BCBA Exam Pass Rates Just Hit an All-Time Low: What It Means for ABA Therapy Access

Finding a qualified ABA therapy provider has always taken patience. Now, a new workforce challenge is making it harder. The Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam pass rate dropped to 51 percent for first-time test-takers in 2025 — the lowest figure ever recorded by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). For families already navigating long waitlists and provider shortages, this trend has real consequences for getting your child into care.

This article explains what the numbers mean, why pass rates are falling, and what families can do right now to find qualified ABA providers in their area.

How Bad Is the BCBA Pass Rate Problem?

The numbers from the BACB are stark. In 2020, the first-time pass rate for the BCBA exam stood at 66 percent. By 2025, it had fallen to 51 percent — a drop of 15 percentage points over five years. Retakers are faring even worse: the pass rate for repeat test-takers fell from 31 percent in 2020 to just 23 percent in 2025.

This is happening at a time when the number of people attempting the exam is surging. Between 2020 and 2025, the volume of first-time BCBA test-takers increased by 51 percent — from 6,583 to 9,955 candidates annually. So there are more people trying to become BCBAs, and fewer of them are passing on the first attempt.

Why the Pass Rate Decline Matters

Every candidate who fails must wait and retest. That delays when they can be certified, hired, and assigned to client caseloads. In a field where demand for BCBAs consistently outpaces supply, this bottleneck adds months to an already-strained pipeline. For families waiting to start services, it translates directly into longer waitlists.

Why Are BCBA Exam Pass Rates Falling?

The most important thing to understand: experts do not believe the exam itself has suddenly become too hard. The prevailing view among industry leaders is that the problem is in how candidates are being prepared.

Michelle Hascall, a clinical leader at Cortica Autism Care, put it plainly: "I think as a field, we are not doing a great job of preparing people to be BCBAs" — rather than the test being too rigorous. Other experts point to several overlapping causes:

• Uneven university program quality. The ten largest BCBA training programs produce roughly half of all test-takers, yet many of those programs have below-average pass rates. A credential from one institution may involve significantly less rigorous preparation than a credential from another.
• Inadequate mentorship and supervision. BCBA candidates must complete supervised fieldwork hours before sitting for the exam. If their supervisors are overloaded — which is common given current caseloads — candidates receive less meaningful guidance, and their exam readiness suffers.
• Curriculum misalignment. The BACB updated the exam content standards in 2025. Some training programs have not fully adapted their curricula to reflect the new test design.
• Burnout and rushed timelines. With strong job demand and signing bonuses common in the field, some candidates are pushed to test before they are fully ready.

The ABA Provider Shortage: Already a Serious Problem

Even before the recent pass rate decline, the United States was facing a significant shortage of qualified BCBA providers. Researchers and advocacy organizations have documented what they call ABA care deserts — regions, often rural, where there are simply not enough credentialed professionals to serve children with autism who need ABA therapy.

Demand for BCBAs is driven by a combination of factors:

• Autism diagnoses in the U.S. continue to rise. The CDC currently estimates that 1 in 36 children has autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Insurance mandates across all 50 states now require coverage of ABA therapy for children with autism, dramatically expanding the number of families who can access — and are actively seeking — ABA services.
• Early intervention research consistently shows that children who begin ABA therapy at a younger age have better outcomes, increasing urgency for families to start services quickly.

The pipeline problem is structural. University programs have expanded, but not fast enough to close the gap. High caseloads, documentation burdens, and burnout contribute to workforce turnover, further limiting the number of BCBAs available at any given time.

What This Means for Families on Waitlists

If your child is on a waitlist for ABA therapy — or if you are searching for a provider and struggling to find openings — you are experiencing the downstream effect of this workforce gap. A few things are worth knowing:

Waitlists are not a sign that ABA is rare. It is more widely available than ever. The issue is that demand for qualified providers has grown faster than the supply of credentialed BCBAs. This is especially pronounced for children under age 5, where early intervention demand is highest.

Geographic variation is significant. Urban areas with major university systems and higher concentrations of ABA clinics tend to have shorter waits. Rural areas and smaller metros are more likely to be underserved. If you are in a rural area, telehealth-based ABA and in-home services may expand your options.

Not all waitlists are equal. Some providers maintain large waitlists without a realistic timeline for openings. Others can start services within weeks. It is worth contacting multiple providers simultaneously and asking directly about their current availability.

The Long-Term Fix: Stricter Training Requirements

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board is taking steps to address the quality gap in BCBA training. Beginning in 2032, all BCBA certification candidates will be required to hold a master's degree from an accredited program. The goal is to establish consistent minimum standards across training institutions and reduce the wide variation in candidate preparation quality.

This change will not solve the shortage in the short term. But over time, requiring accredited graduate-level training should produce BCBAs who are better prepared and more consistent in the quality of care they deliver. Some ABA providers and advocacy organizations are also pushing for stronger mentorship requirements and greater investment in exam preparation resources at the university level.

What Families Can Do Right Now

The workforce shortage is a real barrier, but there are practical steps you can take to improve your chances of getting your child into care:

1. Apply to multiple providers at once. Do not wait for one clinic to respond before contacting others. Most families who successfully start services have reached out to three or more providers simultaneously.
2. Ask about telehealth options. Some ABA therapy components — particularly parent training sessions — can be delivered effectively via telehealth, which can expand access to BCBAs who may be located outside your immediate area.
3. Get on waitlists early. Even if your child is still in the evaluation or diagnosis process, you can often join provider waitlists before a formal diagnosis is complete. Ask about this when you call.
4. Contact your insurance company about network adequacy. If you are struggling to find an in-network ABA provider, your insurer may be required by law to help you access care or pay out-of-network rates.
5. Use a provider directory. A searchable directory of credentialed ABA providers can save significant time in identifying who is accepting new clients in your area.

Find a Qualified ABA Therapy Provider Near You

ABA Navigator maintains the most comprehensive directory of ABA therapy providers in the United States, with listings for clinics, in-home providers, and telehealth-capable practices across all 50 states. You can search by location, insurance accepted, age range served, and more.

Finding the right provider is the first step. Search the ABA Navigator directory to find ABA therapy providers in your area and contact multiple clinics to maximize your chances of a timely start.