Qualified Behavior Analyst (QBA) Requirements

In order for a candidate to be eligible for our QBA credential, they must meet the following requirements:

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Possess a minimum of a master’s or higher degree from an accredited university for higher education (QABA uses primary source verification of coursework and degrees)
  • Must have completed 270 Hours of approved coursework (ABA, psychology, special education, or a related field) or 18 semester credit units, including 20 hours of supervision and training coursework (master’s degree in ABA, Psychology, Special education, or a related field). Minimum of 20 hours of coursework must be in ethics and minimum of 20 hours in autism core knowledge.
  • 1500 hours of supervised fieldwork with a minimum of 900 hours in the role of a supervisor or program development. Duties include, but not limited to conducting FBA, reviewing data, training staff or parents, advocating at team meetings. Up to 600 hours can be done as 1:1 direct care provider, but direct care hours are not necessary in the 1500-hour total fieldwork requirement.
  • Recommendation from one evaluator/supervisor/administrator of choice. Recommendation must include your qualifications and experience working with individuals diagnosed with autism and related disabilities.
  • 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 our QABA Code of Ethics and renewal requirements
  • Final review of all eligibility criteria by the QABA Board committee meeting before formal credentialing
  • Placement on public registry
  • Renewed every 2 years

Work Experience Requirement

1500 hours of Supervised Fieldwork after January 1, 2022. The supervisor verifying your fieldwork will be required to do so using the online verification system acknowledging their credentials and checking off each of the requirements of supervised fieldwork. Candidates must be enrolled in the related coursework before the supervised coursework hours. Up to 50% of supervision hours may occur in a group setting.

Each QBA candidate is required to meet with his/her supervisor for 5% of the time they provide direct services to a client, every 90-day period. The 5% supervision can be done remotely, using a HIPAA-compliant video conferencing program; however, one of the contacts must be in-person or live via HIPAA-compliant video conferencing for a minimum of 1 (one) hour.

Valid Supervisors include:

  • QBA®
  • Certified Behavior Analyst from an accredited certifying body
  • A licensed practitioner within the scope of ABA, state licensed practitioner within the scope of ABA (e.g., Licensed Behavior Analyst, a licensed psychologist who is certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology who was tested in ABA)

Once the QBA candidate has passed the exam, they are an independent practitioner and no longer require supervision.

Supervision activities may include the following:

  • Performing assessments such as functional assessment, preference assessment, staff performance assessment; or assessments used for evaluating behavior intervention and person-centered planning
  • Implementing and comprehensively monitoring skill-acquisition and behavior reduction programs through data collection
  • Creating behavior and/or treatment plans, clinic notes, progress reports, etc.
  • Creating treatment plans which address skill deficits
  • Attending planning meetings regarding the behavior analytic program and person-centered planning, and talking to individuals about the program
  • Collecting data for the assessments related to the need for behavior intervention
  • Training others, designing behavior plans, performance management
  • Overseeing the implementation of behavior analytic programs
  • Communication with stakeholders, parents and/or caregivers, and other professionals
  • Review of peer reviewed research which directly corresponds with client treatment

Fieldwork hours that will NOT count as supervised hours include:

  • Participating in meetings that are not specific to the person-centered planning process
  • Implementation of plans that are not based in evidenced based practice
  • Documentation other than data collection, progress notes, graphs, and other necessary paperwork related to the person-centered planning process
  • Clerical or administrative work such as filing client forms, entering client claim information, etc.

Recommendation

One professional recommendation is required – one from your evaluator/supervisor/administrator of choice focusing on your qualifications and experience working with and supporting individuals diagnosed with autism.

Eligibility Agreement

You will be required to agree to the eligibility agreement which includes:

Enrollment Application Requirements

  • Government issued photo ID
  • Certificate of completion for 270 hours of QBA coursework from a pre-approved coursework provider; or the completed QBA Competencies Worksheet along with your university transcripts from an accredited university for higher education
  • Current background check or background attestation form signed by your employer/supervisor
  • Copy of your master’s degree diploma or the equivalent
  • 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.

Examination

Prior to accessing the examination, coursework and training requirements, recommendation, fieldwork and supervision requirements will need to be completed, verified, and approved through the online process. Click Here to find out more information about how our exams work.

Allotted Time

Candidates are given three (3) hours to complete the exam. If you require more time to take the exam due to a disability, please complete the EXAM ACCOMMODATIONS application.

Exam Description:

The examination consists of 125 questions. 100 questions are live and scored, while 25 of the questions (pretest 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 pretest questions are newly created pilot questions that provide helpful information regarding difficulty level and overall question quality. Pretest 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 be being implemented as live exam questions.

Cost

The Cost of the QBA certification is $350 USD, which does not include the cost of the retake fee should you fail the exam. See if you qualify for discounted pricing for residents of developing countries.

Retake

  • If an applicant fails to pass the QBA exam, they may schedule to retake the exam after 30 days.
  • If a fourth attempt is needed, 30 days must elapse between the 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. Discounted pricing available for those residing in developing countries.

Renewal

To maintain your certification, you are required to renew every 2 years and complete at least 32 CEUs. Click HERE to find out more information of the renewal process.

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