10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free BCAP questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Board Certified Autism Professional blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Domain 1: Autism Spectrum Disorder (7-9%)
Question 1
A 15-year-old undergoing an autism evaluation has longstanding difficulties with reciprocal conversation, coordinating gestures with speech, and understanding friendships. No repetitive movements are observed. Childhood records describe severe distress when a bedtime sequence changed and unusually intense reactions to ordinary household sounds. These features became less visible as she developed coping strategies. How should the evaluator interpret the restricted/repetitive-behavior history?
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Correct answer: D - The history supports two distinct categories even without current motor stereotypies.
Question 2
The parents of a newly diagnosed toddler ask whether research establishes the number of weekly treatment hours their child should receive. They bring a randomized trial comparing 15 with 25 hours per week that found no overall main effect of intensity on its measured outcomes. Which response makes the most defensible use of that finding?
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Correct answer: B - Use individualized needs and measured response rather than treating either schedule as universally optimal.
Domain 2: Principles of ABA (11-13%)
Question 3
An adult at a pottery class wants paint from a jar she cannot open. She requests assistance when a volunteer displays an 'available' card; help has consistently followed requests with that card displayed, but not when it is turned over. When the jar is already open, she stops requesting help even though the card remains displayed. What distinguishes the closed jar from the card?
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Correct answer: D - The closed jar increases the value of help; the card signals its availability.
Domain 3: Treatment: Skill Acquisition (26-32%)
Question 4
During picture-identification trials, a learner accurately selects the named item while the instructor points toward it. Card positions vary. When the instructor accidentally points to a different card, the learner follows the pointing rather than the spoken instruction; without pointing, selections are inconsistent. How should the clinician revise teaching to establish control by the spoken instruction?
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Correct answer: A - Fade the pointing prompt systematically and reinforce instruction-matched selections.
Question 5
At a language probe, a clinician asks, 'What do you wear on your feet?' With no shoes or pictures visible and no model of the answer, a child says, 'Shoes,' and receives acknowledgment. Later, the clinician says, 'Shoes'; the child repeats, 'Shoes,' and again receives acknowledgment. These responses illustrate, respectively:
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Correct answer: C - An intraverbal followed by an echoic.
Question 6
A child's lunch-packing sequence is: place the container in the bag, add the bottle, close the zipper, and carry the bag to the cubby. Initially, the caregiver completes the first three steps and the child learns to carry the bag. That last step is now independent. To extend the same chaining procedure, the next teaching opportunity should have the child:
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Correct answer: A - Close the zipper, then carry the bag independently.
Domain 4: Treatment: Reduction of Problem Behavior (26-32%)
Question 7
An 8-year-old pushes worksheets off the desk. Classroom records show that adults usually reassure him afterward. In a clinician-led functional analysis with repeated, differentiated results, rates are 2.8 episodes/minute when pushing produces a work break, 0.2 when it produces attention, 0.1 when it produces a toy, and 0.1 in the play control. Which replacement-response and consequence pairing is best supported?
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Correct answer: B - A break request followed by a brief pause from work.
Question 8
Screaming that previously produced tablet access has remained near zero since a teenager learned to request a turn. Midway through a session, staff change from honoring each request to honoring only the first request after every ten-minute interval. Requests then decline and screaming returns, although screaming still does not produce access. The staff, room, and activities are unchanged. Which account most precisely explains this recurrence?
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Correct answer: A - Resurgence following a reduction in reinforcement for the alternative response.
Domain 5: Behavioral Data Collection and Analysis (5-7%)
Question 9
A progress note describes improvement because desk-hitting decreased from 18 events during a 45-minute observation to 12 events during a 15-minute observation. Both observations used the same definition and continuous event recording during comparable work activities. What correction is needed before this comparison is used in treatment planning?
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Correct answer: B - The rate doubled; the smaller event count does not demonstrate improvement.
Domain 7: Clinical Management (10-12%)
Question 10
After two new technicians take over a sorting program, independent responding declines. Direct observation shows that they implement about half of the prescribed components, often prompting too soon and delivering reinforcement late. The learner still performs well with the experienced technician, whose implementation remains accurate. No new health or safety concerns are identified. Which supervisory action should come first?
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Correct answer: C - Coach the missed components through rehearsal and feedback, then recheck implementation and outcomes.