Registered Behavior Technician

How to Become a Registered Behavior Technician

To become a registered behavior technician an individual must complete a number of steps. Taken as a whole, these steps include meeting educational, assessment, application, and certification maintenance requirements. 

Step 1: Graduate from High School or Obtain a GED (Four Years)

Becoming a registered behavior technician requires individuals to have, at minimum, a high school education as evidenced by a diploma or GED. Documentation of such education must be presented as part of an application to become an RBT. Acceptable documentation includes a high school diploma, a high school transcript or a transcript from a post-high-school institution that proves the applicant completed high school.   

Step 2: Meet Additional Eligibility/Training Requirements

In addition to a high school education requirement, applicants must also meet a number of requirements to be eligible to become an RBT. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age when they submit an application, complete and pass (within 180 days) a criminal background check as well as an abuse registry check similar to that required of other job series such as home health aides and child care professionals, and complete a 40-hour training that meets the requirements outlined in the RBT 40-Hour Training Packet. This training must be overseen by a qualified BACB certificant and may be completed any time before a certification application is submitted. This training must be completed within 180 days but no less than five days. The BACB does not offer this required training. Prospective RBTs can typically complete this education in one of three ways, namely within their own agency, through a training company or through university coursework.

Step 3: Complete an Initial Competency Assessment

Upon completion of the 40-hour training, prospective applicants must document their competency to perform the tasks outlined in the RBT Initial Competency Assessment. This assessment must be overseen by a qualified BACB certificant, and completed no earlier than 90 days prior to submitting payment for an RBT certification application. 

Also, as indicated by the sequencing of this process, this assessment must be completed after successfully finishing the required 40-hour training. In other words, a student cannot take and pass the assessment before completing the training and have that attempt be used as part of their application even if the outcome is satisfactory.

Step 4: Apply to become a Registered Behavior Technician

Applying to become an RBT requires the completion of three sub-steps. These three steps are creation of a BACB account, completion of the online certification application, and scheduling the required examination. Creating a BACB account requires basic information such as name, email address and other essential profile information. Applicants should keep their account information updated. Completion of the actual application involves a number of steps which are detailed at length here. The examination is continuously available with results available on-site at the exam location usually immediately after exam completion. Applicants generally have one year from the date their application is approved to sit for the examination.

Those applicants whose application is not approved receive both feedback and instructions via email. If application requirements are not fully met within 90 days of submitting an application, an applicant must submit a new RBT certification application and also pay another certification application fee.

Step 5: Pass the RBT Examination

The examination assesses knowledge of the current edition of the RBT Task List typical of that of an entry-level behavior technician. Applicants must always test using the current edition of the RBT Task List. If a new edition is published during the applicant’s authorized window of time to take the exam, the applicant must test from the current edition. No exceptions can be made regarding this policy.

The BACB recommends applicants prepare for the exam by reviewing the current edition of the RBT Task List as well as material from the previously completed 40-hour training as well as the competency assessment. 

The RBT examination consists of 85 multiple-choice questions in which ten remain unscored. Each question has one correct answer. Applicants have 90 minutes to complete the examination. The exam consists of six content areas. These areas are measurement, assessment, skill acquisition, behavior reduction, documentation and reporting, and professional conduct and scope of practice. Skill acquisition content is approximately one-third of the total content of the exam.

Applicants are generally informed of their exam status through the issuance of a pass/fail report at the actual exam site. Those who pass typically receive an email from BACB with an attached certification document within 24 hours. An RBT may begin using the certification immediately after its issuance and upon having a qualified RBT Supervisor and/or RBT Requirements Coordinator on record with the BACB. This supervisor and/or coordinator is responsible for supervision of the RBT.

More information on examination accommodations, exam site technology requirements, behavioral protocols and more can be found in the Registered Behavior Technician Handbook.

Step 6: Certification Maintenance

As is true of many professions, an RBT’s responsibilities do not end upon successful initial achievement of registration. An RBT must then regularly do the following:

• Receive ongoing supervision that meets the RBT supervision, supervisor and documentation requirements
• Adhere to RBT Ethics Code as well as self-reporting requirements
• Complete an annual renewal of their registration by completing both a renewal application and a renewal competency assessment. The renewal process must be completed within the last 45 days before the registration reaches its expiration date. Renewal also requires payment of fees.

More details regarding certificate maintenance, responsibilities of RBT Supervisors and Requirement Coordinators and still more can be found in the aforementioned handbook listed above in Step 5.

Step 7: Fulfill Additional Practice Requirements

In addition to maintaining professional certification, a practicing RBT will need to fulfill additional job requirements common across roles as well as those unique to certain employers. One common requirement for active practice is holding professional liability insurance. Given the variety of roles an RBT may fill as well as variation in requirements based on factors such as geography it is incumbent on prospective RBTs to learn about and meet all requirements before seeking to practice. 

What Do Certified Behavior Technicians Do?

As noted above, an RBT works under the regular supervision of an individual such as an RBT supervisor, an RBT requirements coordinator and/or a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Though an RBT may hold a variety of job duties and responsibilities, these responsibilities typically fall within one of five primary objectives. These objectives are development of social and life skills, employment training, provision of family guidance, behavior reduction, and reporting and documentation.

In terms of served populations, RBTs often work with people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They are trained to work with people of a variety of ages including children, teenagers and adults.

Duties will vary according to the populations an RBT primarily works with, place of employment, level of experience and other factors. Typical daily tasks include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

• Establish and maintain a safe and effective therapeutic relationship through consistent demonstration of competency and adherence to ethical standards
• Promote safe and socially acceptable replacement behaviors as a means of establishing a collection of effective communication, social interaction and problem solving skills
• Increase the frequency and length of safe, appropriate replacement behaviors
• Accurately collect behavior data such as A-B-C, count, frequency, duration, latency, inter-response time, event, and interval based recording
• Follow treatment plan goals and interventions using good judgment, consultation with a supervisor or other actions appropriate to the situation
• Collaborate with family and treatment team members to provide treatment that is both effective and minimizes the risk of disruption to the environment or other individuals sharing that environment
• Educate individuals such as parents and guardians regarding reinforcement and early intervention
• Educate individuals in a variety of contexts regarding the role of an RBT
• Successfully function within the skills, expectations and professional boundaries associated with the work of an RBT

Registered Behavioral Technician Professional Associations & Resources

Top professional associations and resources for registered behavior technicians include:

• Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)
• Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA)
• Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI)
• Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT)