The RBT certification application

Before you start

Wait until you've met all the requirements. An application is active for 90 days from when you submit it; if you haven't met every requirement by then, you must submit a new application, pay again, and meet whatever requirements are current at that time. The BACB recommends applying only once everything is in place.

Your BACB portal account

• Enter your full legal name exactly as it appears on your government-issued ID. A mismatch stops you from testing, and a name change needs BACB review, which can delay your exam.
• Use a personal email address. Important notifications go there, and a work address stops working if you change employers.
• Set it up yourself and don't share the login, even with your employer: it's your certification.
• Keep your address current. You must live within the BACB's jurisdiction, and changes must be updated within 30 days.
• Create only one account. You'll get a BACB ID number when you create it; keep it, because forms ask for it.

The three documents

1. RBT Certification Application Attestation form, completed with your Attesting Certificant, who confirms your age, education and background and abuse registry checks.
2. Certificate of completion for the 40-hour training, with the 2026 statement.
3. Completed RBT Initial Competency Assessment, on the current BACB form.

Upload them as PDF or JPEG files. Unclear or unreadable documents may be rejected, and documents from an earlier application aren't reused: every new application needs all of them again. The names on the documents must match your BACB account; if your name has changed since a document was issued, submit a Name Change Request in your account.

Disclosures

The application asks whether you have a physical or mental health condition or a substance use disorder that could impair your ability to work safely and competently, and whether you've been subject to certain investigations, disciplinary actions or official actions related to behavior-analytic services or public safety. Answer truthfully. A "yes" requires an Ethics Self-Reporting Statement, and your application is on hold while it's reviewed. Submitting false or misleading information can lead the BACB to bar you from the exam or invalidate a certification.

Fee and processing

The certification application fee is $65, paid online by credit card or by check mailed to the BACB; fees are nonrefundable and in US dollars only. Applications are processed in the order received; allow two weeks.

• Approved: you receive an email with instructions for scheduling the exam with Pearson VUE. You have one year from approval to take it.
• Not approved: you receive feedback by email and as Action Items in your account, which you can resolve there. BACB staff won't explain the review beyond that feedback. If the requirements aren't met within 90 days of submitting, you need a new application and fee.

If you hear nothing within two weeks, check your spam folder. If you believe your application was rejected in error, you can file an administrative appeal within 30 days of the determination, with evidence.

Exam accommodations

If you have a current disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (or a comparable law in your country), upload the accommodation request form and supporting documentation with your application, and don't schedule your exam until you hear back. See exam accommodations.