PracticeVideosBlogFlashcardsEspañol
All Practice Exams

100+ Free Assistant Social Worker (China) Practice Questions

Prepare for the China Assistant Social Worker Professional Qualification Examination (全国助理社会工作师职业水平考试) exam with instant access — no signup required.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card✓ No hidden fees✓ Start practicing immediately
100+ Questions
100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More China Social Worker Professional Qualification (社会工作者职业资格)

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

Senior Social Worker Qualification (高级社会工作者 / 高级社会工作师, China)

Practice Questions

Social Worker Qualification (中级社会工作者 / 社会工作师, China)

Practice Questions
2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Assistant Social Worker (China) Exam

240 Minutes

Total Examination Duration (120 min Ability + 120 min Practice)

CPTA & Ministry of Civil Affairs Official Notice

60 / 100

Passing Score Required on Both Papers in a Single Sitting

National Professional Personnel Examination Center

Assistant Social Worker

Official Professional Title Conferred (助理社会工作师 / 初级社工)

PRC Provisions on Social Worker Professional Titles

High School +

Minimum Educational Eligibility (with qualifying experience)

CPTA National Registration Regulations

Annual (June)

Examination Administration Frequency

MOHRSS & MCA Examination Schedule

2 Objective Papers

Exam Format (60 Single-Choice + 20 Multi-Choice per paper)

Official National Syllabus Framework

The China Assistant Social Worker Qualification is the official national credential for entry-level social workers in China. Administered by MCA and MOHRSS, candidates must score at least 60/100 on both Comprehensive Ability and Practice in a single year. This bank features 100 verified practice questions with bilingual Chinese terminology.

Sample Assistant Social Worker (China) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Assistant Social Worker (China) exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which of the following statements best describes the core professional philosophy of social work in China, summarized by the foundational principle 'helping people help themselves' (助人自助)?
A.Social workers empower service users to develop their own problem-solving capacities and self-reliance rather than fostering long-term material dependency.
B.Social workers act as benevolent authority figures who directly resolve all life dilemmas on behalf of passive clients.
C.Social workers focus exclusively on delivering unconditional material welfare subsidies funded by civil affairs departments.
D.Social workers mandate that service users conform entirely to societal expectations before receiving professional services.
Explanation: The core professional mission of social work in China is 'helping people help themselves' (助人自助). Rather than providing mere unilateral charity or creating dependency, social workers work collaboratively with clients (service users) to stimulate their internal motivation, mobilize strengths and social resources, and restore or enhance their capacity for autonomous problem-solving and social functioning.
2In social work practice, the core value of 'Acceptance' (接纳) means that the social worker must:
A.Approve of, agree with, and encourage all of the client's past unlawful or harmful behaviors.
B.Acknowledge and respect the client's inherent human dignity and worth regardless of their background, flaws, or current circumstances.
C.Adopt the client's worldview and abandon the worker's own professional ethics and legal duties.
D.Guarantee that the client will never face legal or disciplinary consequences for prior misconduct.
Explanation: Acceptance (接纳) is a foundational social work value meaning the worker acknowledges, respects, and receives the client as a human being with intrinsic dignity and worth, regardless of their personality, history, social status, or mistakes. Crucially, accepting the person does NOT mean condoning or agreeing with illegal or harmful behaviors.
3A community social worker is designing an assistance plan for two single mothers living in the same neighborhood. Although both face financial hardship, one needs child daycare to seek employment while the other requires grief counseling following spousal bereavement. The worker designs tailored intervention plans for each mother. Which professional principle is being demonstrated?
A.Universal standardization (普遍标准化)
B.Paternalistic beneficence (家长式关怀)
C.Individualization (个别化)
D.Institutional conformity (体制一致性)
Explanation: Individualization (个别化) requires social workers to recognize that every client is unique with specific biological, psychological, social, and environmental circumstances. Even when clients belong to the same demographic category (e.g., single mothers), services and intervention plans must be tailored to each person's distinct needs and capabilities.
4Client self-determination (案主自决 / 尊重自决) is a cornerstone of professional social work. In which of the following situations should a social worker set limits on a client's right to self-determination?
A.The client chooses a vocational training program in cooking rather than the higher-paying accounting course recommended by the worker.
B.The client decides to rent an inexpensive apartment slightly farther from the community center against the worker's advice.
C.The client expresses a religious or spiritual preference that differs from the social worker's personal beliefs.
D.The client explicitly states a concrete plan to commit suicide or inflict severe physical harm on their child that evening.
Explanation: Client self-determination empowers clients to make their own life choices. However, self-determination is not absolute; it is legally and ethically limited when the client's decision poses imminent risk of death or severe harm to themselves (e.g., suicide) or to others (e.g., child abuse, violence), or violates the law.
5The professional principle of 'Confidentiality' (保密原则) in social work mandates that:
A.The social worker must protect client privacy and keep all information obtained during professional helping confidential, unless statutory exceptions apply.
B.The social worker must withhold case records from their direct clinical supervisor and case evaluation team.
C.The social worker can never share case details under any circumstances, even when ordered by a court of law or during acute life-threatening emergencies.
D.The social worker is permitted to freely discuss interesting client stories with friends as long as names are casually omitted.
Explanation: Confidentiality (保密原则) is essential for building trust in the professional relationship. Social workers are obligated to protect client identity, case notes, and private disclosures. However, confidentiality is conditional and can be lawfully broken in cases of imminent bodily harm, child abuse, elder maltreatment, or valid statutory/judicial mandates.
6During a counseling session, a 16-year-old high school student discloses to the school social worker that her stepfather has been repeatedly sexually abusing her at home and warns the worker: 'If you tell anyone, I will run away.' Under PRC laws and professional social work ethics, what is the worker's MOST appropriate immediate action?
A.Respect the student's wish for total secrecy to maintain therapeutic rapport and avoid triggering her running away.
B.Explain to the student that child abuse is a mandatory reporting situation, ensure her immediate safety, and promptly report the abuse to the public security and civil affairs authorities.
C.Confront the stepfather privately at his workplace without notifying child protection agencies or law enforcement.
D.Advise the student to wait until she reaches 18 years of age so she can file a lawsuit independently.
Explanation: Under the PRC Law on the Protection of Minors (未成年人保护法) and the Mandatory Reporting System (强制报告制度), social workers, teachers, and medical workers are statutory mandatory reporters. When child sexual abuse is disclosed, the Protection of Life and Child Safety principles override confidentiality. The worker must compassionately inform the minor about the reporting obligation, ensure her immediate physical safety, and notify public security (公安机关) and civil affairs/child welfare authorities.
7A social worker maintaining a 'Non-Judgmental Attitude' (非批判原则) should:
A.Praise all behaviors of the client regardless of whether they are prosocial or harmful.
B.Ignore all statutory legal standards when evaluating a client's criminal conduct.
C.Refrain from expressing moral condemnation, personal blame, or subjective prejudices toward the client while assessing their situation.
D.Refuse to assist clients who have previously committed offenses or violated community rules.
Explanation: A non-judgmental attitude (非批判原则) requires social workers to refrain from passing moral judgment, scolding, blaming, or expressing personal biases toward clients. It creates a safe, accepting environment where clients can openly explore their problems and develop constructive solutions, while distinguishing between objective behavioral assessment and subjective moralizing.
8According to Lowenberg and Dolgoff's Ethical Principles Screen (EPS / 伦理原则排序), which ethical principle sits at the TOP of the hierarchy and takes precedence over all other ethical considerations in social work dilemma resolution?
A.Protection of Life Principle (保护生命原则)
B.Autonomy and Freedom Principle (自由自主原则)
C.Privacy and Confidentiality Principle (隐私保密原则)
D.Quality of Life Principle (生命质量原则)
Explanation: In Lowenberg & Dolgoff's Ethical Principles Screen (EPS), the hierarchy of 7 ethical principles is: (1) Protection of Life (保护生命原则) > (2) Equality and Inequality / Social Justice (差别平等原则) > (3) Autonomy and Freedom (自由与自主原则) > (4) Least Harm (最小伤害原则) > (5) Quality of Life (生命质量原则) > (6) Privacy and Confidentiality (隐私与保密原则) > (7) Truthfulness and Full Disclosure (真诚与坦率原则). Protection of human life is paramount.
9A hospital social worker is assisting an elderly terminal cancer patient who wishes to spend his remaining months at home. However, his adult son insists on keeping him in intensive care against the patient's lucidly expressed wishes. In analyzing this ethical conflict between the patient's right to self-determination and the son's protective intent, which principle from Lowenberg and Dolgoff's hierarchy supports upholding the competent patient's choice?
A.Least Harm Principle over Protection of Life
B.Truthfulness Principle over Confidentiality
C.Institutional Compliance over Individual Rights
D.Autonomy and Freedom Principle (自由自主原则) when the individual possesses decision-making capacity and no unlawful harm is threatened
Explanation: When an adult patient is mentally competent, lucid, and not seeking unlawful self-harm, the Principle of Autonomy and Freedom (自由自主原则) dictates that the patient's own self-determination regarding palliative care and end-of-life location must be respected over the paternalistic preferences of family members.
10A social worker has been providing individual casework to a client seeking employment. After several sessions, the client invites the social worker to invest as a business partner in a new private restaurant venture and offers discounted meals for the worker's family. How should the worker respond to maintain professional ethical boundaries (专业界限)?
A.Accept the investment opportunity since helping the client succeed financially is an effective empowerment strategy.
B.Politely decline the business partnership and financial gifts, clearly explaining the ethical necessity of avoiding dual relationships (双重关系).
C.Accept the partnership on the condition that casework counseling sessions take place inside the new restaurant.
D.Invest in the restaurant secretly without informing the agency supervisor or documenting it in the case file.
Explanation: Dual relationships (双重关系) occur when a social worker engages in a secondary professional, financial, business, or personal/romantic relationship with a client. Dual relationships create severe conflicts of interest, impair professional objectivity, and exploit client vulnerability. The worker must politely decline and maintain clear professional boundaries.

About the Assistant Social Worker (China) Exam

The China Assistant Social Worker Professional Qualification Examination (全国助理社会工作师职业水平考试) is the benchmark statutory qualification for professional social workers in the People's Republic of China. Jointly administered by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), the examination verifies that candidates possess professional competencies in social work values and ethics, human development across the life cycle, casework, groupwork, community organizing, volunteer and project administration, and targeted practice with children, older adults, persons with disabilities, and families under PRC social welfare laws.

Assessment

Paper 1: 《社会工作综合能力（初级）》(Social Work Comprehensive Ability, 100 points, 120 minutes, 60 single-choice + 20 multi-choice); Paper 2: 《社会工作实务（初级）》(Social Work Practice, 100 points, 120 minutes, 60 single-choice + 20 multi-choice).

Time Limit

240 minutes total (120 minutes per paper: Comprehensive Ability in the morning, Practice in the afternoon)

Passing Score

60 / 100 points on both subjects in a single examination sitting (60% standard; scores do not carry over)

Exam Fee

Set by the provincial examination authority (Ministry of Civil Affairs of the PRC (民政部) & Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS CPTA))

Assistant Social Worker (China) Exam Content Outline

20%

Social Work Values & Professional Ethics (社会工作价值观与专业伦理)

Evaluates foundational professional ethics, values, and philosophical orientations of social work in China: core professional values (acceptance, individualization, self-determination, confidentiality, non-judgmental attitude), Chinese Social Worker Code of Ethics, ethical dilemmas (confidentiality limits, dual relationships, value conflicts, resource distribution fairness), and ethical decision-making frameworks (Lowenberg & Dolgoff's ethical principles hierarchy, protection of life priority).

20%

Human Behavior & Social Environment (人类行为与社会环境)

Assesses knowledge of the person-in-environment (PIE) perspective and human development across the entire lifespan: bio-psycho-social assessment, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem), developmental stages and crises from infancy to older adulthood (Erikson's psychosocial stages, Piaget's cognitive stages, Bowlby's attachment theory), and social environmental influences (family parenting patterns, peer groups, school, community, and digital media).

20%

Casework & Groupwork Methodologies (个案工作与小组工作方法)

Focuses on direct practice skills with individuals, families, and small groups: major casework models (psychosocial therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy/REBT, person-centered therapy, task-centered model, crisis intervention, solution-focused brief therapy SFBT), the casework process (intake, assessment, service agreement, implementation, evaluation, termination), interviewing techniques (clarification, reflection, confrontation), groupwork models (social goal, remedial, reciprocal, developmental), group developmental stages (forming, conflict/storming, working/performing, ending), and dynamic group facilitation skills.

20%

Community Work & Service Management (社区工作与社会工作行政基础)

Encompasses macro-level community interventions and social service administrative operations: Rothman's three community practice models (locality development, social planning, social action), community needs assessment (Bradshaw's felt, expressed, normative, and comparative needs), community entry and mobilization, collaboration with grassroots governance (Residents' Committees / 居委会 and 三社联动), volunteer management cycle (recruitment, training, placement, motivation, retention), social service project management (logic model, proposal design, monitoring, evaluation), and social work supervision (administrative, educational, supportive).

20%

Social Work Practice in Specific Domains (重点领域实务 — 儿童、老年人、残疾人与家庭)

Covers practical assessment and intervention strategies in key Chinese social welfare sectors: Child welfare and protection (UN CRC four rights, mandatory reporting of child maltreatment, rural left-behind children support, school anti-bullying), Older adults social work (active aging, dementia care, reminiscence and validation therapies, elder abuse prevention, grief counseling, hospice palliative care), Disability social work (social model of disability, community-based rehabilitation CBR, supported employment, barrier-free access advocacy), and Family social work (genograms, ecomaps, structural family therapy, Satir communication stances, and domestic violence interventions under PRC law).

How to Pass the Assistant Social Worker (China) Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 60 / 100 points on both subjects in a single examination sitting (60% standard; scores do not carry over)
  • Assessment: Paper 1: 《社会工作综合能力（初级）》(Social Work Comprehensive Ability, 100 points, 120 minutes, 60 single-choice + 20 multi-choice); Paper 2: 《社会工作实务（初级）》(Social Work Practice, 100 points, 120 minutes, 60 single-choice + 20 multi-choice).
  • Time limit: 240 minutes total (120 minutes per paper: Comprehensive Ability in the morning, Practice in the afternoon)
  • Exam fee: Set by the provincial examination authority

Keys to Passing

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Assistant Social Worker (China) Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master Core Values and Ethical Hierarchies: Internalize the foundational values of Acceptance (接纳), Self-Determination (自决), and Confidentiality (保密). For ethical dilemmas, apply Lowenberg and Dolgoff's Ethical Principles Screen, remembering that the Protection of Life principle (保护生命原则) always takes precedence over autonomy or confidentiality.
2Distinguish Lifespan Stages and Theories: Memorize Erikson's eight psychosocial crises, Piaget's cognitive stages, and Bowlby's attachment patterns. Pay close attention to age-specific challenges such as adolescent identity exploration, middle adulthood sandwich-generation pressures, and older adult integrity vs. despair.
3Understand Casework Models and Helping Stages: Learn the theoretical premises and techniques of Psychosocial, CBT, Person-Centered, Task-Centered, Crisis Intervention, and SFBT models. Know the sequential tasks from Intake (接案) and Assessment (预估) to Planning, Implementation, and Termination (结案).
4Differentiate Groupwork and Community Practice Models: Clearly distinguish Social Goal, Remedial, Reciprocal, and Developmental group models, as well as group stages (forming, storming/conflict, working, ending). Master Rothman's three community models (Locality Development, Social Planning, Social Action) and Bradshaw's four types of needs.
5Review Key Domain Interventions and Chinese Regulations: Focus on child protection mandatory reporting, rural left-behind children support, dementia interventions (reminiscence vs. validation), community-based disability rehabilitation (CBR), supported employment, family genograms/ecomaps, Satir communication stances, and Anti-Domestic Violence Law procedures.
6Pace Your Timed MCQ Practice: In the official exam, you must answer 80 questions in 120 minutes per paper (an average of 90 seconds per question). Practice reading case vignettes carefully, identifying the exact phase of intervention, and eliminating distractors that violate professional social work ethics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the China Assistant Social Worker Qualification Examination and what title does it confer?

The China Assistant Social Worker Professional Qualification Examination (全国助理社会工作师职业水平考试) is the national entry-level qualification examination for professional social workers in China. Jointly organized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), passing the exam confers the official professional title of 'Assistant Social Worker' (助理社会工作师 / 初级社会工作者), recognized nationwide in community work stations, social welfare institutions, civil affairs agencies, hospitals, schools, and non-governmental social organizations.

What is the structure, duration, and passing criteria of the official examination?

The examination comprises two objective multiple-choice papers administered on the same day: 《社会工作综合能力（初级）》(Social Work Comprehensive Ability, 120 minutes, 100 points: 60 single-choice items + 20 multiple-choice items) and 《社会工作实务（初级）》(Social Work Practice, 120 minutes, 100 points: 60 single-choice items + 20 multiple-choice items). Candidates must achieve a score of at least 60 out of 100 points on BOTH subjects in the same examination sitting. Scores do not roll over to subsequent years.

What educational and experience prerequisites are required to register for the exam?

Eligibility criteria under national regulations include: (1) High school or secondary vocational diploma plus at least 4 years of social work practice; (2) Junior college degree (大专) in social work plus at least 2 years of practice (or non-social work major plus 4 years); (3) Bachelor's degree in social work (graduating seniors or graduates qualify immediately without prior experience; non-social work Bachelor's degree requires 2 years of practice); or (4) Master's degree or higher in social work (immediate eligibility; non-social work Master's requires 1 year).

When is the examination held and how can candidates register?

The examination is held annually nationwide, typically in June. Online registration opens in March or April through the China Professional Personnel Examination Center portal (http://www.cpta.com.cn). Examination fees vary provincially, typically ranging from ¥50 to ¥70 RMB per subject paper (¥100 to ¥140 RMB total).

Why is this OpenExamPrep practice bank presented in English?

The official examination in China is conducted in Simplified Chinese. This OpenExamPrep module provides 100 high-yield multiple-choice questions in English designed to build conceptual mastery for bilingual social work students, international practitioners, civil society researchers, and cross-border welfare professionals studying the Chinese social work system. Meticulous dual-language Chinese terminology (such as 助人自助, 接纳, 案主自决, 优势视角, 地区发展模式, 居委会, 留守儿童, 社区康复) is embedded throughout to ensure seamless cross-referencing.