How We Write Our Questions

Where the content comes from

Questions are written against the BACB RBT Test Content Outline (3rd Edition), which is published free by the BACB, together with the RBT Ethics Code and standard applied behavior analysis reference material. Nothing is derived from the live examination, which is secure and confidential.

Each of our 195 questions is tagged to a specific task list item, and that tag is displayed above the question while you answer it. That is what turns "aligned to the task list" from a marketing line into something you can check.

What every question must contain

We hold every item to the same structural standard, and a build-time validator enforces it — the site cannot be deployed with a question that fails these checks:

• A scenario with a named RBT and, where relevant, a named client — the format that reads closest to the real exam.
• Exactly four options, with no duplicates.
• A correct answer index within range.
• A tag to a valid 3rd Edition task item.
• An explanation of at least 40 words that states why the correct answer is right AND why each of the other three is wrong.
• A unique, never-reused question ID.

Why we explain the wrong answers

Most free practice exams tell you which option was correct and stop there. That trains recognition of an answer, not understanding of a concept — and on an exam built from scenarios, understanding is what is actually tested.

Explaining each distractor takes far longer to write, and it is the single thing on this site we would least want to give up.

Domain weighting is enforced, not asserted

Our 75-question exam matches the BACB's published scored distribution exactly: 13 Data Collection and Graphing, 8 Behavior Assessment, 19 Behavior Acquisition, 14 Behavior Reduction, 10 Documentation and Reporting, 11 Ethics. The 85-question exam applies the same weights at the real delivered length of 85 questions.

Both are checked by the validator on every build. If a question were added or removed and the distribution drifted, the build would fail rather than quietly publishing a mis-weighted exam. Every exam page also prints its actual domain mix, counted from the questions themselves.

Answer key balance

A question bank where one letter is disproportionately correct is guessable, and it teaches a test-taking habit that will not help you on the real exam. Our correct answers are distributed close to evenly across A, B, C and D, and the validator warns if that balance drifts.

What we are not satisfied with yet

Two things, stated plainly rather than buried.

First, we do not have a named BCBA reviewer. Every question has been written and checked in-house against the published outline, but it has not been reviewed by someone holding a verifiable behavior-analytic credential. That is the strongest trust signal in this niche and we do not have it. When we do, the reviewer’s name and certification number will appear on the relevant pages — and not one day before.

Second, the item numbering on our task list reference page (A.1, C.4 and so on) is our own reconciliation of the published outline rather than a verified transcription. The domain names, weightings and task content are correct; the numbering carries a visible caveat on that page.

Corrections

Every question carries a "Report a problem with this question" control, both while you are answering it and in the results review. It opens your email client with the question ID pre-filled.

We read every report. Confirmed errors are corrected in the question bank, which is version-controlled, so corrections are auditable rather than silent. If you think an answer key is wrong, please tell us — in a certification niche, a wrong key that stays live after being reported is the fastest way to lose the trust this page is trying to earn. You can also email hello@example.com directly.

What we will never do

We will not claim a review that did not happen, invent a credential, reproduce real examination items, state a fixed percentage pass mark as fact, put a score behind an email address, or use fake scarcity to push you into anything. None of that is compatible with a site people use to prepare for a $100+ examination that their job depends on.