RBT Training Pass Rates Range From 8% to 100%, BACB Data Show

Where the 51 Providers Landed

LITTLETON, COLORADO – 3 of the 37 first-time candidates who listed José María Vargas University as their 40-hour training provider passed the RBT exam. In contrast, all 18 candidates from Northern Michigan University’s Bear Center passed. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board released these numbers on May 12, along with pass rates for 49 other training providers.

The report, now in its fourth year, includes every public training program with at least 10 first-time RBT exam candidates in 2025, for a total of 51 providers. These programs trained 71,555 of the 109,341 first-time test-takers. Overall, 75% passed on their first try, while those who retested passed at 38%.

Provider pass rates ranged from 8.1% to 100%. Both the Bear Center and the Center for Behavior Analysis at the University of West Florida had perfect rates, passing all their candidates. José María Vargas University had the lowest rate at 8.1%, followed by Power In-Service Training Center at 17.7% and Child Hope Center at 21.4%.

Completing a 40-hour training is required before taking the exam. The report gives a provider-level breakdown of these trainings, which support the BACB’s largest credential. By the end of 2025, there were 246,109 certified RBTs, up from 196,579 the previous year, according to the board’s annual report.

Four Companies, Half the Market

Relias trained the most first-time candidates in 2025, with 19,418 and an 80.4% pass rate. This was more than double its 2024 number of 9,166. CentralReach had 13,705 candidates and a 79.6% pass rate, Autism Partnership Foundation (APF) had 13,456 and 61.2%, and Rethink had 10,690 and 81.1%.

Together, these four companies trained 57,269 first-time candidates, accounting for 52% of all first-time exam-takers in 2025, according to BreakingNewsABA’s analysis. None had a pass rate above 82%.

The nine programs at 90% or higher trained 1,245 candidates in 2025.

Rates of 90% or higher exist but only on a small scale. Nine providers hit the mark, and their combined 1,245 candidates amount to fewer than 2% of the report’s total. Behavior Development Solutions was the only one with more than 200 candidates, passing 863 of 923 (93.5%). The rest were mostly universities and small programs: Ivy Tech Community College at 96.2%, Mississippi State University at 94.7%, and the University of South Florida at 90.2% on 163 candidates.

Florida Tech/ABA Technologies was the only program above 1,000 candidates in the mid-80s, at 86.3% of 1,074.

The Free Training’s Slide

APF stands out among the largest training providers. Its 40-hour course is free, and by early 2024 it had attracted over 530,000 sign-ups worldwide. BACB data shows APF’s first-time pass rate dropped each year: 77.6% in 2022, 63.3% in 2024, and 61.2% in 2025. In 2025, 5,220 of APF’s 13,456 candidates did not pass on their first try, showing the downward trend continues.

APF also lost its position as the largest trainer. It led the report in 2022, 2023, and 2024, but Relias surpassed it in 2025.

Lower on the list, ABA 4 LOVE had a 36.7% pass rate with 1,201 candidates, making it the largest of the 13 providers with rates below 50%. Its candidate numbers grew from 83 in 2022 (with a 26.5% pass rate) to 927 in 2024 and 1,201 in 2025, but its pass rate never reached 40%. José María Vargas University dropped from 23.3% in 2024 to 8.1%.

What the Report Does Not Measure

The BACB notes two important caveats. The data are based on provider names entered by RBT applicants, which may not match official records. Candidates may not have applied for certification and taken the exam in the same year. This means a 2025 pass rate could include people who trained in 2024. If a candidate enters the wrong provider name, the result is assigned to a program that did not train them. These factors limit how much can be inferred from the numbers.

The report does not account for differences in who enrolls. A low pass rate may reflect the types of candidates a program attracts as much as the quality of its instruction. For example, a free, open-access course, an employer-assigned module, and a university practicum are likely to draw different groups of candidates, making direct comparisons difficult.

The number of first-time candidates increased from 58,322 in 2022 to 109,341 in 2025, while the overall first-time pass rate dropped from 77% to 75%, according to BACB data. The exam has 85 questions and is taken in person at Pearson VUE testing sites, with a 90-minute time limit.

The 2025 data are the last from a full year before the BACB’s new RBT requirements began on January 1, 2026. These changes moved the 40-hour training to the 3rd edition Test Content Outline and introduced a new exam, as BreakingNewsABA reported in May. The next report is expected in spring 2027 if the board stays on schedule; it has released a report every year since 2022. According to the board’s own note, some candidates in the next edition will have trained under the old requirements.

AT A GLANCE

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