BCBA Ethics Practice Questions
Domain E of the BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) · 22 of the 175 scored questions (13%)
185 questions across all nine domains in 4 hours, with a score for ethics so you know where you stand.
Free ethics drillGerald, a 58-year-old man with a brain injury, lives in a group home where staff choose all of his daily activities to keep the schedule simple. His behavior analyst begins offering Gerald choices among activities and explains the options in terms he understands. Which core principle of the Ethics Code is she most directly applying?
Ethical and Professional Issues on the BCBA
Ethical and Professional Issues is 22 of the 175 scored questions, written to the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts that took effect on January 1, 2022. The questions are scenarios: a gift from a family, a supervisee who is also a friend, a request for testimonials, a client moving to another provider. You pick the action the Code requires, or the first step a behavior analyst should take.
- Share of the exam
- 22 of 175 scored questions (13%) on every exam form
- Outline tasks
- 12 (E.1 to E.12)
- Our drill
- 10 questions from 67 ethics questions, untimed, an explanation after every answer; one free attempt, unlimited with a pass
What ethics questions test
- The core principles: benefit others; treat others with compassion, dignity and respect; behave with integrity; ensure competence (task E.1)
- Risks of unethical behavior to yourself, others and the profession (task E.2)
- Maintaining competence and practicing within your scope, including when to seek consultation, refer or decline (task E.3; Code 1.05 and 1.06)
- Confidentiality and disclosure of information (task E.4; Code 2.03, 2.04 and 3.10)
- Public statements, social media, testimonials and misrepresentation (task E.5; Code section 5)
- Discontinuing and transitioning services and supervision (task E.6; Code 3.14–3.16 and 4.11)
- Multiple relationships, gifts, and coercive or exploitative relationships (task E.7; Code 1.11–1.13)
- Interpersonal skills, cultural humility, culturally responsive service and supervision, and personal biases (tasks E.8–E.11; Code 1.07 and 1.10)
- Legal, regulatory and practice requirements such as licensure, funding and certification (task E.12)
Sit the full exam under the real clock
185 questions across all nine domains in 4 hours, with a score for ethics so you know where you stand.
Free ethics drillHow to study it
- Read the Code itself, not a summary. Most ethics questions turn on one standard, and the exam rewards knowing what it actually says.
- Learn the standards by section: 1 professional, 2 clients, 3 clients and stakeholders, 4 supervisees and trainees, 5 public statements, 6 research.
- When a question asks what to do first, the answer is usually the least drastic step the Code supports, such as raising the issue directly or consulting, before reporting or ending services.
- Watch for distractors that are kind but not compliant, such as accepting a small cash gift, and ones that are compliant but abandon the client.
Common questions
Which ethics code is on the BCBA exam?
The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, which replaced the 2014 Professional and Ethical Compliance Code and has applied to all BCBA and BCaBA applicants and certificants since January 1, 2022. It has four core principles and six sections of standards. Our questions cite its standard numbers, such as 1.11 for multiple relationships and 2.11 for informed consent.
Can a BCBA accept gifts from clients?
Only within narrow limits. Under standard 1.12, behavior analysts do not give or accept gifts worth more than $10 (US dollars, or the same purchasing power in another currency), and they tell clients and stakeholders about this rule at the start of services. A gift is acceptable when it is an infrequent expression of gratitude that brings the recipient no financial benefit; ongoing or cumulative gifts can still violate the standard.
185 questions across all nine domains in 4 hours, with a score for ethics so you know where you stand.
Free ethics drillThe other BCBA domains
Sources
Original practice questions for exam preparation, written to the BACB’s BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) and the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2022). Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). BCBA® and BACB® are registered trademarks of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.