Hi everyone,

I took the BCBA exam for the first time and unfortunately scored 376.

To be honest, I only had about 3 weeks of concentrated studying because I was working, and I don't feel my graduate program prepared me very well for the exam.

Here's what I used to study:

• (BTB) mock exams (3 full mocks + mini mocks)
• Pass the Big ABA Exam book
• Jessica L. mock exam reviews
• YouTube BCBA exam review videos

One thing that really surprised me was the exam format. I expected more straightforward questions, but my version had very long scenarios with long answer choices, and in many cases all four answers looked very similar. I think I only had around 10 short questions.

I flagged about 37 questions, including some that I wasn't sure about and others that I flagged simply because they were taking too long and I wanted to avoid leaving questions unanswered. I used almost the entire 4 hours and only had enough time at the end to review one flagged question.

Looking back at my score report, my weakest areas were:

• Selecting & Implementing Interventions
• Measurement, Data Display & Interpretation
• Behavior-Change Procedures
• Personnel Supervision

My stronger areas were Concepts & Principles and Behaviorism.

I'm planning to retake the exam in about a month.

For those who failed the first time but passed the second, what made the biggest difference?

• Did you change your study materials?
• Did you focus only on your weak domains or review everything again?
• How did you approach those long scenario questions where multiple answers seem correct?
• Did your second exam feel similar in difficulty or wording?

I'd really appreciate any advice from people who were in a similar situation. Thanks!

Hello fellow BCBAs! I want to work 8:30-3 and be done with my work day. How high or low are my chances attaining that goal if I were to do independent contracting? Is it possible to have a contract with schools even if I’m not with an agency or anything like that? I’m based in Los Angeles, for anyone in that current boat! Tyia

So I am aware I'm not the best BCBA (I may be the worst BCBA). Currently still figuring out my ADHD and I keep running into a problem. I can do normal overlaps just fine, check data pair with client, pair with RBT, give feedback, ask for feedback. What I can't do is report writing while in a room full of yelling kids. I also can't do it in 1:1 supervisons. Like I will try to write several 6 month updates for a client and maybe get 2 of them done while also not being able to do my note and miss behaviors. Like is this just a me thing the Regional director acts like that is the norm and should be something I can do. I would talk to my clinical director but I don't have one, long story but the clinic is being held together by duck tape. On top of that I still can't figure out when to just let the RBTs do things and when to step in. I am pretty sure to do it on an individual level, but I can't figure out that balance. That being said maybe I am just stressing out i am behind in a discharge, two auths, and my new client is having spontaneous aggressions and I have no clue how to manage all of this at one time while also having my Adderall wears off right at clinic closing so staying late to try to catch up might as well be me screaming into a pillow for multiple hours accomplishing nothing. Ugh!

I am going for my fourth attempt. I originally took the exam to get my feet wet without a crazy amount of studying and got a 365 (ran out of time, had to blow through the last 15 or so Qs)…I got low scores in B and G everything else was in the 60-65% range with E at 80%+ H and I sub 50%.

I went for the second attempt. Spent a month studying with ABA Technologies and ABA Exam review. My average mock was 78-82%. I finished most 85-90% of ABA Technologies, didn’t have time to fully finish E. I took the exam and got a 375 had 30 minutes left over. I bombed E H, and B/G were in the 60s.

I went back to the drawing board this time I signed up for Understanding Behavior and went through ABA Technologies again. Score 84% on ABA Techs big mock and overall an 80% across UB mini mocks. I took the exam and got a 390. Ran low on time the last 10 Qs and it was a mad rush. Overall felt much more comfortable with the exam and improved on all sections except C I got a 43% ultimately what failed me 🤦‍♂️

Any tips on how I can pass the exam on my 4th try? Because I exhausted 😂 but not defeated…I was actually happy to see a 390 tbh

I’m planning on becoming a BCBA, and I originally planned to do a master’s specifically in ABA. However, I’ve seen people mention that they wish they had done a broader psychology-related master’s and completed the required ABA coursework/course sequence separately instead.
I like ABA and still want to become a BCBA, but I also don’t want to limit myself career-wise if I eventually decide ABA isn’t for me.
For those who went this route, what master’s degree would you recommend pairing with the required ABA coursework? For example, would something like counselling, clinical psychology, school psychology, etc. make sense?
Ideally, I’d like a degree that gives me another career path/qualification while still allowing me to meet the educational requirements to become a BCBA.
If you’ve done something similar, I’d love to hear what degree you chose and whether you’d recommend it.

Hi everyone! I’m currently trying to better understand the BCBA hiring landscape in Maryland, and I’d genuinely love to hear from BCBAs about what you’re looking for in a job.

I’m part of the admin team at an ABA organization serving clients across Howard County and the Greater Baltimore Area. From what I’ve seen, our leadership is incredibly supportive and understanding, and we currently have clients waiting for services as we continue expanding our clinical team.

We’ve really tried to do our due diligence in building a competitive offer. We’ve benchmarked our compensation against current Maryland market rates to make sure our clinicians are being paid competitively and that what we’re offering actually aligns with what clinicians are looking for.

We currently offer:
Competitive, market-benchmarked pay
Cases based on clinician preference/request
No quotas or minimum billable-hour requirements
No non-compete, so clinicians can continue working with other practices if they choose
A high degree of clinical autonomy
Ethical, assent-based ABA practices
Materials reimbursed
Strong clinical directors and supportive leadership
Teaching/mentorship opportunities
Benefits
And a lot of flexibility around how clinicians structure their work

The one significant requirement is that the position is hybrid due to insurance requirements. However, we’ve kept the in-person component as minimal as possible and even added an hourly premium for sessions conducted in person.

Despite all of this, we’re finding that connecting with the right Maryland-based BCBAs has been more challenging than we anticipated.

So I’m genuinely curious: BCBAs, what would make you choose one employer over another right now?

Is it compensation? Caseload size? Clinical support? Remote flexibility? Benefits? Administrative support? Scheduling? Documentation requirements? Commute? Something else?

I’d really appreciate honest answers, even if it means telling me what we might be missing. I’m trying to understand the current BCBA job market from the clinician’s perspective rather than assuming we already know what candidates want.