One Free BCBA Mock Exam, Big Results: How to Study Smarter in Four Weeks
- Jamie P
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
A single free BCBA mock exam can be more than a quick “check.” Used correctly, it becomes a training tool that builds speed, sharpens discriminations, and converts every mistake into future points. This four-week system shows you exactly how to squeeze real value out of one (or two) free mocks—how to time each session, analyze distractors, and run a review loop that compounds gains. You’ll also get a pacing routine to master the ~80–90 seconds per item rhythm, plus templates to track improvement without drowning in admin.
What a free mock can and can’t do
A solid mock won’t forecast your exact score, but it will:
Calibrate your timing (and reveal where you stall—graphs, ethics, supervision, or procedures).
Surface near-confounds that cause most misses (e.g., DRO vs. DRA, EO vs. SD, Type I vs. Type II errors, treatment integrity vs. social validity).
Train retrieval and discrimination under pressure—skills reading alone can’t deliver.
Build stamina so your quality holds up in the final third of the exam.
Mocks can’t study for you. The payoff comes after the test: you log each miss, write a one-line rule in your words, drill it 48 hours later, then again a week later. That loop is where points appear.
The four-week plan
This cadence assumes ~7–10 focused hours per week. Have less time? Keep the structure and trim reps; more time? Add one extra domain sprint per week.
Week 1: Baseline, setup, fast wins
Day 1: Free diagnostic mini-mock (60–80 mixed items). Take it timed, end-to-end. Capture overall accuracy, domain accuracy, and average seconds per item. Flag any item that exceeds 90 seconds—don’t dwell.
Day 2: Build your error log. Use a simple table with columns: Domain • Subtopic • Missed Stem Clue • Your One-Line Rule • Example/Non-example • New Practice Item? (Y/N) • Review Dates (2d, 7d, 14d). Log every miss and every shaky guess, even lucky corrects.
Day 3: Domain Sprint — Measurement & Graphs (40–60 items). Focus on operational definitions, choosing measures (rate vs. latency vs. duration vs. percent), and graph reading (level, trend, variability). Add your top three pain points to the log.
Day 4: Micro-drills (20–30 minutes). Create 10–15 targeted items from your log (e.g., five pairs that force NCR vs. DRO, four IOA selection scenarios, a short graph-interpretation set). Run them under a timer.
Day 5: Domain Sprint — Ethics & Supervision (30–40 items). Answer in plain language. Practice assent signals, least-restrictive steps, documentation, and supervision cadence with BST and integrity checks.
Day 6: Fast flashcards (SAFMEDS-style) — 10 minutes. Convert your worst confusions into lean prompts: front = sharp contrast or question, back = one-line rule + tiny example. Do two 1-minute timings.
Day 7: Light review or rest. Touch only the error-log entries due today (spaced repetition). Stop when done.
Week 2: First full length and the repair loop
Day 1: Full-length mock (timed, one sitting). Use a countdown clock. Pacing checkpoints: at 25%, 50%, 75%, and with 15 minutes remaining. Flag anything that crosses 90 seconds.
Day 2: Autopsy. For each miss/flag, answer three questions in your log:
Stem cue: Which single word/phrase should have guided me? (first, least restrictive, most parsimonious, safety, initial step, etc.).
Trap type: Reversed contingency? Absolute wording? Scope drift? Measurement mismatch?
Rule: One sentence, in your words, to block that trap next time.
Day 3: Domain Sprint — Behavior-Change Procedures (40–60 items). Reinforcement schedules, differential reinforcement variants, prompting/fading, extinction pitfalls, and programming for generalization/maintenance.
Day 4: Graphing mini-lab (15–20 items in ~20 minutes). Say level-trend-variability aloud in ≤10 seconds per graph, decide keep vs. change, and justify with one line.
Day 5: Ethics & Supervision mini-cases (20–30 items). Always show client-centered aim, least-restrictive viable step, and what you’ll document.
Day 6: Latency training. 2 × 15-item mixed bursts with 12 minutes each. Speed tolerance is the point.
Day 7: Review due items from your log. Rewrite any fuzzy rule shorter; add a clearer example/non-example.
Week 3: Hard discriminations, mixed pressure, pacing
Day 1: Mixed mini-mock (100 items). Four quarters of 25 items (~35–40 minutes each). Track latency drift across quarters.
Day 2: Near-confound workshop (write your own). Draft 10–15 paired items that force a choice between DRO vs. DRA, EO vs. SD, NCR vs. extinction, Type I vs. Type II errors, treatment integrity vs. social validity, functional vs. topographical definitions. Each stem 3–4 lines, one decisive cue word.
Day 3: Measurement sprint (40–60 items). Switch measures intelligently (e.g., rare/high-risk → latency over frequency; ceiling risk → rate over percent). Choose IOA methods that match dimension and risk.
Day 4: Ethics cadence drill (15–20 items). Use this skeleton: Goal → Principle in plain language → Least-restrictive step → Documentation. If a caregiver/teacher wouldn’t understand, simplify.
Day 5: Supervision drill (15–20 items). Anchor on planned cadence (not ad-hoc), BST, integrity probes, and linking staff performance to client outcomes. Keep responses measurable and auditable.
Day 6: Error-log clinic. Any rule longer than a sentence? Shorten it. Any example vague? Replace it. Convert repeat offenders into 5–10 new drills or cards.
Day 7: Recovery day or a 20-minute mixed set. Freshness beats extra cramming.
Week 4: Final full length, taper, and test-day polish
Day 1: Final full-length mock (timed). Same checkpoints; no phone; treat it like the real thing.
Day 2: Surgical autopsy. Fix only the top 10% of issues that keep recurring. Everything else can wait.
Day 3: Two weak-theme sprints (20–30 items each). Short, intense, and targeted.
Day 4: Latency polish (3 × 10 items, 12 minutes each). Write your three favorite rules at the top of your scratch page (e.g., “If rare & risky → consider latency,” “Scan for first/least restrictive,” “Eliminate scope violations first”).
Day 5: Confidence pass. Review your 10–20 golden rules—the one-liners that saved you repeatedly—and the trap patterns you’ve learned to spot.
Day 6: Light mixed set (≤20 items) or walk + sleep. No new content.
Day 7 (day before test): Pack ID, confirmation, layers, snacks/water. Do one 10-minute low-stress card shuffle, then stop.
Timing: learn the 90-second rhythm
Time debt early becomes panic late. Train this three-step routine on every practice set:
First look (≤30s): Read the stem first. Circle control words (first, best, least restrictive, safety, most parsimonious).
Commit or flag (≤90s): If you’re not ≥70% confident by 90 seconds, choose your best and flag. The goal is a clean first pass.
Return pass: Use your distractor checklist and error-log rules to break ties fast.
Distractor checklist to memorize:
Absolute language (“always,” “never”) is suspect in applied contexts.
Scope drift (asks you to act outside competence/policy).
Reversed contingency (punishment “fixes” for reinforcement problems, or vice versa).
Measurement mismatch (rare/dangerous targets → latency/duration beats frequency).
Parsimony first (fix MO/antecedents before intrusive moves—unless safety dictates otherwise).
Graph sanity (read level-trend-variability in one breath; eliminate options that contradict the picture).
Review that actually sticks
Your error log is the engine of score gains. After every practice set:
Log the miss (or shaky guess).
Write one plain-language rule.
Add a one-line example and non-example.
Schedule reviews for 2d, 7d, 14d.
Convert repeat offenders into short drills or new cards.
Kept tight, this loop turns Week-1 pain into Week-3 freebies.
Build a micro practice bank from your free mock
Even one free exam can seed dozens of high-yield items:
Rewrite distractors into new near-confounds (swap DRA with DRO, SD with EO, extinction with NCR; adjust the stem’s true cue).
Shorten stems to their controlling detail. If it takes five lines, it’s testing stamina, not analysis.
Tag items by domain/subtopic so you can assemble sprints quickly (graphs, ethics, supervision, procedures).
You’ll never “run out” of targeted practice, even with one initial mock.
Measurement & graphs: a 15-minute tune-up that pays all month
Run this quick circuit twice weekly:
Five graphs, two minutes each: Say level-trend-variability in ≤10 seconds, decide keep vs. change, justify with one line.
IOA picks: For each scenario, choose the IOA method that matches the dimension and risk (exact, trial-by-trial, interval, duration). Write the rule.
Measure swap: For any flat case, propose a switch (frequency → latency; percent → rate), why it helps, and how you’ll communicate it to stakeholders.
Ethics & supervision: answer frameworks that score
Ethics skeleton: Goal (client-centered dignity/assent/safety) → Principle in plain language → Least-restrictive viable step → Documentation (what you’ll note and how you’ll follow up).
Supervision skeleton: Planned cadence (not ad-hoc) → BST (model, rehearsal, feedback with data) → Integrity probes → Link staff performance to client outcomes. If it isn’t measurable/auditable, tighten it.
Pacing boosters you can try tonight
12-minute burst: 10 mixed items in 12 minutes—daily if possible.
60-second slash: For long stems, strike everything that isn’t a controlling detail.
Two-best rule: Narrow to two contenders, state the rule that splits them, decide.
What to do when you freeze
Breathe (five slow breaths). Re-read the last sentence of the stem and the cue word. Cut two options quickly, compare the remaining two against one error-log rule, pick, move on. You’ll get another look on the return pass.
Realistic gains if you run the system
+5–8 points: two full-lengths + four domain sprints with autopsies (not just taking tests).
+10–15 points: tighten latency, crush measurement/ethics traps with your checklist, run the error-log loop twice weekly.
+15+ points: add near-confound drills and daily 10-item speed bursts for three weeks.
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