Are you feeling nervous about the updates to the 6th Edition Test Content Outline? Don't be. We're here to break down the changes-- they're not as scary as they seem.
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) has made significant updates as the BCBA certification exam transitions from the 5th Edition Task List to the 6th Edition Test Content Outline (TCO). These changes reflect a growing focus on cultural humility, equity, and the evolution of the behavior analysis field.
Here's an overview of the most notable updates, drawing directly from the BACB’s® February 2022 Newsletter and other resources.
The BACB periodically updates its exam content to ensure it stays relevant to modern practice. This update, driven by a Job Task Analysis (JTA) conducted in 2021, was guided by several principles:
One of the most visible changes is the shift from the Task List (5th Edition) to the Test Content Outline (TCO) (6th Edition). While the Task List took on extra (unintended) functions as curricula for fieldwork and coursework, the name change to Test Content Outline is intended to clarify that it is strictly a blueprint for examination content.
While it may assist with developing supervision and coursework goals and content, it is not intended as an all-encompassing curriculum.
A number of new tasks were added, while 9 were removed. In addition to additions and removals, some tasks were restructured and combined into others, while some tasks were broken down into multiple tasks.
For example, 5th Edition Task List item B-5 Define and provide examples of schedules of reinforcement was broken into two separate items in the 6th Edition Test Content Outline: B.9. Identify and distinguish among simple schedules of reinforcement and B.10. Identify and distinguish among concurrent, multiple, mixed, and chained schedules of reinforcement.
Overall, there are 12 more tasks (104 total) in the 6th Edition Test Content Outline compared to the 5th Edition Task List (92 total).
| 5th Edition | 6th Edition | |
| Title | Task List | Test Content Outline |
| Groups of Tasks | Section | Domain |
| Number of Tasks | 92 | 104 |
| # of Questions on the Exam | 175 | 175 |
It's important to note that Sections are now called Domains. However, the overall content that each Domain represents are mostly unchanged.
Two of the nine domains have new titles, but the rest remain the same.
Some areas had a net increase in task list items (I'm looking at you, Domain B), while others had a slight reduction. This does not mean that they're covered more heavily on the exam, though. Here is a breakdown of the overall changes in task number by Domain:
| Section → Domain | 5th Edition | 6th Edition |
| A. Philosophical Underpinnings → Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations | 5 | 5 |
| B. Concepts & Principles | 15 | 24 |
| C. Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation | 11 | 12 |
| D. Experimental Design | 12 | 13 |
| E. Ethics → Ethical and Professional Issues | 7 | 12 |
| F. Behavior Assessment | 9 | 8 |
| G. Behavior-Change Procedures | 22 | 19 |
| H. Selecting and Implementing Interventions | 9 | 8 |
| I. Personnel Supervision and Management | 9 | 8 |
The total number of questions on the exam (175 with 10 additional pilot questions) remains unchanged.
| Section → Domain | 5th Edition | 6th Edition |
| A. Philosophical Underpinnings → Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations | 6 3% |
8 5% |
| B. Concepts & Principles | 32 18% |
24 14% |
| C. Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation | 21 12% |
21 12% |
| D. Experimental Design | 12 7% |
13 7% |
| E. Ethics → Ethical and Professional Issues | 18 10% |
22 13% |
| F. Behavior Assessment | 18 10% |
23 13% |
| G. Behavior-Change Procedures | 35 20% |
25 14% |
| H. Selecting and Implementing Interventions | 16 9% |
20 11% |
| I. Personnel Supervision and Management | 17 10% |
19 11% |
The following are now weighed more heavily on the exam than in the past:
While these Domains are weighed less heavily than in the past:
Make sure you're going beyond the Task List (now TCO) when supervising. The TCO is not meant to be a curriculum.
While we have aligned our own supervision curriculum to cover all of the items in the TCO, we do not go in order and we do not only cover the items. We also make sure that the items are being applied to actual practice-based competencies.
For example, we include topics like therapeutic relationships even though they're not explicitly addressed in the TCO because they are still an essential skill for BCBAs®. We also look at competencies that combine multiple tasks. For example, designing data collection systems involves multiple tasks from sections C. and H.
If you have a trainee who is testing soon, work with them to assess their skills related to each item to determine where to focus their study efforts.
Look at past assessment data (e.g. Mock Exams) to determine your areas of strength and weakness. Map these to the 6th Edition tasks to determine where to focus your efforts.
If you studied the 5th edition, but will be testing under the 6th, you can use a detailed crosswalk (like ours) to see how your current skills and gaps map to 6th Edition competencies.
Download our 5th to 6th Edition Guide for a detailed crosswalk of changes. We've broken things down by Domain (items added, removed, summaries of changes) as well as by each individual item for each Domain.