ASWB Test

The Association of Social Work Boards has developed a battery of four exams to test the knowledge and skills of individuals hoping to earn licensure in social work. The four ASWB exams, listed from easiest to most difficult, are Bachelor's, Master's, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical. The Bachelor's examination is designed for entry-level individuals in possession of a Bachelor's in Social Work. The content of the Bachelor's exam is as follows:

Human Development and Behavior in the Environment (14% of the exam; includes the theoretical approaches to understanding individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations; human growth and development; human behavior in the social environment; impact of crises and changes; addictive behaviors; and dynamics of abuse and neglect); issues of diversity (7%);

Assessment in Social Work Practice (20%; includes social history and collateral data; use of assessment instruments; problem identification; effects of the environment on client system behavior; assessment of client systems' strengths and weaknesses; assessment of mental and behavioral disorders; indicators of abuse and neglect; indicators of danger to self and others; and indicators of crisis); direct and indirect practice (21%; includes models of practice; intervention practices; components of the intervention process; matching intervention with client system needs; professional use of self; and use of collaborative relationships in social work practice); communication (10%; includes communication principles and communication techniques); professional relationships (5%; includes relationship concepts and relationship in practice); professional values and ethics (13%; includes responsibility to the client system; responsibility to the profession; confidentiality; and self-determination);

Supervision in Social Work (2%; includes educational functions of supervision and administrative functions of supervision);

Practice Evaluation and the Utilization of Research (2%; includes methods of data collection, research design, and data analysis);

Service Delivery (5%; includes client systems rights, entitlements, and implementation of organizational policies and procedures);

Social Work Administration (1%; includes staffing, human resource management, and social work program management).

The exam consists of 170 multiple-choice questions, 20 of which are pretest questions that will be used to develop future versions of the exam and they do not contribute to the test score. The minimum passing score is established by the jurisdiction in which the candidate takes the exam. The ASWB examinations are administered at special testing centers throughout the year in locations around the United States.

For additional information, we recommend you check out these free ASWB test resources:

Commercial Resources for ASWB Test Preparation (provided for information only, no endorsement implied)

ASWB Test Study Guide from Mometrix Media

ASWB Test Flashcards from Mometrix Media