INTERVIEW PREPabacases.com

RBT Interview Questions for ABA Case Opportunities

Practical questions to expect — and questions worth asking back — before you sit down for an ABA case interview.

If your resume is what gets you in the door — see the RBT resume guide if you're still working on that — this guide covers what happens once you're actually talking to an agency: the questions RBTs, BTs, and ABA therapists are commonly asked, and just as important, the questions worth asking back before you commit to a case.

Questions agencies may ask RBTs and BTs

Every agency runs its interview a little differently, so treat the examples below as questions you might be asked — not a script to memorize. The goal is to walk in comfortable talking about your real experience, not to have a rehearsed answer for every possible question.

Experience with specific age groups and settings

Have you worked with early intervention, school-age, or adolescent clients? In-home, clinic, school, or telehealth?

Data collection methods you've used

Which formats you're familiar with — frequency, duration, ABC data, and similar — under a supervisor's direction.

How you generally handle challenging behavior

Expect a general, in-the-moment question: staying calm, following the plan you're given, and communicating with your supervisor — not a request to design an intervention.

Availability and credential status

Which days and hours you can commit to, how consistent that availability is, and whether your certification or training is current.

Questions RBTs, BTs, and ABA therapists should ask agencies

An interview goes both ways. This is arguably the more useful half of preparing — the answers tell you a lot about whether a case is actually a good fit, before you've committed to anything.

Supervision structure

Who is the RBT Supervisor for this specific case, and how often will supervision actually happen?

Caseload expectations

How many hours per week is this case, and is there room to take on more if I want it?

Materials, training, and onboarding

Who provides session materials, and what does onboarding look like for someone new to this case?

How pay and hours are tracked

Is there a portal or system for logging hours and pay, or is that left up to me to track?

How cancellations are handled

If a client cancels last-minute, what happens to that time — is it made up, paid, or simply lost?

If you'd rather see how agencies answer these questions before you're already in an interview, join ABA case alerts to hear about cases as agencies post them.

Questions about schedule and setting

Exact days and hours

Which specific days and hours does this case need — not just "part-time" or "full-time."

In-home, clinic, or school specifics

What does a typical session actually look like in this setting, and what should I expect to bring or set up myself?

Travel between cases

If this involves more than one case in a day, how much realistic drive time is there between them?

Schedule consistency

Is this schedule likely to stay steady over time, or does it shift week to week?

Travel expectations in particular vary a lot by market — the realistic drive time between cases looks different depending on where you're working, whether that's RBT jobs in Miami or RBT jobs in Charlotte, so it's worth asking specifically about the area you're applying in. You can also get a feel for schedule and setting variety yourself by browsing the ABA Case Finder beforehand, so you already know roughly what's typical for cases like the one you're discussing.

Questions about supervision and support

Supervision and onboarding structures vary a lot from agency to agency — ask the agency directly what their setup looks like rather than assuming, since it's one of the most important pieces of information for judging whether a case is a good fit for you.

Who your supervisor is

Who is the RBT Supervisor assigned to this case, and will you have direct, regular contact with them?

How often supervision happens

Is supervision in person, remote, or a mix — and roughly how often does it actually occur?

Onboarding for new hires

Is there a shadowing or observation period, or do you start solo on day one?

Support when a case gets difficult

If something isn't going well on a case, what does getting help from the agency actually look like?

Questions about pay, cancellations, and documentation

Pay rate or range for this case

What is the actual pay rate or range for this specific case, not just a general range for the role?

How cancellations affect pay

If a session is cancelled with little notice, is there a minimum paid, or is that time simply unpaid?

How hours and pay are documented

Is there a timesheet, portal, or app for logging hours — or is tracking left mostly to you?

When payment actually arrives

How much time typically passes between working hours and actually being paid for them?

Whatever an agency's process turns out to be, keeping your own record alongside it is worth doing regardless. A free ABA timesheet or ABA payment tracker lets you log your own hours and payments as you go, so you have your own documentation on hand if a pay question ever comes up later.

How to prepare without overstating experience

The most useful prep isn't a list of impressive-sounding answers — it's being accurate about where you actually are, which builds more trust than it costs you.

Know your actual experience level

Be clear with yourself first about what you have and haven't done, so you're not caught guessing in the room.

Be specific instead of vague

"I've worked one-on-one with a 6-year-old in a home setting for eight months" says more than "I have experience with kids."

Don't claim settings you haven't worked in

Overstating clinic, school, or age-group experience is a bigger risk once you're actually placed on a real case than it is in the interview.

Ask clarifying questions

If a question is unclear, ask what they mean rather than guessing at the answer they want to hear.

Ready to put these questions into practice?

Create your free profile to get local ABA case alerts, browse open cases, and track your hours and pay along the way with the free ABA pay tracker.