RBT practice test 30

25 questions across all six content areas, weighted like the real exam. Every answer is explained, including why each wrong option is wrong.

25 questions

Question 1While entering data, an RBT notices that a value on the graph does not match the paper data sheet for that session. What should the RBT do?
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D: Report it to the supervisor and correct it the approved way. A mismatch between raw data and the graph is a data irregularity. The RBT reports it and corrects it properly so the graph reflects what was recorded.
- A: The raw data sheet is the original record and should not be altered to fit the graph.
- B: A wrong graph can lead the supervisor to the wrong decision.
- C: Removing a session hides data rather than correcting it.
Task E.2 · RBT Ethics Code 2.02 · 40-hour curriculum section F
Question 2A child's whining is maintained by attention. Which consequence most likely maintains it?
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B: A caregiver asking the child what is wrong. Attention-maintained behavior is reinforced by other people's responses, such as looking at, talking to or touching the person.
- A: Ending a chore is escape, a different function.
- C: Handing over a cookie is access to a tangible item.
- D: A sensation produced by the behavior itself would be automatic reinforcement.
Task D.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
Question 3A client's cursing is punished with response cost at school, where it drops sharply. At home, where cursing has no new consequence, the family reports cursing has increased. Which side effect of punishment does this pattern describe?
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C: Behavioral contrast. Behavioral contrast is a known side effect of punishment: the behavior decreases where it is punished but may increase where it is not.
- A: Resurgence is an old behavior returning when an alternative loses reinforcement.
- B: Spontaneous recovery follows extinction, not punishment, and occurs after time away.
- D: An extinction burst happens when reinforcement is withheld; no reinforcement was withheld at home.
Task D.6 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 4A client's goal is to increase the number of math problems they complete correctly during independent work. The RBT records only how many minutes the client stays seated at the desk. What is the main problem with these data?
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B: The measure does not reflect the behavior the goal targets. Valid data directly measure the behavior and dimension the goal is about. A client can sit for many minutes without completing problems correctly, so time seated does not tell the team whether the goal is being met.
- A: Nothing in the scenario shows a gradual change in how a definition is applied.
- C: Duration is a continuous measure; the problem is what is being measured, not how.
- D: No second observer is mentioned; the measure could agree perfectly and still be the wrong measure.
Task A.8 · 40-hour curriculum section C
Question 5The plan says tokens are given only for independent correct responses. The client answers correctly after a gesture prompt. What should the RBT do?
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A: Give praise as the plan allows, but no token. Giving tokens only for independent responses is a form of differential reinforcement that favors unprompted responding. Following the plan's rule exactly keeps the contingency clear.
- B: Giving a token for a prompted response goes against the plan's rule.
- C: Adding bonus tokens later is not part of the plan.
- D: Removing a token is response cost, which the plan does not include for prompted responses.
Task C.11 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 6An RBT finds their agency's internal training slides and data sheets very useful. They want to upload them to a public study website. What should they do?
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C: Not upload them without the employer's permission. RBTs do not misuse the intellectual property of others, such as an employer's proprietary materials. Sharing them publicly requires the owner's permission.
- A: Removing names does not address the main issue: the materials belong to the employer.
- B: Educational value does not give permission to share someone else's proprietary materials.
- D: Credit is not permission; the employer still owns the materials.
Task F.6 · RBT Ethics Code 3.05
Question 7A child's plan targets color names. Which activity is an example of teaching colors naturalistically?
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B: Asking which paint color the child wants while painting. Embedding the target in an activity the child is already doing, with the chosen paint as the reinforcer, is naturalistic teaching.
- A: Repeated instructions with cards at a table are discrete-trial teaching.
- C: Repeating one target in a block is massed trial teaching.
- D: Watching a video does not create a learning opportunity with a response and reinforcer.
Task C.4 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 8In Session A, a client made 20 requests in 40 minutes. In Session B, the client made 15 requests in 20 minutes. Which statement is correct?
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A: The rate of requests was higher in Session B. Session A: 20 / 40 = 0.5 per minute. Session B: 15 / 20 = 0.75 per minute. Session B had fewer requests but a higher rate because it was shorter.
- B: Session A had the higher count but the lower rate, 0.5 versus 0.75 per minute.
- C: The rates differ: 0.5 per minute in A and 0.75 per minute in B.
- D: Rate is used precisely so that sessions of different lengths can be compared.
Task A.6 · 40-hour curriculum section C
Question 9A client returns to sessions after a two-week hospital stay. When should the RBT tell the supervisor?
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B: As soon as they learn of it, before services resume. A hospital stay may bring new medical needs or restrictions and can affect behavior. The supervisor needs to know before services resume so they can give direction.
- A: A monthly contact may be weeks away.
- C: The hospital stay itself is the variable to report.
- D: Waiting a week delays the supervisor's direction on a significant change.
Task E.3 · RBT Ethics Code 2.01 · 40-hour curriculum section F
Question 10A function of behavior is called "social" when:
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B: Another person controls the consequence. Socially mediated reinforcement is delivered or removed by another person, such as giving attention, handing over an item or ending a task.
- A: A behavior can happen in a group and still be automatically reinforced; the setting does not decide the function.
- C: A behavior does not need to be verbal to be socially reinforced; hitting can be maintained by attention.
- D: What matters is whether another person provides the consequence, not whether the client is aware of being watched.
Task D.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
Question 11A plan counts only independent responses as correct. While waiting for a client's answer, the RBT nods slightly toward the correct picture without meaning to, and the client then touches it. How should the RBT score the trial?
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B: As prompted, because the nod gave the client added help. Any added cue that helps the learner respond correctly, even an accidental nod, is a prompt. Scoring the trial as prompted keeps the data accurate, and the RBT should work to avoid unplanned cues.
- A: A prompt does not need to be planned to help; the nod was a gestural cue toward the answer.
- C: Nothing says the client exceeded a time limit; the client touched the correct picture.
- D: Leaving a trial off the record makes the data inaccurate; the trial should be scored as it happened.
Task C.7 · 40-hour curriculum section E · RBT Ethics Code 2.02
Question 12For a response cost procedure to be possible, what must be true?
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A: The client has reinforcers, such as tokens, that can be lost. Response cost removes a specific amount of a reinforcer the client has. If the client has nothing to lose, the procedure cannot be applied.
- B: Understanding the rule may help but is not required for response cost.
- C: Agreement each session is not what makes response cost possible.
- D: Removal from the activity is time-out, not response cost.
Task D.5 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 13After a paired-stimulus assessment, which summary is most useful to give the supervisor?
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C: Each item's selection percentage, listed from highest to lowest. Paired-stimulus results are summarized as the percentage of presentations in which each item was chosen, ranked from highest to lowest.
- A: A vague impression is not objective data.
- B: Predictions are not results; the summary should report what the client chose.
- D: One trial's choice does not summarize the assessment.
Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D
Question 14At a workshop, an RBT learns about a new intervention and wants to try it with a client the next day. What should the RBT do?
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A: Share it with the supervisor and use it only if the supervisor adds it and trains them. RBTs follow the direction of their supervisors and do not use unfamiliar interventions without proper training (Standards 2.02 and 2.04). Suggestions are welcome, but the supervisor decides whether to change the plan.
- B: Trying an unplanned intervention, even once, goes beyond the RBT's role.
- C: Using it at all without the supervisor's direction changes the plan.
- D: Caregiver permission does not replace the supervisor's decision and training.
Task F.2 · RBT Ethics Code 2.02 · RBT Ethics Code 2.04
Question 15What determines whether a consequence is a reinforcer for a client?
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B: It increases the future frequency of the behavior it follows.. A reinforcer is defined by its effect: a consequence is a reinforcer only if the behavior it follows occurs more often in the future. Liking an item, or delivering it quickly, does not make it a reinforcer.
- A: Smiling or saying they like an item does not show that it strengthens behavior.
- C: What most people enjoy may not strengthen this client's behavior.
- D: Immediate delivery makes a reinforcer more effective, but timing alone does not make something a reinforcer.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
Question 16A plan includes response cost. Over two weeks, the client cries most days when tokens are removed and has started refusing to come to the session table. What should the RBT do?
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C: Report the observations and data to the supervisor promptly. Emotional responses and avoidance can be side effects of punishment. The RBT continues the plan as written and reports promptly so the supervisor can review it.
- A: Stopping a procedure is the supervisor's decision.
- B: Increasing the fine is a plan change and could worsen side effects.
- D: These may be side effects of punishment, and the supervisor needs to know.
Task D.5 · 40-hour curriculum section E · RBT Ethics Code 2.06
Question 17After a client has learned a skill, the supervisor's plan changes reinforcement from every correct response to an unpredictable intermittent schedule, so the client cannot tell which response will be reinforced. Which generalization strategy does this use?
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A: Using indiscriminable contingencies. When the client cannot tell which responses will be reinforced, responding tends to continue in settings and at times when reinforcement is not delivered every time. This is the indiscriminable contingencies strategy, usually arranged with intermittent reinforcement.
- B: Training loosely varies noncritical features of the teaching situation, not the reinforcement schedule.
- C: Multiple exemplar training varies the examples of the teaching stimulus, not the schedule.
- D: Programming common stimuli brings stimuli from the generalization setting into teaching.
Task C.8 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 18At the end of the school year, a parent hands the RBT a $50 gift card to thank them. The agency has no gift policy beyond the ethics code. What should the RBT do?
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B: Thank the parent and politely decline. A gift worth more than $10 is declined even if it is a one-time expression of thanks. A warm, clear explanation that RBTs follow a gift limit helps the family understand the refusal is not personal.
- A: Accepting the card is accepting a $50 gift, however much is spent.
- C: Passing it on still means the RBT accepted a gift over the limit.
- D: A one-time gift is still over the $10 limit.
Task F.8 · RBT Ethics Code 1.11
Question 19Which statement about culture and behavior is accurate?
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A: What counts as appropriate behavior can vary by culture. The principles of behavior are the same for everyone, but which behaviors are expected, valued or seen as a problem can vary between cultures and communities. That is why the family's perspective matters for goals.
- B: Principles such as reinforcement apply to everyone; what differs is which behaviors and reinforcers matter.
- C: Assuming culture decides behavior is a stereotype; individuals vary.
- D: Culture affects values, routines and goals even when everyone speaks the same language.
Task F.10 · 40-hour curriculum section G
Question 20This graph shows a skill being taught. What has happened in the most recent sessions?

Percentage of trials correct by Session: 1: 20, 2: 35, 3: 50, 4: 60, 5: 60, 6: 60, 7: 60, 8: 60. Phases: Intervention from session 1.
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C: Progress has leveled off. After rising early on, the data path has stayed flat for several sessions. The skill is no longer improving, which is a plateau worth reporting to the supervisor.
- A: The last several points are flat, not rising.
- B: The recent points have not dropped.
- D: The recent points are all the same value, which is no variability.
Task A.7 · 40-hour curriculum section C
Question 21A caregiver suggests using candy as a reinforcer during sessions. The client's plan says not to use edible reinforcers. What should the RBT do?
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C: Continue without edibles and pass the suggestion to the supervisor. The plan stays as written until the supervisor changes it. The caregiver's suggestion is passed on so the supervisor can consider it.
- A: Using candy for some targets still breaks the plan.
- B: This is not accurate as a general rule, and explaining the plan's reasons is the supervisor's role.
- D: Caregiver agreement does not override the written plan; the supervisor makes that change.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
Question 22An assessment's rules say the client must respond within 5 seconds of the instruction to score a correct response. The client gives the right answer 12 seconds after the instruction. How should the RBT score it?
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D: Score it according to the 5-second rule and note the late correct answer. The scoring rules define what counts as correct, including how fast the response must be. Noting the late correct answer gives the supervisor useful information without changing the score.
- A: The answer was outside the time limit, so scoring it correct ignores the rule.
- B: Repeating the instruction is not part of the rules and changes the item.
- C: Replacing items is not the RBT's decision and leaves out real data.
Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D
Question 23A new graph template for a client is missing its vertical-axis label. Why does the label matter?
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C: It tells readers what measure each point represents. The vertical-axis label names the dimension and unit plotted, such as count, rate or percentage correct. Without it, readers cannot interpret the values.
- A: Phase change lines and condition labels show where phases begin.
- B: The horizontal axis shows the sessions.
- D: The axis label describes the measure, not when the graph was made.
Task A.4 · 40-hour curriculum section C
Question 24Why does identifying the function of problem behavior matter when the supervisor builds a behavior plan?
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B: The plan can teach a replacement behavior that meets the same need. Knowing the function lets the supervisor design a plan that teaches an appropriate way to get the same reinforcer and stops the problem behavior from being reinforced.
- A: Function-based plans focus on reinforcement-based strategies, not on finding the strongest punisher.
- C: Function is about what maintains behavior, not about diagnosis.
- D: The supervisor designs the intervention; the RBT implements it.
Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D · Task D.3
Question 25At the clinic, an RBT taught a child to say "cup" when shown a red plastic cup. At home, the child says "cup" when they see a blue ceramic mug, which was never used in teaching. What does this show?
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C: Stimulus generalization. The taught response ("cup") occurred in the presence of a new stimulus that shares the relevant features of the teaching stimulus. That is stimulus generalization.
- A: Response generalization would be a new form of response, such as saying "mug" or "drink", which did not happen here.
- B: Response maintenance refers to performance lasting over time after teaching, not performance with new stimuli.
- D: Stimulus fading is a prompting procedure that gradually removes an added cue, not an outcome of teaching.
Task C.8 · 40-hour curriculum section E

Answer every question to see your score.

Practice test 31

What this test covers

Questions in this test by task
Task	Questions
A.4 Entering data and updating graphs	1
A.6 Calculating and summarizing data	1
A.7 Identifying trends in graphed data	1
A.8 Unreliable data and poor procedural fidelity	1
B.1 Preference assessments	1
B.2 Skill assessments	1
B.3 Functional assessment	1
C.1 Positive and negative reinforcement	1
C.4 Naturalistic teaching	1
C.7 Prompting and prompt fading	1
C.8 Generalization	2
C.11 Token economies	1
D.1 Functions of behavior	2
D.5 Positive and negative punishment	2
D.6 Secondary effects of extinction and punishment	1
E.1 Communicating team concerns to your supervisor	1
E.2 Seeking clinical direction	1
E.3 Reporting variables that affect progress	1
F.2 Practicing within your competence	1
F.6 Public statements and social media	1
F.8 Gifts	1
F.10 Cultural humility and responsiveness	1

4 easier, 16 exam-level and 5 harder questions. Each task link opens its study page.

Question 1While entering data, an RBT notices that a value on the graph does not match the paper data sheet for that session. What should the RBT do?

Question 2A child's whining is maintained by attention. Which consequence most likely maintains it?

Question 3A client's cursing is punished with response cost at school, where it drops sharply. At home, where cursing has no new consequence, the family reports cursing has increased. Which side effect of punishment does this pattern describe?

Question 4A client's goal is to increase the number of math problems they complete correctly during independent work. The RBT records only how many minutes the client stays seated at the desk. What is the main problem with these data?

Question 5The plan says tokens are given only for independent correct responses. The client answers correctly after a gesture prompt. What should the RBT do?

Question 6An RBT finds their agency's internal training slides and data sheets very useful. They want to upload them to a public study website. What should they do?

Question 7A child's plan targets color names. Which activity is an example of teaching colors naturalistically?

Question 8In Session A, a client made 20 requests in 40 minutes. In Session B, the client made 15 requests in 20 minutes. Which statement is correct?

Question 9A client returns to sessions after a two-week hospital stay. When should the RBT tell the supervisor?

Question 10A function of behavior is called "social" when:

Question 11A plan counts only independent responses as correct. While waiting for a client's answer, the RBT nods slightly toward the correct picture without meaning to, and the client then touches it. How should the RBT score the trial?

Question 12For a response cost procedure to be possible, what must be true?

Question 13After a paired-stimulus assessment, which summary is most useful to give the supervisor?

Question 14At a workshop, an RBT learns about a new intervention and wants to try it with a client the next day. What should the RBT do?

Question 15What determines whether a consequence is a reinforcer for a client?

Question 16A plan includes response cost. Over two weeks, the client cries most days when tokens are removed and has started refusing to come to the session table. What should the RBT do?

Question 17After a client has learned a skill, the supervisor's plan changes reinforcement from every correct response to an unpredictable intermittent schedule, so the client cannot tell which response will be reinforced. Which generalization strategy does this use?

Question 18At the end of the school year, a parent hands the RBT a $50 gift card to thank them. The agency has no gift policy beyond the ethics code. What should the RBT do?

Question 19Which statement about culture and behavior is accurate?

Question 20This graph shows a skill being taught. What has happened in the most recent sessions?

Question 21A caregiver suggests using candy as a reinforcer during sessions. The client's plan says not to use edible reinforcers. What should the RBT do?

Question 22An assessment's rules say the client must respond within 5 seconds of the instruction to score a correct response. The client gives the right answer 12 seconds after the instruction. How should the RBT score it?

Question 23A new graph template for a client is missing its vertical-axis label. Why does the label matter?

Question 24Why does identifying the function of problem behavior matter when the supervisor builds a behavior plan?

Question 25At the clinic, an RBT taught a child to say "cup" when shown a red plastic cup. At home, the child says "cup" when they see a blue ceramic mug, which was never used in teaching. What does this show?

What this test covers