Everything You Need to Know About BCBA® Supervised Fieldwork Hours
Your complete guide to understanding BACB® fieldwork requirements, from hour types to supervision tips.
If you're pursuing your BCBA® certification, you've probably already realized that supervised fieldwork is one of the most essential—and sometimes most confusing—parts of the process. Between different hour types, activity categories, and supervision structures, it can be a lot to wrap your head around.
In this post, we’ll break down the BCBA® supervised fieldwork requirements in plain language, so you can confidently track your hours, stay compliant, and build meaningful experience that prepares you for independent practice.
🔍 What Is Supervised Fieldwork?
Supervised fieldwork is structured, documented experience in applied behavior analysis (ABA) under the guidance of a qualified supervisor. It’s designed to help you:
- Apply what you’re learning in coursework to real-life settings
- Develop core ABA skills across clients, settings, and populations
- Receive direct feedback and guidance from experienced BCBAs®
📊 How Many Hours Do You Need?
The number of hours required depends on the type of fieldwork you pursue:
|
Fieldwork Type
|
Total Hours Required
|
Supervision Requirement
|
|
Supervised Fieldwork
|
2,000 hours
|
5% of total hours
|
|
Concentrated Supervised
|
1,500 hours
|
10% of total hours
|
💡 You can mix both types, but only one type can be counted per month.
📅 Monthly Hour Requirements
To ensure consistency and quality, the BACB® sets limits on how many hours you can accrue each month:
- ✅ Minimum per month: 20 hours
- ❌ Maximum per month: 130 hours
- 🔄 Duration limit: Must complete all fieldwork within 5 years
🧠 What’s the Difference Between Unrestricted and Restricted Hours?
This is one of the most misunderstood parts of fieldwork!
- Unrestricted activities must make up at least 60% of your total hours. These are tasks a BCBA® typically does, like:
- Conducting assessments
- Writing behavior plans
- Training others
- Analyzing data
- Supervising implementation
- Restricted activities can be no more than 40% of your total hours. These usually involve direct implementation of behavior-change programs (like running discrete trials).
📌 If you're spending most of your time in direct client work, you’ll need to adjust to include more unrestricted tasks.
👩🏫 What Does Supervision Look Like?
To meet BACB® requirements, you’ll need:
- 1 client observation per month
- 4 (or 6) supervision contacts per month (4 for supervised, 6 for concentrated)
- At least 50% of supervision hours must be individual (not in a group setting)
Supervision should include real-time feedback, behavioral skills training, modeling, and performance review—not just sitting in on sessions.
✅ Pro Tips for Success
- Track everything—use a reliable tracking system with monthly forms, summaries, and signed contracts
- Work with multiple supervisors when possible to gain diverse experience
- Make supervision count—come prepared with questions, goals, and self-reflections
- Check your ratios monthly to avoid losing hours to noncompliance
📥 Free Resource: Unrestricted Hours Guide
Want ideas to maximize your unrestricted hours?
Download our free Guide to Unrestricted Hours: 75+ Unrestricted Activity Ideas → Download Here
💬 Final Thoughts
Your supervised fieldwork is more than a requirement—it’s your launchpad to becoming a confident, competent BCBA®. With a clear understanding of the rules and a thoughtful approach to learning, you’ll get more than just hours—you’ll build the skills that matter.
Looking for tools to streamline your fieldwork supervision?
👉 Check out Sidekick Learning—a platform built by BCBAs®, for BCBAs®.
📝 Copyright Notice
This content references materials from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®). Board Certified Behavior Analyst® Handbook (2025).
Copyright © 2025, BACB®. All rights reserved.
For the official and most up-to-date information, visit www.bacb.com.
