Free Practice Questions for ASWB Masters

Since August 3, 2026, the Masters exam follows a three-area blueprint: Values and Ethics (35%), Assessment and Planning (33%), and Intervention and Practice (32%). The exam went from 170 total items (150 scored + 20 pretest) to 122 (110 scored + 12 pretest), the four-hour time limit is unchanged, and a higher proportion of items have three options and test applied professional judgment.

Candidates need an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program (or equivalent international program) and approval to test from the social work board in the jurisdiction where they will be licensed. Many states allow MSW graduates to test for LMSW without post-degree clinical hours; clinical practice requires the ASWB Clinical exam after supervised clinical experience.

The ASWB Masters exam fee is $230 in 2026 (Advanced Generalist and Clinical are $260; the Bachelors and Associate exams are also $230). State or provincial application fees and background-check costs are separate. Retakes also cost $230 after a waiting period of at least 90 days; some licensing boards limit the number of retakes.

Results are pass/fail. ASWB uses several exam forms, so the number of correct answers needed depends on the form; it generally falls between 66 and 78 of the 110 scored questions, and every jurisdiction recognizes the same passing standard. The 12 unscored pretest questions are mixed in at random. You see an unofficial result on the testing computer, an unofficial score report appears in ASWBCentral about 24 hours later, and official results go to ASWB and your licensing board.

Plan roughly 120-180 hours of structured study over 12-16 weeks. Weight your time by the 2026 blueprint: about 35% on Values and Ethics, 33% on Assessment and Planning, and 32% on Intervention and Practice, with at least two full-length timed practice exams in the final two weeks.

In 2025, 73.9% of first-time Masters test-takers passed (20,636 exams). In August 2022, ASWB published an analysis showing pass-rate differences across demographic groups.

The Masters exam covers master's-level social work practice, including specialized knowledge and advanced practice skills, and is often used for LMSW licensure. The Clinical exam covers clinical social work practice requiring specialized clinical knowledge and advanced clinical skills (often LCSW) and requires two years, or commensurate experience, in clinical settings. Both use the same three 2026 content areas; Values and Ethics is 35% on Masters and 36% on Clinical.

No. The ASWB Masters exam is taken at Pearson test centers. ASWB ran an online-proctoring pilot from March 23, 2026 and suspended it as of July 31, 2026. Candidates who need nonstandard testing arrangements request them from ASWB.