Standard 1.05: Accurate claims about qualifications and services
RBTs never knowingly make false, misleading or exaggerated statements about their qualifications or the services they provide. When an employer or supervisor asks, they hand over current, accurate credentials.
What it means in practice
Describe yourself as what you are: a Registered Behavior Technician who provides services under the supervision of a BCBA or BCaBA. Do not call yourself a behavior analyst or a BCBA, claim training or degrees you have not completed, or let a family believe you are the person designing their child's program.
The standard also covers claims about services. Avoid promising outcomes ("he'll be talking in full sentences by summer") or presenting ABA as a cure. Questions about prognosis and progress belong to your supervisor.
Your certification status counts as a qualification. The RBT Handbook says that if your status changes, for example to inactive, you must reflect it accurately to the public. Keep your resume, email signature and professional profiles accurate.
When an employer or supervisor asks for proof of your credentials, provide current and accurate information. The handbook notes that active RBTs can print a verification report from their BACB account, and the BACB Certificant Registry shows your status and supervisor.
Scenarios
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A parent asks whether you are the behavior analyst who wrote their child's plan. | Explain that you are an RBT who carries out the plan under the supervision of the BCBA, give the supervisor's name, and offer to pass along any questions about the plan. |
| Your certification became inactive when your supervisor left, and you are updating your online job profile. | Do not list yourself as an active RBT. Describe your status accurately until a qualified supervisor adds you and your certification is active again. |
| A worried caregiver asks you to promise that their child will be ready for a general education classroom next year. | Don't promise outcomes. Acknowledge the concern, share what you are allowed to share about progress, and pass the question to your supervisor. |
| A new employer asks for documentation of your RBT certification. | Provide current, accurate proof, for example a verification report from your BACB account or your Certificant Registry listing, and answer questions about your training honestly. |
Practice questions
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Question 1Under the RBT Ethics Code, what must be true of everything an RBT says about their own qualifications?
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D: It must not be false, misleading or exaggerated. RBTs do not knowingly make false, misleading or exaggerated statements about their qualifications or their behavior-technician services. Accuracy is the test, whether the statement is on a résumé, a profile or in conversation.
- A: The code does not require BACB approval of statements; it requires that they be accurate and not misleading.
- B: RBTs may describe their training and work; the rule is about accuracy, not about how much they say.
- C: The rule applies to statements made to anyone, including employers, supervisors and the public.
Task F.6 · RBT Ethics Code 1.05 · 40-hour curriculum section G
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Question 2An RBT sets up a professional networking profile. Their only credential is RBT certification, and they hold no state license. Which headline is accurate?
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D: Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). An RBT should name the credential they actually hold, Registered Behavior Technician. Titles that suggest a license, a different BACB certification or the behavior analyst role misrepresent their qualifications.
- A: "Behavior analyst" implies a BCBA credential or a behavior analyst license, which the RBT does not hold.
- B: The BCaBA is a separate BACB certification with its own requirements, which the RBT does not hold.
- C: The RBT is a certification, not a license, so calling it a license misrepresents the credential.
Task F.6 · RBT Ethics Code 1.05 · RBT Handbook p. 1 · 40-hour curriculum section G
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Question 3An RBT is in the second semester of a four-semester master's program in psychology. Which résumé entry is accurate?
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C: M.S. in Psychology (in progress; expected 2027). RBTs do not knowingly make false, misleading or exaggerated statements about their qualifications. An unfinished degree can be listed if it is clearly marked as in progress.
- A: Listing a completion year implies the degree has been awarded when it has not.
- B: This claims both a finished degree and a certification the RBT does not hold.
- D: Only half of the coursework is done, so the claim is false.
Task F.6 · RBT Ethics Code 1.05
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Question 4An RBT's supervisor asks for a copy of the RBT's current credentials for the agency's files. What does the RBT Ethics Code expect?
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B: Provide a current, accurate set of relevant credentials. RBTs provide a current and accurate set of their relevant credentials to employers and supervisors when asked. This lets the people responsible for their work confirm what they are qualified to do.
- A: The code says RBTs provide their credentials to employers and supervisors on request.
- C: One old document is not a current and accurate set of relevant credentials.
- D: Providing them is the RBT's own responsibility under the code.
Task F.6 · RBT Ethics Code 1.05
Answer every question to see your score.
Where it sits in the code
Standard 1.05 is in section 1, General Responsibilities, of the RBT Ethics Code (2.0). On the exam it relates to task F.6 Public statements and social media. Read the official text for the exact wording.
Related standards: 1.01 Honesty and following the rules, 3.05 Intellectual property, 3.07 BACB account and certification status, 2.06 Taking questions and concerns to the supervisor.