Behavior Analyst Certification Board

What Behavior Analyst Certification Board does

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1998 and headquartered in Littleton, Colorado. It is the primary credentialing body for behavior analysis professionals in the United States and internationally, offering a tiered certification system that includes the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) at the high school level, the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) at the bachelor's level, the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at the graduate level, and the BCBA-D doctoral designation. BACB also administers the Florida Certified Behavior Analyst (FL-CBA) state-specific credential. The organization sets and enforces competency standards, ethics codes, and disciplinary procedures for the applied behavior analysis (ABA) profession.

BACB generates revenue primarily through examination and certification fees: $45 per RBT exam and $125 per BCBA/BCaBA exam, with additional revenue from verification letters at $25 each and a commercial mass email service that provides organizations access to certificant mailing lists. All certification examinations are delivered exclusively through Pearson VUE testing centers worldwide, incorporating palm vein biometric verification for security. The organization maintains a public Certificant Registry updated daily, a BACB Portal for applicant and certificant account management, an Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) provider program, and a Verified Course Sequence (VCS) system for university-based training. BACB holds registered trademarks for all credential names and brands, and partners with the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) for degree program accreditation.

The company serves a distributed base of individual practitioners and indirectly serves ABA provider organizations, state licensure boards, insurance payers, and consumers who rely on the registry for credential verification. With 51-100 employees, BACB operates at a moderate organizational scale, with a global footprint spanning the United States and international markets where behavior analysis is an emerging profession. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and is a member of the International Certification Association (ICE).

Name

Behavior Analyst Certification Board

Legal name

Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc.

Website

https://bacb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) credentialing organization that certifies behavior analysis professionals across four tiers (RBT, BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D) and administers examinations through Pearson VUE, serving individual practitioners, state regulators, and ABA provider organizations in the US and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA Supervision, Clinical Oversight & BCBA Consulting (EDAKAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

Keywords

• Behavior analysis certification
• Professional credentialing services
• Applied behavior analysis
• Certification examinations
• Credential verification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Littleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Examination and Certification Fees: BACB generates revenue through examination scheduling fees and certification application fees. RBT examination scheduling costs $45, while BCBA/BCaBA examination scheduling costs $125. Additional fees apply for cancellations and reschedules based on timing. The organization also charges $25 for verification letters.
2. Mass Email Service: BACB offers a mass email service for commercial purposes, providing organizations access to certificant mailing lists for recruitment and professional communications. This service generates revenue from organizations seeking to reach behavior analysis professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BACB develops, administers, and maintains professional certification examinations for behavior analysis practitioners across four credential tiers: Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA, with a doctoral BCBA-D designation), and Florida Certified Behavior Analyst (FL-CBA). It also operates a public Certificant Registry for credential verification, a Portal for certification management, and supporting programs including Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) providers and Verified Course Sequences (VCS) for university coursework.

Product overview

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) operates a multi-tiered certification system for the applied behavior analysis (ABA) profession. The portfolio includes four credential levels: Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) at the high school level, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) at the bachelor's level, Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at the graduate level, and BCBA-D for doctoral-level practitioners. The BACB also manages the Florida Certified Behavior Analyst (FL-CBA) state certification. Supporting infrastructure includes the BACB Certificant Registry for verification, the BACB Portal Account for certification management, and the Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Provider program for ongoing professional development. All certification examinations are delivered through Pearson VUE testing centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) Certification A paraprofessional certification in behavior analysis for high-school-level practitioners who practice under close, ongoing supervision of a BCBA, BCaBA, or FL-CBA. Requires 40-hour training, competency assessment, and passing the RBT examination.
• Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) Certification An undergraduate-level professional certification in behavior analysis requiring a bachelor's degree, verified coursework, supervised fieldwork, and passing the BCaBA examination. Holders practice under supervision of a BCBA or FL-CBA.
• Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Certification A graduate-level professional certification in behavior analysis requiring a graduate degree, verified coursework, supervised fieldwork, and passing the BCBA examination. Holders can practice independently and supervise BCaBAs and RBTs. Includes the BCBA-D doctoral-level designation.
• Florida Certified Behavior Analyst (FL-CBA) Certification A state-specific certification for behavior analysts practicing in Florida. Provides authority to supervise RBTs and BCaBAs in Florida under state-specific certification requirements.
• Certificant Verification Services (Registry and Verification Letters) Online searchable registry for verifying individual certification status and reportable disciplinary actions, available to consumers, employers, and licensing authorities. Includes formal verification letters at $25 each and complimentary email resend for RBTs.
• Mass Email Service A subscription email service providing organizations access to BACB certificant mailing lists for commercial purposes, including recruitment of behavior analysis professionals and professional communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• The global ABA therapy market is projected to grow from $2.3 billion (2023) to $4.1 billion by 2030, representing significant growth in the field BACB certifications support.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pearson VUEcoreTechnology or IntegrationPearson VUE serves as BACB's exclusive test delivery partner, administering RBT, BCaBA, and BCBA certification examinations at testing centers worldwide. The partnership includes palm vein scanning for examination security and global scheduling infrastructure. BACB examinations are delivered via web browser at Pearson VUE testing sites.
• Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA)minorOthersAPBA provides a resource page on licensure and regulation for behavior analysts. BACB refers individuals seeking guidance on ethics-related matters and state regulatory questions to APBA's resources.
• Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABAI provides accreditation for higher education degree programs in behavior analysis. BACB publishes university pass rate data for ABAI-accredited degree programs and Verified Course Sequences (VCS). The partnership ensures quality standards in university-based behavior analysis education.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Project Management Institute (PMI): PMI administers the PMP and related credentials using a tiered certification model with exam delivery through Pearson, recertification via CE, and a public registry - the closest large-scale commercial analogue to BACB's structure and revenue model.
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): ANCC is the largest US healthcare credentialing body, offering multi-tier certifications across nursing specialties. It demonstrates a scaled version of BACB's model and represents the broader healthcare credentialing peer set.
• American Institute of CPAs (AICPA): AICPA administers professional credentials (CPA, CGMA, etc.) with multi-tier exams, ethical oversight, and state-board recognition. It is a mature nonprofit credentialing body operating at much larger scale.

Others

• Pearson VUE: Pearson VUE is BACB's exclusive test delivery partner and the dominant third-party certification testing infrastructure globally. It is an enabling partner/competitor in adjacent certification verticals and a key channel relationship.
• Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP): CASP is the trade association for autism service provider organizations employing BACB-certified practitioners. It shapes payer policy and demand for ABA services, indirectly driving BACB certification volume.

Direct peers

• American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP): ABPP is a nonprofit specialty credentialing body for psychologists. It shares BACB's operating model: nonprofit status, exam-based certification, public registry, specialty designations, and ethics/disciplinary oversight - making it one of the closest structural analogues.
• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): NBCC administers the National Certified Counselor credential with similar governance, exam delivery partnerships, recertification/CE requirements, and public registry - directly comparable to BACB's BCBA operational model.

Emerging players

• Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI): ABAI accredits degree programs and verifies coursework sequences that feed the BACB certification pipeline. It is a closely coupled ecosystem partner (and historically related entity) that could in principle expand into certification delivery, making it a partial competitive substitute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BehaviorAnalystCertificationBoard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/behavior-analyst-certification-board1

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Behavior Analyst Certification Board