RBT Behavior Acquisition Practice Questions
Behavior Acquisition is the largest area of the RBT exam: 19 of the 75 scored questions. It tests reinforcement, discrete-trial and naturalistic teaching, chaining, prompting, shaping, generalization and token economies. Practice it free, with an explanation for every answer.
85 questions across all six content areas in 90 minutes, with a score for behavior acquisition so you know where you stand.
Free behavior acquisition drill- 98 original behavior acquisition questions, every answer explained
- 19 of the 75 scored questions on the exam (25%)
- 11 tasks in the 3rd-edition outline
How does naturalistic teaching usually differ from discrete-trial teaching?
Behavior Acquisition on the RBT exam
Behavior Acquisition is the largest content area: 19 of the 75 scored questions (25%). It was called Skill Acquisition in the 2nd edition, where it had 24 questions. Most questions describe a teaching session and ask what the RBT should do next, which procedure is in use, or which term names it.
- Share of the exam
- 19 of the 75 scored questions (25%) in the official content outline, across 11 tasks
- Our drill
- 10 questions from 98 behavior acquisition questions, untimed, an explanation after every answer; one free attempt, unlimited with a pass
The 11 behavior acquisition tasks in the 3rd edition
- C.1 Implement positive and negative reinforcement procedures (e.g., immediately, contingently, according to schedules of reinforcement) along a continuum of dimensions (e.g., magnitude, intensity, variety).
- C.2 Implement procedures to establish and use conditioned reinforcers.
- C.3 Implement discrete-trial teaching procedures.
- C.4 Implement naturalistic teaching procedures (e.g., incidental teaching, natural environment training).
- C.5 Implement task analyzed chaining procedures (e.g., forward, backward, total task).
- C.6 Implement discrimination training.
- C.7 Implement procedures using stimulus and response prompts that include appropriate fading procedures (e.g., errorless, least-to-most, stimulus fading, time delay).
- C.8 Implement generalization procedures (e.g., conduct intervention procedures across settings, people, and stimuli).
- C.9 Distinguish between maintenance and acquisition procedures.
- C.10 Implement shaping procedures.
- C.11 Implement token economies.
Sit the full exam under the real clock
85 questions across all six content areas in 90 minutes, with a score for behavior acquisition so you know where you stand.
Free behavior acquisition drillWhat the questions look like
- Reinforcement: positive adds a stimulus, negative removes one, and both increase behavior. Schedules: fixed and variable ratio, fixed and variable interval, continuous reinforcement for new skills and thinning for maintenance.
- Discrete-trial teaching: the discriminative stimulus, prompt, response, consequence and intertrial interval; error correction; mass trials and interspersal.
- Naturalistic teaching: following the learner’s motivation, contriving opportunities in play and routines, and reinforcing with the item the learner asked for.
- Chaining: forward, backward and total task presentation; which step is taught first and which steps the learner does independently.
- Prompts: response prompts (verbal, gestural, model, physical) and stimulus prompts, most-to-least and least-to-most, time delay and how to fade without creating prompt dependence.
- Shaping (reinforcing successive approximations of one response) versus chaining (linking different responses), generalization versus maintenance, and token economies.
How to study it
- Learn each procedure as a sequence of steps you could teach to a new colleague.
- For every term, have one example and one non-example; questions often hinge on that difference (shaping versus chaining, negative reinforcement versus punishment).
- Drill reinforcement schedules with simple numbers: what an FR 5 or VI 2-minute schedule looks like in a session.
- Take this drill twice; Behavior Acquisition is a quarter of the exam.
Common questions
Is skill acquisition still on the RBT exam?
Yes. In the 3rd edition the area is called Behavior Acquisition. It covers the same kinds of procedures (reinforcement, discrete-trial and naturalistic teaching, chaining, prompting, shaping, generalization and maintenance) and has 19 scored questions, down from 24 in the 2nd edition.
What is the difference between shaping and chaining?
Shaping reinforces successive approximations of a single target behavior, such as closer and closer versions of saying "ball". Chaining teaches a sequence of different behaviors that together form a skill, such as the steps of handwashing, by teaching and linking each step.
85 questions across all six content areas in 90 minutes, with a score for behavior acquisition so you know where you stand.
Free behavior acquisition drillThe other RBT content areas
Sources
- BACB: RBT Handbook (updated 10/2026): examination, fees, retakes and results
- BACB: RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.): 43 tasks in 6 content areas
- BACB: Examination Information (scoring, rescheduling fees and RBT pass rates)
- BACB: RBT Ethics Code (2.0)
- BACB Newsletter, December 2023: the 2026 RBT examination and the 2nd-to-3rd edition crosswalk
- BACB: RBT certification overview
Original practice questions for exam preparation, written to the RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.); they are not questions from the real exam. Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). RBT® and BACB® are registered trademarks of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.