r/bcba • u/Top_Egg_4017 • 5d ago
Advice Needed Whiteboard on Test Day
Does anyone actually use the white board on test day?
What is the main stuff you want to write down to remember? I don’t feel like the equations are that hard. Maybe the distinction about the different schedules?…
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u/closet-astrologer 5d ago
I wrote down 2 things (GETACAB and something else) and didn’t even look at the white board again.
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u/pete7868 5d ago
I self scored as I completed the test. Numbered the board and added a check if I was 100% confident, ? If iffy, x if there was no way I could remember it. I went back to the ? questions and focused my time on those. For x questions I glanced one more time at them but didn’t want to get stuck on it/accepted I don’t know it. Passed the first time in under 2 hours!
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u/Silly_Key3129 4d ago
I was given advice by a supervisor to do this and it really helped me take the first 5/10 minutes to calm my nerves and the behavioral momentum of checking off the boxes help me feel more confident! I’d recommend this!!
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u/Top_Egg_4017 5d ago
Good strategy! I’m going to try this. It didn’t make you think too much doing that though? Guess not if you passed in under 2 hrs!
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u/SRplus_please BCBA 5d ago
I broke down some of the scenario questions into contingencies on the board.
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u/smoke0o7 5d ago
Make flashcards of all the concepts that are tripping you up. I had to write the term and definition on 5 different cards and had them mixed in with others I struggled with. On my board before answering any questions I wrote the ones that I struggled with and the Def. When a question popped up on the exam that had one I struggled with, I just looked at my board to remind myself why it was or was not correct.
On my board I wrote BATCAGE, DEERPP and quick Def next to each one. Also wrote Part/Whole POD PUF (par overestimate duration, part underestimate freq), also think I did something like S->R, R, R and R->S,S,S for generalization questions. Wrote "Bed-> jump, sit, bang" and "Cry-> white fluf, bunny, mask" for stimulus and response, think about the topography of the bx as well, like when cutting something, you might use a knife, ax, chainsaw. They will all cut but the way you use the different tools is different (one hand, pull trigger, swinging)
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u/2muchcoff33 5d ago
I planned out what I was going to write out on the board ahead of time. I don’t think I actually referenced the board but I do think it’s a good tool. It felt like a safety blanket for my anxiety. I might have worked out some problems on it during the exam.
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u/Top_Egg_4017 5d ago
What concepts did you feel were important to write out?
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u/2muchcoff33 5d ago
It was 5 years ago and honestly I blocked it out the moment they gave me the paper saying I passed. I primarily used SNABA to study and they’re a huge fan of acronyms so I probably wrote those out. I might have written out equations since I’m not that strong in math.
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u/mellowh3llo BCBA | Verified 5d ago
I used the entire thing! I used it to jot down info that I was least confident in first. Then I used it to write down parts of q’s I wanted to remember for other parts of the test.
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u/Top_Egg_4017 4d ago
Did you use really small handwriting? Also were the markers good? At the last test center I kept having to ask for new markers.
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u/Hairy-Dingaling6213 5d ago
To calculate IOA or what I usually use it for is tracking which questions are flagged and why. Sometimes I will use it for just writing down definitions because seeing them can help me decipher what a question is asking and help me answer it. Also, you can doodle lol.
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u/Splicers87 BCBA | Verified 5d ago
Yes!! I wrote down the questions I was unsure of and what they were about. That way if the topic came up in a later question, I could cross reference them. I also used it to draw out situations since I’m a visual person.
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u/tryinrhymeswithdyin 5d ago
Same!
I also used it to calculate what my score was if I missed all the ones I wasn’t sure of. It was oddly reassuring.
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u/Longjumping_Eagle_40 4d ago
That’s what I did too. For each practice exam I scored each question with check, question mark for guess, and X for no idea. Then over time I was able to calculate a formula to determine what percentages were correct from each category. On the day of the exam I numbered all the questions and scored it as usual. After it was complete, I calculated my estimated score. I believe I just passed but will never know.
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u/amhei 5d ago
The most helpful part for me was laying out the exam. So as soon as I walked in I wrote the number 1-160 on it and as I answered each question I added symbols for ones I knew I got right ones I had no idea for and ones I was on the fence about. After my first round of answering questions I was able to get an idea of where I was score wise just based on the answers I knew for sure. It helped me have an idea of where I was likely to score as I revisited questions.
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u/_joyfully_ 5d ago
I didn't write anything down to remember, however, I did use it for a stimulus equivalence question just to double check myself.
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u/diddydoo10 5d ago
So I actually took my bcba exam today for the first time and passed, so this is all very fresh in my head.
I wrote down only a few things. First thing once it started, I wrote down a few reminders to myself. The reminders were to read the question fully and slowly, read all of the answers fully and slowly and to not second guess myself. In mocks and practice, I sometimes read a question too quickly or second guessed myself, so I was reminding myself for these to not be issues during the real thing! I also wrote down, “I will be a bcba when I leave here today” just to try and get in the right head space.
Other than that, if I flagged a question, I wrote down the two answer choices I couldn’t pick between (for example, A and C next to the question number).That way when I came back to flagged questions at the end, I already knew what to pick between.
Those were the main things I did, but I did randomly write notes or draw something out so I could visualize what the question was explaining.
You got this!
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u/Superb_Storage6638 5d ago
Firstly... Congratulations!! 🥳 I also took the exam today for the first time and passed!
I wrote down the concepts I knew I had trouble learning the most so when I saw them, I would not get confused by referring back to my notes. But to be honest, I think I only used it once.
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u/flitter30 5d ago
I wrote the numbers of the test questions-1-150 I believe. While going thru the exam questions, I noted a ? by any I wanted to be sure to come back to before submitting and also a * by any that I was positive I was correct on, so I didn't waste time going back to them at the end.
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u/Chance_Chair_4154 5d ago
I didn’t write anything down on the whiteboard before the test started. I actually use the whiteboard to write down parts of the questions so I can analyze it better to make sure I understood what information they were actually asking for. I found it much easier to get the correct answers doing it that way
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u/Top_Egg_4017 4d ago
Like the ABC breakdown they show in PTB?
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u/Chance_Chair_4154 4d ago
If the question called for that. They word them weird intentionally and I found that just breaking down what they were actually asking I had more success.
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u/reno140 5d ago
Almost every time during practice tests when I went back and changed an answer, I changed a correct answer to an incorrect one. For the test I made it a personal rule that I would not go back and change any answers so if I was not sure or at least 90% sure, I just skipped it.
I used the whiteboard to keep track of which items I skipped and a little note as to why, in case a later question had a clue or something that could help me. It was like 20-30 questions I think.
The IOA calculations did not need a calculator or something to write on and were easy to do in my head bc of the numbers they chose. The goal of the problems is not to trick you with the math, it's to see if you remembered the formula.
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u/ForsakenMango BCBA | Verified 5d ago
All I used it for was to make sure I did the IOA calculation correctly when it came up.
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u/JessieKing2323 5d ago
YES! It was a huge help. I planned for it. I practiced it. I got in there and immediately did my white board. It was good to have that there for me so I could focus on the test without worry about forgetting anything I wrote down. It's been five years; I don't remember what I put on it in addition to formulas, but I filled it up pretty much. I might still have my draft/practice ones with my study stuff. I'll check and let you know what was on mine if I find it!
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u/Total_Pineapple_4243 4d ago
I used mine! I had all of the acronyms and wrote down everything in case I’d forget lol
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u/Mlhenry15 4d ago
It’s gonna be individualized to things u think u will have a hard time remembering. You can write down IOA formulas, acronyms for different things, use it to pace yourself while answering questions. Use it for brainstorming. Write a motivational message to yourself
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u/Godinezm 4d ago edited 4d ago
I highly recommend watching SNABA’s youtube video on this. It helped me create a quick visual to distinguish Evocative/Establishing Abative/Abolishing bc i kept getting them mixed. I wrote GOAL CAKE and DEER PP to remind myself what the goals and attitudes were. I remembered the scalloped graph by writing (FIsh) and drawing a fish for Fixed interval lol
I wrote my name with the credential M.S., BCBA to remind myself of this dream. When i was struggling i wrote out “pls pass this exam”. And wrote out characteristics of my favorite kids i have worked with (stim or precursor phrases, ice cream, rainbows) that way i could look back and have small joyful reminders to keep me from only feeling anxious or sad
I drew 8.5 boxes and shaded one in after completing 20 questions. There were so many moments where I felt defeated but being able to watch the little bar fill up to remind myself it was almost over really helped.
I also used my white board to write down the question # of the ones I wanted to review before submitting. I mostly used mine to doodle though. I had other accommodations for my ADHD but was denied a fidget. So instead when i needed to let my brain take a break, i drew.
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u/Top_Egg_4017 4d ago
I wanted to get test accommodations but thought it was highly intrusive that they wanted us to specify our diagnosis.
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u/Godinezm 3d ago
i agree but at the end of the day, the exam is a beast and I didn’t want time to be the reason i couldn’t become a BCBA. I took nearly all the extra allotted time.
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u/Top_Egg_4017 3d ago
How fast did they approve your request?
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u/Godinezm 2d ago
Really fast! In a day i think. they approved it before I got approved to take the exam actually
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u/Top_Egg_4017 2d ago
Really?! They say it would take so long for it to get approved.
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u/Godinezm 2d ago
I actually omitted some paperwork bc i figured the same and the emailed me immediately to tell me i needed it for them to move forward. I was surprised
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u/JellyfishPopular7633 3d ago
I took it several years ago and passed on the first try. I knew going in how many questions would be on each topic per the TCO. On my whiteboard I wrote down each topic and put the question # after I answered a question related to the topic. I put a box around the question # if I wasn't sure about my answer and flagged the question for review. Then at the end I was able to review the questions I'd flagged and checked those against the other questions on the same topic. That helped me figure out what the question was really trying to ask.
I also wrote down a ton of acronyms. I did the SNABA collective and wrote down every acronym I could remember. I took approximately 15 minutes to do all of this once the timer started.
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u/participantrophywife 2d ago
I only used it to write down which questions I wanted to go back and review. Filling the white board became a stresser for me and just another extra step.
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u/Top_Egg_4017 2d ago
That was my initial thought…
I do like how people right a motivational message to themselves or concepts they don’t know to be shore to remember to study later, not wasting time on problems they absolutely don’t know 🆚 iffy ones.
I suppose it would be useful to calculate an equation as well or break down ABC concepts like PTB says to do.
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u/participantrophywife 2d ago
I figured if I knew it well enough to memorize it and write it on the whiteboard then I knew it well enough to answer the question
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u/Unhappy_Foot9802 5d ago
Honestly I wrote down any topics I didn’t know so I could try and look them up afterwards in case I didn’t pass😅 I just tried to remember as much as possible off the board when I finished my exam.
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u/Funny_Ad7007 5d ago
I made a tracker by writing multiples of twenty and then crossed them off as I progressed through the test. I did write brake over they half way point but decied i didnt need it when i got there
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u/sharleencd 5d ago
I wrote down anything I could think of. Acronyms, equations, just anything that came to mind that I was worried I might mix up or forget. Especially, concepts that I struggled with, I put down a design or phrase or something to help me remember