How I Passed the Social Work Exam

Here's a first-person account of studying for, and passing, the social work licensing exam: 

"I'm happy to report that I PASSED the exam. The main piece of advice I have is "keep your cool." I was surprised by how much of the exam was like a day at work (I work in a community clinic). The DSM diagnosis questions were mostly about the diagnoses that are common at work. Some of the vignettes either had happened or could happen at my job. The thing that helped me was remembering that the correct answer to a question is not the same as how you would handle the situation in the real world. The right answer is the what would you do if you worked inside a textbook. Give the textbook answer, not the real world one. That's the one they're looking for. 

Keeping cool is really important day to day when you're a social worker. It's also really really important when you take the exam. You might get thrown when you don't know the answer to a question right away. It's no big deal. Twenty of the questions don't even count towards your score! Just answer the best you can and move on. You can always mark questions and come back to them if you have time. Yes there are a lot of questions, but a lot of them you will be able to answer quickly.

Take a breath, Remember the practice tests you've done. Remember the work you've done. And remember those textbooks! You'll do fine!"

Congratulations in advance!

Here are some links that should come in handy as you prepare:

• Eye on Ethics at Social Work Today

• NASW Ethics 8

• Practice tests at Social Work Test Prep

• LCSW Flash Cards at Cram.com

And, to help you keep your cool:

• Self-Care Starter Kit