ASWB Exam Flashcards

Q: How many questions are on the ASWB exam in 2026?

Until August 4, 2026, ASWB exams use 170 total questions (150 scored + 20 pretest) in 4 hours. Starting August 5, 2026, ASWB will use 122 total questions (110 scored + 12 pretest) in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Q: What is the ASWB passing score?

ASWB does not publish one universal raw passing score. Passing is based on scaled scoring by exam category, form, and jurisdiction. ASWB reports that typical passing ranges are around 90-107 correct answers out of 150 scored items on the current format.

Q: How much does the ASWB exam cost?

ASWB exam fees are currently $230 for Associate, Bachelors, and Masters categories, and $260 for Advanced Generalist and Clinical categories.

Q: Can I retake the ASWB exam if I fail?

Yes. The standard waiting period is 90 days between ASWB attempts, but your board may have additional rules such as limit windows, remediation requirements, or reauthorization steps.

Q: Do I register with ASWB or Pearson VUE?

Both: your board must approve eligibility through ASWB workflows first. After that, you schedule your testing appointment with Pearson VUE during your authorized testing window.

Q: Will the ASWB content areas change in 2026?

Yes. ASWB announced updated test blueprints and structure changes launching August 5, 2026, based on the 2024 practice analysis project. Review the current and updated outlines before your test date.

Question 1

ASWB Exam Categories

Accepted Answer

ASWB offers five exam categories: Associate, Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical. Your state or provincial board determines which exam you must take for your license level.

Question 2

ASWB Exam Format Through August 4, 2026

Accepted Answer

Current format: 170 total multiple-choice questions, with 150 scored items and 20 pretest items, administered in 4 hours.

Question 3

ASWB Exam Format Starting August 5, 2026

Accepted Answer

Updated format: 122 total multiple-choice questions, with 110 scored items and 12 pretest items, administered in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Question 4

Scored vs. Pretest Questions

Accepted Answer

Pretest items are unscored questions being evaluated for future exams. They are mixed with scored questions, so answer every item as if it counts.

Question 5

ASWB Passing Score Model

Accepted Answer

ASWB uses scaled scoring. There is no single universal raw passing number. Cut scores are set by category, exam form, and jurisdiction policy.

Question 6

ASWB Retake Waiting Period

Accepted Answer

Candidates must typically wait 90 days before retaking an ASWB exam. Jurisdictional rules may add additional requirements.

Question 7

ASWB Registration Workflow

Accepted Answer

Typical sequence: confirm board requirements, request board approval in ASWB central, pay exam fee, then schedule with Pearson VUE during your authorization window.

Question 8

Pearson VUE Test-Day Essentials

Accepted Answer

Arrive early with required ID matching your registration details. Follow Pearson VUE security rules and timing procedures to avoid admission issues.

Question 9

Person-in-Environment (PIE) Lens

Accepted Answer

PIE evaluates client problems within interacting systems: individual, family, community, and policy context. Exam answers often favor system-aware interventions over purely individual blame.

Question 10

Ecological Systems in Assessment

Accepted Answer

Use micro, mezzo, and macro levels: individual functioning, family/group context, and institutional or societal forces. Strong ASWB answers account for all relevant levels.

Question 11

Developmental Milestones and Functioning

Accepted Answer

Assess whether behavior is developmentally expected for the client's age and stage. Distinguish normative developmental conflict from clinically significant impairment.

Question 12

Attachment Patterns

Accepted Answer

Secure attachment supports regulation and trust. Insecure patterns (avoidant, anxious, disorganized) may appear in relational instability, trauma responses, and treatment engagement challenges.

Question 13

Trauma-Informed Practice Principles

Accepted Answer

Key principles: safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural responsiveness. Avoid re-traumatization by pacing, consent, and transparency.

Question 14

Cultural Humility

Accepted Answer

Cultural humility is an ongoing reflective process, not a checklist. It requires curiosity, power-awareness, and partnership with clients as experts on their lived experience.

Question 15

Intersectionality

Accepted Answer

Intersectionality recognizes that overlapping identities (race, gender, disability, class, orientation, immigration status, etc.) shape risk, barriers, and service access.

Question 16

Risk and Protective Factors

Accepted Answer

Risk factors increase likelihood of adverse outcomes; protective factors buffer stress and support resilience. Clinical planning should reduce risk and strengthen protective supports.

Question 17

Grief Presentations

Accepted Answer

Differentiate typical grief responses from prolonged grief or major depressive symptoms. Assess cultural grieving patterns before labeling reactions as pathological.

Question 18

Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Assessment

Accepted Answer

A complete assessment integrates biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions, plus strengths, stressors, and functional impairment.

Question 19

Mental Status Exam (MSE) Core Domains

Accepted Answer

MSE reviews appearance, behavior, speech, mood/affect, thought process/content, perception, cognition, insight, and judgment to support diagnostic and safety decisions.

Question 20

Suicide Risk Assessment Priority

Accepted Answer

Assess ideation, plan, intent, means, timeframe, prior attempts, and protective factors. Imminent risk requires immediate safety action and higher level of care.

Question 21

Violence/Homicide Risk Assessment

Accepted Answer

Evaluate identified target, specific plan, intent, access to means, substance use, agitation, and history of violence. Escalation requires immediate safety and reporting protocols.

Question 22

SBIRT Model for Substance Use

Accepted Answer

SBIRT = Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment. Use validated screening, motivational brief intervention, then match referral intensity to severity.

Question 23

Differential Diagnosis Process

Accepted Answer

Rule out medical causes, substances, trauma, developmental context, and overlapping disorders. Base final formulation on symptom clusters, duration, and functional impairment.

Question 24

Diagnosis vs. Clinical Formulation

Accepted Answer

Diagnosis labels symptom criteria; formulation explains how factors interact over time. Strong treatment plans use both: accurate diagnosis plus individualized case conceptualization.

Question 25

SMART Treatment Goals

Accepted Answer

Effective goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Goals should be collaborative, behaviorally observable, and linked to baseline assessment data.

Question 26

Clinical Documentation Structures

Accepted Answer

Common formats include DAP, SOAP, and GIRP. Documentation must be objective, timely, and linked to medical necessity, interventions delivered, and client response.

Question 27

Least Restrictive Level of Care

Accepted Answer

Ethical planning selects the safest option that preserves autonomy. Step up intensity only when outpatient or lower-restriction supports cannot safely manage risk.

Question 28

Crisis Intervention Sequence

Accepted Answer

Stabilize first: ensure immediate safety, reduce acute distress, gather focused data, mobilize supports, then create short-term action steps with clear follow-up.

Question 29

Collaborative Safety Planning

Accepted Answer

A practical safety plan identifies warning signs, internal coping skills, social supports, professional contacts, and means-restriction actions. It is specific and written.

Question 30

Motivational Interviewing (OARS)

Accepted Answer

OARS skills: Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, Summaries. MI supports behavior change by eliciting client motivation rather than confronting resistance.

Question 31

Stages of Change Matching

Accepted Answer

Match intervention to stage: precontemplation (raise awareness), contemplation (resolve ambivalence), preparation (plan), action (skill support), maintenance (relapse prevention).

Question 32

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Core Model

Accepted Answer

CBT targets links among thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Interventions include cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, and skills practice with between-session homework.

Question 33

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Clusters

Accepted Answer

DBT emphasizes mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, especially for high-emotion dysregulation and self-harm risk patterns.

Question 34

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

Accepted Answer

SFBT focuses on strengths, exceptions, and future goals. Common techniques include miracle questions, scaling questions, and identifying what is already working.

Question 35

Family Systems Concepts

Accepted Answer

Assess patterns such as boundaries, hierarchy, triangulation, and homeostasis. Symptoms may be maintained by system interactions, not only individual pathology.

Question 36

Group Development Stages

Accepted Answer

Typical stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Interventions differ by phase: structure early, conflict facilitation mid-stage, consolidation later.

Question 37

Case Management Functions

Accepted Answer

Core tasks: assess needs, plan services, link resources, coordinate providers, monitor outcomes, and advocate for access. Documentation should track barriers and follow-through.

Question 38

Discharge and Transition Planning

Accepted Answer

Effective discharge planning starts early and includes relapse prevention, follow-up appointments, medication continuity, crisis contacts, and social support handoffs.

Question 39

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Triad

Accepted Answer

EBP integrates best research evidence, clinician expertise, and client values/preferences. On exam items, best answers usually balance all three factors.

Question 40

NASW Core Values

Accepted Answer

Service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence guide ethical social work decisions.

Question 41

Ethical Decision-Making Sequence

Accepted Answer

Clarify dilemma, identify stakeholders, review ethical standards and laws, consult supervision, evaluate options, document reasoning, implement, and reassess outcomes.

Question 42

Client Self-Determination

Accepted Answer

Respect client autonomy unless there is serious, foreseeable risk to the client or others, or legal limitations such as court orders or mandatory reporting laws.

Question 43

Confidentiality Exceptions

Accepted Answer

Common exceptions: imminent danger to self/others, abuse/neglect reporting duties, court orders, and valid releases. Explain limits during informed consent.

Question 44

Duty to Warn and Protect

Accepted Answer

When credible threats toward identifiable targets emerge, follow jurisdictional law and agency policy, which may require notification, protective action, and documentation.

Question 45

Informed Consent Essentials

Accepted Answer

Informed consent includes purpose of treatment, risks/benefits, alternatives, limits of confidentiality, fees, contact boundaries, and the client's right to withdraw.

Question 46

Boundary Crossing vs. Boundary Violation

Accepted Answer

A boundary crossing may be clinically justified and time-limited. A boundary violation exploits the client or harms treatment (for example, sexual, financial, or coercive conduct).

Question 47

Dual Relationships and Conflicts of Interest

Accepted Answer

Avoid roles that impair objectivity or increase risk of exploitation. If unavoidable, consult supervision, minimize harm, obtain consent where appropriate, and document.

Question 48

Clinical Supervision Responsibilities

Accepted Answer

Supervision should include case review, ethics review, scope checks, skills development, and risk management. Supervisors retain responsibility for delegated clinical oversight.

Question 49

Mandated Reporting Basics

Accepted Answer

Social workers are typically mandated reporters for suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or vulnerable adult abuse. Report based on reasonable suspicion, not proof.

Question 50

Legally Defensible Documentation

Accepted Answer

Write objective, behavior-based notes with clinical rationale and follow-up actions. Document consultations, risk decisions, informed consent updates, and referrals clearly.

Free ASWB Exam Flashcards

Filter by Topic

Jump to Card

About These ASWB Flashcards

Topics Covered

Frequently Asked Questions