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Which Eriksonian psychosocial stage corresponds to adults age 65 and older, the population CSW-G social workers serve?

Integrity vs Despair

Generativity vs Stagnation

Intimacy vs Isolation

Identity vs Role Confusion

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: CSW-G Exam

No exam

Application-based credential

NASW

$200-350

Application Fee Range

NASW 2026

2 years

Post-MSW Gerontology Experience Required

NASW

LCSW

Required State Credential

NASW

2006

Year CSW-G Established

NASW

100

Free Practice Questions

OpenExamPrep

CSW-G is an application-based NASW specialty credential (no written exam) for clinical social workers serving older adults. Requires MSW from a CSWE-accredited program, current state LCSW credential, at least 2 years of post-MSW supervised social work experience working with older adults, current NASW membership, a supervisor reference, and adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics and 2003 Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults. Application fee is approximately $200-350 plus NASW membership. The credential is renewed every 2 years with continuing education. Our 100 free practice questions map to gerontological competency areas (aging theory, geriatric assessment, cognitive disorders, long-term care, elder mistreatment, caregiving, end-of-life, cultural disparities) for credential preparation and ongoing CE.

Sample CSW-G Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your CSW-G exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which Eriksonian psychosocial stage corresponds to adults age 65 and older, the population CSW-G social workers serve?

A.Integrity vs Despair

B.Generativity vs Stagnation

C.Intimacy vs Isolation

D.Identity vs Role Confusion

Explanation: Erikson's eighth and final stage, Integrity vs Despair, corresponds to late adulthood (roughly 65 and older). The developmental task is reflecting on life with a sense of meaning and acceptance (integrity) versus regret and bitterness (despair). The virtue gained is wisdom.

2Cumming and Henry's 1961 Disengagement Theory has been widely criticized in modern gerontology because it claims that:

A.Mutual withdrawal between older adults and society is natural and beneficial

B.Older adults must remain socially active to age successfully

C.Continuity of self-concept predicts adjustment in late life

D.Selective optimization with compensation explains late-life adaptation

Explanation: Disengagement Theory (Cumming & Henry, 1961) proposed that aging involves a mutual, inevitable withdrawal between the older person and society, and that this disengagement is functional for both. Modern gerontology rejects the theory because empirical evidence shows that engagement, not withdrawal, predicts well-being for most older adults.

3Which gerontological theory was developed by Paul and Margret Baltes to describe how older adults adapt to age-related losses by selecting fewer goals, optimizing remaining abilities, and compensating with new strategies?

A.Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC)

B.Activity Theory

C.Disengagement Theory

D.Continuity Theory

Explanation: Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC), developed by Paul and Margret Baltes, describes successful aging as an adaptive process. Older adults select fewer, more meaningful goals, optimize the resources and abilities they retain, and compensate for losses with assistive strategies (e.g., a pianist plays fewer pieces, practices more deliberately, and slows tempo).

4Rowe and Kahn's 'Successful Aging' model identifies which three components?

A.Avoiding disease and disability, maintaining high cognitive and physical function, and active social engagement

B.Disengagement, role exit, and life review

C.Wisdom, integrity, and generativity

D.Selection, optimization, and compensation

Explanation: Rowe and Kahn (1997) defined Successful Aging as the combination of three factors: (1) low probability of disease and disease-related disability, (2) high cognitive and physical functional capacity, and (3) active engagement with life. The model is influential but has been critiqued for setting an unrealistically narrow standard; 'Successful Aging 2.0' frameworks add subjective well-being.

5Atchley's Continuity Theory of normal aging holds that older adults adapt best when they:

A.Maintain consistent internal structures (personality, values) and external structures (roles, relationships)

B.Withdraw from previous social roles to make way for younger generations

C.Replace lost roles with brand new activities unrelated to past identity

D.Disengage from family ties to preserve autonomy

Explanation: Atchley's Continuity Theory proposes that successful aging involves preserving internal continuity (self-concept, beliefs, personality) and external continuity (familiar environments, relationships, activities) while making adaptive adjustments. Continuity supports identity stability and life satisfaction.

6Glen Elder's Life Course Perspective emphasizes which key principle when assessing older adults?

A.Lives are shaped by the historical time, place, and linked relationships in which they unfold

B.Aging is biologically determined and largely independent of social context

C.Late life is best understood as a series of inevitable losses

D.Personality is fixed in childhood and unchanged by later experience

Explanation: Glen Elder's Life Course Perspective views aging as a lifelong, contextually embedded process. Key principles include historical time and place, linked lives, timing of life transitions, agency, and lifespan development. CSW-G social workers use this framework to understand cohort effects (e.g., Depression-era childhood, Vietnam service) on current functioning.

7An 82-year-old client says, 'When I look back, I have regrets but I made the most of what I was given.' This statement most clearly reflects which Eriksonian outcome?

A.Integrity

B.Despair

C.Stagnation

D.Role confusion

Explanation: Erikson's resolution of the eighth stage in favor of integrity is characterized by acceptance of one's life as meaningful, even with regrets, and the wisdom that comes from a coherent life narrative. Despair is marked by bitterness, sense of wasted time, and fear of death.

8A CSW-G is using a strengths-based gerontological framework. Which intervention BEST aligns with this approach?

A.Asking the client to describe past accomplishments and current sources of meaning

B.Listing all of the client's medical diagnoses to plan around deficits

C.Telling the client what to do based on the social worker's expertise

D.Focusing exclusively on cognitive deficits identified on the MoCA

Explanation: Strengths-based gerontology starts from the client's resilience, accomplishments, and resources rather than deficits and pathology. Eliciting life accomplishments and sources of meaning supports identity, hope, and engagement, and is consistent with the NASW Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults.

9The NASW Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults were originally published in:

A.2003

B.1985

C.1996

D.2018

Explanation: NASW published its Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults in 2003. The standards address ethics, knowledge, assessment, intervention, advocacy, cultural competence, supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration in gerontological social work.

10Activity Theory of aging, associated with Robert Havighurst, predicts that life satisfaction in late life is greatest when older adults:

A.Maintain or replace lost roles to stay socially and physically active

B.Withdraw from social roles to conserve energy

C.Focus exclusively on internal life review and reminiscence

D.Allow younger adults to take over all family responsibilities

Explanation: Activity Theory (Havighurst, 1960s) holds that life satisfaction depends on maintaining levels of activity and social engagement; lost roles (e.g., from retirement or widowhood) should be replaced. The theory contrasts with Disengagement Theory and informs many community-based programs for older adults.

About the CSW-G Exam

The NASW Clinical Social Worker in Gerontology (CSW-G) is an advanced specialty credential established in 2006 for MSW-level clinical social workers (LCSW) practicing with older adults. There is NO written exam — NASW awards the credential after application review verifying a CSWE-accredited MSW, current state LCSW credential, at least 2 years of post-MSW supervised social work experience working with older adults, current NASW membership, a confidential supervisor reference, and adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics and Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults (2003). Our 100 free practice questions cover the gerontological competency areas — aging and gerontology theory, comprehensive geriatric assessment, cognitive disorders (Alzheimer's, vascular, Lewy body, FTD, MCI, delirium), long-term care services (SNF, AL, CCRC, hospice, PACE, HCBS), elder abuse and mandated reporting, caregiver burden, end-of-life and advance care planning, and cultural disparities in aging.

Assessment

No written exam — the CSW-G is an application-based NASW specialty credential awarded after review of MSW, LCSW, post-MSW gerontology experience, NASW membership, and a supervisor reference. These 100 free practice questions cover the gerontological competency areas: aging theory, geriatric assessment, cognitive disorders, long-term care, elder mistreatment, caregiving, end-of-life and advance care planning, and cultural disparities in aging.

Time Limit

Application-based credential

Passing Score

Application + supervisor reference

Exam Fee

$200-350 + NASW membership (National Association of Social Workers (NASW))

CSW-G Exam Content Outline

15%

Aging and Gerontology Theory

Erikson late stages (Generativity vs Stagnation, Integrity vs Despair), Disengagement Theory (Cumming & Henry), Activity Theory (Havighurst), Continuity Theory (Atchley), Selective Optimization with Compensation (Baltes), Successful Aging (Rowe & Kahn), and Life Course Perspective (Elder)

20%

Assessment of Older Adults

Functional assessment with Katz ADLs and Lawton IADLs; cognitive screening with MoCA and MMSE; depression screening with GDS-15, PHQ-9, and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia; suicide risk assessment with the C-SSRS

20%

Cognitive Disorders

DSM-5-TR Major and Mild Neurocognitive Disorders; Alzheimer's disease (60-70% of dementias, episodic memory, biomarkers, lecanemab/donanemab); vascular dementia; Lewy body dementia and neuroleptic sensitivity; frontotemporal dementia and PPA; delirium vs dementia and the CAM

15%

Long-Term Care Services

Skilled nursing (Medicare 3-day rule, observation status), assisted living, CCRCs, adult day services, in-home care, PACE, HCBS §1915(c) waivers, hospice and palliative care, and the Olmstead community-integration mandate

10%

Elder Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, and Mandated Reporting

APS categories (physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, abandonment, financial exploitation, self-neglect), Elder Justice Act 2010, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, financial exploitation red flags, mandated reporter duties

10%

Caregiving, Caregiver Burden, and Family Systems

53M+ U.S. family caregivers (AARP/NAC 2020), Zarit Burden Interview, REACH II evidence-based intervention, RAISE Family Caregivers Act 2018, sandwich generation, anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss

End-of-Life, Advance Care Planning, and Palliative Care

Health Care POA, Living Will, POLST/MOLST, Five Wishes, surrogate decision-making, capacity vs competency, substituted judgment, hospice Medicare benefit, palliative vs hospice, goals-of-care conversations

Cultural Considerations and Health Disparities in Aging

Cultural humility (Tervalon & Murray-García), LGBTQ+ aging and SAGE, Black-white life expectancy gap, Native elder care via IHS and OAA Title VI, ageism (Butler 1969), historical trauma, ACP disparities

How to Pass the CSW-G Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Application + supervisor reference
Assessment: No written exam — the CSW-G is an application-based NASW specialty credential awarded after review of MSW, LCSW, post-MSW gerontology experience, NASW membership, and a supervisor reference. These 100 free practice questions cover the gerontological competency areas: aging theory, geriatric assessment, cognitive disorders, long-term care, elder mistreatment, caregiving, end-of-life and advance care planning, and cultural disparities in aging.
Time limit: Application-based credential
Exam fee: $200-350 + NASW membership

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CSW-G Study Tips from Top Performers

1Read the NASW Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults (2003) cover to cover and use them as the spine of your competency review

2Memorize the standard geriatric assessment tools and cutoffs: Katz ADLs (6 items), Lawton IADLs (8 items), MoCA (≤25 impaired), MMSE (≤24 impaired), GDS-15 (≥5 depression), PHQ-9 (≥10 moderate), and Cornell Scale for Dementia

3Build a comparison table for the four major dementias — Alzheimer's, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal — with onset, hallmark symptoms, neuroimaging, and treatment caveats (especially LBD neuroleptic sensitivity)

4Know the LTC payer rules cold: Medicare covers post-acute SNF up to 100 days after a 3-day inpatient stay (NOT observation), Medicaid is the long-term custodial payer, hospice requires ≤6-month prognosis, and HCBS §1915(c) waivers fund community alternatives

5Practice mandated-reporter scenarios: reasonable suspicion is the standard, capacity does NOT override the duty to report in most states, and APS handles physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, abandonment, financial exploitation, and self-neglect

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the CSW-G a written exam?

No. The CSW-G is an application-based NASW specialty credential. You do NOT sit for a standardized written exam. NASW awards the credential after reviewing your MSW transcript, current state LCSW credential, at least 2 years of post-MSW supervised social work experience working with older adults, current NASW membership, a confidential supervisor reference, and attestation to the NASW Code of Ethics and Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults. These practice questions are for competency review and CE self-study.

Who is eligible for the NASW CSW-G credential?

Eligibility requires: (1) a Master's in Social Work (MSW) from a CSWE-accredited program, (2) a current state Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credential, (3) at least 2 years of post-MSW supervised social work experience working with older adults, (4) current NASW membership, (5) a confidential reference from a qualified supervisor familiar with the applicant's gerontology practice, and (6) signed adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics and the NASW Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults (2003).

How much is the CSW-G application fee?

The NASW CSW-G application fee is approximately $200-350 in 2026, in addition to NASW membership. Combined NASW Collaborative packages with other credentials may be available at a discount. Check the official NASW CSW-G credential page for current pricing.

How often is the CSW-G renewed?

The CSW-G is renewed every 2 years. Renewal requires continuing education contact hours relevant to gerontological clinical social work, maintenance of current state LCSW credential, current NASW membership, compliance with the NASW Code of Ethics, and payment of the renewal fee. NASW sends email reminders before expiration.

What is the difference between CSW-G and SW-G?

Both are NASW gerontology credentials. The SW-G (Social Worker in Gerontology) is a generalist credential available to BSW or MSW social workers — it does not require LCSW. The CSW-G (Clinical Social Worker in Gerontology) is the advanced clinical specialty for MSW-level social workers who hold a current state LCSW credential and have at least 2 years of post-MSW supervised gerontology experience. CSW-G is the appropriate credential for clinical practice (assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy) with older adults.

What standards does the CSW-G competency content cover?

Content is grounded in the NASW Standards for Social Work Practice with Older Adults (2003), which address ethics, knowledge, assessment, intervention, advocacy, cultural competence, supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Practice questions also draw on DSM-5-TR neurocognitive disorder criteria, Medicare and Medicaid long-term care policy, the Elder Justice Act 2010, the RAISE Family Caregivers Act 2018, Olmstead v. L.C., and the 2021 NASW Code of Ethics revisions on cultural competence and self-care.