ABAT® Certification

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Applied Behavior Analysis Technician® (ABAT®) Requirements & Procedures

Table of Contents

In order for a candidate to be eligible for the ABAT credential, they must meet all requirements and understand the following:

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Possess a minimum of a high school diploma or national equivalent
  • Must have completed 40 hours of approved assessment-based ABA coursework (including 3 hours in Ethics and 5 hours in Autism Core Knowledge)
  • Training must be completed within 5 years unless otherwise specified
  • Training must be developed or delivered by a master’s level licensed professional within the scope of ABA and autism
  • 15 hours of supervised fieldwork
  • Recommendation from their supervisor
  • Criminal background check conducted by the QABA Board through our 3rd-party background check provider, or evidence from an employer that there has been no change in status since the last background check was completed
  • Successful passing of accredited exam proctored by Examity
  • Agree to the QABA Code of Ethics and all renewal requirements
  • All eligibility criteria will be reviewed by the QABA Board before formal credentialing
  • Placement on our public registry
  • Renewed every 2 years

Work experience requirement

15 hours of supervised fieldwork must be completed to finalize the ABAT credential. The supervisor verifying your fieldwork will be required to do so using the online verification system to acknowledge that all credentials and all requirements of the supervised fieldwork have been met. Supervisors will need to be in a position to verify 1 (one) hour of supervision for every 10 hours of independent supervised fieldwork.

Candidates must be enrolled in the related coursework before the supervision hours begin.

Data collection

  • Demonstrate understanding of continuous data collection techniques such as frequency recording, episodic severity and duration recording
  • Demonstrate understanding of discontinuous data collection techniques, such as momentary time sampling and partial interval recording
  • Demonstrate how graphs are used in behavioral support

Implementation of behavior support and skill acquisition plans

  • Implement strategies to overcome skill and performance deficits
  • Implement naturalistic teaching methods
  • Demonstrate the steps in preparation for a session

Principles of effective work with autism spectrum disorders

Identify the different sources of sensory information

  • Explain the impact of different sensory challenges for people with autism
  • Identify events that may increase anxiety for people with autism, and techniques they can use to manage the anxiety
  • Define restrictive problem solving
  • Evaluate the validity of different biomedical approaches to mitigate the effects of autism
  • Identify appropriate indicators used to signify transitioning
  • Identify ways to enable smooth transitions between activities
  • Explain what visual supports are and how they are used
  • Demonstrate understanding of the goal of visual supports
  • Identify the different types of cards used and the purpose of each

Treating individuals with challenging behaviors

  • Identify and evaluate the concepts of proactive and reactive models of behavior support
  • Identify the phases of behavior
  • Describe the role of the ABAT during any of the phases of behavior
  • Explain the concept of episodic severity and apply these skills to a scenario
  • Identify primary and secondary reinforcement
  • Demonstrate understanding of implementing different types of reinforcement
  • Demonstrate understanding of a 3-part contingency

Fieldwork hours that will not count as supervised hours

  • Participation in meetings that are not specific to the person-centered planning process
  • Implementation of plans outside of evidenced-based practice
  • Documentation other than data collection, progress notes, graphs, and other necessary paperwork related to the person-centered planning process

Purpose of supervision

  • Demonstration of skills related to observation and measurement of behaviors and skills acquisition
  • Demonstration of an understanding of advocacy, professionalism and ethical behavior
  • Demonstration of a working knowledge of the mechanisms and strategies for effectively supporting and assisting with skill/behavior development in individuals diagnosed with autism.
  • Demonstration of an understanding of implementation strategies such as:
    • task analyzed chaining procedures
    • discrimination training
    • transfer of stimulus control
    • stimulus fading
    • prompt and prompt fading
  • Implementation of ABA treatment options that will best provide alternative ways of communicating his/her needs in appropriate, non-challenging ways.
  • Demonstration of a working knowledge of applying the principles of non-aversive treatment models ahead of aversive options
  • Demonstration of a working knowledge of how to use discrete trial teaching (DTT) when teaching individuals new skills, behaviors and competencies.
  • Demonstration of working knowledge and application of PRT as an integral part of a multi-elemented ABA treatment plan.
  • Demonstration of working knowledge of the functional analysis as an integral element of the behavior analysis process.

Each Applied Behavior Analysis Technician (ABAT) is required to meet with his/her supervisor for 5% of the time they provide direct services to a client, every 30-day period. The 5% supervision may be performed remotely, using software that meets privacy requirements such as HIPAA-compliant video conferencing program; however, one of the contacts must be in-person or live via video conferencing for a minimum of 1 (one) hour.

QABA requires one professional recommendation which focuses on your qualifications and experience working with and supporting individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. You may choose which evaluator, supervisor or administrator provides the recommendation.

Candidates must agree to the following:

  • Government issued photo ID
  • Certificate of completion for 40 hours of ABAT coursework
  • Current background check or background attestation form signed by your employer/supervisor
  • Submission of your supervisor’s name and email address. An electronic form to verify fieldwork hours will be emailed to your supervisor.
  • Submission of your supervisor/evaluator/administrator’s name and email address. An electronic form will be emailed to your supervisor to complete the recommendation form.

Prior to accessing the ABAT examination, coursework and training requirements, recommendation, fieldwork and supervision requirements will need to be completed, verified, and approved through the online process. In some cases, the ABAT exam may be taken before the fieldwork is completed; however, the credential will not be finalized until all fieldwork requirements are satisfied. The “cut score” or “pass point” for the ABAT examination is 72%. Click HERE to find out more information about how our exams work.

Allotted Time

Two (2) hours to complete.

If you require more time to take the exam due to a disability, please complete the Exam Accommodations application.

The ABAT examination consists of 125 questions. 100 of the questions are live and scored, while 25 of the questions (pre-test questions) are not scored. The unscored questions will not be marked, so it is very important to answer all 125 questions to the best of your ability.

Unlike scored live exam questions, unscored pre-test questions are newly-created pilot questions that provide helpful information regarding difficulty level and overall question quality. Pre-test questions are not used for scoring purposes; instead, they are analyzed for psychometric performance and provide verification that newly developed questions are performing acceptably within defined parameters prior to implementation as live exam questions.

Exam Description

The ABAT examination consists of 125 questions. 100 of the questions are live and scored, while 25 of the questions (pre-test questions) are not scored. The unscored questions will not be marked, so it is very important to answer all 125 questions to the best of your ability.

Unlike scored live exam questions, unscored pre-test questions are newly-created pilot questions that provide helpful information regarding difficulty level and overall question quality. Pre-test questions are not used for scoring purposes; instead, they are analyzed for psychometric performance and provide verification that newly developed questions are performing acceptably within defined parameters prior to implementation as live exam questions.

Cost

The cost of the ABAT certification is $125 USD, which does not include the cost of the retake fee should you fail the exam. Discounted pricing is available for those residing in developing countries with evidence of residency.

Retake

  • Candidates who fail the ABAT exam on their first attempt may schedule a second attempt immediately after the first attempt.
  • If an applicant fails to pass the ABAT on the second attempt, a third exam may be scheduled 30 days after the second exam attempt.
  • If needed, 30 days must elapse between a third and fourth exam attempt. Candidates may not test more often than 4 times within one calendar year of their first exam attempt.

Click HERE to find out more information of the retake fees. See if you qualify for discounted pricing for residents of developing countries.

Renewal

To maintain your ABAT certification, you are required to renew every 2 years and complete at least 12 CEUs. Click HERE to find out more information of the renewal process.

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Examination Development for the Applied Behavior Analysis Technician (ABAT)

The Job Task Analysis (JTA) serves as the primary method for developing rigorous examinations for the Applied Behavior Analysis Technician (ABAT). This process includes the following key steps:

1. Draft Competency Standards Development: Initially, a draft task list is created based on comprehensive research and input from subject matter experts (SMEs) in the field of behavior analysis.

2. Content-Validation Survey: A content-validation survey is conducted among active behavior analysis certificants from an accredited certifying entity in the relevant profession of applied behavior analysis (ABA). This survey ensures that the tasks identified in the draft task list are relevant and comprehensive for ABATs.

3. New Examination Blueprint: Using the feedback gathered from the content-validation survey, a new examination blueprint (also known as competency standards, a task list, or test content outline) is developed. This blueprint specifies the domains and specific tasks that ABAT candidates must demonstrate proficiency in.

The examination for ABATs is periodically updated to reflect the latest advancements and best practices in applied behavior analysis, ensuring that certified technicians are well-prepared to provide effective behavior analytic services under the supervision of qualified professionals. This is determined by QABA’s Exam Committee, consisting of SMEs.

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