How Many Questions Can You Miss on the RBT Exam | Free Calculator
To pass the RBT exam, you can miss about 15 questions out of the 75 scored items. A passing scaled score of 200 usually requires 80% accuracy, so aim to get at least 60 correct answers to increase your chances of passing.
One good thing about this exam is that there is no negative marking. You can get a few wrong and still pass.
RBT Exam Calculator
RBT Exam Calculator
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Total Questions on the RBT Exam
This exam consists of:
- 85 multiple-choice questions in total
- 75 are scored
- 10 are unscored pilot questions (you won’t know which ones)
- You’ll have 90 minutes to answer all of them
Since you can’t tell which questions are scored, you’ll need to treat every single one like it counts.
What Score Do You Need to Pass?
The BACB uses a scaled scoring system:
- Passing requires a scaled score of 200 out of 250
- That’s about 80% correct on the 75 scored questions
- In simpler terms: aim for at least 60 correct answers
But there’s a twist: the scaling changes slightly depending on how difficult your version of the exam is.
So, How Many Can You Miss?
In my rough estimate, you can miss roughly 13 to 15 scored questions and still pass.
That number isn’t exact, but it gives you a strong estimate.
Here’s a quick reference:
| Total Questions | Scored Items | Unscored Items | Maximum You Can Miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 75 | 10 | 13–15 (approximate) |
Again, all 85 look the same to you, so there’s no way of knowing which is which, and you need to answer everything carefully.
I have created a hypothetical chart to see where you are and maybe have a rough idea of your performance.
| Questions Attempted (Scored) | Correct Answers | Questions Missed | Accuracy (%) | Pass Likelihood | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 70 | 5 | 93% | Very High | You’re well above the safe zone. Excellent buffer. |
| 75 | 68 | 7 | 90% | High | Still in a strong position. This is your ideal target. |
| 75 | 65 | 10 | 87% | Solid | Plenty of room. You’re comfortably above the pass line. |
| 75 | 63 | 12 | 84% | Moderate–High | Safe, but you’re starting to get close to the edge. |
| 75 | 60 | 15 | 80% | Borderline | This is the minimum needed. Anything less is risky. |
| 75 | 58 | 17 | 77% | Low–Moderate | You might pass if it’s a harder test, but don’t count on it. |
| 75 | 55 | 20 | 73% | Low | Unlikely to pass. You’re falling below the scaled cutoff. |
| 75 | 50 or fewer | 25+ | Under 67% | Very Low | You’ll need to retake unless scaling is extremely generous. |
Why the Scoring Isn’t Straightforward
Unlike regular exams with regular markings, RBTs used a scaled score, which basically accounts for exam difficulty.
Two people might take slightly different versions of the test, and each could miss the same number of questions but get different results.
That’s why aiming for exactly 80% is risky.
My personal advice would be that if you’re serious about passing the first time, you should aim higher, try 85%+ is your sweet spot.
What You Should Aim For
Your goal should be:
- 65 to 70 correct MCQ answers
- That’s your safety net
- It also gives you confidence if you get a harder version of the test
Please don’t try to scrape by, as it is risky; aim to beat the margin and be on the safe side. Use the above calculator to analyze.
