How To Pass The ASWB test To Become A Licensed Social Worker

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Social work licensing practices vary widely by state. Some states require entry-level and generalist social workers to pass an test and earn licensure. In other states, you only need a license to become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and provide psychotherapy services.

In many states, social work licensure at any level requires you to pass an test administered by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). The ASWB test is a nationally recognized test that evaluates your comprehension of human behavior and development.

If you’re a social work major or considering pivoting into the human services field, read on to discover how to prepare for, take and pass the ASWB licensure exam—with or without a social work degree.

ASWB is a nonprofit organization comprising all of the state social work regulatory boards in the United States and Canada. This body regulates the social work profession and administers the licensure test that evaluates prospective social workers’ ethics and expertise. Passing the ASWB test is the final step to earning a social work license in many states.

ASWB offers five test categories—associate, bachelor’s, master’s, advanced generalist and clinical—each tailored to a specific education and experience level. A candidate’s test category determines their title and scope of practice post-licensure.

Within a four-hour window, ASWB exam-takers must answer questions concerning:

All ASWB test categories contain 170 questions on human development and behavior, but question types may vary among categories. For example, the associate and bachelor’s exams lean more heavily on recall questions than other test categories, which feature larger proportions of reasoning questions.

Each test category may lead to a different level of social work licensure depending on your state’s licensing processes. Not all states offer all five categories of the ASWB exam.

This category offers a licensure pathway for applicants who want to practice social work without earning a four-year degree in the field. In most cases, associate-level social workers can only practice under supervision.

A handful of states offer this licensing pathway: South Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Only South Dakota, New Hampshire and Massachusetts require associate-level social workers to pass the associate ASWB exam.

Registration for the associate ASWB test category costs $230.

The ASWB bachelor’s exam, which also costs $230, evaluates your generalist understanding of social work practices and ethics. You must hold a bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited college to sit for this test category.

The bachelor’s category features the same questions as the associate category.

Passing the bachelor’s test qualifies you to become a non-clinical baccalaureate social worker. Exact titles vary among states; in Oregon, these professionals are called registered baccalaureate social workers, while North Carolina calls them certified social workers.

In most cases, social workers at this level interview clients, manage cases, conduct research and advocate for social justice. Depending on the state, they may only be able to practice autonomously after gaining supervised work experience post-licensure.

The ASWB master’s category requires a master of social work (MSW) and usually qualifies applicants for the licensed master social worker (LMSW) credential. Again, the exact title may vary by state—Indiana calls these professionals licensed social workers, for example.

The master’s-level test tests your foundational understanding of the social work field and evaluates your application of specialized skills gained during their MSW program. Licensees know how to apply advanced practice skills and specialized knowledge in their roles.

LMSWs can drive social change and justice for various communities. In some states, they can provide clinical therapy with oversight from an LCSW. The registration fee for this ASWB test category is $230.

The advanced generalist category is tailored to prospective LMSWs who aspire to work in macro-level roles. This means working with large populations, such as entire states and countries. The advanced generalist ASWB test indicates a desire to work with public policy, state or national campaigns, or other government initiatives.

To sit for the advanced generalist ASWB exam, you must hold a master’s degree in social work plus two years of nonclinical professional experience.

With a fee of $260, test takers can prove their expertise in social justice, public policy and administration, and public welfare to their state licensing boards.

The minimum requirements for this ASWB category include an MSW and two years of clinical experience. The clinical ASWB test serves prospective social workers who want to provide mental health services in clinical settings.

LCSWs (who may work under different titles, depending on where they practice) provide psychotherapy services to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Through individual or group therapy, these professionals help people struggling with emotional distress.

Clinical social workers practice independently in various settings, including hospitals, schools, psychiatric facilities and social service agencies. Registering for the clinical ASWB test category costs $260.

First, you must get your state board’s approval to register for the ASWB exam. Approval processes differ depending on the state where you want to practice.

Typical requirements vary by state and license level but may include college transcripts, a license application fee and proof of supervised experience, which you can send to the board via email or fax. Some states may also require you to provide fingerprints and undergo a background check.

Once you receive approval from your state social work board, you must register for the appropriate ASWB licensure exam, either online, via mail or by fax. Registration costs between $230 and $260, depending on your test category.

If your registration is successful, you’ll receive an “authorization to test” email from ASWB.

Pearson VUE provides testing centers for licensure applicants nationwide. You can schedule, cancel and reschedule test appointments with Pearson VUE through the testing authorization email.

The ASWB test is a four-hour, computer-based test comprising 170 multiple-choice questions that test your expertise and decision-making skills as a social worker.

Exam questions cover various content areas and competencies you should have covered during your degree program. You may also find knowledge, skills and abilities statements resembling real-life situations that require critical thinking. To pass the licensure exam, you must answer about 100 out of the 150 questions correctly.

Although self-study is necessary to pass professional exams, practice questions can help you prepare better. By taking a mock test, you can identify loopholes in your study plan, learn the testing software, understand your strengths and areas for improvement, and prepare for complex questions.

After you register for your exam, ASWB offers a 30-day window to take a VCE test for an additional $85. Practice exams exist for all categories except the advanced generalist exam.

Other test prep resources offer free practice tests, but ASWB warns against those resources because their content may be misleading.

ASWB enforces several security measures on test day to ensure a reliable test process. Prepare to present two photo IDs and sign a confidentiality agreement.

Pearson VUE test centers are fitted with surveillance tools to detect test malpractice. Test Center personnel may also walk through the room at intervals.

You cannot enter the testing center with personal items, but you will receive erasable note boards, markers and other necessary materials from the Test Center personnel. You must return the items after the test or risk invalidating your score.

The testing equipment should look like a typical computer setup. Test administrators may provide a short on-screen tutorial to help you navigate the software.

Upon completing the licensure exam, you’ll receive an unofficial score report at the Test Center indicating your performance. ASWB will then send the official score report to your state’s social work board two weeks after the exam.

Note that your scores cannot be altered at any point, so all you can do is wait for your state board to contact you or go ahead with other state-specific requirements. This may take anywhere from two weeks to a month.

If you fail the licensure exam, you can retake it after 90 days.

The ASWB test stands for the Association of Social Work Boards examination. This test determines whether a candidate is fit to practice social work at their desired licensure level.

A recent ASWB report showed that 75.8% of first-time test takers passed the clinical test category in 2021. The master’s and bachelor’s categories had pass rates of 73% and 68.7%, respectively.

Specific passing score thresholds on the ASWB test may vary with each passing year. ASWB recommends that testers correctly answer 90 to 107 of the graded questions to pass the licensure exam.

The oral examination (viva voce)

Information and guidance on preparing for the final viva examination.

All PGR students should be provided with general information about what to expect during the viva in order to prepare them (ie. an overview of the process, who will be there, how long it might last, what the format is likely to be, etc.). This could be provided by individual supervisors or via an organised session at departmental or faculty level.

Departments' arrangements for preparing PGR students for the final viva examination may involve some of the following:

All examiners are sent a copy of the University's Guidance Notes for Examiners when they receive their copy of the thesis. It is also issued to the internal coordinator where one is appointed.

The guidance contains information on:

Separate guidance notes on the examination process also exist for candidates and for their supervisors.

Examiners are advised, on appointment, that the oral examination should normally take place within ten weeks of their receipt of the thesis. This is an expectation, not a mandatory requirement.

Viva dates should not be set before the student has submitted and/or the thesis has been sent out. A period of at least one month can be expected to elapse between the thesis being sent out and the oral examination; however, significant delays in the examination process can have a potentially adverse impact on students, especially overseas students' immigration status.  Research, Partnerships and Innovation must be notified of any significant delays in holding the viva examination, either on the part of the examiners or the student.

Permission should normally be sought from the faculty if the viva is delayed for more than four months from the date the thesis was sent to the examiners, unless there is a valid reason, eg if the viva has been delayed due to an investigation into potential use of unfair means.

It is the responsibility of the internal examiner (or the internal coordinator where there is no internal examiner) to arrange the date, time, and venue for the oral examination (viva) and to inform the candidate of the arrangements which have been made. Before doing so, the internal examiner, or coordinator, should ensure that the examiners have been formally appointed and have received the thesis.  Students should not be asked to make such arrangements themselves and should not make contact with their examiners prior to the viva.  

Please note that Research, Partnerships and Innovation cannot make arrangements for the oral examination.

Before the oral examination takes place, the examiners are required to read the thesis and independently prepare a written preliminary report. Examiners should not exchange preliminary reports too far in advance of the viva, but it is expected that their contents will be shared and discussed at the pre-viva meeting held just before the viva.

Examiners are advised that their judgement of the thesis should be based on what may reasonably be expected of a diligent and capable student after completion of the prescribed period of research and with due regard to the University's criteria for the award of the degree for which the thesis has been submitted.

Oral examinations that are held in person are normally held within the University. Fully or partially remote vivas are also permitted. All vivas must be recorded, irrespective of whether they are held in-person or remotely (please refer to the Viva policy and guidance for full details). The student’s supervisor should be available to the student prior to and following the oral examination, to offer advice and support to the student.

The supervisor does not normally attend the viva unless there has been prior agreement by all parties that they may do so. If the supervisor is permitted to attend, they should enter and leave the room at the same time as the student and should participate in the discussion only if asked to provide clarification on a specific matter.

Where an internal coordinator has been appointed, they will attend the oral examination to ensure that University procedures and regulations are followed.

The internal coordinator will play no other part in the examination process but may be called upon for advice or guidance on viva procedures, including the most appropriate recommendation the examiners should make in the light of their discussions.

The oral examination is a regulatory requirement for all students undertaking a higher degree by research. The purposes of the oral examination are as follows:

The examination will normally be chaired by the external examiner. The oral examination should normally be conducted in English, except in cases where there are pedagogic reasons for it to be held in another language, or where there is a formal agreement that requires the viva to be conducted in another language.

Oral examinations should be recorded, regardless of whether they take place in person or remotely, and the recording should be retained for a period of six months following the student’s completion of the programme.

Recordings of oral examinations will not be made available to either the student, the examiners, or the department, but may be accessed by a Faculty Officer, where required, in the event of a subsequent complaint or academic appeal.

Recordings may also be accessed in the very rare event of the examiners being unable to reach a consensus on the outcome of the examination.

As outlined in the submission of theses section, students will be given the option to provide information to examiners on the impact that Covid-19 has had on their projects via a Covid Impact form.

Examiners, in turn, will be reminded upon appointment of the University guidance that "judgement of the thesis should be based on what may reasonably be expected of a diligent and capable candidate after completion of the prescribed period of research and with due regard to the University’s criteria for the award of the degree".

On completion of the oral examination, the Examiners should advise the candidate of their intended recommendation to the faculty.

The oral examination is an integral part of the examination process and attendance is compulsory. Failure to attend a prearranged oral examination without prior notification to the supervisor and/or internal examiner and/or without good reason or justification for non-attendance may result in the student failing the oral examination and ultimately failing their degree.

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