Behaviour Analyst Section F: Ontario Examination for Professional Practice in ABA

The Ontario Examination for Professional Practice in Applied Behaviour Analysis (OEPPABA) is a written examination that all supervised practice applicants, and all applicants applying under Transitional Route #2, must pass in order to obtain a Certificate of Registration.

The Entry-to-Practice Competency Profile for Behaviour Analysts in Ontario is based on the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s (BACB) Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Test Content Outline (6th ed.), which has been adapted to reflect practice of the profession in Ontario.   

COMPOSITION OF THE OEPPABA

The OEPPABA is a standardized multiple-choice examination delivered through computer-based administration. Each exam consists of 120 questions drawn from an item bank developed by subject matter experts. Test takers will have three (3) hours to complete the exam.

Each item is categorized according to its Domain. Domains, defined below, were developed to reflect the breadth of members’ work, and were informed by a job task analysis. The job task analysis resulted in the examination’s Competency Profile and Blueprint. The OEPPABA adheres to this Competency Profile, which represents knowledge, skills and attitudes identified as being important for Behaviour Analysts at entry-level and throughout their career. The examination’s Competency Profile can be found here. The Blueprint provides information to candidates about the weighting of each Domain on the examination:

Examination Blueprint
Domain	% of Exam
1. Behaviourism and Philosophical Foundations	5%
2. Concepts and Principles	14%
3. Measurement, Data Display and Interpretation	11%
4. Experimental Design	7%
5. Ethical and Professional Issues	10%
6. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)	6%
7. Behaviour Assessment	13%
8. Behaviour-Change Procedures	14%
9. Selecting and Implementing Interventions	10%
10. Personnel Supervision and Management	10%
Total Questions	100%

REGISTRATION AND FEE FOR THE OEPPABA

Advance registration for the OEPPABA is required. The College will send notification to all eligible candidates in advance of the examination date. Only eligible candidates are permitted to take the OEPPABA. Supervised Practice applicants must have received their Certificate of Registration as a Behaviour Analyst Authorizing Supervised Practice from the College before taking the examination. Autonomous Practice (Transitional Route #2) applicants who apply during the transitional period, must receive a written confirmation of eligibility from the College before taking the examination. The fee for taking the OEPPABA is, in all cases, payable in advance of taking the examination. Please see Appendix A, Fees in the Registration Process, for the current fee.

If a candidate finds that they are unable to attend the examination, they must notify the College in writing in advance to cancel their administration.

For notices of cancellation received more than 5 business days before the examination date, the College will refund the full examination fee.

For notices of cancellation received in 5 business days or less before the examination date, the College will refund the examination fee, minus a cancellation fee.

TIMING OF THE OEPPABA AND IMPORTANT DEADLINES

The College administers the OEPPABA on-line.

• Transitional Route #2 candidates are required to pass the OEPPABA before the College will issue them a Certificate of Registration as a Behaviour Analyst Authorizing Autonomous Practice.

• Supervised practice candidates must, to remain in good standing, attempt the OEPPABA within a year of issuance of the certificate authorizing supervised practice. The certificate authorizing supervised practice may not be issued for a period of greater than two years.

Should the certificate authorizing supervised practice be suspended at the two-year point for failure to pass the OEPPABA (before reaching the maximum number of attempts permitted), candidates may subsequently:

1. submit a passing score on the OEPPABA;
2. submit an agreement form from one supervisor in accordance with the guidelines for supervised practice.

The certificate authorizing supervised practice will then be re-issued for a period of not less than three months nor more than nine months to enable the supervised member to complete their remaining registration requirements.

NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS AT THE OEPPABA

Candidates may attempt the OEPPABA a maximum of four times. Candidates who cannot demonstrate through the passing of the OEPPABA, the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the practice of ABA in Ontario, are not permitted to continue in the registration process.

LANGUAGE OF THE OEPPABA

The examination is available in English or French. Language choice is specified at the time of registering to take the examination.

The  Registration Regulation, Section 3.2., states that, “The applicant must be able with reasonable fluency to speak and write either English or French.” Therefore, candidates for whom English or French is not a first language must prepare to write the examination in the standard writing time.

Notice on gender use in the French version of the exam

To make this exam easier to read, words used to identify people, whether feminine, neutral or masculine, are intended to represent any person regardless of gender (woman, gender-neutral person and man), unless the context explicitly applies to a specific gender.

EXAMINATION ACCOMMODATIONS

Candidates who require examination accommodations arising from documented disabilities or impairments must complete the College’s Examination Accommodation Form and provide the College with the required supporting documentation. The form may be completed at the time of initial application to the College, or later if necessary. In order to allow the College sufficient time to approve and arrange the specified accommodation, candidates are required to submit the form and supporting documentation at least 60 calendar days prior to the examination date (this period may be lessened during pre-registration).

The College’s Examination Accommodation Policy is found in Appendix G of these guidelines. The Examination Accommodation Form is available on the College’s website as part of the Applications for Supervised Practice, and Autonomous Practice using Transitional Route #2.

Accommodations for the OEPPABA can only be made available consistent with what is allowable by the examination’s administrator, Meazure Learning.

Questions for the College regarding examination accommodations should be directed to exams@cpo.on.ca

LATE ARRIVAL POLICY

Latecomers will not be allowed any additional time beyond the scheduled examination completion time. The examination proctor has the discretion to deny access to latecomers.

IMPLICATIONS OF CHEATING

If the College receives a report from Meazure that a candidate participated in any irregularity occurring prior to, during, or subsequent to this examination, such as giving or obtaining unauthorized information or aid, as evidenced by observation or subsequent statistical analysis, the College reserves the right to invalidate the candidate’s examination score.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY

The questions on the OEPPABA are confidential and are the exclusive property of the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario. Candidates will be asked to sign an acknowledgement of confidentiality when completing the OEPPABA registration form. An example of this acknowledgement follows:

PASSPOINT OF THE OEPPABA

Information pending.

RESULTS OF THE OEPPABA

The College provides Examination scores to candidates in writing typically within six weeks of the administration of the examination (reduced wait times may be available during pre-registration). College staff are not permitted to provide scores to candidates by telephone, fax, or via e-mail.

CANDIDATES FEEDBACK

Candidates may submit their questions or comments about the examination in writing to the College at exams@cpo.on.ca.