Initial Competency Assessment
19 tasks, assessor rules, and demonstration methods.
Draft — BCBA review pendingVerify against the official source. Rules change. Before you rely on dates, fees, or forms, confirm them in the current BACB RBT Handbook and the official Initial Competency Assessment packet.
After 40-hour training, you must demonstrate that you can perform entry-level RBT skills — not just answer questions about them. The Initial Competency Assessment is that demonstration.
What it is
The assessment confirms you can competently perform the tasks listed in the current RBT Initial Competency Assessment document. The official packet defines 19 tasks across measurement, assessment, teaching, behavior change, documentation, and ethics.
You complete the assessment with a qualified Responsible Assessor. They (and any assistant assessors they delegate to) observe your performance, initial each task as competent, mark the assessment type used, and sign the official form you upload with your BACB application.
When to complete it
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| After training | Finish 40-hour training first |
| Before applying | No more than 90 days before you submit your RBT application |
| With application | Upload the completed, signed packet when you apply |
If too much time passes between assessment and application, you may need to repeat it.
The 19 tasks
All tasks (1–19) must be completed. Each task is marked with initials and the assessment type used. Three of tasks 6–14 must be demonstrated with a client.
| # | Task | Typical methods |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Continuous measurement (frequency, duration, latency, IRT) | With client or role-play |
| 2 | Discontinuous measurement (interval, momentary time sampling) | With client or role-play |
| 3 | Enter data and update graphs | With client or role-play |
| 4 | Conduct preference assessments | With client or role-play |
| 5 | Collect ABC data | With client or role-play |
| 6 | Discrete-trial teaching | With client or role-play |
| 7 | Naturalistic teaching (e.g., incidental teaching) | With client or role-play |
| 8 | Task-analyzed chaining | With client or role-play |
| 9 | Shaping | With client or role-play |
| 10 | Discrimination training | With client or role-play |
| 11 | Prompting and prompt fading | With client or role-play |
| 12 | Token systems | With client or role-play |
| 13 | Crisis/emergency procedures per protocol | With client, role-play, or interview |
| 14 | One of: antecedent interventions, differential reinforcement, or extinction | With client or role-play |
| 15 | Generate objective session notes | With client, role-play, or interview |
| 16 | Examples of maintaining client dignity | Interview |
| 17 | Examples of maintaining professional boundaries | Interview |
| 18 | Describe BACB supervision standards for RBTs | Interview |
| 19 | Describe when you would seek clinical direction from your supervisor | Interview |
Download the 2026 Initial Competency Assessment packet for the official form and full criteria.
Demonstration methods
The assessor evaluates each task using one of:
- With a client — you perform the task with a client receiving behavior-analytic services
- Role-play — simulated situation when a live client is not feasible
- Interview — live discussion (in person or online) where you describe concepts with examples and nonexamples
If you do not demonstrate competence on a task, the assessor may give corrective feedback and re-assess on another day — repeating until competent. Corrective feedback may not be given on the final attempt for a task.
Non-BACB forms are not accepted.
Assessor requirements
Responsible Assessor: A BCBA or BCaBA who has completed the 8-hour supervision training. They:
- Are employed at the same organization as (or have a contractual relationship with) you and the client(s) involved
- Sign the final attestation and maintain assessment records for 7 years
- May delegate portions to assistant assessors (active RBT certification or higher, with demonstrated proficiency)
Conflict of interest: Responsible and assistant assessors cannot be related to you, subordinate to you, or employed by you during the assessment. (Payment for assessment services alone does not count as employment.)
Organization alignment: You, the assessor(s), and the client’s service provider must share the same employing organization or contractual relationship. BCaBAs acting as assessors need a supervisor employed at that same organization.
The assessor may be the same person who delivered your 40-hour training.
How to prepare
Knowledge from training is the floor. Competency is performance:
- Rehearse procedures out loud and with materials — preference assessments, data collection, prompting and fading, session notes
- Review the RBT Ethics Code (2.0) for task 19
- Ask your assessor in advance which methods they will use for each task
- Practice with real materials (data sheets, graphs, program materials) when possible
The goal is not a one-time performance for a checklist. The goal is building skills you will use under supervision with actual clients.
What you'll need
- Completed 40-hour training with certificate
- Qualified, independent assessor
- Access to clients or role-play conditions as required by the packet
- Signed official assessment form ready to upload
What happens next
Upload the assessment with your BACB application, then prepare for the Pearson VUE exam.
After certification, you will repeat a similar skills demonstration annually (until recertification rules change in 2027) — see Renewal.
Questions about the path?
Start at the guide hub or verify requirements on the BACB site.