Coaches’ Corner: Preparing for the BCBA Exam

Through our student and apprentice programs at The Carolina Center for ABA and Autism, we strive to build both knowledge and performance-based skills for our students. Preparing students to sit for the BCBA exam is no easy feat and takes a lot of dedication and hard work from everyone involved. Let’s be honest, the BCBA exam is somewhat infamous for being quite challenging. The members of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) who design the test are nice enough folks, but the questions are worded using a tricky and sometimes misleading style. It’s easy to let the exam get the best of you and be thrown off your game midway into this 4-hour mental endurance test.  

One solution to reduce the stress of this experience is to complete the CBA Learning Modules through Behavior Development Solutions. These modules follow a precision teaching model to build fluent responding to knowledge-based content from the BCBA Task list (4th and 5th editions). They include over 3,200 questions with immediate feedback for each question, question hints, incorrect answer reviews, and multiple attempts to demonstrate 100% correct responding. The questions are written in the style of the BCBA exam which helps students learn how to take the exam.  

In 2020, the BCBA exam pass rate for first time test takers was 66%. In 2018, Behavior Development Solutions conducted a survey and found that the pass rate for first time test takers who completed all the modules was 91%. Although it takes approximately 80 hours to complete the CBA Learning Modules to 100% correct, the results are well worth the time. The Carolina Center provides 6-month access to the modules to all students in our apprentice program and recommends starting the modules 7-8 months before taking the BCBA exam. Due to the rigorous nature of the modules, it may take a student up to 6 months to complete all of them while balancing their work and personal life. Starting the process 7-8 months before the exam will give students ample time to complete all the modules and have some breathing room right before the exam.