Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please read the FAQs on the BACB  website in addition to those below. On the website, click “Become Certified” and then click “Application FAQ” under BCBA.

Are there plans to supervised experience for BCBA certification through UBC?

Not at the present time. UBC faculty who are BCBAs do not have the time to provide supervision to students other than those who conduct ABA-based research at UBC. Most students meet the BACB experience requirement by working with other individuals who are BCBAs and agree to act as supervisors. You can download a list of potential supervisors here; this list is updated after every BCBA exam.

Are there plans to offer courses that meet the requirements for BCABA?

No: at this time, we do not have the resources to develop and teach the three required BCABA courses at UBC.

Can I take one or more of  the BCBA courses as an unclassified student but not get a Masters degree?

Yes, you can, if you already have a Bachelor degree and if your goal is simply to increase your knowledge in behavior analysis. However, the BACB requires a Masters or higher degree in order to take the BCBA exam -- and without passing the exam, you cannot claim to be a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. In other words, simply taking one or more of the courses will not give you any “official” certification, status, endorsement, or credential, and it would be unethical for you to imply otherwise. In addition, it is important to note that the cost of enrolling in all five BACB-approved courses as an unclassified student is very similar to the cost of completing a Masters program over more than one year (most students who are working require 18-24 months). Thus, there is no financial benefit in taking the courses without the Masters degree, if you do not already have one.

If I enroll in a UBC graduate program and take the courses required for the BCBA examination, will my degree be in Applied Behavior Analysis?

No, it will not. As a UBC graduate student, you may enroll in the five BACB-approved courses, but UBC does not offer an “official” ABA graduate program at this time. Your degree will be in the graduate program at UBC into which you are accepted and in which meet all coursework requirements (e.g., special education, school psychology, counseling psychology, etc.). If you want a graduate degree specifically in ABA from a Canadian university, you will need to contact the University of Manitoba

In Addition to the Five Required Courses, are any other ABA-related courses offered at UBC?

Yes, five supplemental courses are also available. All five have been approved by the BACB as partially meeting the required content requirements – so, although they cannot be substituted for the five required courses, they offer content that may help to “round out” your preparation for the BCBA examination. The five supplemental courses are offered on campus only and include:

• EPSE 534, Academic Assessment in Schools (3 credits)
• EPSE 549, Seminar in Autism (3 credits; prerequisite: EPSE 449 or permission of the instructor)
• EPSE 551, School-based Consultation (3 credits).
• EPSE 552, School-based Interventions (3 credits).
• EPSE 565B, Systems Change in Schools (3 credits).

My undergraduate grades do not meet the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirement of a minimum of 76% for 3rd and 4th year courses. Can I apply for a Masters degree anyway?

Yes, you can apply -- but your application may be rejected. UBC graduate programs have become increasingly competitive over the past few years, and even students with GPAs of 75.8% or 75.9% have difficulty being admitted into some programs. If your GPA is “close” to the 76% cut-off, you are advised to supply three excellent letters of reference from academic sources and a good explanation of why your GPA falls short, along with the other information required on the application. Even with this, there is no guarantee of admission. If you apply and are not admitted, or if your 3rd and 4th year coursework GPA is considerably less than 76%, you should consider pursuing BCABA certification instead, either by enrolling in online  courses through one of Universities in the United States that offer this option or enrolling in the program at Douglas College in BC.

I have some courses that are behavior analytic in nature from another University. Can I combine these with UBC courses to meet the coursework requirement?

If the other courses have been pre-approved by the BACB, they will probably be acceptable when you apply to take the examination.  If they have not  been pre-approved, you will need to submit course syllabi and other information to the BACB when you apply for the exam, and they will decide at that time whether or not to accept the courses. Remember that only graduate courses – not undergraduate courses – “count” toward the BCBA requirements. If you are not certain whether or not previous courses will count, you might consider taking all five of the UBC courses, just to be sure.

When and where do BACB examinations take place?

For individuals living outside of the United States, BCBA examinations are scheduled three times each year in over 150 testing sites. Beginning in 2006, the exams are administered in a computer-based testing format delivered through the Pearson VUE network of high-security, standardized testing centers. Pearson VUE is one of the largest and best-respected high-stakes certification and licensure testing organizations in the world. Once approved  by the BACB, a candidate will contact Pearson VUE and  schedule a testing appointment at their local test site during the next  two-week testing window. A computer-based testing tutorial is available on the Pearson VUE website to acquaint individuals with the on-line testing  format. For additional information, see “Exam Administrations,” and “Exam Information,” on the BACB website.

What is the BCBA examination like? Do I need to prepare for the exam?

The examination questions cover a wide range of basic and applied behavior analytic principles, techniques, research and measurement techniques, ethical issues, and other content. A new exam is created for each sitting and all questions are in a multiple choice format. The BACB  provides a “task list” of topics that will be covered, as well as information about the overall “pass rate” for each exam. They also track the “pass rate” for examinees from each University with approved coursework so that, if the rate is low compared to the overall average, faculty teaching the courses will know that they may need to be strengthened in specific areas. (The BACB does not provide information about examination scores to persons other than examinees themselves.) Although the approved UBC courses (including readings, assignments, etc.) should provide you with the information you need to take the exam, you should plan to study for it as well, just as you would for any important test. For additional information, see “Exam Content Task List” and “Exam Results Summary” on the BACB website

If you have questions about BACB  requirements or procedures, please go to the BACB website and read it thoroughly. If you still have questions after doing this, or if you have questions about the approved UBC courses or the UBC application process, please contact Pat Mirenda, the BACB Certification Contact faculty member.