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Intake Coordinator Interview Questions for ABA Practices

By the Remote ABA Staffing team · Published October 27, 2026 · 6 min read

Twelve interview questions, and what a strong answer sounds like, for the person who decides how fast referrals become first sessions.

Intake is where a family decides whether to trust your practice. It is also where most avoidable delays start. These questions test both sides of the job: empathy and accuracy.

Empathy and expectation-setting

1. "A parent calls in tears after a long waitlist elsewhere. How do you open the call?" Listen for acknowledgment first, then clear next steps. Avoid answers that promise a start date before benefits are verified.
2. "How do you explain a deductible to a family new to insurance terms?" Strong candidates use plain language and an example.
3. "What do you say when you don’t know the answer?" You want "I’ll find out and call you back by a specific time," not a guess.

Benefits and eligibility

4. "Walk me through a benefits check for ABA." Listen for ABA coverage, visit or unit limits, authorization requirements, diagnostic-report requirements, in- or out-of-network status and cost share.
5. "How does intake differ for Medicaid and commercial plans?" Look for awareness of managed-care plans, state-specific requirements and documentation rules.
6. "A referral is missing the diagnostic report. What happens next?" Strong answers include who to contact, how to track the request and what to tell the family meanwhile.

Documentation and privacy

7. "Where do you record intake notes?" The right answer is inside the practice-management system, never in personal email, notebooks or texts.
8. "Someone calls asking whether their nephew is a client. What do you say?" Listen for identity verification and the minimum-necessary standard.
9. "How do you keep a waitlist accurate?" Look for regular outreach, status codes and clean handoffs.

Process and handoffs

10. "What do you hand the authorization coordinator, and when?" Strong candidates describe a complete packet, not a partial one.
11. "How do you track referral sources?" This shows whether they think about the practice’s growth.
12. "Tell me about a time you caught a coverage problem before it became a denial." Real stories beat hypotheticals.

Add a live exercise

Interview answers only go so far. Ask finalists to complete a ten-minute mock intake call with a scripted parent, followed by a benefits response to interpret. Score it on warmth, accuracy, documentation and next steps. This is the same structure we use to screen intake candidates.

Questions to avoid

Do not ask about age, family plans, disability, national origin, religion or other protected characteristics. In many states and cities it is also unlawful to ask about salary history or, before a conditional offer, criminal history. Ask about skills and experience, and ask candidates what they want to earn, not what they earned.