RBT Competency Assessment: 2026 Requirements
The Initial Competency Assessment is the observed, hands-on step of RBT certification: 19 tasks, signed off by a BCaBA or BCBA before you apply.
What it is
The RBT exam checks what you know. The competency assessment checks what you can do: an assessor watches you carry out ABA procedures and signs off each task you perform correctly. It is part of initial certification, alongside the 40-hour training and the exam at Pearson VUE.
Who administers it
- Responsible assessor: a BCaBA or BCBA who has completed the 8-hour supervision training. They sign the form and keep the records for 7 years, and may be the same person who ran your 40-hour training.
- Assistant assessors: they must hold RBT certification or higher (new in 2026) and have shown proficiency through direct observation.
- Independence: the responsible assessor works for, or contracts with, the same organization as you and the client, and cannot be your relative, your subordinate, or your employee.
More detail in Who may conduct the competency assessment.
When it happens
After you finish the 40-hour training, and no more than 90 days before you submit your RBT certification application. The Initial Competency Assessment is for initial certification only.
Renewal is a separate question. RBTs who recertify in 2026 complete the Recertification Competency Assessment one last time; from the 2028 recertification, it is replaced by 12 PDUs per 2-year cycle. It remains only as a reentry assessment after voluntary inactive status. See RBT recertification and the competency assessment.
Format
The 2026 packet has 19 tasks in four sections: Measurement (tasks 1–3), Assessment (4–5), Skill Acquisition and Behavior Reduction (6–14), and Professionalism and Requirements (15–19). All 19 must be completed.
- Three ways to assess a task: with a client, in a role-play, or in a live interview.
- Tasks 1–12 and 14 are assessed with a client or in a role-play; tasks 13 and 15 (crisis/emergency, session notes) also allow an interview; tasks 16–19 (client dignity, professional boundaries, supervision requirements, clinical direction) are interview only.
- At least three of tasks 6–14 must be demonstrated with a client.
- Delivery: in person, live via the internet, or through recorded videos made for the assessment, over one or several sessions.
A task that is not passed gets corrective feedback and is assessed again another day. The 2026 version dropped the stimulus control transfer task, which is why older guides list 20 tasks.
Prepare for it
Sources
BACB, RBT Initial Competency Assessment Packet (version 01/2026); RBT Handbook (updated 06/2026); Guidance for Meeting RBT Requirements During the 2026 Transition (08/2025).