BCBA Exam: The 9 Domains (6th Edition TCO)
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board® 6th Edition Test Content Outline (TCO) organizes candidate competency into 9 domains. Explore free questions, concept summaries, and traps for each domain below:
Browse All 9 BCBA Domains
Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations
Domain A tests radical behaviorism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony, pragmatism, philosophic doubt, and distinguishing selectionism (phylogenic, ontogenic, cultural) from mentalistic explanations.
Concepts and Principles
Domain B tests foundational operant and respondent conditioning principles: positive/negative reinforcement, positive/negative punishment, automatic reinforcement, stimulus control, MO vs. SD, extinction, schedules of reinforcement, and stimulus equivalence.
Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation
Domain C tests continuous measurement (count, rate, duration, latency, IRT), discontinuous measurement (partial interval, whole interval, momentary time sampling, PLACHECK), IOA calculations, and visual data analysis.
Experimental Design
Domain D covers single-case experimental designs: reversal (ABAB), multiple baseline across subjects/settings/behaviors, alternating treatments (multi-element), changing criterion, component analysis, and parametric analysis.
Ethical and Professional Issues
Domain E evaluates the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts: client advocacy, consent, confidentiality, conflict of interest, multiple relationships, supervisory duties, and scope of competence.
Behavior Assessment
Domain F covers functional behavior assessments: indirect assessments, direct descriptive assessments (ABC data, scatterplots), and functional analyses (analog conditions: play/control, attention, demand/escape, alone/automatic).
Behavior-Change Procedures
Domain G covers intervention procedures: differential reinforcement (DRA, DRO, DRI, DRL), shaping, chaining (forward, backward, total-task), prompting and fading, token economies, contingency contracts, and group contingencies.
Selecting and Implementing Interventions
Domain H covers clinical decision making: selecting socially valid goals, fading treatments, training caregivers and stakeholders, monitoring treatment fidelity, and planning for stimulus generalization and response maintenance.
Personnel Supervision and Management
Domain I covers supervisory competency: establishing performance expectations, objective monitoring of supervisees and RBTs, delivering constructive feedback, evaluating supervisor effectiveness, and adhering to BACB supervision requirements.
Official 6th Edition Question Distribution
| Domain | Title | Weight (%) | Scored Qs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain A | Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations | 5% | 8 |
| Domain B | Concepts and Principles | 14% | 24 |
| Domain C | Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation | 12% | 21 |
| Domain D | Experimental Design | 7% | 13 |
| Domain E | Ethical and Professional Issues | 13% | 22 |
| Domain F | Behavior Assessment | 13% | 23 |
| Domain G | Behavior-Change Procedures | 14% | 25 |
| Domain H | Selecting and Implementing Interventions | 11% | 20 |
| Domain I | Personnel Supervision and Management | 11% | 19 |
| Total Scored Questions (Excluding 10 Pilot Items) | 100% | 175 Q | |