40-Hour RBT Training — built for the 2026 curriculum
9 hours of video, 2.5 hours of quizzes, and 49 interactive activities across the eight required BACB content areas. Built from the ground up for the 3rd Edition Test Content Outline — not retrofitted.
From $59 (agency bulk rate) · $399 Full Certification path
At a glance
Total contact time
40 hours (5-day minimum per BACB)
Video instruction
9.0 h
Section quizzes
2.5 h · 8 sections
Interactive activities
28 h · 49 activities
Modules
8 · 64 topics
BACB 2026 certificate
Included with all tiers
If you apply in 2026 or later, a 2nd Edition certificate will not be accepted
Effective January 1, 2026, the BACB replaced the RBT Task List 2nd Edition with the 3rd Edition Test Content Outline. Any candidate applying for the RBT exam on or after that date must submit a training certificate from a program built to the new curriculum. Certificates from 2nd Edition programs result in a rejected application.
This program was built to the 3rd Edition standard — not retrofitted from older content. Every module maps directly to one of the eight required BACB content areas, with instructional hours that meet BACB minimums. Your certificate includes the exact attestation statement required for 2026 and later applications.
Eight modules, 49 activities, mapped to BACB Sections A–H
Every activity — case studies, worksheets, scenarios, reflections — puts you into real clinical decisions before you ever sit for a competency assessment.
Module 1
Module 1 — Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (Section A)
2 hours (BACB minimum) — 3 activities
Module 1
Module 1 — Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (Section A)
2 hours (BACB minimum) — 3 activities
- What ABA is and how it differs from other behavioral approaches
- Core principles: reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, motivating operations
- The three-term contingency (A-B-C) and how to identify it in real time
- Functions of behavior: attention, escape, tangibles, automatic
- Verbal operants: mand, tact, echoic, intraverbal — and why the distinction matters in teaching
- The RBT role and scope of practice within the supervisory structure
- The BACB credentialing system: RBT, BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D
Module 2
Module 2 — Preparing for Service Delivery (Section B)
1 hour (BACB minimum) — 1 activity
Module 2
Module 2 — Preparing for Service Delivery (Section B)
1 hour (BACB minimum) — 1 activity
- Reviewing prior session documentation and the current treatment plan
- Preparing the physical environment and gathering materials
- Building rapport and pairing with reinforcement
- Gaining and maintaining assent — recognizing early, mid, and late signs of assent withdrawal
- Responding when a learner withdraws assent: what to do and what to document
Module 3
Module 3 — Data Collection and Graphing (Section C)
3 hours (BACB minimum) — 5 activities
Module 3
Module 3 — Data Collection and Graphing (Section C)
3 hours (BACB minimum) — 5 activities
- Describing behavior and stimuli in observable, measurable terms — writing operational definitions
- Continuous measurement: frequency, rate, duration, latency, interresponse time
- Discontinuous measurement: partial interval, whole interval, momentary time sampling
- Permanent product recording and when it is appropriate
- Calculating rate, percentage, and mean duration — including session-length adjustments
- Graphing conventions and reading level, trend, and variability across phases
- Data integrity: common errors and how to prevent them
- What data patterns require immediate reporting to a supervising BCBA
Module 4
Module 4 — Assisting with Behavior Assessments (Section D)
3 hours (BACB minimum) — 4 activities
Module 4
Module 4 — Assisting with Behavior Assessments (Section D)
3 hours (BACB minimum) — 4 activities
- The role of the RBT in assessment: what you do and what only the BCBA does
- Preference assessments: free operant, single stimulus, paired stimulus, multiple stimulus
- Conducting a paired stimulus assessment start-to-finish and calculating the preference hierarchy
- Assisting with VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and AFLS — matching the tool to the learner
- ABC data collection for functional behavior assessment
- Writing objective ABC entries and recognizing subjective language that must be rewritten
- Interpreting ABC patterns to form a function hypothesis (and when to hold the hypothesis loosely)
Module 5
Module 5 — Behavior-Change Interventions (Section E)
20 hours (BACB minimum) — 23 activities
Module 5
Module 5 — Behavior-Change Interventions (Section E)
20 hours (BACB minimum) — 23 activities
- Discrete trial training (DTT): building a complete trial — attention, SD, response window, consequence, ITI
- Prompting hierarchies: physical, gestural, model, verbal, visual, positional — selecting and fading
- Most-to-least vs. least-to-most prompting: when to use which
- Error correction sequences and how they change across response history
- Shaping: designing successive approximations with mastery criteria
- Task analysis and chaining: forward, backward, and total task — selecting the method
- Natural environment teaching (NET), incidental teaching, and mand training with motivating operations
- Token economies: design, exchange ratios, back-up reinforcers, and thinning schedules
- Differential reinforcement procedures: DRA, DRI, DRO, DRL — and when each is function-matched
- Function-based intervention planning across all four functions of behavior
- Extinction: procedure, extinction bursts, spontaneous recovery, and when extinction is NOT appropriate
- Antecedent interventions: NCR, high-probability request sequences, choice making, visual schedules, environmental modification, errorless learning
- Generalization and maintenance planning — across settings, people, and exemplars
- Reinforcement delivery across six dimensions: immediacy, magnitude, quality, variety, contingency, specificity
- Troubleshooting failing interventions: the four most common causes and how to diagnose them
- Designing and running a complete 60-minute session across multiple active programs
Module 6
Module 6 — Service Delivery Documentation (Section F)
3 hours (BACB minimum) — 4 activities
Module 6
Module 6 — Service Delivery Documentation (Section F)
3 hours (BACB minimum) — 4 activities
- The 12 elements of a complete session note
- Objective vs. subjective language — rewriting to survive an audit
- When a separate incident report is required and what fields it must contain
- Documenting contextual variables (sleep, medication, family events, sensory environment) that affect behavior
- Communicating changes in learner status to the supervising BCBA in a timely manner
- HIPAA basics for behavior technicians: confidentiality, PHI, and common documentation pitfalls
Module 7
Module 7 — Ethics and Professionalism (Section G)
5 hours (BACB minimum) — 7 activities
Module 7
Module 7 — Ethics and Professionalism (Section G)
5 hours (BACB minimum) — 7 activities
- The RBT Ethics Code: structure, application, and the expansion from 5 to 10 tasks under the 3rd Edition
- Boundary violations and dual relationships — identifying severity and deciding on disclose/avoid/manage
- Social media compliance — auditing posts against BACB and HIPAA standards
- Mandated reporting: reasonable suspicion, observable evidence, and the path from observation to report
- Cultural humility: identifying bias, adapting communication, and growth practices
- Responding to difficult supervisory feedback — in the moment and over the following sessions
- Ethical decision-making frameworks for the scenarios you will actually encounter
- Responding to organizational or insurance pressure that conflicts with the Ethics Code
Module 8
Module 8 — Next Steps in Certification (Section H)
1 hour (BACB minimum) — 2 activities
Module 8
Module 8 — Next Steps in Certification (Section H)
1 hour (BACB minimum) — 2 activities
- The full RBT certification pathway: training → Initial Competency Assessment → BACB application → exam
- Selecting a qualified supervisor — under the 2026 standard, only BCBAs and BCaBAs may supervise RBTs
- The Initial Competency Assessment: structure and what assessors look for
- Background check, age, education, and eligibility verification
- Registering for and preparing for the RBT exam through Pearson VUE
- Professional Development Units (PDUs): the new 2-year recertification cycle and 12-PDU requirement
- Maintaining certification: supervision ratios, ongoing PDUs, and ethics compliance
Your certificate — verbatim
Exactly what the BACB requires for 2026 applications
“This training program is designed to meet the 2026 training eligibility requirement for RBT certification. The training is offered independent of the BACB.”This attestation statement is required verbatim by the BACB on every 2026-compliant RBT training certificate.
Choose your tier
All tiers include the full 40-hour 2026-compliant curriculum and the BACB-required certificate. Premium and Full Cert add live BCBA support.
BASIC
one-time
For agencies onboarding RBTs in bulk
- 40-hour BACB-aligned video curriculum
- Bilingual EN/ES content
- Module quizzes
- BACB-compliant completion certificate
STANDARD
one-time
For individual candidates studying solo
- Everything in Basic
- Bilingual EN/ES content
- Mock RBT exam
- Downloadable study guide
PREMIUM
one-time
For candidates who want live BCBA guidance
- Everything in Standard
- Monthly live group Q&A with a BCBA
FULL CERT
one-time
Everything you need through certification
- Everything in Premium
- 1:1 30-min session with Yilan Fernandez Perez, BCBA
- RBT Initial Competency Assessment included
- Employer referral to Spectrum Analytics network
Under the 2026 standard, only BCBAs and BCaBAs may supervise RBTs. Confirm your employer can provide BCBA or BCaBA supervision before enrolling.
Who this is for
- Aspiring Registered Behavior Technicians applying in 2026 or later
- Career changers entering the ABA field
- Paraprofessionals working with children with autism
- Parents and educators deepening their ABA knowledge
Prerequisites
- Minimum 18 years of age
- High school diploma or equivalent (GED)
- No prior ABA experience required
- Reliable internet connection for video and interactive activities
- Ability to complete the course within 180 days of enrollment (and no fewer than 5 days)
- Access to a BCBA or BCaBA supervisor for the post-training Initial Competency Assessment (required before exam; under the 2026 standard, only BCBAs and BCaBAs may supervise RBTs)
Every tier includes
- 9 hours of video instruction across 8 modules aligned to BACB Sections A–H
- 8 section quizzes with instant feedback
- 49 interactive activities: case studies, worksheets, decision scenarios, and reflections
- Downloadable PDFs with answer keys for every worksheet-based activity
- Complete BACB 2026 Curriculum coverage — all 54 topics across 8 content areas
- Module-level progress tracking
Common questions about the 2026 RBT training
Is this course aligned with the BACB 2026 3rd Edition Test Content Outline?
Yes. The curriculum is built to the 3rd Edition TCO that went into effect January 1, 2026. Modules map directly to the eight required content areas (A through H) with instructional hours that meet BACB minimums in each area. Certificates issued on completion include the exact statement the BACB requires for 2026 and later applications.
I have a 2nd Edition RBT training certificate from a different provider. Can I still use it?
No. Effective January 1, 2026, the BACB requires that all new RBT applicants submit a certificate from a program built to the 3rd Edition TCO. A 2nd Edition certificate will result in a rejected application for anyone applying in 2026 or later. If you are in this situation, you need to complete a 2026-compliant 40-hour training before submitting.
What is the difference between the four pricing tiers?
Basic ($59) is our agency bulk rate — the full 40-hour video curriculum with quizzes and the BACB-compliant certificate. Standard ($99) adds a mock RBT exam and a downloadable study guide for individual candidates. Premium ($149) adds monthly live group Q&A sessions with a BCBA. Full Cert ($399) is the complete certification path — it adds a 1:1 30-minute session with our BCBA, the RBT Initial Competency Assessment, and an employer referral through our network.
Does completing this course make me an RBT?
The 40-hour training is one of four required steps. You must also complete an Initial Competency Assessment with a BCBA or BCaBA supervisor, pass a background check, and pass the RBT certification exam through Pearson VUE. The Full Cert tier includes the competency assessment; other tiers require you to arrange that separately.
Can I complete this course at my own pace?
Yes. The course is self-paced. Per BACB requirements, training must be completed in no fewer than 5 days and no more than 180 days from enrollment. Your 180-day window begins the day you enroll.
Who can supervise my competency assessment and ongoing practice as an RBT?
Under the 2026 standard, only BCBAs and BCaBAs may supervise RBTs. Non-certified licensed professionals are no longer permitted to supervise RBTs, even with prior BACB approval. Make sure your employer can provide BCBA or BCaBA supervision before enrolling.
What happened to the annual competency assessment and annual renewal?
Both changed in 2026. The annual Renewal Competency Assessment was eliminated, replaced with a requirement to complete 12 Professional Development Units (PDUs) every two years. Recertification itself moved from a 1-year to a 2-year cycle, aligning with other BACB credentials.
Can I upgrade tiers after enrollment?
Yes. You can upgrade from Basic to Standard, Premium, or Full Cert at any time before you pass the competency assessment — you pay only the difference. Contact our team for upgrade instructions.
What is the refund policy?
Full refund within 7 days of enrollment if you have completed less than 25% of the course content. See the refund policy page for full details.
Start your RBT pathway today
Pick the tier that fits. You can upgrade at any time before you pass the competency assessment.
See pricing tiers