Human Behavior and Social Environment
20%of exam
Social Welfare Policies, Programs, Services
20%of exam
Social Work Practice I, Field Instruction
20%of exam
Social Work Methods II, Groups
20%of exam
Social Work Practice III, Communities
20%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam body
- PRC Board for Social Workers
- Subjects
- 5 subjects, 20% each
- Scored items
- 500 total, 100 per subject
- Exam days
- 3 days
- Passing rule
- 70% average, no subject below 50%
- Blueprint
- Enhanced TOS, Resolution 04
- Item difficulty mix
- 30% easy, 40% moderate, 30% difficult
- PQF level
- Level 6
- 2026 exam dates
- September 9-11, 2026
- 2026 filing deadline
- August 12, 2026
- Testing centers
- 18 PRC sites
- Eligibility
- BSSW plus 1,000 case hours
Core Filipino Values
Kapwa first, then pakiramdam, kagandahang-loob
Kapwa = shared identityPakiramdam = shared inner perceptionKagandahang-loob = shared humanityBayanihan = communal unity
2022 TOS vs 1994 Syllabi
Enhanced TOS 2022
- Five subjects, 20% each
- Board Resolution 04
- Effective September 2022
1994 Syllabi
- Four areas, uneven weights
- Field Practice weighted 30%
- Superseded, still posted
Use the 2022 TOS
HBSE Areas and Weights
- A. Social realities
- Poverty, sectors, social problems20%
- B. Filipino personality
- Personality theories, kapwa, loob20%
- C. Social deviation
- Deviance theories, behavioral disorders20%
- D. Social environment
- Family, group, community, organization20%
- E. Social change
- Development theories, social movements20%
Item Difficulty Mix
Thirty easy, forty moderate, thirty difficult
Easy 30 itemsModerate 40 itemsDifficult 30 itemsSame mix every subject
Core Filipino Values
- Kapwa
- Shared identity; nexus value
- Pakiramdam
- Shared inner perception
- Kagandahang-loob
- Shared humanity; linking value
- Pakikisama
- Smooth interpersonal relationship
- Lakas ng loob
- Courage; confrontative value
- Pakikibaka
- Collective struggle, social cause
- Padayon
- Moving forward
- Karangalan
- Dignity; societal value
- Katarungan
- Justice; societal value
- Kalayaan
- Freedom; societal value
- Bayanihan
- Communal unity, heroism
Personality Theory Clusters
- Behavioral theory
- Learning through conditioning
- Social learning theory
- Observation and modeling
- Humanistic, existential
- Self-actualization, meaning, choice
- Cognitive, moral theory
- Thinking stages, moral reasoning
- Gilligan feminist ethics
- Morality as care, relationship
- Psychosexual stages
- Freud; childhood drive stages
- Psychosocial stages
- Erikson; eight life crises
- Sikolohiyang Filipino
- Indigenous Filipino psychology
Practice Perspectives
- Ecosystems
- Ecological perspective, systems theory
- Strengths, empowerment
- Build on client capacities
- Anti-oppressive
- Challenge structural oppression
- Ethnic-sensitive, culture theory
- Culture shapes need, response
- Structural, functional
- Society as interlocking parts
- Rights-based, social justice
- Entitlements and duty bearers
- Feminist, gender and development
- Gender analysis in practice
- Person-in-environment
- Fit between person, environment
Passing Rule
Seventy overall, fifty floor, no exception
70% general average50% minimum per subjectIRR Section 15
General Average vs Subject Floor
General average 70%
- Across all five subjects
- Each subject weighs 20%
- IRR Section 15
Subject floor 50%
- Applies to each subject
- One subject below fails
- Average cannot rescue it
Both rules must pass
Ethical Duty Owed To
- Standards, oath, advancement→The profession(Standard A)
- Referral, disputes, respect→Colleagues(Standard B)
- Consent, confidentiality, self-determination→Clients(Standard C)
- Employer, supervision, CPD→Practice setting(Standard D)
- Disasters, discrimination, environment→Broader society(Standard D)
SWPPS Areas and Weights
- A. Social work statistics
- Statistical models, uses10%
- B. Social work research 1
- Research overview, process10%
- C. Social work research 2
- Instrumentation, data, presentation10%
- D. Welfare policies
- Principles, policy analysis tools30%
- F. Agency administration
- Social welfare administration20%
- G. Project development
- Project management cycle20%
- No area E
- Community training moved out2022
SWPPS Weight Split
Thirty policies, twenty agency, twenty projects
Policies 30%Agency administration 20%Project development 20%Statistics 10%Research 1 10%Research 2 10%
Values vs Ethical Principles
Values
- What the profession believes
- Service, justice, dignity
- Code Part III
Ethical principles
- What the worker must do
- Derived from each value
- Guide daily conduct
Principles operationalize values
Governing Laws and Resolutions
- RA 4373
- Social work practice law, 1965
- RA 5175
- 1967 amendment, RA 4373
- RA 10847
- 2016 amendment; CPD, AIPO
- RA 8981
- PRC Modernization Act, 2000
- RA 10912
- CPD Act of 2016
- Resolution 03, s. 2017
- IRR of RA 4373
- Resolution 03, s. 2022
- New documentary requirements
- Resolution 04, s. 2022
- Enhanced Tables of Specifications
- Resolution 05, s. 2023
- Philippine Social Work Code
COR vs PIC
Certificate of Registration
- Issued once
- Valid until revoked
- Proof of licensure
Professional ID Card
- Renewable every 3 years
- Needs 45 CPD units
- Shows issue, expiry dates
COR permanent, PIC renewable
Client Sector Laws
- RA 7610
- Child abuse special protection
- RA 9262
- Violence against women, children
- RA 9344
- Juvenile justice and welfare
- RA 11642
- Administrative adoption, alternative childcare
- RA 9710
- Magna Carta of Women
- RA 8972
- Solo parents welfare
- RA 7277
- Magna Carta for PWDs
- RA 9994
- Expanded senior citizens act
- RA 11036
- Mental Health Act
- RA 11310
- 4Ps cash transfer program
PASWI vs NASWEI
PASWI
- The AIPO
- All licensed social workers
- Membership required
NASWEI
- Social work schools
- Represents the academe
- Validated the 2022 TOS
Practitioners vs educators
Professional Core Values
- Service
- Kawanggawa; purposeful social service
- Social justice, human rights
- Katarungan, equality, kalayaan
- Dignity and worth
- Treat kapwa as co-equal
- Personal, professional integrity
- Dangal; honesty and objectivity
- Competence
- Cultural competence, current skills
- Human relationships
- Bayanihan, empathy, kagandahang-loob
- Spirituality
- Inner meaning, faith affiliation
- Resilience
- Katatagan; perseverance, patience
- Dynamism
- Personal, family, community life
- Technology, social media
- Responsible professional use
Code of Ethics Standards
- A. Profession
- Integrity, oath, advancementStandard A
- B. Colleagues
- Respect, referral, disputesStandard B
- C. Clients
- Consent, confidentiality, self-determinationStandard C
- D1. Employer
- Commitment to practice settingStandard D
- D2. Supervision
- Supervision and consultationStandard D
- D3. Education
- Social work education, trainingStandard D
- D4. CPD
- Continuing professional developmentStandard D
- D5. As professionals
- Personal conduct and competenceStandard D
- D6. Broader society
- Advocacy, emergencies, environmentStandard D
Research and Statistics
- Descriptive statistics
- Summarize the data set
- Inferential statistics
- Generalize to a population
- Mean, median, mode
- Measures of central tendency
- Standard deviation
- Spread around the mean
- Probability sampling
- Every unit has chance
- Purposive sampling
- Chosen for relevance
- Research instrument
- Tool for data gathering
- Data tabulation
- Organizing gathered data
- Research presentation
- Textual, tabular, graphical
Administration and Projects
- Social administration
- Policy turned into services
- Welfare administration
- Agency-level management process
- Project management cycle
- Plan, implement, monitor, evaluate
- Supervision functions
- Administrative, educational, supportive
- SWDA
- Social welfare development agency
- DSWD registration
- Required before operating
- License to operate
- DSWD issues to SWDA
Who Can Sit
- Citizenship
- Filipino citizen
- Age
- At least 18 years
- Degree
- BSSW, MSSW or equivalent
- Field practice
- 1,000 supervised case hours
- Character
- Good health, moral character
- NBI clearance
- Original and photocopy
- PSA birth certificate
- On PSA security paper
- Transcript of records
- With Special Order number
Exam Day and Filing
- 2026 exam dates
- September 9-11, 2026
- Exam days
- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
- Testing centers
- 18 PRC sites nationwide
- Filing opened
- June 11, 2026
- Filing deadline
- August 12, 2026
- Target results release
- September 16, 2026
- Application portal
- PRC LERIS online
After You Pass
- Oath
- Taken before Board member
- COR
- Certificate of Registration issued
- PIC
- Professional Identification Card
- PIC validity
- Renewable every 3 years
- CPD
- 45 units for renewal
- AIPO
- PASWI membership required
- STP
- Foreign workers, 1 year
- Reciprocity
- Foreign registration, no exam
Casework Helping Process
Intake, Study, Plan, Act, Evaluate, End
IntakeAssessment, social studyPlanning and contractInterventionEvaluationTermination
Casework vs Counseling
Social casework
- Whole helping process
- Resources plus relationship
- 12% of Practice I
Social work counseling
- Focused therapeutic component
- Has mandates and limits
- 10% of Practice I
Counseling sits inside casework
Pick the Practice Method
- One client or family→Casework(Practice I)
- Small formed group→Groupwork(Methods II)
- 60-150 families→Community organizing(Practice III)
- Agency service design→Administration(SWPPS area F)
- Law or policy change→Social action(Indirect practice)
- Need evidence for practice→Social work research(SWPPS areas B, C)
Practice I Areas and Weights
- A. Foundations
- History, definition, legal bases7%
- B. Social casework
- Foundation, nature, scope, goals12%
- C. Philippine helping context
- Filipino values in helping4%
- D. Helping process
- Individuals and families9%
- E. Social work counseling
- Context, mandates, limits10%
- F. Fields of practice
- Settings, locus, system levels3%
- G. Emerging trends
- New fields and issues2%
- H. Communication, documentation
- Professional writing, advocacy3%
- Field Instruction I
- Institutional placement, three phases50%
Micro vs Macro Practice
Micro, clinical
- Individuals and families
- Direct practice
- Practice I
Macro
- Communities, agency, policy
- Indirect practice
- Practice III, SWPPS
System size sets method
Which Helping Phase
- First contact, eligibility→Intake(Beginning phase)
- Gathering, analyzing data→Assessment(Social study)
- Setting goals with client→Planning(Contract)
- Carrying out the plan→Intervention(Middle phase)
- Measuring goal attainment→Evaluation(Ending phase)
- Goals met, closing→Termination(Ending phase)
Casework Helping Process
- Intake
- First contact, eligibility screening
- Assessment
- Social study, problem analysis
- Planning
- Goals, contract with client
- Intervention
- Carrying out the plan
- Evaluation
- Measuring goal attainment
- Termination
- Planned ending, referral
- Beginning phase
- Assessment and planning15%
- Middle phase
- Intervention, plan implementation15%
- Ending phase
- Termination, evaluation, documentation20%
Casework Tools and Records
- Genogram
- Family structure across generations
- Ecomap
- Client links to systems
- Social case study report
- Formal assessment document
- Intake sheet
- First-contact data record
- Process recording
- Verbatim session learning tool
- Running record
- Ongoing narrative case notes
- Contract
- Agreed goals and roles
- Referral
- Transfer to another resource
- Case conference
- Multi-worker case review
Fields, Settings, Levels
- Direct practice
- Face-to-face with clients
- Indirect practice
- Policy, administration, research
- Primary setting
- Social work is core
- Secondary setting
- Host agency, another profession
- Micro level
- Individuals and families
- Mezzo level
- Groups and organizations
- Macro level
- Communities, policy, society
Emerging Practice Trends
- CPiE
- Child protection in emergencies
- Community Resiliency Model
- Trauma, well-being management
- CSR
- Corporate social responsibility
- Cybercrimes
- Online harms, digital risk
- DSWD convergence
- Convergence strategies across programs
Groupwork Field Phases
Pre, Individual, Group, Plan, End
Pre-group formation 10%Individual-focused planning 10%Group-focused planning 15%Plan implementation 10%Evaluation, termination 5%
Groupwork vs Community Organizing
Groupwork
- Small formed group
- Mutual aid focus
- Methods II subject
Community organizing
- 60-150 families
- Collective power focus
- Practice III subject
Scale sets the method
Groupwork Field Phase
- Recruiting members, writing proposal→Pre-group formation(10%)
- Assessing each member→Individual-focused planning(10%)
- Assessing group as whole→Group-focused planning(15%)
- Running sessions, program media→Plan implementation(10%)
- Closing, recording, supervision→Evaluation, termination(5%)
Groupwork Theory Weights
- A. Historical development
- Groupwork in West, Philippines6%
- B. Types of groups
- Classifications used in practice6%
- C. Definition and purposes
- Groupwork in generalist practice6%
- D. Knowledge foundations
- Theories, philosophical base8%
- E. Phases of development
- Group stages, helping phases14%
- F. Intervention models
- Gender-responsive models, approaches8%
- G. Recordings, supervision
- Types and purposes2%
Field Instruction II Weights
- A. Pre-group formation
- Conceptualize service, recruit members10%
- B. Individual assessment
- Member-level assessment, planning10%
- C. Group assessment
- Group-level assessment, planning15%
- D. Plan implementation
- Sessions, program media10%
- E. Evaluation, termination
- Recording and supervision5%
Group Types and Dynamics
- Primary group
- Close, informal, enduring ties
- Formed group
- Created for a purpose
- Natural group
- Arises without worker action
- In-group
- Members feel belonging
- Out-group
- Treated as outsiders
- Mutual aid
- Members help each other
- Program media
- Activities carrying group purpose
- Group norms
- Shared behavior expectations
- Group cohesion
- Bond holding members together
Groupwork Models and Roles
- Social goals model
- Civic responsibility, social action
- Remedial model
- Restore individual social functioning
- Reciprocal model
- Mutual aid, mediating worker
- Gender-responsive approach
- Required by the TOS
- Enabler role
- Helps group help itself
- Broker role
- Links group to resources
Community Organizing Phases
Social Leaders Organize, Consolidate, Document
Social preparation 10%Leadership development 10%Organization development 10%Consolidation, expansion 15%Documentation, evaluation 5%
Community Organizing Phase
- Entering, integrating, area study→Social preparation(10%)
- Training potential leaders→Leadership development(10%)
- Forming the people's organization→Organization development(10%)
- Strengthening, widening the organization→Consolidation, expansion(15%)
- Recording, measuring results→Documentation, evaluation(5%)
Practice III Theory Weights
- 1. Knowledge foundation
- Basic concepts, values, principles3%
- 2. Concept of community
- Definitions, types, elements4%
- 3. Historical development
- Community work history3%
- 4. Theoretical base
- Frameworks for community work6%
- 5. Models
- Typologies, approaches, trends7%
- 6. Phases
- The community organizing process12%
- 7. Typologies, trends
- Types and approaches3%
- 8. Tools of analysis
- Assessing community needs3%
- 9. Community organizer
- Roles, functions, values3%
- B. Education and training
- Moved from SWPPS, 20226%
Field Instruction III Weights
- 1. Social preparation
- Integration, area study, entry10%
- 2. Leadership development
- Capability building, training10%
- 3. Organization development
- Forming, managing organization10%
- 4. Consolidation, expansion
- Strengthening, widening reach15%
- 5. Documentation, evaluation
- Monitoring and recording5%
Community Practice Concepts
- Placement size
- 60-150 families
- Integration
- Living with the community
- Social investigation
- Systematic community needs study
- Core group
- First organized community leaders
- People's organization
- Community-based membership organization
- Mobilization
- Collective action on issues
- Networking
- Linking to outside resources
- Phase-out
- Turnover to the organization
Community Practice Models
- Locality development
- Broad participation, self-help
- Social planning
- Expert-led technical problem solving
- Social action
- Shift power to disadvantaged
- COPAR
- Community organizing participatory action
- Community education, training
- Theory, processes, trainer roles
Common Traps
Passing general average
70% general average ≠ Not the common 75%
Subject floor
One subject below 50% fails ≠ A high average cannot rescue
Current blueprint
Resolution 04, series 2022 ≠ Not the 1994 syllabi
Subject count
Five subjects, 100 items each ≠ Not four weighted areas
Code of Ethics version
Philippine Code, series 2023 ≠ Not the older code
Field instruction is scored
Half of three practice subjects ≠ Not just a school requirement
COR versus PIC
PIC renews every 3 years ≠ COR is never renewed
Minimum age
At least 18 years ≠ RA 10847 lowered from 21
CPD timing
45 units for PIC renewal ≠ Not an exam requirement
Missing SWPPS area E
Community training moved out ≠ Practice III now carries it
Last Minute
- 1.70% average; 50% subject floor
- 2.5 subjects; 100 items each
- 3.Every subject weighs 20%
- 4.30 easy, 40 moderate, 30 difficult
- 5.Blueprint = Board Resolution 04, 2022
- 6.Ethics = Philippine Code, series 2023
- 7.Casework = Practice I subject
- 8.Groupwork = Methods II subject
- 9.Community organizing = Practice III subject
- 10.Field instruction = half each practice subject
- 11.SWPPS: welfare policies 30% largest
- 12.HBSE: five areas, 20% each
- 13.Groupwork theory: phases 14% largest
- 14.Practice III: phases 12% largest
- 15.PIC renews every 3 years
- 16.September 9-11, 2026 exam dates
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