Name Change Request may be necessary for

any of the following reasons:

• Your name has changed since creating a BACB account.

• Your name does not match your ID.

• You are notifying of a former name for application documents.

To submit a Name Change Request, log into your BACB account, select Update Proﬁle, select the option that best

applies to your circumstances, and follow the instructions.

Acceptable Signatures Policy

The BACB accepts electronic signatures* for applications and forms, whether submitted electronically or by

mail. Although it is preferred that documents are digitally signed using a third-party electronic signature service

(e.g., Adobe Sign, DocuSign, HelloSign), the BACB will accept any type of electronic signature (e.g., Adobe Fill &

Sign, JPEG of a signature), provided the document is signed by the appropriate party with the intent of signing

thedocument.

The BACB also accepts handwritten signatures on scanned documents, unless the document states that an

original signed copy is needed. Alterations on documents (e.g., white-outs, strikethroughs) must be initialed by all

relevantparties.

Documentation Policy

All documentation submitted to the BACB, for any reason, becomes the property of the BACB. Documents submitted

to the BACB will be retained and/or safely discarded at the discretion of the BACB. For this reason, candidates should

retain a copy of their certiﬁcation application and all supporting documentation for their personal records and to be

prepared for future applications.

Submission of False, Forged, or Untrue Information to the BACB

The BACB reserves the right to invalidate any certiﬁcation (immediately making the certiﬁcation null and void) and/or

prohibit any individual from taking a BACB examination if the individual submitted false, forged, or untrueinformation.

Examples of false, forged, or untrue information include:

• submitting false, inconsistent, or misleading statements or omitting information the BACB requests

• submitting an altered or inauthentic transcript

• submitting an application containing false, inconsistent, or misleading information

• submitting documentation that misrepresents your current address and/or country of residence to become

eligible for certiﬁcation

• attempting to take the examination for someone else or having someone else take the examination for you

• copying or sharing information or any other form of cheating

• obtaining advanced access to certiﬁcation or examination material

• stealing examination materials

• bringing prohibited items into the examination room

• failing to follow directions from testing-center sta

• violating Pearson VUE scheduling or testing-center rules and regulations

OTHEr rELEvANT pOLICIES

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 59

Timely Responding to the BACB

If an individual fails to respond to the BACB after reasonable contact attempts are made, or if an individual fails to

comply with a request from the BACB, the BACB may take summary action (e.g., suspension) against their eligibility or

certiﬁcation. See the Code-Enforcement Procedures document for more information.

* An electronic signature is “an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other

record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record” (15 U.S.C. § 7006 (2000)). Simply stated, an

electronic signature is an electronic expression indicating a signee’s intent to sign a document. By contrast, a digital signature

is a speciﬁc kind of electronic signature, which requires authentication of a signee’s identity.

DOCUmENTS AND rESOUrCES

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 60

Documents and Resources

Eligibility and Applying for Certication

• Qualify for Examination via Past Certiﬁcation: Application

Coursework

• Nonveriﬁed Course Content Attestation

• Preliminary Coursework Evaluation Application

• VCS Coordinator Coursework Attestation

Supervised Fieldwork

Monthly and Final Fieldwork Verication Forms

• Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Individual Supervisor

• Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Individual Supervisor

• Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization

• Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization

Optional Resources

• Fieldwork Checklist and Tip Sheet

• Sample Supervision Contract for BCBA/BCaBA Trainees

• Documenting Fieldwork Hours Video

• Documenting Fieldwork: Helpful Answers to Your FAQs Blog

• Contested Fieldwork Form

Consulting Supervisor

• Consulting Supervisor Requirements for New BCBAs Supervising Fieldwork

Examination

• BCBA Task List (5thed.)

• Pearson VUE Website

• Accommodation Request Form

Continuing Education

• ACE Provider Directory

• Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0)

Ethics and Self-Reporting

• Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts

• Code-Enforcement Procedures

• Ethics Web Page

• Self-Reporting Web Page

Voluntary Inactive Status

• BCBA Application for Voluntary Inactive Status

• BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application

DOCUmENTS AND rESOUrCES

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Supervising, Training, and Assessing

Assessing RBTs

• RBT Initial Competency Assessment Packet

• RBT Renewal Competency Assessment Packet

• Sample RBT Assessor Evaluation and Log

Training RBTs

• RBT 40-Hour Training Packet

• RBT Trainer Evaluation and Log

Supervising RBTs

• RBT Handbook (Ongoing Supervision section)

• Noncertiﬁed RBT Supervisor Form

• Process for Adding or Removing Supervisees

• Supervision Checklist for RBTs

• Supervision Checklist for RBT Supervisors and RBT Requirements Coordinators

Supervising BCaBAs

• BCaBA Handbook (Ongoing Supervision section)

• BCaBA Supervision Contract Speciﬁcations

Administrative Appeals

• Administrative Appeal Request Form

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Glossary

Applicant: An individual who is pursuing certiﬁcation.

BCBA-Doctoral: BCBAs with doctoral training in behavior analysis may receive the designation of Board Certiﬁed

Behavior Analyst-Doctoral® (BCBA-D®). The BCBA-D is not a separate certiﬁcation and it does not grant any

privileges above or beyond the BCBA certiﬁcation. If you are certiﬁed at the BCBA-D level, you function in the same

capacity as a BCBA (i.e., as an independent practitioner who provides behavior-analytic services) and are required

to meet all BCBA maintenance requirements. Information that pertains to BCBAs also pertains to BCBA-Ds (e.g.,

supervisorqualiﬁcations).

Behavior-Analytic Dissertation: The dissertation must include at least one experimental manipulation. The

independent variable must be explicitly operant or respondent in nature, the dependent variable must be suciently

operationalized, and the problem must be framed using an operant/respondent conceptualization. The experimental

criterion may be met with either single-subject or group-design methods. The dissertation must have been published

in a public database (e.g., ProQuest).

Candidate: An individual who has submitted a certiﬁcation application.

Certiﬁcation Application: An application to apply for certiﬁcation after eligibility requirements have beenmet.

Client: The direct recipient of behavior-analytic services. Other individuals impacted by behavior-analytic services

(e.g., parent, caregiver, relative, legally authorized representative, employer) may meet the deﬁnition of client when

they receive direct training or consultation. In some contexts, the client might be a group of individuals (e.g., with

organizational behavior management services).

Conferral Date: The ocial date on which your degree was awarded by the institution.

Continuing Education: Initial BCBA certiﬁcation indicates that an individual has met entry-level standards of

practice as a behavior analyst. The purpose of the BACB’s continuing education requirement is to ensure that BCBA

certiﬁcants engage in activities that will expand their behavior-analytic skills beyond the requirements for initial

certiﬁcation and help them stay up to date on developments in the profession.

Degree Equivalency Evaluation: This evaluation will be performed as part of your certiﬁcation application. When

we receive your transcript, we will notify you if an evaluation is required. If so, we will provide instructions on how to

submit the following documentation:

• an original-source veriﬁcation (e.g., transcript[s], ocial statement with course/module grades/marks issued

directly by the academic institution) in the original language;

• an English translation of the original-source veriﬁcation;

• an ocial copy of your diploma (i.e., ocial documentation attesting completion of program and award of

degree) from your university in the original language; AND

• an English translation of your ocial diploma.

Note: If you received your degree from a university in Cuba, ocial, signed transcript(s) must be submitted directly

from Consultoría Jurídica Internacional (CJI) or Bufete de Servicios Especializados (BES).

In response to dierences among members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)

in evaluations, the BACB has decided to use one vendor for all degree equivalency evaluations outside of the US.

Currently, that vendor is the Foundation for International Services (FIS). To ﬁnd out whether the BACB will accept the

degree you wish to pursue, for a fee, you may request an advanced degree equivalency evaluation from FIS. Should

the BACB change vendors, the BACB will accept your FIS evaluation if it was conducted when FIS was their vendor.

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Didactic Course: A course that includes synchronous instruction by an instructor.

Documentation System: A documentation system that tracks all ongoing supervision and ﬁeldwork in a way that

demonstrates adherence to all relevant requirements and the Code.

Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts: The document that describes ethics obligations for BCBAs, BCaBAs, applicants,

and trainees. All BCBAs, BCaBAs, applicants, and trainees agree to abide by thisCode.

Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Forms: The forms used by the supervisor and trainee to document ﬁeldwork hours each

month (Monthly Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form) and at the end of the ﬁeldwork (Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form).

Versions of the forms are provided for individual supervisors as well as organizations with multiple supervisors.

Group Supervision: An interactive supervision meeting that includes no fewer than 2 and no more than 10 trainees.

The number of trainees in a group meeting may not exceed 10 at any time, regardless of the number of supervisors

in themeeting.

Inactive Status: BCBAs may be inactive for the following reasons:

• They are on voluntary inactive or reserve status (i.e., they put a pause on maintaining their certiﬁcation). To

qualify for these options, BCBAs must complete a BCBA Application for Voluntary Inactive Status or request

reserve active duty.

• They did not recertify their BCBA certiﬁcation and are within their reinstatement period.

• They have disciplinary sanctions against their certiﬁcation.

BCBAs with an inactive certiﬁcation may not bill, practice, supervise, or represent themselves as active BCBAs.

Independent Hours: Fieldwork hours that are accrued when a supervisor is not present.

Individual Supervisor: An individual supervisor must ensure that all of their trainees’ ﬁeldwork requirements are

being met during their supervision. In this situation:

• the supervision contract should clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the trainee and

supervisor (see the Supervision Contract section);

• all supervision must be related to speciﬁc client programming;

• the supervisor must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the

organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND

• the person signing the M-FVFs and F-FVF for Individual Supervisors must be able to agree to all of the

relevant attestations, including that all ﬁeldwork requirements were met.

Multiple Supervisors at One Organization: An organization may coordinate and oversee multiple supervisors

who provide ﬁeldwork to a trainee. For example, a service organization might have multiple supervisors providing

supervision, or a university might coordinate all on- and o-campus activities under one system. The supervisors

must work together to ensure that all of their trainees’ ﬁeldwork requirements are met (e.g., all of the hours provided

by the supervisors are used to calculate the supervision percentage). One supervisor must ensure that the activity is

well organized and coordinated. In this situation:

• the supervision contract should list all supervisors and clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and

expectations of each supervisor and the trainee (see the Supervision Contract section);

• all supervision must be related to speciﬁc client programming;

• the supervisor(s) must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the

organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND

• the person signing the M-FVFs and F-FVF for Multiple Supervisors at One Organization (i.e., the responsible

supervisor) must be able to agree to all of the relevant attestations, including that all ﬁeldwork requirements

were met.

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Nonveriﬁed Coursework: Coursework completed in anything other than an ABAI Veriﬁed Course Sequence and

evaluated via course-by-course review is considered nonveriﬁed. You must have your department chair complete

a Nonveriﬁed Course Content Attestation and submit it with your BCBA Certiﬁcation Application or your preliminary

coursework evaluation.

Observation With a Client: The trainee must be observed working with a client in the natural environment

during each supervisory period by at least one supervisor. In-person, on-site observation is preferred. However,

the observation may be conducted using asynchronous (e.g., recorded video) or synchronous (e.g., live video

conference) formats.

Ocial Transcripts: Transcripts that are either:

• electronically sent directly by the institution to the BACB

• mailed in the original sealed and unopened envelope

Please note that ocial transcripts become unocial if the applicant forwards an electronic transcript to the BACB

or if the original envelope has been opened. Unocial transcripts will not be considered in the processing of a

certiﬁcation application.

Ongoing Supervision: Supervision of the services provided by an RBT or BCaBA as one of their requirements to

maintain their certiﬁcation.

Preliminary Coursework Evaluation: A preliminary review of coursework (i.e., a review that occurs before

the submission of a certiﬁcation application) by the BACB to determine whether it meets the Pathway 2

courseworkrequirements.

Qualifying Coursework: Coursework that must come from a qualifying institution and cover the required content.

Only graduate (i.e., master’s or doctoral) courses where the applicant was formally enrolled and earned a passing

grade (“C” or higher in a graded course or “pass” in a pass/fail system) are acceptable.

Qualifying Institution:

• United States: An institution in the US that is listed in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation database.

• Canada: An educational institution in Canada that is recognized, authorized, registered, or licensed by the

Canadian government.

• Australia: A university in Australia that is registered with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.

• United Kingdom: A college or university in the UK that is recognized as a degree-awarding body by the

UKgovernment.

Recertiﬁcation Application: The online application that is submitted through a BCBA’s BACB account to renew their

BCBA certiﬁcation on a biennial basis before its expiration date.

Recertiﬁcation Date: The date on which a BCBA’s certiﬁcation lapses (the day the BCBA ﬁrst became certiﬁed).

BCBAs may locate this date in their BACB account, in the Certiﬁcant Registry, and on theircertiﬁcate.

Reinstatement Period: If you complete all of your CE requirements but fail to recertify before your recertiﬁcation

date, you will have 30 days from your recertiﬁcation date to reinstate your certiﬁcation. After this grace period, you

will lose your certiﬁcation and will need to reapply and meet the eligibility requirements applicable at that time.

Responsible Supervisor: A supervisor who signs a Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form on behalf of an organization where

multiple supervisors are providing supervision for one trainee accruing ﬁeldwork hours and who meets supervisor

requirements for the entirety of the ﬁeldwork.

Restricted Activities: The delivery of therapeutic or instructional procedures to a client for those accruing ﬁeldwork

hours. Note: Not all time spent working with a client is considered restricted. For example, a number of unrestricted

activities may involve the trainee working directly with a client (see Unrestricted Activities).

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Supervised Fieldwork: The experiential activities in which one engages as part of the eligibility requirements

for obtaining BCBA (or BCaBA) certiﬁcation. There are two types of supervised ﬁeldwork: Supervised Fieldwork

and Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork. For detailed ﬁeldwork requirements, visit the Supervised Fieldwork

Requirements section.

Supervised Hours: Hours accrued when a supervisor is present. These may include restricted or unrestricted

activities observed by a supervisor or individual or group meetings with the supervisor.

Supervisee: For the purpose of BACB requirements, this includes RBTs and BCaBAs who are receiving supervision

from a qualiﬁed supervisor (see Trainee).

Supervisor: A supervisor might supervise trainees who are pursuing BCBA or BCaBA certiﬁcation (i.e., ﬁeldwork),

RBTs who require ongoing supervision, or BCaBAs who require ongoing supervision. BCBAs who are serving as a

supervisor must complete an 8-hour supervision training before providing any supervision and may not be related to,

subordinate to, or employed by the trainee during the supervisory period. In addition, ﬁrst-year BCBAs who provide

supervision to BCBA or BCaBA trainees accruing ﬁeldwork hours must meet with a consulting supervisor each month

in which they provide supervision for the remainder of their ﬁrst year.

Supervisor-Trainee Contact: A real-time interaction between the supervisor and trainee that takes place in an

individual or group format.

Trainee: Any individual accruing ﬁeldwork toward fulﬁlling eligibility requirements for BCBA or BCaBA certiﬁcation.

Unrestricted Activities: Activities under the ﬁeldwork requirements that are most likely to be performed by a BCBA

or BCaBA, including conducting assessments, sta training, and developing behavior plans, among others.

VCS Coordinator Coursework Attestation: This form may be completed by a current, BCBA-certiﬁed VCS

Coordinator to attest that an applicant has met all of the current coursework requirements for BCBA certiﬁcation.

Veriﬁed Course Sequence (Veriﬁed Coursework): ABAI works with institutions to identify and verify sequences of

courses—known as Veriﬁed Course Sequences—that meet the BACB’s coursework requirements. The ABAI Veriﬁed

Course Sequence Directory includes all Veriﬁed Course Sequences, Veriﬁed Course Sequence Coordinators,

content hours, and dates for which the courses were veriﬁed. The BACB also publishes examination pass rates for

Veriﬁed Course Sequences.

AppENDIx

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 66

Appendix

Application Processing Agreement

The Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board (BACB) agrees to process this application subject to your agreement to the

following terms and conditions:

1. You have read and agree to be bound by and comply with all BACB rules and requirements (which may be

revised) as speciﬁed in the applicable BACB certiﬁcation handbook(s) and on the BACB website relating to:

• your application for initial certiﬁcation,

• your compliance with the relevant ethics code and code-enforcement procedures,

• the maintenance of your certiﬁcation, and

• your application for renewal or recertiﬁcation.

2. You will only convey truthful and accurate information to the BACB.

3. You must complete all requirements related to the BACB certiﬁcation you are seeking or currently hold,

including, but not limited to:

• paying applicable fees (which are nonrefundable)

• demonstrating that you have met requirements for initial certiﬁcation, maintaining certiﬁcation, and

renewal or recertiﬁcation, as may be applicable

• complying with applicable BACB ethics requirements

• complying with all BACB documentation and reporting requirements

• reviewing and complying with any revised requirements. You will receive notice of revisions in at least

one of the following mediums:

• the BACB Newsletter,

• the BACB website,

• an email from the BACB, or

• a notice published in your BACB account.

4. You must check the email account you have on record with the BACB, review the BACB website, and review

your BACB account on a monthly basis, as the BACB typically provides at least thirty (30) days’ advance

notice of updated requirements.

5. You authorize the BACB to publish or otherwise release the following information to governmental licensure

boards or agencies, funders, professional associations, supervisors, mentors, and employers. You also

authorize the BACB to publish the following information on the BACB website:

• certiﬁcant name

• certiﬁcation status (e.g., active, inactive, expired, suspended, revoked, practice restrictions, ineligible

forcertiﬁcation)

• certiﬁcant geographic location

• certiﬁcation dates

• qualiﬁcations and willingness to supervise others

• violations of ethics requirements, including, but not limited to:

• your name on a matter resulting in revocation of certiﬁcation or eligibility, suspension of certiﬁcation

or eligibility, invalidation of certiﬁcation, mandatory supervision, or other practice restrictions

• geographic region where the matter occurred

• code standard(s) violated

• year of disciplinary action(s)

• interim or ﬁnal action(s) imposed

Unless you choose to opt out, you may be contacted through the Certiﬁcant Registry and/or through the

BACB mass email service.

AppENDIx

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 67

Except as otherwise provided herein, it is the policy of the BACB not to release information provided in BACB

applications (initial, renewal, and recertiﬁcation) or contained in certiﬁcant records unless such information

relates to a pending or ﬁnal disciplinary, educational/coaching, or supervision matter; is requested by a

governmental licensure board or agency, other governmental agency, or court of law; is necessary to

conduct a disciplinary investigation or criminal background check; is necessary to provide feedback to a

supervisor; or is otherwise properly subpoenaed.

It is the policy of the BACB to comply with all applicable privacy and publication laws. If you become aware

that this agreement contravenes laws where you reside, you agree to immediately provide the BACB with

written notice of the conﬂict. Once your information has been published on the BACB website or released

outside of the BACB, the BACB is unable to assure removal or retrieval of the information.

6. You agree to hold the BACB harmless and to waive, release, and exonerate the BACB, its ocers, directors,

employees, committee members, and agents (referred to collectively as BACB personnel) from any claims

that you may have against the BACB arising out of the BACB’s review of this application or any future

applications relating to eligibility for certiﬁcation, recertiﬁcation or renewal, reinstatement, conduct of the

examination, disciplinary processing, issuance of a disciplinary decision, publication, or third-party disclosure

in accordance with Clause 5 of this Agreement. Except as may be found to contravene the law, you waive

any right to assert a claim against the BACB where you are a representative or member of a class or

representative action; further, should you be permitted by law or court of law to proceed with a class

or representative action, you shall not be entitled to recover attorneys’ fees. Additionally, you agree to

refrain from subpoenaing the BACB and BACB personnel in any legal proceeding.

7. Your communications with BACB personnel must be professional. You agree to use BACB-approved contact

forms and processes for contacting BACB personnel. Communication from you or your representatives

regarding a BACB-related matter or decision may not be made outside of the BACB-approved contact

forms or processes, including, but not limited to, contacting personnel at their home, in their community, or

at their place of employment (if employed outside of the BACB). You also agree that you will not engage

in threatening, vexatious, harassing, and/or profane communications with BACB personnel. If you are sent

a cease-and-desist notice from the BACB for any reason (e.g., engaging in harassing communication or

unauthorized contact, misrepresentation of BACB-owned intellectual property), you agree to immediately

comply with that cease-and-desist notice.

8. You acknowledge that this certiﬁcation, if granted, indicates that you have met the BACB’s requirements but

does not warrant or guarantee your competence to provide professional services. You also indemnify the

BACB from and against any liability that may arise from the BACB’s issuance of your certiﬁcation as it relates

to your professional practice.

9. You agree to abide by all BACB ethics requirements, Examination Terms and Conditions, Examination Rules,

and any other testing-related requirements identiﬁed by the BACB and/or the BACB’s testing vendor.

10. You agree that your address of record with the BACB will, at all times, accurately reﬂect your lawful residence

(state/province and country). You understand that initial certiﬁcation applications are only available to

candidates who reside in authorized geographic locations, and that the BACB reserves the right to modify or

discontinue oering initial certiﬁcation applications and/or recertiﬁcation applications in certain geographic

locations in the discretion of the BACB.

The terms of this agreement include and incorporate by reference the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy published

on the BACB website. This agreement survives expiration of your certiﬁcation application and certiﬁcation. This

agreement is governed by the laws of the state of Colorado. In the BACB’s sole discretion, any disputes between you

and the BACB must be resolved by binding, individual arbitration in Colorado with an arbitrator selected by mutual

agreement of the parties, except as may be necessary for the BACB to obtain injunctive or other relief to protect the

BACB’s intellectual property rights. Arbitration, if applicable, will be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act and not

by any state law concerning arbitration. In the event of a judgment against the BACB in a matter ﬁled by or on behalf

of you, you agree that damages or compensation awarded, payable, or due to you by the BACB may not exceed any

fees you have paid to the BACB in association with submitting thisapplication.

Do you agree to be bound by all the terms of this Application Processing Agreement?

vErSION HISTOry AND UpDATES

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 68

Version History and Updates

Version 1/1/2022 Updates

In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:

• Updated the eligibility requirements to reﬂect the requirements that went into eect on January 1, 2022.

• Added the Timely Responding to the BACB (p. 59) and Compassionate Appeals (p. 57) sections.

• Revised the Self-Reporting section (p. 41).

• Revised the Examination section, including the Examination Terms and Conditions (p. 29).

Version 4/1/2022 Updates

In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:

• Added ABAI-recognized behavior analysis degree program (ABAI Tiers 1, 2a, and 2b) to Pathway 1 (p. 6).

• Clariﬁed audit documentation submission requirements (p. 23).

• Updated the deﬁnitions of Qualifying Institution (p. 64) and Ocial Transcripts (p. 64).

• Updated the Documentation Policy (p. 58).

• Reiterated that certain criminal or civil suits naming you must be self-reported within 30 days of you

becoming aware of the suit (p. 43).

• Revised the Examination Development (p. 29), Scheduling (p. 31), and Examination Results (p. 36)

sections.

• Updated the Application Processing Agreement (p. 66).

• Added a clickable Table of Contents icon ( ) to the corner of each page (p. ii).

Version 5/31/2022 Update

• Added the update that coursework from a Veriﬁed Course Sequence approved under an Alternative

Pathway will no longer be accepted in 2023 (p. 10).

Version 7/15/2022 Updates

• Updated the requirement around freestanding coursework under Pathway 2 (p. 9).

• Added a link to the International FAQ blog in the Jurisdiction section (p. 1).

Version 8/26/2022 Updates

In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:

• Clariﬁed the dierence between ABAI-accredited degree programs and ABAI’s VCS programs (p. 7).

• Clariﬁed the required transcripts for a complete certiﬁcation application (p. 10).

• Clariﬁed the Final Fieldwork Veriﬁcation Form requirements (p. 22).

• Clariﬁed the steps for returning from voluntary inactive status (p. 47).

• Clariﬁed the Publications requirements under Option B for the BCBA-D designation (p. 53).

• Added US military bases alongside testing sites that meet the security requirements necessary for the

administration of high-stakes examinations (p. 31).

• Clariﬁed the note about international focus changes in the Scheduling section (p. 31).

• Updated the Application Processing Agreement (p. 66).

vErSION HISTOry AND UpDATES

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Board Certiﬁed Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 69

Version 12/31/2022 Updates

In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:

• Clariﬁed certain ﬁeldwork requirements, including accruing experience within 5 consecutive years (p. 15).

• Clariﬁed the documentation needed for name change requests (p. 41).

• Elaborated on the reinstatement period and CEU requirements (p. 45).

• Updated the degree equivalency evaluation procedure and glossary deﬁnition (p. 62).

Version 6/29/2023 Updates

In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:

• Removed the statement regarding the BACB no longer accepting non-university coursework in certiﬁcation

applications as of July 1, 2023, because the change is now in eect (p. 10).

• Clariﬁed which currency the BACB accepts (pp. 28, 46, & 48).

• Clariﬁed the ﬁeldwork documentation requirements and simpliﬁed how they are displayed (p. 21).

• Added language to address non-response in the event of an audit (p. 23).

• Provided clariﬁcation on the Voluntary Inactive Status Application process (p. 47).

• Provided clariﬁcation on self-reporting critical events that involve public health and safety tickets, citations, or

ﬁnes greater than $750 (USD or equivalent) in the Agreements and Actions section (p. 43).

Version 11/1/2023 Updates

• Added the update that BACB examinations are no longer delivered in Quebec as of November 1, 2023, and

BCBA examinations will no longer be delivered in Ontario beginning July 1, 2026 (pp. 28 & 31).

Version 12/29/2023 Updates

In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:

• Made minor updates to the Eligibility Requirements section (p. 6); Examination section (p. 29),

including the Examination Terms and Conditions (p. 34); and Application Processing Agreement (p. 66).

• Incoporated the requirement that coursework must be obtained within 10 years of the year the application is

submitted as announced in the March 2022 BACB Newsletter(p. 9).

• Added a note that nonveriﬁed coursework will no longer be accepted as part of a BCBA certiﬁcation

application as of January 1, 2026 (p. 10).

• Further clariﬁed the expectations for certiﬁcants who use the Qualify for Examination via Past Certiﬁcation

option(p. 14).

• Updated the reinstatement period to 30 days per the September 2023 BACB Newsletter announcement(p. 45).

• Clariﬁed the supervision CEU requirements for certiﬁcants who have supervised the ongoing practice

of RBTs or BCaBAs on record or trainees pursuing BCBA or BCaBA certiﬁcation at any point during their

recertiﬁcation cycle (p. 40).

• Added a note about changes to supervisor qualiﬁcations beginning January 1, 2026, as a result of ABAI’s

Veriﬁed Course Sequence system being discontinued (p. 17).

• Provided clariﬁcation on the Name Change Policy (p. 58).

Version 5/1/2024 Updates

In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:

• Noted that the preliminary coursework evaluation service will no longer be provided as of January 1, 2026

(p. 10).

• Provided clariﬁcation on mixed ﬁeldwork types (p. 20).

• Noted that the BACB cannot accept packages that require a signature for delivery (p. 27).

• Provided clariﬁcation on administrative appeals (p. 57).