Examining trends in certification examination pass rates across 8 years of behavior analyst certification board-published data.

Abstract

Pass rates on the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) examination are one objective, salient indicator of graduate program quality. The current study analyzed relations between pass rates and program characteristics, including program mode and number of first-time candidates, across 8 years (2014-2021) of BACB-published data, with a focus on trends over time. These analyses revealed that pass rates across all program modes remained relatively stable across the 8-year period, while the number of programs reporting pass rate data and number of first-time candidates showed varied trends based on program mode. Statistical analyses revealed findings consistent with those of previous research, with campus programs averaging higher pass rates than online programs and online programs averaging more first-time candidates than campus programs. Implications and directions for future research are discussed in the context of evolving certification requirements and varied indicators of program quality.