How To Pass The ASWB test To Become A Licensed Social Worker

Editorial Note: They earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect their editors' opinions or evaluations.

Social work licensing practices vary widely by state. Some states require entry-level and generalist social workers to pass an test and earn licensure. In other states, you only need a license to become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and provide psychotherapy services.

In many states, social work licensure at any level requires you to pass an test administered by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). The ASWB test is a nationally recognized test that evaluates your comprehension of human behavior and development.

If you’re a social work major or considering pivoting into the human services field, read on to discover how to prepare for, take and pass the ASWB licensure exam—with or without a social work degree.

ASWB is a nonprofit organization comprising all of the state social work regulatory boards in the United States and Canada. This body regulates the social work profession and administers the licensure test that evaluates prospective social workers’ ethics and expertise. Passing the ASWB test is the final step to earning a social work license in many states.

ASWB offers five test categories—associate, bachelor’s, master’s, advanced generalist and clinical—each tailored to a specific education and experience level. A candidate’s test category determines their title and scope of practice post-licensure.

Within a four-hour window, ASWB exam-takers must answer questions concerning:

All ASWB test categories contain 170 questions on human development and behavior, but question types may vary among categories. For example, the associate and bachelor’s exams lean more heavily on recall questions than other test categories, which feature larger proportions of reasoning questions.

Each test category may lead to a different level of social work licensure depending on your state’s licensing processes. Not all states offer all five categories of the ASWB exam.

This category offers a licensure pathway for applicants who want to practice social work without earning a four-year degree in the field. In most cases, associate-level social workers can only practice under supervision.

A handful of states offer this licensing pathway: South Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Only South Dakota, New Hampshire and Massachusetts require associate-level social workers to pass the associate ASWB exam.

Registration for the associate ASWB test category costs $230.

The ASWB bachelor’s exam, which also costs $230, evaluates your generalist understanding of social work practices and ethics. You must hold a bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited college to sit for this test category.

The bachelor’s category features the same questions as the associate category.

Passing the bachelor’s test qualifies you to become a non-clinical baccalaureate social worker. Exact titles vary among states; in Oregon, these professionals are called registered baccalaureate social workers, while North Carolina calls them certified social workers.

In most cases, social workers at this level interview clients, manage cases, conduct research and advocate for social justice. Depending on the state, they may only be able to practice autonomously after gaining supervised work experience post-licensure.

The ASWB master’s category requires a master of social work (MSW) and usually qualifies applicants for the licensed master social worker (LMSW) credential. Again, the exact title may vary by state—Indiana calls these professionals licensed social workers, for example.

The master’s-level test tests your foundational understanding of the social work field and evaluates your application of specialized skills gained during their MSW program. Licensees know how to apply advanced practice skills and specialized knowledge in their roles.

LMSWs can drive social change and justice for various communities. In some states, they can provide clinical therapy with oversight from an LCSW. The registration fee for this ASWB test category is $230.

The advanced generalist category is tailored to prospective LMSWs who aspire to work in macro-level roles. This means working with large populations, such as entire states and countries. The advanced generalist ASWB test indicates a desire to work with public policy, state or national campaigns, or other government initiatives.

To sit for the advanced generalist ASWB exam, you must hold a master’s degree in social work plus two years of nonclinical professional experience.

With a fee of $260, test takers can prove their expertise in social justice, public policy and administration, and public welfare to their state licensing boards.

The minimum requirements for this ASWB category include an MSW and two years of clinical experience. The clinical ASWB test serves prospective social workers who want to provide mental health services in clinical settings.

LCSWs (who may work under different titles, depending on where they practice) provide psychotherapy services to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Through individual or group therapy, these professionals help people struggling with emotional distress.

Clinical social workers practice independently in various settings, including hospitals, schools, psychiatric facilities and social service agencies. Registering for the clinical ASWB test category costs $260.

First, you must get your state board’s approval to register for the ASWB exam. Approval processes differ depending on the state where you want to practice.

Typical requirements vary by state and license level but may include college transcripts, a license application fee and proof of supervised experience, which you can send to the board via email or fax. Some states may also require you to provide fingerprints and undergo a background check.

Once you receive approval from your state social work board, you must register for the appropriate ASWB licensure exam, either online, via mail or by fax. Registration costs between $230 and $260, depending on your test category.

If your registration is successful, you’ll receive an “authorization to test” email from ASWB.

Pearson VUE provides testing centers for licensure applicants nationwide. You can schedule, cancel and reschedule test appointments with Pearson VUE through the testing authorization email.

The ASWB test is a four-hour, computer-based test comprising 170 multiple-choice questions that test your expertise and decision-making skills as a social worker.

Exam questions cover various content areas and competencies you should have covered during your degree program. You may also find knowledge, skills and abilities statements resembling real-life situations that require critical thinking. To pass the licensure exam, you must answer about 100 out of the 150 questions correctly.

Although self-study is necessary to pass professional exams, practice tests can help you prepare better. By taking a mock test, you can identify loopholes in your study plan, learn the testing software, understand your strengths and areas for improvement, and prepare for complex questions.

After you register for your exam, ASWB offers a 30-day window to take a practice test for an additional $85. Practice exams exist for all categories except the advanced generalist exam.

Other test prep resources offer free practice tests, but ASWB warns against those resources because their content may be misleading.

ASWB enforces several security measures on test day to ensure a reliable test process. Prepare to present two photo IDs and sign a confidentiality agreement.

Pearson VUE test centers are fitted with surveillance tools to detect test malpractice. Exam Center personnel may also walk through the room at intervals.

You cannot enter the testing center with personal items, but you will receive erasable note boards, markers and other necessary materials from the Exam Center personnel. You must return the items after the test or risk invalidating your score.

The testing equipment should look like a typical computer setup. Test administrators may provide a short on-screen tutorial to help you navigate the software.

Upon completing the licensure exam, you’ll receive an unofficial score report at the Exam Center indicating your performance. ASWB will then send the official score report to your state’s social work board two weeks after the exam.

Note that your scores cannot be altered at any point, so all you can do is wait for your state board to contact you or go ahead with other state-specific requirements. This may take anywhere from two weeks to a month.

If you fail the licensure exam, you can retake it after 90 days.

The ASWB test stands for the Association of Social Work Boards examination. This test determines whether a candidate is fit to practice social work at their desired licensure level.

A recent ASWB report showed that 75.8% of first-time test takers passed the clinical test category in 2021. The master’s and bachelor’s categories had pass rates of 73% and 68.7%, respectively.

Specific passing score thresholds on the ASWB test may vary with each passing year. ASWB recommends that testers correctly answer 90 to 107 of the graded questions to pass the licensure exam.

Exam question about crickets is so tricky even adults are struggling to solve it

The confusing test question is so baffling that people even made memes about it afterward, with some sharing that they still couldn't work it out - and parents were miffed too

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Sometimes, test questions are so difficult that they leave even adults scratching their heads, wondering where to even start with answering them. And students sitting a Higher School Certificate test in Australia were left seriously baffled after a question about crickets, finding it super challenging, and wondering whether they even studied for it.

According to news.com.au the syllabus was recently altered by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), which sets the test papers, and one of these changes saw some of the same questions feature in both the standard and advanced maths tests.

And the crickets question from October 2020 left students so stunned that it became a meme after the examination, but can you answer it?

The baffling test question featured a box plot of temperature data and those taking the test were asked to "calculate the number of chirps expected in a 15-second interval when the temperature is 19° Celsius."

Answers had to be given "correct to the nearest whole number."

Pupils were left not knowing what to write in the answer section, and some parents were even left thinking that it was too tricky.

One person tweeted a hilarious meme showing the difference between what they had studied for the exam, compared to the content they actually found in it.

Someone responded to the tweet saying: "I still have absolutely no idea how to do it", but someone else said: "Wow you're all idiots I am a grade eight student and it took me less than five min to solve."

A student wrote: "The HSC Maths test papers are another NESA stuff-up. The way they are justifying it is ridiculous. At the very least, NESA should have told everyone what they might expect instead of dropping it in the exams."

Speaking to news.com.au, a spokeswoman for NESA said it had received feedback from a number of students and parents about the maths test "being difficult".

She added: "NESA confirms that all questions asked within the Maths Standard 2 test were within the scope of the syllabus.

"All HSC test papers are designed to differentiate student achievement. NESA will monitor the marking of the Maths Standard 2 paper very closely. Mathematics education is a priority for the NSW Government."

Do you have a similar story to share? Email: danielle.wroe@mirror.co.uk

Best No-Exam Life Insurance Of August 2023

A no-exam life insurance policy may not be able to provide the full coverage amount you need, especially if you’re looking to cover many working years or the years of raising a family.

Before you start getting life insurance quotes, calculate how much life insurance you need. A no-exam policy alone may not be able to provide sufficient coverage.

Getting life insurance without a long application process is appealing, but don’t jump into a no-exam life insurance application without understanding your chances of getting approved. Many no-exam policies require very good or excellent health for approval. A denial goes on your insurance record and could hinder future applications.

Don’t be surprised if you end up doing a more traditional application process, including a life insurance medical test if you’ve had some health issues.

Of course you don’t want to overpay for life insurance, but research more than cost. There are coverage options that can be very valuable long after you buy the policy, such as the option to convert term life to permanent life insurance. Also, look at whether there’s an accelerated death benefit, which gives you access to money from your own death benefit if you become terminally ill.

No matter what type of life insurance you’re applying for, be thorough and truthful on the application.

“Pay attention to each question carefully and be ready to respond with information around specific medical conditions you have. Giving more detailed information will help streamline the process as well as get a more accurate underwriting decision,” says Tavan of Legal & General America.

Intentional misrepresentations can lead to application denials or, worse, denial of a claim after you pass away. Life insurance companies have many ways to verify application information. Technology on the backend allows them to verify data from additional sources.

If the company rejects you for no-exam life insurance because of your health, don’t give up your life insurance search. If you need life insurance, you likely have other routes.

Looking for traditional term life insurance? See Forbes Advisor’s ratings of the best term life insurance.