On January 1, 2026, the BACB replaced the RBT Task List (2nd edition) with the Test Content Outline (3rd edition). Here is exactly what moved, what is new, what is gone, and how the exam weights shifted.
The short version: The 3rd edition grows from 37 to 43 tasks, renames four of the six domains, adds eight new tasks (including cultural humility and punishment procedures), removes four old tasks, and reshuffles question weights. The exam is still 75 scored questions, but behavior acquisition shrank from 32% to 25% while data collection, behavior assessment, and behavior reduction all grew.
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board revisits the RBT blueprint every several years to keep it aligned with what technicians actually do on the job. Before finalizing the 3rd edition, a committee of subject matter experts reviewed survey responses from thousands of supervisors and working RBTs. The result is a blueprint that pushes harder on three things: data literacy (can you collect clean data and read a graph?), ethical judgment (can you navigate gray areas with real clients?), and cultural responsiveness (can you recognize your own biases and adapt?). If you trained under the 2nd edition, most of your knowledge still applies, but the new tasks test skills the old outline barely touched.
The biggest cosmetic change is the vocabulary. The BACB renamed "Task List" to "Test Content Outline" and gave four domains clearer labels. The content did not just get relabeled, though. Several domains also gained or lost tasks, which changed how many exam questions each one gets.
| 2nd Edition Name | 3rd Edition Name | What Changed |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Data Collection and Graphing | Grew from 6 to 8 tasks, gained graph trend reading and data summarization |
| Assessment | Behavior Assessment | Kept 3 tasks, but question share rose from 8% to 11% |
| Skill Acquisition | Behavior Acquisition | Shrank from 12 to 11 tasks, question share fell from 32% to 25% |
| Behavior Reduction | Behavior Reduction | Name unchanged, grew from 6 to 7 tasks, question share rose to 19% |
| Documentation and Reporting | Documentation and Reporting | Name unchanged, trimmed from 5 to 4 tasks, question share steady at 13% |
| Professional Conduct and Scope of Practice | Ethics | Doubled from 5 to 10 tasks, the largest single expansion |
The exam still has 75 scored questions plus 10 unscored pilot items. What changed is where those 75 questions come from. If you studied with 2nd edition materials that told you skill acquisition was nearly a third of the test, recalibrate: it is now one quarter. The freed up questions went to data collection, behavior assessment, and behavior reduction.
| Domain (3rd edition name) | 2nd Edition Questions | 3rd Edition Questions | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Collection and Graphing | 12 (16%) | 13 (17%) | +1 |
| Behavior Assessment | 6 (8%) | 8 (11%) | +2 |
| Behavior Acquisition | 24 (32%) | 19 (25%) | -5 |
| Behavior Reduction | 12 (16%) | 14 (19%) | +2 |
| Documentation and Reporting | 10 (13%) | 10 (13%) | 0 |
| Ethics | 11 (15%) | 11 (15%) | 0 |
These are the additions that did not exist in the 2nd edition. If you are retaking the exam or bridging from old study materials, these deserve your first attention.
These 2nd edition tasks do not appear in the 3rd edition. If your study materials drill them heavily, you can deprioritize them.
Enroll in a 40-hour training built for the 2026 curriculum. Training programs must now include a certificate with specific BACB language stating the program meets the 2026 training requirement. Pre-2026 certificates are not accepted for applications submitted after December 31, 2025.
Check your application date. Candidates who applied before the cutoff could test under the 2nd edition during a transition window. Everyone else faces the 3rd edition. If that is you, focus your remaining study time on the eight new tasks, especially the ethics additions and data summarization.
You do not retake the exam because of the edition change. But note the new recertification rules: a two-year cycle with 12 professional development hours. The BACB is signaling that ongoing learning, not one-time testing, is the future of the credential.
Every FunPrep RBT product is built on the 3rd edition outline effective January 2026. Our 85-question simulator mirrors the current domain weights, our practice questions cover all 43 tasks including the eight new ones, and our study guides call out exactly which tasks are new so you never waste time on removed content. The simulator is test day; everything else is the fun part.
Our simulator uses the current domain weights and covers all 43 tasks, including the eight new ones. Find out which new tasks are tripping you up before test day.
Try the Free Practice TestJanuary 1, 2026. All RBT exams administered from that date forward are built on the 3rd edition Test Content Outline. Candidates who applied before December 31, 2025 could still test under the 2nd edition during a transition window.
The 3rd edition has 43 tasks, up from 37 in the 2nd edition. Eight new tasks were added and four were removed, with several others revised or expanded.
No. The exam still has 75 scored questions plus 10 unscored pilot items. What changed is the distribution of questions across domains, with more weight on data collection, behavior assessment, and behavior reduction, and less on behavior acquisition.
Four domains were renamed: Measurement became Data Collection and Graphing, Assessment became Behavior Assessment, Skill Acquisition became Behavior Acquisition, and Professional Conduct and Scope of Practice became Ethics. Behavior Reduction and Documentation and Reporting kept their names.
If you completed a 2nd edition based 40-hour training and apply after December 31, 2025, you will need training aligned to the 2026 curriculum. Certificates from pre-2026 courses are not accepted for applications submitted after that date.
The Ethics domain doubled from 5 tasks to 10, with new tasks on cultural humility, gift giving guidelines, and applying core ethical principles. This reflects the BACB's increased emphasis on ethical decision making in culturally diverse settings.
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