1. An RBT is asked to collect rate data on Ava's hand flapping during a home session. The RBT plans to tally every occurrence on the data sheet as it happens.
What else must the RBT record so the rate can be calculated?
Answer: C
The exact start and end times of observation are required because rate is the count of responses divided by the time observed. Without accurate times, the RBT cannot convert the tally into a rate such as responses per hour, and data from sessions of different lengths cannot be compared. The number of trials presented is needed to compute percentage correct in trial-based teaching, not the rate of a free-operant behavior like hand flapping. How long each episode lasted is duration data, a different measure that is not required for rate. A rating of how intense each episode appeared is a subjective intensity estimate and does not supply the time base that a rate calculation needs.
2. Jordan hums during a reading group while his RBT collects partial-interval data in 10-second blocks. A single episode of humming starts 7 seconds into the third interval and ends 4 seconds into the fourth.
How should the RBT mark these intervals?
Answer: D
Scoring an occurrence in both intervals is correct because partial-interval recording scores any interval in which the behavior occurs at any point. Jordan hummed during part of the third interval and part of the fourth, so each interval meets the rule, even though it was one continuous episode. Scoring only the third interval, where humming began, or only the fourth, where it ended, treats the episode as belonging to a single interval and undercounts the data. Scoring neither interval because neither was filled applies the whole-interval rule, which requires the behavior to last the entire interval; that rule does not apply to partial-interval recording.
3. An RBT uses graduated guidance to teach Noah to pull up his pants, one step in his toileting chain. As her hands guide his, she feels Noah begin to pull upward on his own.
What should the RBT do?
Answer: A
Lightening her touch right away and shadowing his hands is correct because graduated guidance fades physical prompting immediately as the learner begins to exert independent effort. The RBT reduces pressure the moment Noah starts pulling and follows his hands closely, ready to reinstate help only if he stops. Keeping full physical guidance until the step is finished ignores his effort and builds prompt dependence. Switching to a verbal prompt changes the prompt type in the middle of the response, which is not part of graduated guidance and adds a new cue Noah may come to depend on. Adding pressure increases the prompt when it should decrease and can turn assistance into physical control that overrides his effort.
4. An RBT is shaping Mia's vocal approximations of the word ball using steps written by the supervising BCBA. Mia has just met criterion on the current step, and the RBT believes she is ready to skip the next one.
What is the BEST action for the RBT?
Answer: B
Following the written steps and sharing her progress with the BCBA is correct because the supervising BCBA defines the shaping steps and criteria, while the RBT implements the reinforcement protocol exactly as specified. If Mia seems ready to move faster, the RBT reports the data so the BCBA can decide whether to change the plan. Skipping to the final step changes the program without authorization and risks losing the approximation Mia has just learned. Rewriting the remaining steps is supervisor-level work that an RBT should not do alone. Reinforcing earlier approximations again undoes shaping, because previous approximations are placed on extinction once a new criterion is met.
5. Following the agency's approved crisis plan, an RBT and a trained colleague briefly use a physical hold to stop Ethan from running into a busy parking lot. Ethan is now calm and back inside.
What must the RBT be sure to document about the hold?
Answer: C
The exact times the hold started and stopped must be documented because every use of physical restraint has to be recorded precisely, and start and stop times show how long Ethan was restrained. Supervisors, caregivers, and regulators review this information to monitor safety and guide changes to the plan. Her opinion about why Ethan ran is subjective; notes should describe observable events, and identifying function is the supervisor's role. An estimate that the hold lasted a few minutes is too vague for restraint documentation, which requires precise times. A diagnosis is outside an RBT's scope of practice and does not belong in a crisis report written by the technician.
6. Five-year-old Lily dozes off on the couch at 3:10 p.m. during her home session and wakes up at 3:35 p.m. The RBT stops all programming while she is asleep.
What should the RBT write in the session note about this?
Answer: D
Noting that Lily slept from 3:10 to 3:35 p.m. and that programming was paused is correct because session notes must objectively and accurately reflect what happened, including precise start and end times when a client falls asleep. This documentation affects data interpretation, billing accuracy, and the supervisor's understanding of the session. Leaving the nap out makes the note incomplete and misrepresents the amount of service delivered. Writing that Lily seemed tired and took a short nap is vague and lacks the exact times. Counting the nap as a break while recording programming for the full session falsely documents services that were not delivered, which is a serious ethical and legal problem.
7. Jayden's mother learns that the RBT is moving to a new apartment and offers her a gently used dresser, a bag of toys, and several boxes of clothing that the family no longer needs.
What is the BEST way for the RBT to respond?
Answer: A
Politely declining and informing the supervisor is correct. The RBT Ethics Code prohibits accepting gifts worth more than 10 US dollars from clients or stakeholders, and a dresser, toys, and boxes of clothing clearly exceed that, even though they are secondhand. Accepting such items also blurs professional boundaries and can create a multiple relationship that affects objectivity. Treating used belongings as not really gifts is a common misconception; hand-me-downs still have monetary value. Accepting only the toys for sessions is still accepting a gift from the family. Accepting now and mentioning it later does not undo the boundary violation, because reporting after the fact does not make an impermissible gift acceptable.
8. In the clinic hallway, a coworker who does not work with Caleb asks an RBT why Caleb's mother seemed so upset at pickup. Several families are waiting nearby.
How should the RBT respond to the coworker?
Answer: B
Politely declining to discuss clients and changing the subject is correct. RBTs protect client confidentiality, which includes not discussing client or family matters in hallways, breakrooms, or other shared spaces, and not sharing them with staff who have no need to know. Explaining quietly still discloses confidential information to a coworker outside Caleb's team and risks being overheard. Moving to the breakroom does not solve the problem, because the coworker still has no need to know and breakrooms are shared spaces where others come and go. Sharing only Caleb's first name and the general concern still identifies the client and turns his family's situation into workplace gossip.
9. An RBT is measuring interresponse time for Kai's vocal outbursts. One outburst lasts 12 seconds, and the next begins 45 seconds after the first one started. The RBT started the timer at the onset of the first outburst.
What interresponse time, in seconds, should be recorded?
Answer: C
The correct interresponse time is 33 seconds. IRT is measured from the end of one response to the beginning of the next. The next outburst started 45 seconds after the first began, and the first lasted 12 seconds, so 45 minus 12 equals 33. Starting the timer before the prior response ended would produce the invalid value of 45, which mistakenly includes the duration of the first outburst. The value of 12 is the duration of the first outburst, not the time between responses. The value of 57 adds the duration to the onset-to-onset time instead of subtracting it. Timing correctly keeps IRT data valid for decisions about Kai's program.
10. Isabella's math lesson is split into 30 equal observation periods, and her RBT marks any period in which she leaves her seat. She leaves her seat in 12 of the 30 periods.
What percentage should the RBT report for out-of-seat behavior?
Answer: D
The correct answer is 40%. Each observation period is an interval, and percentage of intervals is calculated by dividing the number of intervals with an occurrence by the total number observed, then multiplying by 100. Here, 12 divided by 30 equals 0.4, and 0.4 times 100 equals 40%. Recording 12% confuses the raw count of scored intervals with a percentage. Recording 18% uses the number of intervals without the behavior, 18, as if it were a percentage. Recording 60% calculates the proportion of intervals in which Isabella stayed seated, 18 out of 30, which is the opposite of what the data sheet is tracking. Accurate calculation keeps the summary consistent with the raw data.
11. An RBT is teaching Maya to set the table using a task analysis. As soon as Maya places a plate on the placemat, she reaches for the fork without any prompt from the RBT.
What function does the completed plate step serve for the next step?
Answer: A
Discriminative stimulus is correct because in a behavior chain, completing one step produces the stimulus change that signals the next response will be reinforced. The plate on the placemat sets the occasion for reaching for the fork, which is why Maya moves on without a prompt. A motivating operation changes how valuable a reinforcer is, such as hunger making food more valuable; it does not signal which step comes next. A response prompt is extra help added by the instructor, but here the cue comes from Maya's own completed step. An unconditioned reinforcer works without any learning history, like food or warmth, and a plate sitting on a placemat does not function that way.
12. Ryan currently stays seated and attends to his worksheet for about 1 minute at a time. The BCBA's shaping plan sets the next criterion at 90 seconds of seated attention before reinforcement.
Which action by the RBT follows this shaping plan?
Answer: B
Reinforcing only periods of 90 seconds or longer is correct because shaping task engagement means differentially reinforcing progressively longer periods of seated attention. Once the BCBA sets the new 90-second criterion, the RBT reinforces that duration and stops reinforcing the earlier 1-minute approximation. Reinforcing any amount of sitting abandons the criterion and would reinforce shorter periods than Ryan can already do. Waiting for 10 full minutes jumps far beyond the next step, so Ryan would rarely contact reinforcement and might stop trying. Reinforcing 1-minute and 90-second periods equally removes the differential reinforcement that makes shaping work, so there is no reason for his attention span to grow.
13. At the end of the day, an RBT has a stack of completed paper session notes and data sheets for several clients. The front desk is busy, and the BCBA has already left for the evening.
Where should the RBT place the notes?
Answer: C
The locked cabinet used for client records is correct because HIPAA requires safeguards that protect client health information, and session notes must be stored securely, such as in a locked cabinet or the agency's encrypted electronic system. Leaving notes in a labeled folder on a busy front desk exposes them to anyone passing by. Taking them home in her car removes protected records from the secure setting and risks loss, theft, or viewing by others. An open tray in the staff breakroom is a shared space where people without a need to know could read the notes. Secure storage is part of documenting sessions in line with legal and workplace requirements.
14. At the last session before the holidays, Aria's father hands the RBT an envelope containing two twenty-dollar bills and says it is a tip to thank her for all her hard work this year.
What is the BEST response?
Answer: D
Declining the money politely and telling her supervisor is correct. A cash tip is extra payment from a client's family for services, which creates a financial benefit and a multiple-relationship risk, so tips should be declined. The RBT Ethics Code also bars accepting gifts worth more than 10 US dollars, and 40 dollars clearly exceeds that. Calling it a holiday tip rather than a payment does not change what it is. Accepting it and reporting it later still means the RBT has kept an impermissible gift. Donating it to the clinic's toy fund still requires accepting the cash first, and the family's money would then benefit the RBT's workplace.
15. Ellie's mother sends the RBT a friend request on the RBT's personal social media account, explaining that she would like to share photos of Ellie's progress at home.
How should the RBT handle the request?
Answer: A
Declining politely and explaining the agency's policy is correct. Connecting with a client's guardian on personal social media creates a personal relationship alongside the professional one, which is a multiple relationship that can blur boundaries, affect objectivity, and put client confidentiality at risk. The RBT can suggest sharing progress through approved agency channels and tell the supervisor. Accepting but never commenting still establishes the personal connection. Accepting because the mother reached out ignores that the RBT is responsible for maintaining boundaries, regardless of who initiates. Restricting what the mother can see does not change the fact that the RBT and a client's guardian would be connected on a personal account.
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