Inside 2024 BACB® University Exam Pass Rates
Choosing a graduate program in behavior analysis is a significant decision that can impact your certification success and career path. Fortunately, there’s publicly available data to help guide that choice. Each year, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) releases pass rate data for university training programs with at least six first-time candidates who sat for the certification exam in the previous calendar year. The most recent report, featuring 2024 pass rates, was published in May 2025. This blog will focus on these data and how they should be interpreted and used by students and prospective students of behavior analysis.
2024 at a Glance: First-time BCBA Exam Performance
Here are some highlights from the BACB’s 2024 pass-rate report:
- 9,911 individuals took the BCBA exam for the first time.
- 54% passed, resulting in 8,164 newly certified BCBAs.
- Data was published for 192 training programs.
Program sizes varied significantly, with the number of first-time test takers per program ranging from 6 to 1,259. Program types include on-campus, online, on-campus and online, and hybrid.
These programs showed a wide range in performance:
- 33 programs had pass rates between 80 and 100%
- 33 programs had pass rates between 70 and 79%
- 27 programs had pass rates between 60 and 69%
- 41 programs had pass rates between 50 and 59%
- 57 programs had pass rates below 50%
Making Sense of Program Pass Rates
Averages can often be misleading. When it comes to BCBA program pass rates, it’s far more helpful to evaluate each university program on its own merits rather than comparing it to the overall average. This approach gives you a clearer sense of how likely a specific program is to prepare its students for success on the certification exam.
For instance, if a program has a 50% pass rate, only half of its graduates pass the exam on their first attempt—that's no better than a coin toss. But if a program has a 71% pass rate, you’re looking at roughly 7 out of 10 students passing the first time—a much stronger indication of adequate preparation.
Students often respond in two predictable (and understandable) ways when faced with this kind of data.
The first is driven by what psychologists refer to as optimism bias—the tendency to believe that we are more likely than others to experience positive outcomes.
Example: “Sure, the pass rate is only 50%, but I’m confident I’ll be in the half that passes.”
The second reaction is to downplay the program's role and assume that success is solely determined by individual effort. From this perspective, students might think, “It doesn’t matter what the pass rate is—I’ll make sure I’m prepared.”
In both cases, students risk dismissing valuable data that could inform their educational decisions.
A more productive approach is to treat pass rate data as one important puzzle piece. It doesn’t guarantee success or failure, but it gives insight into how well a program prepares its graduates—and that’s worth paying attention to.
For more insights on why pass rates matter for students, check out our related blog: Why Behavior Analysis Certification Exam Pass Rates Matter for Students.
Conclusion
These annual reports can provide a helpful starting point if you’re considering graduate training in behavior analysis or advising others who are. While pass rates aren't the only factor to consider, they reflect how well programs prepare their students for a critical step in certification. Evaluating programs within context and exploring delivery formats, cohort sizes, and support structures will lead to more informed and successful choices.
To view the full 2024 report, visit the BACB’s official website.
