This printable checklist lists the 19 tasks of the RBT Initial Competency Assessment as they appear in the BACB packet effective January 1, 2026 (version 01/2026). Use it to prepare with your supervisor and to track which tasks you have practiced. It does not replace the BACB form: your assessor completes and signs the BACB form, and the BACB does not accept other forms.
Before you schedule the assessment
- Your 40-hour training (2026 requirements) is complete.
- You will apply for certification within 90 days of finishing the assessment.
- Your responsible assessor is a BCaBA or BCBA who has completed the 8-hour supervision training.
- Any assistant assessor holds an active RBT certification or higher.
- You, your assessors, and the client’s service provider are the same organization (employment or contract).
Details on assessor rules: who may conduct the RBT competency assessment.
The 19 tasks
Tick a box when the task is practiced. Task names are the BACB’s wording. “Client” means with a client, “Role-play” means with another person acting as the client.
Printable PDF: download the 19-task checklist (PDF, 2 pages), with Practiced and Ready boxes, a notes column and a practice log. It is a study aid: your assessor still uses the official BACB form.
Measurement (tasks 1 to 3)
| Task | Allowed types |
|---|---|
| ☐ 1. Continuous Measurement: Implement continuous measurement (e.g., frequency, duration, latency, IRT). | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 2. Discontinuous Measurement: Implement discontinuous measurement procedures (e.g., partial and whole interval, momentary time sampling). | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 3. Data and Graphs: Enter data and update graphs. | Client, Role-play |
Assessment (tasks 4 and 5)
| Task | Allowed types |
|---|---|
| ☐ 4. Preference Assessments: Conduct preference assessments. | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 5. ABC Data: Collect ABC data. | Client, Role-play |
Skill Acquisition and Behavior Reduction (tasks 6 to 14)
| Task | Allowed types |
|---|---|
| ☐ 6. Discrete-Trial Teaching: Implement discrete-trial teaching procedures. | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 7. Naturalistic Teaching: Implement naturalistic teaching procedures (e.g., incidental teaching). | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 8. Chaining: Implement task analyzed chaining procedures. | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 9. Shaping: Implement shaping procedures. | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 10. Discrimination Training: Implement discrimination training. | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 11. Prompting: Implement prompt and prompt fading procedures. | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 12. Token Systems: Implement token systems. | Client, Role-play |
| ☐ 13. Crisis/Emergency: Implement crisis/emergency procedures according to protocol. | Client, Role-play, Interview |
| ☐ 14. One of: Antecedent Interventions (modification of antecedents, such as motivating/establishing operations and discriminative stimuli), Differential Reinforcement (e.g., DRA, DRO), or Extinction. | Client, Role-play |
Professionalism and Requirements (tasks 15 to 19)
| Task | Allowed types |
|---|---|
| ☐ 15. Session Notes: Generate objective session notes by describing what occurred during sessions. | Client, Role-play, Interview |
| ☐ 16. Client Dignity: Provide examples of how to maintain client dignity. | Interview |
| ☐ 17. Professional Boundaries: Provide examples of how to maintain professional boundaries. | Interview |
| ☐ 18. Supervision Requirements: Describe BACB Supervision Standards for RBTs. | Interview |
| ☐ 19. Clinical Direction: Describe at least one situation in which you would seek clinical direction from your supervisor. | Interview |
Rules to keep in mind
- At least three of tasks 6 to 14 must be demonstrated with a client.
- If a task is not performed competently, the assessor may give corrective feedback and reassess on another day. No feedback is given during the final assessment of a task.
- The assessor initials each task and marks the type used. The responsible assessor signs the final attestation.
- Compared with the pre-2026 form, the stimulus control transfer task is gone, Measurement tasks no longer allow an interview, and Crisis/Emergency now allows one.
There is no annual repeat of this checklist. The Initial Competency Assessment is done once, before certification. Current RBTs complete a separate Recertification Competency Assessment one last time in 2026, then move to 12 PDUs every two years: see RBT recertification in 2026.
For the interview tasks (16 to 19), practice your answers with our free RBT competency assessment practice test.
FAQ
Can I submit this checklist to the BACB?
No. It is a study aid. Only the BACB Initial Competency Assessment form, completed and signed by your responsible assessor, is accepted with your application.
How many tasks must be done with a real client?
At least three of tasks 6 to 14. The other tasks can use role-play or, where listed, an interview.
Do I need to repeat the checklist every year?
No. The Initial Competency Assessment is completed once, after your 40-hour training and within 90 days before you apply.
Sources
- BACB, RBT Initial Competency Assessment Packet: Effective January 1, 2026, version 01/2026.
- BACB, BACB Newsletter, December 2023 (changes to the competency assessment).
- BACB, Guidance for Meeting RBT Requirements During the 2026 Transition, updated August 2025.
