The registered Behavior Technician (RBT) role is vital for delivering quality ABA therapy. It is also a position that has seen significant growth and is expected to continue growing in the foreseeable future. Over the past decade, the need for BCBAs has risen by over 5,000%! With that, comes a tremendous need for RBTs to provide direct care under BCBA supervision.
If you are interested in a rewarding career in the ABA field, becoming an RBT is the best first step. If you have already completed the RBT training and competency assessment, the final step in the process is an RBT examination to test your knowledge of the RBT task list. Read on for study prep tips and tricks to pass on your first attempt.
Wait! If you haven't taken a 40-hour RBT course yet, that's your first step! Check out AppleTree Connection's RBT course. This course is rated one of the top 5 courses, according to the BACB's pass rates.
Find your RBT study baseline
When you begin preparing for the RBT exam, a good first step is to find your baseline. A baseline is a measure taken before intervention. Before studying for the exam, it's helpful to take a full mock exam to see what level of understanding you have before diving into studying.
You may find that the level of difficulty and quality of mock exams may vary, so be cautious. There has been a recent increase in the use of chatGPT by non-ABA professionals to create poor-quality mock exams. Make sure the mock exams you use are created by BCBAs or other ABA professionals with extensive experience in the field.
The RBT task list is broken down into six sections. A good quality mock exam will show you which sections of the task list you are generally strong in and which sections you should continue to focus on.
Once you have your baseline, you can continuously measure your progress through your study efforts. Fun fact: This is precisely what you'll be doing with your clients! In ABA, we take a baseline measure of our client's abilities, then implement teaching interventions and monitor progress.
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Follow along with an RBT study guide
Study guides break down each item in the task list to help you understand the concepts and provide real-life examples. Walk through each task list section, one item at a time, ensuring an understanding before moving on to the next. Pay extra attention to the concepts that you still don't feel confident in being able to apply. You'll want to dedicate some extra time to working through those.
RBT Study Prep: Use SAFMEDS/Flashcards
A great way to test your understanding and improve your fluency is to use SAFMEDS. These are essentially flashcards. The acronym stands for "Say All Fast Minute Everyday Shuffle". With the definition on one side and the concept on the other, you want to test both sides to ensure you can quickly identify the concept when you read the definition and vice versa.
Graph your progress
Graphing your own progress is a perfect way to have a visual representation of your study progress AND practice actual tasks you will be doing as an RBT! You could do this by graphing the number of tasks on the task list that you have mastered. Or the number of flashcard terms you've got down pat.
Wrapping up
Final thoughts: Don't overthink it! Once you understand the terms and how to apply them to real-world situations, you're solid. Learn more about what to expect on the RBT exam here.
A career in ABA can be so rewarding and a perfect way to gain lifelong skills. Before you sit for your RBT exam, make sure you have a strong handle on the material outlined in the RBT handbook.
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