Free Social Work Licensing Exam Practice

Here's a new set of practice questions from the SWTP blog. Each follows an explainer about the covered topic--all drawn from the ASWB content outline. 

A social worker is working with a family affected by domestic violence. The youngest child in the family is exhibiting aggressive behavior at school, withdrawing from peers, and struggling academically. Which of the following is the MOST likely explanation for the child’s behavior?

A. The child has developed a personality disorder as a result of the domestic violence.

B. The child has been spoiled and is acting out to get attention.

C. The child is mirroring behaviors observed at home and responding to trauma.

D. The child’s behavior is likely unrelated to the domestic violence.

Read up and get the answer here. 

A social worker meets with a middle-aged client who is dependent on their partner for housing and financial support. The client reports being forced to perform unpaid labor and being isolated from friends and family. The social worker suspects labor exploitation. What should the social worker do FIRST?

A. Encourage the client to leave the relationship immediately.

B. Refer the client to vocational training programs to gain independence.

C. Work with the client to develop a safety plan and explore support options.

D. Report the partner to law enforcement for labor trafficking.

Read up and get the answer here. 

A client expresses guilt for feeling relief after their parent’s death, as the parent had suffered from a long-term illness. What should the social worker explore first?

A. The client’s relationship with their parent before the illness.

B. The cultural beliefs and values influencing the client’s grief.

C. Whether the client has resolved their grief.

D. The presence of depressive symptoms due to unresolved grief.

Read up and get the answer here. 

A social worker is assisting a client who has recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness and needs help accessing medical care, housing assistance, and transportation services. Which service delivery method is MOST appropriate in this situation?

A. Individual Therapy

B. Therapeutic Group

C. Social Action

D. Case Management

Read up and get the answer here. 

During a session, a client becomes increasingly angry and begins shouting. What is the most appropriate action for the social worker to take?

A. Allow the client to vent their anger fully before intervening.

B. Calmly redirect the client to focus on the goals of the session.

C. End the session immediately to de-escalate the situation.

D. Match the client’s tone to show empathy and understanding.

Read up and get the answer here. 

One you're at SWTP, consider staying for the full-length practice tests. Sitting for full-length practice really gets you ready to pass the ASWB exam. : )

Free Social Work Exam Practice

From the SWTP blog, here's a new series of questions. Click through for answer--and ton of valuable information on each question's topic. 

A social worker meets with a client who reports hearing voices and occasionally seeing shadows for ever since he turned 22, a few months ago. What is the most likely diagnosis for this client?

A) Schizophrenia

B) Major Depressive Disorder

C) Brief Psychotic Disorder

D) Schizophreniform Disorder

What's your answer? 

Check it here. 

A client reports taking a “mystery drug” at weekend-long party which resulted in a combination of euphoria, increased energy, and heightened alertness. Coming down, they experienced fatigue, some depression, and difficulty sleeping. Which of the following substances did the client most likely use?

A) Alcohol

B) Cocaine

C) Marijuana

D) Heroin

How do you answer? 

Check here.

A social worker has a client who recently moved to a new city for a job opportunity. The client has been struggling to make friends and establish meaningful connections in the new environment. The client expresses feelings of loneliness and isolation, which have started to impact their self-esteem. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which level of need is most relevant to the client's situation?

A) Physiological Needs

B) Esteem Needs 

C) Love and Belonging 

D) Safety Needs

Do you know? 

Answer and details here.

A teenager who is struggling with intense feelings of attraction toward their best friend starts openly expressing strong disgust and disapproval whenever the topic of dating comes up. This behavior is an example of which defense mechanism?

A) Repression 

B) Reaction Formation 

C) Projection 

D) Rationalization

Got it? 

Answer and a Freud primer here.

Stick around once you get to SWTP for full-length practice tests, timed and weighted just like the real thing. 

Free ASWB Exam Practice

Some more free practice from the SWTP blog to get your ready to pass the ASWB exam. 

1. A social worker is conducting a home visit with an elderly client who lives alone. The social worker notices that the client has bruises on her arms and legs that look like fingerprints. The client says that she fell down the stairs a few days ago. The social worker suspects that the client may be a victim of elder abuse by her son who visits her regularly. What is the most appropriate next step for the social worker to take?

A) Report the suspected abuse to Adult Protective Services (APS).

B) Confront the son about his abusive behavior and warn him of legal consequences.

C) Ask the client if she wants to move to a safer place such as a shelter or a nursing home.

D) Educate the client about her rights and options regarding elder abuse.

What's your answer? Check for answer and explanation here. 

2. A social worker is conducting an intake assessment with a new client who is recently unemployed and reports feeling depressed and anxious for the past few months, with decreased sleep and difficulty enjoying every day activities. The client says that he sometimes thinks about ending his life, but says that he would never act on his thoughts because he does not want to hurt his family. What is the most appropriate NEXT step for the social worker to take?

A) Refer the client to a psychiatrist for medication evaluation.

B) Develop a safety plan with the client and schedule a follow-up session.

C) Call 911 and request an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization for the client.

D) Explore the client’s reasons for living and coping skills.

Check your answer here. 

3. A social worker is working with a group of adolescents who have experienced trauma. The social worker wants to use a trauma-informed approach to facilitate the group sessions. Which of the following principles should guide the social worker's practice?

A) Safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, and choice.

B) Empathy, validation, confrontation, feedback, and termination.

C) Assessment, diagnosis, intervention, evaluation, and follow-up.

D) Engagement, rapport-building, goal-setting, problem-solving, and homework.

Think you got it? Check.

How'd it go? With each practice question you take, you're gaining more content knowledge and more ASWB exam-taking how-to. Keep doing practice questions (complete, 170-question exams recommended--SWTP has several). Take enough, build on areas of weakness, review them all, and you'll find yourself ready to pass the ASWB exam come test day. Good luck!

Something New on the ASWB Exam

 

The ASWB outline has changed. Some exam features (eg strikethrough and highlighting) have been added. But there hasn't been a change to how questions on social work licensing exam look for a long, long while. Until now.

The change is small, but could have meaningful impact on your exam experience and your exam result. The ASWB is introducing questions with three possible answers instead of four. That means less time to read through everything. And that means a greater chance of getting the answer right. It's as if test writers have come into the testing room at scratched one of the offered answers out for you. Where once you had ABCD to choose from, you'll now (sometimes, not usually, not always) have just ABC. 

Which of the following medications is used as an antipsychotic mood stabilizer?

A. Gabapentin (Neurontin)

B. Quetiapine (Seroquel)

C. Lamotrigine (Lamictal)

This is one of those you know it if you know it questions. But now, if you don't know it, your chances are boosted that you'll get the answer right (33% chance!).

So...what's your answer? If you said seroquel, you're right (the other two are anti-convulsant mood stabilizers). 

You didn't know that? Not a big deal. Medication questions--especially ones that require this type of specific knowledge--are increasingly rare on the ASWB exam, which is designed to test for beginning social work knowledge, skills, and abilities. (If you want to know more about these meds, here's a link.)

In any case, stay calm, carry on, get lots of practice questions under your belt, and go pass that exam!

Still More Free Exam Practice Questions

From the SWTP blog, here's another set of free questions to help get your ready to pass the ASWB exam. See how you do!

1. A school social worker contacts a parent to set up a meeting after a child is referred by the principal because of frequent absences. The parent asks the social worker how much information will be shared with the school principal. How should the social worker respond FIRST?   

A. Tell the parent that since the social worker is a school employee, all information can be shared with other school staff.  

B. Explain that no information will ever be shared unless there is a release of information or it involves abuse or neglect.  

C. Discuss specific guidelines that have been developed with the school regarding confidential information policies.

D. Request the mother sign a release of information that will allow information to be shared freely with the principal.   

What do you think? Check your answer here.

 

2. A social worker in a community clinic has a client who is worried he will get fired from his job because he refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The client says he doesn't trust the vaccine because "it's too experimental." He also refuses to wear a mask and says that "people look at me funny" when he goes shopping maskless. How should the social worker FIRST respond?

A. Explore the client's possible projection regarding the vaccine and the funny looks he reports receiving.

B. Discuss the possibility of job loss due to vaccine hesitancy.

C. Discuss the health risks involved in foregoing the COVID-19 vaccine.

D. Explore the client's understanding of the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine.

Find the answer and explanation here. 

 

3. After many months of effort, a social worker finds a Section 8 apartment for a homeless client. After seeing the apartment, the client says he prefers to sleep on the street. "I like the open air," he says. The social work is worried that the client's judgment is impaired and that he is putting himself in unnecessary danger. How should the social worker intervene?

A. Convince the client to try the apartment out for a month before deciding.

B. Discuss the pros and cons of apartment versus street living with the client.

C. Bring up the client's decision in a group setting so he can hear from others in a similar situation.

D. Insist that the client try the apartment for his own safety.

How would you answer? The correct answer--and how to get to it--are here.

So...how'd you do? Feeling comfortable with ASWB exam-style questions? Great! The best way to get more and more comfortable, so that you can arrive at the test center on exam day, cool collected, is practice, practice, practice. The SWTP blog has lots more for free (just search the "practice"-tagged posts), plus complete exams to really give you a sense of what it's like to sit for the big, 170-question beast that is the ASWB exam. Good luck!

Five Things to Focus on to Pass the ASWB Exam

Blog pal, exam tutor, Ray Batista published Five Tips for Getting Your Social Work License This Year at the beginning of the year. Now that the year's winding down, it's either time to turbo-charge your efforts on your January resolutions and get the exam passed, or time to strategize passing soon after the calendar changes over. Either way, it's time!

Summarizing the post:

Get started early. While some states require internship hours before sitting for any ASWB exam, others allow you to take them much earlier. Find out how things work in your state and, if you can, get ready to pass the exam while your textbook learning is fresh.

Partialize. Partializing isn't just something  you can tell clients to help them achieve their goals. It's also a way to achieve yours. Take small bites. They're easier to digest. Study what you can, when you can, pacing yourself. Study smarter, not harder.

Practice. How else do you know what it'll feel like to sit down for the long, long test? How else do you know what you need to spend extra time learning? Practice tests are your friend.

Pass with others. Find study partners IRL or online. Coach and support each other. Sometimes having to help someone learn a difficult topic is the best way to get it fully understood.

Focus on the "why." It's easy to get frustrated with all the hoops you have to jump through to get licensed. Remember why you're getting licensed. Remember why you got into social work in the first place.

Ray doesn't just blog, he tutors. Contact him through his site. Tell him Pass the ASWB Exam sent you.

Happy studying and good luck on the exam!

Pass the ASWB Exam Together

Looking to pass the ASWB exam? You're not alone.

Join a new, growing community of social work licensure aspirants in the Facebook group, Pass the ASWB Exam Together. 

The group is just getting started. Post your struggles, your triumphs, and get daily help on crucial topics to help you pass the exam.

Click to join. See you there!

More Free Social Work Exam Practice Questions

The best way to prepare for to pass the ASWB exam is practice, practice, practice. Here, from SWTP (with permission), are three free social work exam practice questions. See how you do!

1. A 15-year-old boy is court-ordered into therapy after several brushes with the law, including charges for breaking and entering, assaulting a classmate, and driving a stolen vehicle. Although the boy witnessed all these incidents, he appears unconcerned and denies he was involved in any of them. The MOST appropriate diagnosis is:

A. Conduct disorder

B. Schizophrenia

C. Antisocial personality disorder

D. Substance abuse

Answer and explanation are here.

2. During a meeting with a social worker, a client suddenly becomes enraged. She stands up, slams her fist on the desk, and throws a book across the room, breaking a picture frame. How should the clinician FIRST respond?

A. Shout for help.

B. Order the client out of the office.

C. Speak in a calm, soothing manner.

D. Tell the client to sit back down in order to discuss whatever is upsetting her.

Check your answer here.

3. A man brings his 16-year-old son to a therapy appointment to have him assessed for depression. His son has started wearing black and has dyed his blond hair black. The boy denies he's depressed and says that all his friends dress the way he does. According to Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, which crisis is the client experiencing?

A. Industry vs. inferiority.

B. Autonomy vs. shame and doubt.

C. Identity vs. role confusion.

D. Intimacy vs. isolation.

Correct answer--and how to arrive at it--here.

The DSM, best/first, Erikson. Just the type of stuff you can expect to see on the ASWB exam. Knowing the material and knowing how to apply that knowledge to correctly answering vignette questions are going to get you to that PASS sheet. It's doable. People pass every day. You're next!

Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Here's a simple item from the ASWB Bachelors exam outline that will help at every exam level: the indicators of somatization.

First, to get started, a definition (from the Merck Manual)

Somatization is the expression of mental phenomena as physical (somatic) symptoms. Disorders characterized by somatization extend in a continuum from those in which symptoms develop unconsciously and nonvolitionally to those in which symptoms develop consciously and volitionally. 

Can  you name define each of these?

Somatic symptom disorder
Illness anxiety disorder
Conversion disorder
Factitious disorder

Let's turn to the DSM Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders chapter for answers.

Somatic symptom disorder has the following criteria:

A. Distressing somatic symptoms
B. Excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to those symptoms.
C. Symptoms appear for more than 6 months.

Illness anxiety disorder involves preoccupation with acquiring a serious illness without the presence of somatic symptoms. You may know this by the retired term hypochondriasis.

Conversion disorder requires symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function that are incompatible with recognized neurological or medical conditions. That is, the symptoms don't match a known diagnosis.

Factitious disorder can be Imposed on Self or Imposed on Another. Both types involve the falsification of physical or psychological signs or symptoms associated with identified deception. The behavior is evident even in the absence of external rewards.

You can easily imagine ASWB exam questions that might test for your knowledge of these disorders. Something like...

A client worries constantly about getting cancer. He frequently visits doctors and requests the latest scan to be reassured that there is nothing wrong with him. What is the BEST diagnosis for this client?

Or...

A client reports agonizing knee pain that keeps her from being able to enjoy her life. She has received a clean bill of health from multiple doctors. What is the MOST likely diagnosis for this client?

And now that you've read this post, you'll be ready for them! (Answers: Illness anxiety disorder and Somatic disorder.)

You're that much more ready for the exam. Though this is no substitute for full-length practice tests, of course. But closer is closer.

Happy studying and good luck.

What's goes into a biopsychosocial assessment?

What's goes into a biopsychosocial assessment? Simple: biology, psychology, social/cultural, um, -ology. Here's a page from Palomar College social work-slash-psych class that lays it all out.

From the page:

 The biopsychosocial (BPS) framework is an approach that emphasizes the importance of a systemic view of the individual and an integration of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors on human development and functioning. The biopsychosocial interview, an assessment typically conducted by therapists and counselors at the beginning of therapy, assesses for biological, psychological and social factors that can be contributing to a problem or problems with a client. It's considered a holistic assessment, looking at a client on all different levels. The biopsychosocial interview is utilized because problems usually don't exist in a vacuum--they all influence each other in different ways. It's not enough just to look at a person; you have to look at his or her environment as well.

Also on the page is a link to this biopsychosocial assessment form which, if you haven't encountered them in the field or classroom, will give you a better sense of a thorough BPS exam than all the descriptions you can find.

How might this appear on the ASWB exam? It might not. Nor may the mental status exam, which is detailed further down the linked page.

If you were an exam writer, how would you include either BPS or MSE into a question?

Video Test Prep

Some variety in your ASWB exam prep can't hurt. SWTP's growing a collection of question walk-through videos. Each takes a social work licensing exam practice question and takes getting to the correct answer step by step.

Also browse the entire channel. It contains lots of prep-helping material including old time footage from people like Carl Rogers, plus new exam tip videos from various sources.

The more practice, advice, and knowledge you can fit before exam day, the better. Enjoy.

What are the differences between the LMSW and LCSW exams?

When you're getting licensed, you're not just taking the ASWB exam. You're taking one of several levels of ASWB exam: Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical.

Not all states ask social workers to work their way through all levels. And different states give different designations for passing different exam levels. The most common for the Masters exam is LMSW; for the Clinical exam, it's LCSW.

Regardless of which exam you're preparing for, it's worth asking, how is this exam different from the others. Since there are more people taking the Masters and Clinical exams, for this post, let's answer this question: What's the difference between the LMSW and LCSW exam?

Short answer: really not that much.

Both have 170 questions (with 20 uncounted--they're tester questions which will be used in future editions of the exam, if they pass muster). Both take four hours. Both are comprised primarily of vignette questions including close-call situations that everyday social workers face. Though the Clinical exam comes after the Masters exam in some states, they're both designed to assess for knowledge, skills, and abilities that might be expected in a beginning social worker. 

Digging deeper, let's look at the exam outlines for each and compare.

The Masters exam is broken down this way:

• HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, DIVERSITY, AND BEHAVIOR IN THE ENVIRONMENT (27%)
• ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION PLANNING (24%)
• INTERVENTIONS WITH CLIENTS/CLIENT SYSTEMS (24%)
• PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS, VALUES, AND ETHICS (25%)

The Clinical exam breakdown is this:

• HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, DIVERSITY, AND BEHAVIOR IN THE ENVIRONMENT (24%)
• ASSESSMENT, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT PLANNING (30%)
• PSYCHOTHERAPY, CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS, AND CASE MANAGEMENT (27%)
• PROFESSIONAL VALUES AND ETHICS (19%)

What do you notice? The Masters exam has 3% more items from the first category. That's about five questions. The Clinical exam adds "Diagnosis" to the second grouping and adds 6% (ten questions). The third group gets a name tweak and a 3% difference. The last category--the one based primarily on the NASW Code of Ethics--is weighted more heavily on the Masters than on the Clinical.

So, out of 170 questions, the biggest swing you'll see one way or another is 10 questions in any given category. Over the course of four hours, that's a difference that will be pretty hard to detect. The Clinical exam will have more questions about diagnosis, but don't count on being spared diagnostic questions on the Masters exam. One of the areas in the Masters content outline is "the use of the DSM."

So, as you're preparing for the Masters, don't shy away from LCSW materials, and vice versa. The vast majority of content is similar or the same. And the test-taking process is exactly the same--narrowing down from four choices to the three best, the two best, the one best answer.

Once you've done that 170 times and gotten around 70-75% of them right, you've passed. You're licensed. And you don't have to worry about this distinction any more (or at least for a while). Congratulations in advance!

ASWB Exam Quiz: Mixed Bag III

Here's another set of quick quiz questions to help you prep for the ASWB exam. This isn't the format of ASWB exam questions, but all the content comes from the ASWB exam outline. Seek out full-length practice tests to get a sense of both exam content and format. That's really the best way to prepare, but for now...  See how you do.

1. True of false: Social learning theory proposes additional stages beyond the adult ego. In healthy individuals, these stages contribute to creativity, wisdom, and altruism. In people lacking healthy ego development, experiences can lead to psychosis.

2. Erikson stage of psychosocial development for teens: Identity vs. _____________________

3. True of false: The NASW Code of Ethics addresses social workers' use of social media.

4. DSM diagnosis involving distressing somatic symptoms along with abnormal or extreme thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to these symptoms.

What do you say?

How'd you do?

Scroll down for answers...………..












1. False. That describes transpersonal theory. Social learning theory is based on Albert Bandura’s idea that learning occurs through observation and imitation. (Details.)

2. Identity vs. Role Confusion, ages 12-18 (full list)

3. True (Standard 1.06f: "Social workers should be aware that posting personal information on professional web sites or other media might cause boundary confusion, inappropriate dual relationships, or harm to clients.")

4. Somatic symptom disorder (SSD)

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Free ASWB Exam Practice Questions

The more practice, the better. Full-length practice best. Free practice, really, really nice.

Here are three questions recently posted on the SWTP blog. See you how you. Reposted by permission:

1. A social worker sees a client who reports a lifetime of "seeing things all the time, shadows." He also reports hearing voices, "probably the NSA," which tell him he's "useless and stupid." The voices leave him feeling "pretty sad and really annoyed." Given the symptoms the client describes, what is the MOST likely of the following DSM diagnoses?

A. Major depression with psychotic features

B. Schizophrenia

C. Schizophreniform disorder

D. Schizoaffective disorder

Stumped? An information-rich explanation is here. 

2.  A 17-year-old client who appears noticeably underweight reports frequently forcing herself to vomit after meals in order to "stay skinny for cheerleading." The MOST likely DSM diagnosis for this client is a type of:

A. Bulimia nervosa

B. Body dysmorphic disorder

C. Rumination disorder

D. Anorexia nervosa

Not sure?  Here's the answer and how you get to it.

3. A man in his 40s comes to a mental health clinic complaining of gradual memory loss and occasional confusion, such as getting lost on the way to a job he has held for years. The man is a retired boxer who suffered multiple concussions during his career. The MOST likely diagnosis for this client is:

A. Post-traumatic stress disorder

B. Alzheimer's disease

C. Delirium

D. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Uncertain? Answer and explanation here. 

There's more where these came from. Check out the "practice" tag on the blog for additional free questions. Then stick around at SWTP--as they intend--for full-length, 170-question, covering-all-topic-areas ASWB exam practice tests. 

Happy studying!