RBT Behavior Reduction Practice Questions
Behavior Reduction is 14 of the 75 scored questions on the RBT exam. It tests functions of behavior, antecedent interventions, differential reinforcement, extinction, punishment and crisis procedures. Practice it free, with an explanation for every answer.
85 questions across all six content areas in 90 minutes, with a score for behavior reduction so you know where you stand.
Free behavior reduction drill- 72 original behavior reduction questions, every answer explained
- 14 of the 75 scored questions on the exam (19%)
- 7 tasks in the 3rd-edition outline
Why should an RBT be able to describe the side effects of extinction and punishment?
Behavior Reduction on the RBT exam
Behavior Reduction is 14 of the 75 scored questions (19%), up from 12 in the 2nd edition. The 2026 outline added two tasks: implementing positive and negative punishment, and describing the side effects of extinction and punishment. Expect scenarios built around a behavior intervention plan: what the behavior is for, what the plan tells you to do, and what to expect when you do it.
- Share of the exam
- 14 of the 75 scored questions (19%) in the official content outline, across 7 tasks
- Our drill
- 10 questions from 72 behavior reduction questions, untimed, an explanation after every answer; one free attempt, unlimited with a pass
The 7 behavior reduction tasks in the 3rd edition
- D.1 Identify common functions of behavior.
- D.2 Implement antecedent interventions (e.g., NCR, high-probability request sequences, demand fading).
- D.3 Implement differential reinforcement procedures (e.g., DRO, DRA, DRI, DRL, FCT).
- D.4 Implement extinction procedures.
- D.5 Implement positive and negative punishment procedures (e.g., time-out).
- D.6 Describe secondary effects of extinction (e.g., extinction burst, response variation, resurgence, emotional responding) and punishment (e.g., emotional responses, escape and avoidance).
- D.7 Implement crisis/emergency procedures.
Sit the full exam under the real clock
85 questions across all six content areas in 90 minutes, with a score for behavior reduction so you know where you stand.
Free behavior reduction drillWhat the questions look like
- Functions: attention, escape or avoidance, access to tangibles, and automatic (sensory) reinforcement. Questions describe what happens right after the behavior and ask for the likely function.
- Antecedent interventions: noncontingent reinforcement on a time schedule, high-probability request sequences before a hard demand, demand fading, choices and visual schedules.
- Differential reinforcement: DRA reinforces a specific alternative, DRI one that cannot happen at the same time, DRO the absence of the behavior for an interval, DRL a lower rate, and FCT teaches a communication response with the same function.
- Extinction matched to function (attention extinction is planned ignoring; escape extinction means the demand stays), the extinction burst, spontaneous recovery and resurgence.
- Punishment: positive adds a stimulus, negative removes one (time-out, response cost); RBTs use it only as written in the plan and after the supervisor confirms competence (RBT Ethics Code 2.05).
- Crisis procedures: following the written crisis plan and your organization’s policy, keeping everyone safe, and reporting and documenting afterward.
How to study it
- Name the function of every behavior in a scenario before you read the options.
- Make a one-page table of DRO, DRA, DRI, DRL and FCT with what is reinforced and an example of each.
- Remember that extinction depends on function: ignoring a behavior maintained by escape does not put it on extinction.
- Read each side effect (burst, variation, emotional responding, resurgence) as something to expect and report, not a sign to stop the plan on your own.
Common questions
What is an extinction burst?
A temporary increase in the frequency, duration or intensity of a behavior when the reinforcement that maintained it stops. It is expected early in extinction. The RBT keeps following the plan, collects data and tells the supervisor, rather than giving in, which would reinforce the bigger version of the behavior.
Can RBTs use punishment procedures?
Only when the procedure is written into a documented behavior-change plan and the supervisor has verified the RBT’s competence, as standard 2.05 of the RBT Ethics Code (2.0) requires. Task D.5 asks RBTs to implement positive and negative punishment procedures, such as time-out, within those limits.
85 questions across all six content areas in 90 minutes, with a score for behavior reduction so you know where you stand.
Free behavior reduction 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.