BCBA® Exam Practice Questions – BCBA® Mock Exam
By BCBA Mock Exam
12 BCBA® practice questions (mini mock)
Instructions: Choose the best answer (A–D). Then check the answer key and read the explanation.
Question 1
A learner completes independent math problems. After each correct response, the therapist adds a token to a token board. When the learner earns 10 tokens, they exchange them for 5 minutes of a preferred game. Over sessions, independent responding increases.
A. Positive punishment
B. Negative punishment
C. Positive reinforcement
D. Negative reinforcement
Question 2
A student complains loudly when given a long worksheet. Staff remove the worksheet and tell the student to “take a break.” Over time, the student complains sooner and more often when worksheets appear.
A. Positive reinforcement of complaining
B. Negative reinforcement of complaining
C. Positive punishment of complaining
D. Negative punishment of complaining
Question 3
A driver hears a loud seatbelt alarm. The driver buckles the seatbelt and the alarm stops. In the future, the driver buckles quickly to stop the sound.
A. Positive reinforcement
B. Negative reinforcement
C. Positive punishment
D. Extinction
Question 4
A client requests a break appropriately (“Can I have a break?”). The therapist pauses a difficult task for 30 seconds. Over time, break requests increase and aggression decreases.
A. Negative reinforcement for break requesting
B. Positive punishment for aggression
C. Negative punishment for aggression
D. Response cost
Question 5
A teacher removes one token each time a student talks out of turn. The student’s talking out decreases over time.
A. Positive reinforcement
B. Negative reinforcement
C. Negative punishment
D. Positive punishment
Question 6
A BCBA wants to strengthen hand-raising while reducing shouting. The BCBA provides attention only for hand-raising and withholds attention for shouting. Shouting decreases; hand-raising increases.
A. Noncontingent reinforcement
B. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA)
C. Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)
D. Response blocking
Question 7
A learner is taught to complete tasks with fewer prompts over time. Reinforcement begins after every correct response and later shifts to reinforcement after an average of 3 correct responses.
A. Continuous → intermittent reinforcement (thinning)
B. Intermittent → continuous reinforcement
C. Extinction
D. Punishment schedule thinning
Question 8
A reinforcer stops working. The BCBA runs a brief preference check and discovers the learner now prefers a different activity. After switching, responding increases again.
A. The original item was never a reinforcer
B. Motivating operations likely changed
C. The behavior is automatically reinforced
D. The client is engaging in avoidance
Question 9
A parent says, “If I give praise, that’s bribery.” Which response best matches ABA definitions?
A. “Praise is always bribery.”
B. “If you give anything after behavior, it is reinforcement.”
C. “It is reinforcement only if behavior becomes more likely in the future.”
D. “Reinforcement and punishment are the same in ABA.”
Question 10
A BCBA is reviewing a plan that delivers a snack after correct responding, but correct responding does not increase across sessions. Which is most accurate?
A. This is positive reinforcement
B. This is negative reinforcement
C. This is not reinforcement because behavior did not increase
D. This is automatically positive punishment
Question 11
A learner engages in task refusal. The BCBA breaks tasks into smaller steps, reinforces completion of easier steps, and gradually increases difficulty as success grows.
A. Shaping with task adjustments
B. Flooding
C. Overcorrection
D. Contingency contract only
Question 12
When analyzing an exam stem, what is the most reliable first question to avoid reinforcement/punishment confusion?
A. “Does the consequence look nice?”
B. “What does the caregiver prefer?”
C. “What happens to the behavior over time?”
D. “Is it labeled as punishment?
Answer key + explanations
Q1: C (Positive reinforcement).
Tokens are added after correct responses and responding increases. Tokens can function as conditioned reinforcers bridging time until a larger reinforcer is delivered.
Q2: B (Negative reinforcement of complaining).
The worksheet (aversive demand) is removed after complaining, and the behavior increases. That is escape-maintained behavior strengthened by negative reinforcement.
Q3: B (Negative reinforcement).
Buckling removes an aversive stimulus (alarm), and buckling increases in the future.
Q4: A (Negative reinforcement for requesting).
The task stops briefly after the appropriate request, and requesting increases. This is a common ethical move: attach escape to a safer replacement behavior.
Q5: C (Negative punishment).
Tokens are removed contingent on talking out; the behavior decreases. The key is the behavior trend: decreasing = punishment.
Q6: B (DRA).
You reinforced an alternative response (hand-raising) and withheld attention for shouting. This is a classic reinforcement-based replacement strategy.
Q7: A (Thinning from continuous to intermittent).
Moving from reinforcement after every correct response to an average of 3 correct responses is schedule thinning, often used to build maintenance and generalization.
Q8: B (Motivating operations likely changed).
When preference changes, reinforcer effectiveness changes. That’s why meaningful reinforcers and quick preference checks matter.
Q9: C.
Reinforcement is defined by its effect: the behavior must become more likely in the future. If behavior does not increase, it’s not reinforcement—even if you delivered praise or a snack.
Q10: C.
Same principle: if the behavior does not become more likely, it is not reinforcement by definition.
Q11: A.
Breaking tasks into smaller steps and reinforcing approximations is a common, practical way to build success while increasing difficulty gradually.
Q12: C.
This is the “anti-trap” question the exam rewards: focus on what happens to the behavior over time, then label the procedure.
