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Kansas Social Work — Requirements & Free Practice

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Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

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Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW)

Ordinary Kansas social work licence at the bachelors level.

Licensing authority: Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board · Application information

Conversion of a temporary candidacy licence after programme accreditation
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Accreditation
The accrediting body recognized by the Board grants accreditation to the programme.
Existing license
Hold the corresponding temporary candidacy social work licence.
Fee
Pay the appropriate fee.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

  • ksa-65-6306.html

    K.S.A. 65-6306 temporary candidacy, conversion to permanent bachelors

Reinstatement of a revoked or suspended licence
ASWB Bachelors Exam
Current rule access
The current rule portal and collection could not be obtained; the published 2022 rule is used with its edition identified.
Discipline
Reinstatement is subject to Board approval and the applicable disciplinary order.
Examination
The dated official K.A.R. 102-2-9(c) excludes revoked or suspended licence reinstatement from the previous-score examination waiver.
Felony
If the applicant has a felony conviction, K.S.A. 65-6311(b) requires a two-thirds Board vote.
Licensure by examination
ASWB Bachelors Exam
Documentation
Provide the official degree transcript directly from the school, three professional references on Board forms, and verification of every professional licence held in another jurisdiction.
Education
Baccalaureate degree in an approved social work program.
Examination approval
Obtain Board approval before registering with ASWB. A previously passed approved examination may support exemption from sitting again under K.S.A. 65-6309(a).
Fees
Submit the $50 application fee and pay the original licence fee when the Board confirms eligibility.
Jurisprudence
The Board FAQ expressly states that no jurisprudence examination is required.
Prior score
The Board FAQ says ASWB results may be used indefinitely.
Public trust
The Board must find that the applicant merits the public trust; conviction disclosures and any requested rehabilitation evidence are required.
Student application
An application may be submitted within four months of degree completion with the academic-verification form; a posted-degree official transcript is required before licensure.
Licensure with exemption based on a similar examination already passed
ASWB Bachelors Exam
Board discretion
K.S.A. 65-6309(a) provides exemption when the Board finds the prior examination similar.
Other exam
Any accepted examination from another jurisdiction or no-longer-offered examination is prior applicant evidence, not a new Kansas exam.
Prior passage
The Board determines whether the examination already passed is similar to the required examination. Current registered ASWB examinations remain leaves even when the applicant need not sit them again.
Qualifications
Baccalaureate degree in an approved social work program. All non-examination requirements for this licence level remain applicable.
Reinstatement of an expired licence
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
Provide forty CE hours earned in the preceding twenty-four months, including three ethics hours.
Disclosures
Submit the reinstatement application, professional background disclosures, and any practice or representation as a social worker after expiry.
Expired license
Previously held this Kansas licence, which expired through nonrenewal.
Fees
Pay the renewal fee; the statute adds an equal penalty when expired for one year or less.
New application
The Board forbids circumventing reinstatement by requesting a new licence with an examination waiver.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Statutory occupational licensure based on experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board review
The Board must determine that the statutory eligibility criteria and the applicable Kansas scope are satisfied.
Eligibility
Be a relocating military servicemember or spouse, or a person residing or intending to reside in Kansas.
Integrity
Meet K.S.A. 48-3406(c)(2)(C)-(H): no disqualifying conduct, discipline, unresolved complaint or disqualifying criminal record; required financial protection; fees; and a truthful signed application affidavit.
Intended level
bachelors
Military spouse fees
Military spouses of active servicemembers are exempt from credential and background-report fees under subsection (u).
Public safety
The Board may deny a credential when granting it could jeopardize public health or safety; Kansas scope-of-practice limits apply.
Unnamed testing
For applicants inactive during the preceding two years or completing scope differences, the Board may prescribe testing, training, monitoring or CE under (d), (h), (i) and (j). No obtained official source identifies an additional real examination for these slots.
Work experience
At least three of the four preceding years in a jurisdiction that does not regulate the occupation by occupational licence, registration, government certification or private certification.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Statutory occupational licensure based on private certification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board review
The Board must determine that the statutory eligibility criteria and the applicable Kansas scope are satisfied.
Eligibility
Be a relocating military servicemember or spouse, or a person residing or intending to reside in Kansas.
Integrity
Meet K.S.A. 48-3406(c)(2)(C)-(H): no disqualifying conduct, discipline, unresolved complaint or disqualifying criminal record; required financial protection; fees; and a truthful signed application affidavit.
Intended level
bachelors
Military spouse fees
Military spouses of active servicemembers are exempt from credential and background-report fees under subsection (u).
Public safety
The Board may deny a credential when granting it could jeopardize public health or safety; Kansas scope-of-practice limits apply.
Unnamed testing
For applicants inactive during the preceding two years or completing scope differences, the Board may prescribe testing, training, monitoring or CE under (d), (h), (i) and (j). No obtained official source identifies an additional real examination for these slots.
Work experience
At least two years of work in a jurisdiction without occupational licensure or government certification, with a current private certification held in good standing.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Conversion after statutory probation
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Completion
Complete the probationary period, no longer than six months, subject to Board conditions and truthful application information.
Existing license
Hold the probationary social work licence at the bachelors level.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reciprocity based on substantially equivalent licensure standards
Current licensure
Hold active social work registration, certification or licensure in another jurisdiction at the corresponding level.
Documentation
Send every licence verification, and degree and examination records directly from the issuing agency or school if the licensing agency does not provide them.
Education
Submit the corresponding BSW or MSW degree from a CSWE-accredited or Board-approved social work program.
Equivalence
The Board determines that the issuing jurisdiction has substantially equivalent licensure requirements.
Exam equivalence
The implementing packet accepts ASWB at the corresponding level or above; passage before application remains an examination requirement.
Fees
Application and original licence fees are payable as requested by the Board.
Reciprocity based on at least twelve months of comparable licensure
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board packet exam records
The Board's lower-ranked reciprocity packet nevertheless states: 5. Verification of License: The Board must receive a verification of license from every state or jurisdiction in which you hold, or have held a license, certificate, or registration. This verification must be sent from the other state board directly to the BSRB. Exceptions are made when the other state agencies will not send written verifications. Please include a note letting us know if your state does not send written verifications. Within the reciprocity application packet, you will find a License Verification form for your use. If the BSRB does not receive information regarding your education and passing of the ASWB exam, you will be required to have the following documents sent directly to the Board office. A. An official transcript sent directly from your college or university to the Board office. B. An official score report sent directly from the ASWB to the Board office. These documents will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant rather than the issuing institutions.
Current licensure
Hold registration, certification or licensure with a similar scope for the twelve months immediately before application.
Degree
Complete the corresponding baccalaureate or master degree in social work from a regionally accredited university.
Discipline
No disciplinary actions of a serious nature.
Fees
Pay the required application and original licence fees.
Statutory basis
K.S.A. 65-6322(a)(2) or (b)(2) defines this alternative through licensure duration, discipline and degree; it does not impose an examination prerequisite.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
Complete forty hours in the licence period, including at least three ethics hours.
Existing license
Hold this Kansas licence; it must not be revoked or currently suspended.
Extension
K.S.A. 65-6313(d) permits up to three extra months to finish CE on a timely request at least thirty calendar days before expiry, with extenuating circumstances and a completion plan; renew before expiry. Not permitted in consecutive periods.
Fee
Pay the renewal fee and submit the signed statutory renewal statement.
Period
Renew on or before expiration; ordinary licences last twenty-four months.
Safety training
For first renewal of LBSW, LMSW or LSCSW, complete six safety-awareness hours within the forty-hour total unless already completed at a previous level.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW)

Ordinary Kansas social work licence at the clinical level.

Licensing authority: Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board · Application information

Reinstatement of a revoked or suspended licence
ASWB Clinical Exam
Current rule access
The current rule portal and collection could not be obtained; the published 2022 rule is used with its edition identified.
Discipline
Reinstatement is subject to Board approval and the applicable disciplinary order.
Examination
The dated official K.A.R. 102-2-9(c) excludes revoked or suspended licence reinstatement from the previous-score examination waiver.
Felony
If the applicant has a felony conviction, K.S.A. 65-6311(b) requires a two-thirds Board vote.
Licensure by examination
ASWB Clinical Exam
Clinical education
Complete the discrete three-credit-hour graduate psychopathology course supporting DSM diagnosis and treatment, and a clinical practicum or Board-determined additional postgraduate experience.
Documentation
Provide the official degree transcript directly from the school, three professional references on Board forms, and verification of every professional licence held in another jurisdiction.
Education
Master's or doctoral degree in an approved social work program.
Examination approval
Obtain Board approval before registering with ASWB. A previously passed approved examination may support exemption from sitting again under K.S.A. 65-6309(a).
Fees
Submit the $50 application fee and pay the original licence fee when the Board confirms eligibility.
Historical education
Applicants whose degree predates July 1, 2003 may satisfy the education requirements preserved by K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(1)(E); persons eligible for the historical temporary clinical licence may use the requirements preserved by (F).
Jurisprudence
The Board FAQ expressly states that no jurisprudence examination is required.
Older rule edition
The pinned 2022 K.A.R. 102-2-12 still prints 15 graduate credits and older 4,000-hour/150-supervision-hour figures. Current statute and Board application/FAQ state the newer 3,000-hour and 100-supervision-hour requirements. The current rule portal was unobtainable; the 2022 text is retained as dated evidence, not represented as a retrieved current rule.
Prior score
The Board FAQ says ASWB results may be used indefinitely.
Public trust
The Board must find that the applicant merits the public trust; conviction disclosures and any requested rehabilitation evidence are required.
Supervised experience
At least two years and 3,000 postgraduate supervised hours, including 1,500 direct-client-contact hours and 100 clinical-supervision hours, with at least 50 individual hours, under a Board-approved training plan. Submit supervisor attestations and position descriptions.
Licensure with exemption based on a similar examination already passed
ASWB Clinical Exam
Board discretion
K.S.A. 65-6309(a) provides exemption when the Board finds the prior examination similar.
Other exam
Any accepted examination from another jurisdiction or no-longer-offered examination is prior applicant evidence, not a new Kansas exam.
Prior passage
The Board determines whether the examination already passed is similar to the required examination. Current registered ASWB examinations remain leaves even when the applicant need not sit them again.
Qualifications
Master's or doctoral degree in an approved social work program. All non-examination requirements for this licence level remain applicable.
Reinstatement of an expired licence
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
Provide forty CE hours earned in the preceding twenty-four months, including three ethics hours and three diagnosis-and-treatment hours.
Disclosures
Submit the reinstatement application, professional background disclosures, and any practice or representation as a social worker after expiry.
Expired license
Previously held this Kansas licence, which expired through nonrenewal.
Fees
Pay the renewal fee; the statute adds an equal penalty when expired for one year or less.
New application
The Board forbids circumventing reinstatement by requesting a new licence with an examination waiver.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Statutory occupational licensure based on experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board review
The Board must determine that the statutory eligibility criteria and the applicable Kansas scope are satisfied.
Eligibility
Be a relocating military servicemember or spouse, or a person residing or intending to reside in Kansas.
Integrity
Meet K.S.A. 48-3406(c)(2)(C)-(H): no disqualifying conduct, discipline, unresolved complaint or disqualifying criminal record; required financial protection; fees; and a truthful signed application affidavit.
Intended level
clinical
Military spouse fees
Military spouses of active servicemembers are exempt from credential and background-report fees under subsection (u).
Public safety
The Board may deny a credential when granting it could jeopardize public health or safety; Kansas scope-of-practice limits apply.
Unnamed testing
For applicants inactive during the preceding two years or completing scope differences, the Board may prescribe testing, training, monitoring or CE under (d), (h), (i) and (j). No obtained official source identifies an additional real examination for these slots.
Work experience
At least three of the four preceding years in a jurisdiction that does not regulate the occupation by occupational licence, registration, government certification or private certification.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Statutory occupational licensure based on private certification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board review
The Board must determine that the statutory eligibility criteria and the applicable Kansas scope are satisfied.
Eligibility
Be a relocating military servicemember or spouse, or a person residing or intending to reside in Kansas.
Integrity
Meet K.S.A. 48-3406(c)(2)(C)-(H): no disqualifying conduct, discipline, unresolved complaint or disqualifying criminal record; required financial protection; fees; and a truthful signed application affidavit.
Intended level
clinical
Military spouse fees
Military spouses of active servicemembers are exempt from credential and background-report fees under subsection (u).
Public safety
The Board may deny a credential when granting it could jeopardize public health or safety; Kansas scope-of-practice limits apply.
Unnamed testing
For applicants inactive during the preceding two years or completing scope differences, the Board may prescribe testing, training, monitoring or CE under (d), (h), (i) and (j). No obtained official source identifies an additional real examination for these slots.
Work experience
At least two years of work in a jurisdiction without occupational licensure or government certification, with a current private certification held in good standing.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Conversion after statutory probation
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Completion
Complete the probationary period, no longer than six months, subject to Board conditions and truthful application information.
Existing license
Hold the probationary social work licence at the clinical level.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Clinical reciprocity based on substantially equivalent master level standards

All of the following:

Alternative application
For applicants using the twelve-month alternative, the Board clinical packet directs those who do not satisfy its standard master-level equivalence checklist to contact the Board; the statute preserves the twelve-month alternative.
Attestation
Use a professional licensed to diagnose and treat mental disorders independently or licensed to practise medicine and surgery.
Clinical practice evidence
The Board packet requires the three clinical-practice years to follow independent clinical licensure and include at least eight client-contact hours per week during at least nine months each year.
Competence
Demonstrate at least two of: passing a Board-approved national clinical examination; three years of clinical practice diagnosing or treating mental disorders; or an acceptable professional attestation of competence. The clinical exam is a currently offered named alternative; applicants relying on practice plus attestation may be excused from it.
Current clinical license
Hold an active licence permitting independent clinical social work in another jurisdiction.
Fees
Pay the application and original licence fees requested by the Board.
Master level eligibility
Meet K.S.A. 65-6322(b)(1) substantial equivalence.
Verification
Provide official licence, education and examination records and the required competence attachments.
Clinical reciprocity based on twelve months of comparable master level licensure
ASWB Clinical Exam
Alternative application
For applicants using the twelve-month alternative, the Board clinical packet directs those who do not satisfy its standard master-level equivalence checklist to contact the Board; the statute preserves the twelve-month alternative.
Attestation
Use a professional licensed to diagnose and treat mental disorders independently or licensed to practise medicine and surgery.
Clinical practice evidence
The Board packet requires the three clinical-practice years to follow independent clinical licensure and include at least eight client-contact hours per week during at least nine months each year.
Competence
Demonstrate at least two of: passing a Board-approved national clinical examination; three years of clinical practice diagnosing or treating mental disorders; or an acceptable professional attestation of competence. The clinical exam is a currently offered named alternative; applicants relying on practice plus attestation may be excused from it.
Current clinical license
Hold an active licence permitting independent clinical social work in another jurisdiction.
Fees
Pay the application and original licence fees requested by the Board.
Master level eligibility
Meet K.S.A. 65-6322(b)(2): twelve preceding months of comparable master-level licensure, no serious discipline, and a master degree in social work from a regionally accredited university.
Verification
Provide official licence, education and examination records and the required competence attachments.
Biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
Complete forty hours in the licence period, including at least three ethics hours and three diagnosis-and-treatment hours.
Existing license
Hold this Kansas licence; it must not be revoked or currently suspended.
Extension
K.S.A. 65-6313(d) permits up to three extra months to finish CE on a timely request at least thirty calendar days before expiry, with extenuating circumstances and a completion plan; renew before expiry. Not permitted in consecutive periods.
Fee
Pay the renewal fee and submit the signed statutory renewal statement.
Period
Renew on or before expiration; ordinary licences last twenty-four months.
Safety training
For first renewal of LBSW, LMSW or LSCSW, complete six safety-awareness hours within the forty-hour total unless already completed at a previous level.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)

Ordinary Kansas social work licence at the masters level.

Licensing authority: Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board · Application information

Conversion of a temporary candidacy licence after programme accreditation
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Accreditation
The accrediting body recognized by the Board grants accreditation to the programme.
Existing license
Hold the corresponding temporary candidacy social work licence.
Fee
Pay the appropriate fee.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

  • ksa-65-6306.html

    K.S.A. 65-6306 temporary candidacy, conversion to permanent masters

Reinstatement of a revoked or suspended licence
ASWB Masters Exam
Current rule access
The current rule portal and collection could not be obtained; the published 2022 rule is used with its edition identified.
Discipline
Reinstatement is subject to Board approval and the applicable disciplinary order.
Examination
The dated official K.A.R. 102-2-9(c) excludes revoked or suspended licence reinstatement from the previous-score examination waiver.
Felony
If the applicant has a felony conviction, K.S.A. 65-6311(b) requires a two-thirds Board vote.
Licensure by examination
ASWB Masters Exam
Documentation
Provide the official degree transcript directly from the school, three professional references on Board forms, and verification of every professional licence held in another jurisdiction.
Education
Master's degree in an approved social work program.
Examination approval
Obtain Board approval before registering with ASWB. A previously passed approved examination may support exemption from sitting again under K.S.A. 65-6309(a).
Fees
Submit the $50 application fee and pay the original licence fee when the Board confirms eligibility.
Jurisprudence
The Board FAQ expressly states that no jurisprudence examination is required.
Prior score
The Board FAQ says ASWB results may be used indefinitely.
Public trust
The Board must find that the applicant merits the public trust; conviction disclosures and any requested rehabilitation evidence are required.
Student application
An application may be submitted within four months of degree completion with the academic-verification form; a posted-degree official transcript is required before licensure.
Licensure with exemption based on a similar examination already passed
ASWB Masters Exam
Board discretion
K.S.A. 65-6309(a) provides exemption when the Board finds the prior examination similar.
Other exam
Any accepted examination from another jurisdiction or no-longer-offered examination is prior applicant evidence, not a new Kansas exam.
Prior passage
The Board determines whether the examination already passed is similar to the required examination. Current registered ASWB examinations remain leaves even when the applicant need not sit them again.
Qualifications
Master's degree in an approved social work program. All non-examination requirements for this licence level remain applicable.
Reinstatement of an expired licence
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
Provide forty CE hours earned in the preceding twenty-four months, including three ethics hours and three diagnosis-and-treatment hours.
Disclosures
Submit the reinstatement application, professional background disclosures, and any practice or representation as a social worker after expiry.
Expired license
Previously held this Kansas licence, which expired through nonrenewal.
Fees
Pay the renewal fee; the statute adds an equal penalty when expired for one year or less.
New application
The Board forbids circumventing reinstatement by requesting a new licence with an examination waiver.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Statutory occupational licensure based on experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board review
The Board must determine that the statutory eligibility criteria and the applicable Kansas scope are satisfied.
Eligibility
Be a relocating military servicemember or spouse, or a person residing or intending to reside in Kansas.
Integrity
Meet K.S.A. 48-3406(c)(2)(C)-(H): no disqualifying conduct, discipline, unresolved complaint or disqualifying criminal record; required financial protection; fees; and a truthful signed application affidavit.
Intended level
masters
Military spouse fees
Military spouses of active servicemembers are exempt from credential and background-report fees under subsection (u).
Public safety
The Board may deny a credential when granting it could jeopardize public health or safety; Kansas scope-of-practice limits apply.
Unnamed testing
For applicants inactive during the preceding two years or completing scope differences, the Board may prescribe testing, training, monitoring or CE under (d), (h), (i) and (j). No obtained official source identifies an additional real examination for these slots.
Work experience
At least three of the four preceding years in a jurisdiction that does not regulate the occupation by occupational licence, registration, government certification or private certification.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Statutory occupational licensure based on private certification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board review
The Board must determine that the statutory eligibility criteria and the applicable Kansas scope are satisfied.
Eligibility
Be a relocating military servicemember or spouse, or a person residing or intending to reside in Kansas.
Integrity
Meet K.S.A. 48-3406(c)(2)(C)-(H): no disqualifying conduct, discipline, unresolved complaint or disqualifying criminal record; required financial protection; fees; and a truthful signed application affidavit.
Intended level
masters
Military spouse fees
Military spouses of active servicemembers are exempt from credential and background-report fees under subsection (u).
Public safety
The Board may deny a credential when granting it could jeopardize public health or safety; Kansas scope-of-practice limits apply.
Unnamed testing
For applicants inactive during the preceding two years or completing scope differences, the Board may prescribe testing, training, monitoring or CE under (d), (h), (i) and (j). No obtained official source identifies an additional real examination for these slots.
Work experience
At least two years of work in a jurisdiction without occupational licensure or government certification, with a current private certification held in good standing.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Conversion after statutory probation
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Completion
Complete the probationary period, no longer than six months, subject to Board conditions and truthful application information.
Existing license
Hold the probationary social work licence at the masters level.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reciprocity based on substantially equivalent licensure standards

At least one of the following alternatives:

Current licensure
Hold active social work registration, certification or licensure in another jurisdiction at the corresponding level.
Documentation
Send every licence verification, and degree and examination records directly from the issuing agency or school if the licensing agency does not provide them.
Education
Submit the corresponding BSW or MSW degree from a CSWE-accredited or Board-approved social work program.
Equivalence
The Board determines that the issuing jurisdiction has substantially equivalent licensure requirements.
Exam equivalence
The implementing packet accepts ASWB at the corresponding level or above; passage before application remains an examination requirement.
Fees
Application and original licence fees are payable as requested by the Board.
Reciprocity based on at least twelve months of comparable licensure
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Board packet exam records
The Board's lower-ranked reciprocity packet nevertheless states: 5. Verification of License: The Board must receive a verification of license from every state or jurisdiction in which you hold, or have held a license, certificate, or registration. This verification must be sent from the other state board directly to the BSRB. Exceptions are made when the other state agencies will not send written verifications. Please include a note letting us know if your state does not send written verifications. Within the reciprocity application packet, you will find a License Verification form for your use. If the BSRB does not receive information regarding your education and passing of the ASWB exam, you will be required to have the following documents sent directly to the Board office. A. An official transcript sent directly from your college or university to the Board office. B. An official score report sent directly from the ASWB to the Board office. These documents will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant rather than the issuing institutions.
Current licensure
Hold registration, certification or licensure with a similar scope for the twelve months immediately before application.
Degree
Complete the corresponding baccalaureate or master degree in social work from a regionally accredited university.
Discipline
No disciplinary actions of a serious nature.
Fees
Pay the required application and original licence fees.
Statutory basis
K.S.A. 65-6322(a)(2) or (b)(2) defines this alternative through licensure duration, discipline and degree; it does not impose an examination prerequisite.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
Complete forty hours in the licence period, including at least three ethics hours and three diagnosis-and-treatment hours.
Existing license
Hold this Kansas licence; it must not be revoked or currently suspended.
Extension
K.S.A. 65-6313(d) permits up to three extra months to finish CE on a timely request at least thirty calendar days before expiry, with extenuating circumstances and a completion plan; renew before expiry. Not permitted in consecutive periods.
Fee
Pay the renewal fee and submit the signed statutory renewal statement.
Period
Renew on or before expiration; ordinary licences last twenty-four months.
Safety training
For first renewal of LBSW, LMSW or LSCSW, complete six safety-awareness hours within the forty-hour total unless already completed at a previous level.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Temporary candidacy baccalaureate social work license

Licence for graduates of a social work programme in candidacy for accreditation; examination passage is required.

Licensing authority: Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board · Application information

Extension while the programme remains in candidacy
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Existing license
Hold the corresponding temporary candidacy licence.
Programme status
Show that the programme remains in candidacy with the recognized accrediting body.
Request
Submit the Board form and pay the appropriate fee.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Temporary candidacy licensure
ASWB Bachelors Exam
Accreditation outcome
Accreditation permits conversion to the permanent licence on payment; refusal of accreditation requires immediate revocation.
Application
Submit the completed signed temporary-candidacy form and satisfy the Board that the applicant merits the public trust.
Continuing education
No continuing education is required while holding this form.
Education
Receive the corresponding social work degree from a programme in candidacy with an accrediting body recognized by the Board.
Fee
Pay the temporary candidacy fee.
Supervision
Practise under supervision.
Term
Expires on the last day of the twenty-fourth month; extension is available on request and payment while the programme remains in candidacy.
Title
Use temporary candidacy baccalaureate social worker and licensed only followed by by temporary candidacy license; do not use LBSW or LMSW.

Temporary candidacy master social work license

Licence for graduates of a social work programme in candidacy for accreditation; examination passage is required.

Licensing authority: Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board · Application information

Extension while the programme remains in candidacy
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Existing license
Hold the corresponding temporary candidacy licence.
Programme status
Show that the programme remains in candidacy with the recognized accrediting body.
Request
Submit the Board form and pay the appropriate fee.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Temporary candidacy licensure
ASWB Masters Exam
Accreditation outcome
Accreditation permits conversion to the permanent licence on payment; refusal of accreditation requires immediate revocation.
Application
Submit the completed signed temporary-candidacy form and satisfy the Board that the applicant merits the public trust.
Continuing education
No continuing education is required while holding this form.
Education
Receive the corresponding social work degree from a programme in candidacy with an accrediting body recognized by the Board.
Fee
Pay the temporary candidacy fee.
Supervision
Practise under supervision.
Term
Expires on the last day of the twenty-fourth month; extension is available on request and payment while the programme remains in candidacy.
Title
Use temporary candidacy master social worker and licensed only followed by by temporary candidacy license; do not use LBSW or LMSW.

ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam

Provider
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); administered on computer at Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination (three- and four-option questions) in two 61-question sections, each with a two-hour time limit; scored and pretest questions are mixed together; results reported as pass/fail
Exam questions
122 multiple-choice questions: 110 scored and 12 unscored pretest questions
Time limit
4 hours (two sections, each with a two-hour time limit)
Passing score
Pass/fail; the number of correct answers required varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions
Exam fee
US$260 exam registration fee
Examination outline
  • I. VALUES AND ETHICS (35%) (35%)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues related to the practice of social work, including responsibility to clients/client systems, colleagues, the profession, and society
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Professional values and principles (e.g., competence, social justice, integrity, dignity and worth of the person)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues regarding confidentiality, including limitations of confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, PHI, privacy)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Principles and processes of obtaining informed consent
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Social worker self-care principles
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Importance of professional development activities to improve practice and maintain current professional knowledge (e.g., in-service training, licensing requirements, reviews of literature, workshops, on-going supervision, consultation)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Protecting and enhancing client/client system self-determination (e.g., medication, medical treatment, counseling, placement, right to refuse services)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Professional boundaries in the social worker-client/client system relationship (e.g., power differences, influence, privilege, conflicts of interest, self-disclosure, dual relationships)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding documentation (e.g., maintaining client records)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding mandatory reporting (e.g., abuse, threat of harm, impaired professionals, duty to warn)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Impact of governmental policies on service delivery (e.g., local, state, federal legislation and policy)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues related to death and dying
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Responsible billing practices (e.g., managed care, insurance reimbursement, incident to billing)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues in supervision and management
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues related to electronic practice
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Research ethics (e.g., institutional review boards, use of human subjects, informed consent)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding termination
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Anti-oppressive and anti-racist approaches
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Accessibility including language, physical, and cultural access (e.g., translation and interpretation, neurodiversity, American Sign Language)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social, racial, environmental, and economic justice principles
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and intersectionality on behaviors, attitudes, and identity formation
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Privilege and bias and their impact on client/client systems (e.g., implicit bias, microaggressions)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Cultural impacts of exploitation across marginalized communities (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Power differential and racial privilege (e.g., internalized racial and ethnic inferiority and superiority)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social justice, truth and reconciliation, and restorative practices related to clients/client systems from historically oppressed and marginalized communities
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of globalization, immigration, and refugee or immigration status on clients/client systems and service delivery
  • II. ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (33%) (33%)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of trauma, stressors, violence, and crises on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., intergenerational, historical, and complex)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Family dynamics and functioning and the effects on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Dynamics of interpersonal relationships and relationship development (e.g., family, couples, groups, polyamory)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of poverty on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., social determinants of health)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators of mental and emotional illness throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Biopsychosocial assessment model and related components and factors
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Co-occurring disorders and conditions
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Characteristics of perpetrators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of caregiving on families
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Effects of physical and mental ability throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of out-of-home placement (e.g., hospitalization, foster care, residential care, criminal justice system) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of exploitation across the lifespan (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of aging on the individual and family systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Racial, ethnic, cultural, and spiritual/faith development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of addiction and substance use and abuse on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors influencing self- and body-image (e.g., culture, race, religion/spirituality, age, ability, trauma, gender, sexuality, size)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Typical and atypical physical, cognitive, emotional, and sexual development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors of out-of-home displacement (e.g., homelessness, immigration, and refugee status) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Defense mechanisms and their effects on behavior and relationships
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — The influence and impact of technology, including social media, on client/client-systems (personal and professional)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of urbanization, globalization, environmental hazards, and climate change on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Client/client system competence, self-determination, and self-monitoring techniques (e.g., financial decisions, treatment decisions, emancipation, age of consent, permanency planning)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods, techniques, and instruments for assessing client/client system strengths, resources, needs, and challenges
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, problem solving, and intervention planning
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing risk of harm to self and others
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles and techniques of interviewing (e.g., supporting, clarifying, confronting, validating, feedback, reflecting, language differences, use of interpreters)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for assessing resilience and coping abilities
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for obtaining sensitive and/or confidential information (e.g., substance use, sexual abuse)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Indicators of and methods of assessing motivation, barriers, and readiness for change
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing clients’/client systems’ communication skills
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Components and function of the mental status examination
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of incorporating information from records and evaluations (e.g., employment, medical, psychological, school)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Assessing the availability of and determining appropriate community resources
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Factors and processes used in goal planning, treatment planning, triage, and service plans
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Criteria used in the selection of intervention/treatment modalities (e.g., client/client system abilities, developmental level, culture, life stage)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Cultural considerations in the creation of an intervention plan
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Use and side effects of common prescription, over-the-counter, and alternative medications
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Indicators of client/client system readiness for termination
  • III. INTERVENTION AND PRACTICE (32%) (32%)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Strengths-based and empowerment strategies and interventions
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary team collaboration (e.g., co-therapy, care conference, IEP)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — The social worker’s role in the problem-solving process
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Principles and techniques for building and maintaining a helping relationship (e.g., acceptance, empathy, rapport)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — End of life practice (e.g., continuity of care, hospice, palliative care, stages of death and dying)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Developing formal documents (e.g., grants, proposals, reports, evaluations)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Policies, procedures, regulations, and legislation and their impact on social work practice and service delivery
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Permanency planning (e.g., child welfare)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Community organizing, development, and mobilizing community participation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, congruence, feedback)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Limit and boundary setting techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Emotional regulation techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Case management techniques (e.g., case recording, documentation, case presentation)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Methods of teaching coping and other self-care skills to clients
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Evidence-based practices (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Crisis intervention and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Stress management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Methods and approaches for providing trauma-informed care for various types of trauma (e.g., complex, vicarious)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Contracting and goal-setting techniques (e.g., partializing, measurable objectives)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Methods for engaging and motivating voluntary and involuntary clients/client systems
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Approaches to and methods of advocacy for needed services and resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Principles of active listening and observation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Problem-solving models and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Practice with clients experiencing loss, separation, and grief
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Harm reduction techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Conflict resolution methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Establishing service networks or community resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Discharge, aftercare, wrap-around services, and follow-up
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Anger management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Psychoeducation methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Group work techniques and approaches (e.g., developing and managing group processes and cohesion)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Family therapy models, interventions, and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Techniques and methods for addiction intervention
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Techniques for evaluating progress and effectiveness of intervention, treatment, and service plans
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods, techniques, and instruments used to evaluate social work practice
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Quality assurance (e.g., program reviews and audits by external sources)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of establishing program objectives and outcomes
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Program evaluation and related impact on services
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of evaluating agency programs (e.g., needs assessment, formative/summative assessment, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit analysis, outcomes assessment)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Basic and applied research design and methods, data collection and analysis methods, and methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research (e.g., objective, subjective, qualitative, quantitative)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Leadership and management techniques
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures for safe, inclusive, and a healthy work environment
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures that minimize risk for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Transference and countertransference within supervisory relationships
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervisee’s role in supervision (e.g., identifying learning needs, self-assessment, prioritizing)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervision and consultation models and techniques (e.g., individual, peer, group, case recording)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Organizational development, structure, and functioning (e.g., policies, procedures)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Employee recruitment, training, retention, performance appraisal, evaluation, and discipline
Examination sources

ASWB Bachelors Exam

Provider
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); administered on computer at Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination (three- and four-option questions) in two 61-question sections, each with a two-hour time limit; scored and pretest questions are mixed together; results reported as pass/fail
Exam questions
122 multiple-choice questions: 110 scored and 12 unscored pretest questions
Time limit
4 hours (two sections, each with a two-hour time limit)
Passing score
Pass/fail; the number of correct answers required varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions
Exam fee
US$230 exam registration fee
Examination outline
  • I. VALUES AND ETHICS (35%) (35%)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues related to the practice of social work, including responsibility to clients/client systems, colleagues, the profession, and society
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Principles and processes of obtaining informed consent
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues regarding confidentiality, including limitations of confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, PHI, privacy)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Professional values and principles (e.g., competence, social justice, integrity, dignity and worth of the person)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Social worker self-care principles
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Importance of professional development activities to improve practice and maintain current professional knowledge (e.g., in-service training, licensing requirements, reviews of literature, workshops, on-going supervision, consultation)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Professional boundaries in the social worker-client/client system relationship (e.g., power differences, influence, privilege, conflicts of interest, self-disclosure, dual relationships)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Protecting and enhancing client/client system self-determination (e.g., medication, medical treatment, counseling, placement, right to refuse services)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding mandatory reporting (e.g., abuse, threat of harm, impaired professionals, duty to warn)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding documentation (e.g., maintaining client records)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Impact of governmental policies on service delivery (e.g., local, state, federal legislation and policy)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues related to death and dying
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues in supervision and management
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Responsible billing practices (e.g., managed care, insurance reimbursement, incident to billing)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues related to electronic practice
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding termination
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Anti-oppressive and anti-racist approaches
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social, racial, environmental, and economic justice principles
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and intersectionality on behaviors, attitudes, and identity formation
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Accessibility including language, physical, and cultural access (e.g., translation and interpretation, neurodiversity, American Sign Language)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social justice, truth and reconciliation, and restorative practices related to clients/client systems from historically oppressed and marginalized communities
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Cultural impacts of exploitation across marginalized communities (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Privilege and bias and their impact on client/client systems (e.g., implicit bias, microaggressions)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Power differential and racial privilege (e.g., internalized racial and ethnic inferiority and superiority)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of globalization, immigration, and refugee or immigration status on clients/client systems and service delivery
  • II. ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (33%) (33%)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of poverty on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., social determinants of health)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of trauma, stressors, violence, and crises on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., intergenerational, historical, and complex)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of addiction and substance use and abuse on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Family dynamics and functioning and the effects on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Dynamics of interpersonal relationships and relationship development (e.g., family, couples, groups, polyamory)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators of mental and emotional illness throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of out-of-home placement (e.g., hospitalization, foster care, residential care, criminal justice system) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors of out-of-home displacement (e.g., homelessness, immigration, and refugee status) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Co-occurring disorders and conditions
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors influencing self- and body-image (e.g., culture, race, religion/spirituality, age, ability, trauma, gender, sexuality, size)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Characteristics of perpetrators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of caregiving on families
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of exploitation across the lifespan (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Biopsychosocial assessment model and related components and factors
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Effects of physical and mental ability throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Typical and atypical physical, cognitive, emotional, and sexual development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of aging on the individual and family systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Racial, ethnic, cultural, and spiritual/faith development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Defense mechanisms and their effects on behavior and relationships
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — The influence and impact of technology, including social media, on client/client-systems (personal and professional)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of urbanization, globalization, environmental hazards, and climate change on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Client/client system competence, self-determination, and self-monitoring techniques (e.g., financial decisions, treatment decisions, emancipation, age of consent, permanency planning)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing risk of harm to self and others
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles and techniques of interviewing (e.g., supporting, clarifying, confronting, validating, feedback, reflecting, language differences, use of interpreters)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, problem solving, and intervention planning
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods, techniques, and instruments for assessing client/client system strengths, resources, needs, and challenges
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for obtaining sensitive and/or confidential information (e.g., substance use, sexual abuse)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for assessing resilience and coping abilities
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Indicators of and methods of assessing motivation, barriers, and readiness for change
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Components and function of the mental status examination
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing clients’/client systems’ communication skills
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of incorporating information from records and evaluations (e.g., employment, medical, psychological, school)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Assessing the availability of and determining appropriate community resources
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Factors and processes used in goal planning, treatment planning, triage, and service plans
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Criteria used in the selection of intervention/treatment modalities (e.g., client/client system abilities, developmental level, culture, life stage)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Cultural considerations in the creation of an intervention plan
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Indicators of client/client system readiness for termination
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Use and side effects of common prescription, over-the-counter, and alternative medications
  • III. INTERVENTION AND PRACTICE (32%) (32%)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Principles and techniques for building and maintaining a helping relationship (e.g., acceptance, empathy, rapport)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — The social worker’s role in the problem-solving process
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Strengths-based and empowerment strategies and interventions
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary team collaboration (e.g., co-therapy, care conference, IEP)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — End of life practice (e.g., continuity of care, hospice, palliative care, stages of death and dying)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Parenting capacities and skill building
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Permanency planning (e.g., child welfare)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Policies, procedures, regulations, and legislation and their impact on social work practice and service delivery
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Community organizing, development, and mobilizing community participation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles of active listening and observation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, congruence, feedback)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods and approaches for providing trauma-informed care for various types of trauma (e.g., complex, vicarious)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Limit and boundary setting techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Case management techniques (e.g., case recording, documentation, case presentation)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Approaches to and methods of advocacy for needed services and resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Evidence-based practices (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for engaging and motivating voluntary and involuntary clients/client systems
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Contracting and goal-setting techniques (e.g., partializing, measurable objectives)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Practice with clients experiencing loss, separation, and grief
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Emotional regulation techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Crisis intervention and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Stress management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Discharge, aftercare, wrap-around services, and follow-up
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of teaching coping and other self-care skills to clients
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Techniques and methods for addiction intervention
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Establishing service networks or community resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Problem-solving models and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Harm reduction techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Conflict resolution methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Anger management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Task-centered approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Psychoeducation methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Group work techniques and approaches (e.g., developing and managing group processes and cohesion)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Role modeling techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Social change and social planning methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Assertiveness training techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Role play techniques
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Techniques for evaluating progress and effectiveness of intervention, treatment, and service plans
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of evaluating agency programs (e.g., needs assessment, formative/summative assessment, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit analysis, outcomes assessment)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods, techniques, and instruments used to evaluate social work practice
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Organizational development, structure, and functioning (e.g., policies, procedures)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervisee’s role in supervision (e.g., identifying learning needs, self-assessment, prioritizing)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervision and consultation models and techniques (e.g., individual, peer, group, case recording)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Transference and countertransference within supervisory relationships
Examination sources

ASWB Clinical Exam

Provider
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); administered on computer at Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination (three- and four-option questions) in two 61-question sections, each with a two-hour time limit; scored and pretest questions are mixed together; results reported as pass/fail
Exam questions
122 multiple-choice questions: 110 scored and 12 unscored pretest questions
Time limit
4 hours (two sections, each with a two-hour time limit)
Passing score
Pass/fail; the number of correct answers required varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions
Exam fee
US$260 exam registration fee
Examination outline
  • I. VALUES AND ETHICS (36%) (36%)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues regarding confidentiality, including limitations of confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, PHI, privacy)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues related to the practice of social work, including responsibility to clients/client systems, colleagues, the profession, and society
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Principles and processes of obtaining informed consent
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Professional values and principles (e.g., competence, social justice, integrity, dignity and worth of the person)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Social worker self-care principles
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Importance of professional development activities to improve practice and maintain current professional knowledge (e.g., in-service training, licensing requirements, reviews of literature, workshops, on-going supervision, consultation)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Protecting and enhancing client/client system self-determination (e.g., medication, medical treatment, counseling, placement, right to refuse services)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Professional boundaries in the social worker-client/client system relationship (e.g., power differences, influence, privilege, conflicts of interest, self-disclosure, dual relationships)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding mandatory reporting (e.g., abuse, threat of harm, impaired professionals, duty to warn)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding documentation (e.g., maintaining client records)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Responsible billing practices (e.g., managed care, insurance reimbursement, incident to billing)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues related to death and dying
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues in supervision and management
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Impact of governmental policies on service delivery (e.g., local, state, federal legislation and policy)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding termination
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues related to electronic practice
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Research ethics (e.g., institutional review boards, use of human subjects, informed consent)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Anti-oppressive and anti-racist approaches
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social, racial, environmental, and economic justice principles
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and intersectionality on behaviors, attitudes, and identity formation
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Accessibility including language, physical, and cultural access (e.g., translation and interpretation, neurodiversity, American Sign Language)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Power differential and racial privilege (e.g., internalized racial and ethnic inferiority and superiority)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Privilege and bias and their impact on client/client systems (e.g., implicit bias, microaggressions)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Cultural impacts of exploitation across marginalized communities (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social justice, truth and reconciliation, and restorative practices related to clients/client systems from historically oppressed and marginalized communities
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of globalization, immigration, and refugee or immigration status on clients/client systems and service delivery
  • II. ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (32% — the heading in the Clinical content outline prints no percentage; page 6 of the guidebook states the Clinical examination will have 32 percent of the questions testing Assessment and Planning) (32%)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of trauma, stressors, violence, and crises on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., intergenerational, historical, and complex)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Family dynamics and functioning and the effects on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Dynamics of interpersonal relationships and relationship development (e.g., family, couples, groups, polyamory)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators of mental and emotional illness throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Co-occurring disorders and conditions
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Biopsychosocial assessment model and related components and factors
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of addiction and substance use and abuse on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of poverty on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., social determinants of health)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors influencing self- and body-image (e.g., culture, race, religion/spirituality, age, ability, trauma, gender, sexuality, size)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Defense mechanisms and their effects on behavior and relationships
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Characteristics of perpetrators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of out-of-home placement (e.g., hospitalization, foster care, residential care, criminal justice system) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of caregiving on families
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of exploitation across the lifespan (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Typical and atypical physical, cognitive, emotional, and sexual development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Effects of physical and mental ability throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of aging on the individual and family systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Racial, ethnic, cultural, and spiritual/faith development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors of out-of-home displacement (e.g., homelessness, immigration, and refugee status) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — The influence and impact of technology, including social media, on client/client-systems (personal and professional)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of urbanization, globalization, environmental hazards, and climate change on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Client/client system competence, self-determination, and self-monitoring techniques (e.g., financial decisions, treatment decisions, emancipation, age of consent, permanency planning)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing risk of harm to self and others
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles and techniques of interviewing (e.g., supporting, clarifying, confronting, validating, feedback, reflecting, language differences, use of interpreters)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, problem solving, and intervention planning
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Indicators of and methods of assessing motivation, barriers, and readiness for change
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for assessing resilience and coping abilities
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods, techniques, and instruments for assessing client/client system strengths, resources, needs, and challenges
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for obtaining sensitive and/or confidential information (e.g., substance use, sexual abuse)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing clients’/client systems’ communication skills
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in assessment and common indicators of mental health and brain-related conditions
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Components and function of the mental status examination
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of incorporating information from records and evaluations (e.g., employment, medical, psychological, school)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Assessing the availability of and determining appropriate community resources
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Factors and processes used in goal planning, treatment planning, triage, and service plans
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Criteria used in the selection of intervention/treatment modalities (e.g., client/client system abilities, developmental level, culture, life stage)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Cultural considerations in the creation of an intervention plan
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Use and side effects of common prescription, over-the-counter, and alternative medications
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Indicators of client/client system readiness for termination
  • III. INTERVENTION AND PRACTICE (32%) (32%)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Strengths-based and empowerment strategies and interventions
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Principles and techniques for building and maintaining a helping relationship (e.g., acceptance, empathy, rapport)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary team collaboration (e.g., co-therapy, care conference, IEP)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — The social worker’s role in the problem-solving process
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — End of life practice (e.g., continuity of care, hospice, palliative care, stages of death and dying)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Parenting capacities and skill building
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Policies, procedures, regulations, and legislation and their impact on social work practice and service delivery
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Developing formal documents (e.g., grants, proposals, reports, evaluations)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods and approaches for providing trauma-informed care for various types of trauma (e.g., complex, vicarious)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, congruence, feedback)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles of active listening and observation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Limit and boundary setting techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Crisis intervention and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Emotional regulation techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Evidence-based practices (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of teaching coping and other self-care skills to clients
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Stress management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Practice with clients experiencing loss, separation, and grief
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for engaging and motivating voluntary and involuntary clients/client systems
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Harm reduction techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Approaches to and methods of advocacy for needed services and resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Psychoeducation methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Contracting and goal-setting techniques (e.g., partializing, measurable objectives)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Problem-solving models and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Techniques and methods for addiction intervention
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Case management techniques (e.g., case recording, documentation, case presentation)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Conflict resolution methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Anger management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Family therapy models, interventions, and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Discharge, aftercare, wrap-around services, and follow-up
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Group work techniques and approaches (e.g., developing and managing group processes and cohesion)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Establishing service networks or community resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Assertiveness training techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Role modeling techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Couples interventions and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Role play techniques
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Techniques for evaluating progress and effectiveness of intervention, treatment, and service plans
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of establishing program objectives and outcomes
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Program evaluation and related impact on services
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of evaluating agency programs (e.g., needs assessment, formative/summative assessment, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit analysis, outcomes assessment)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Basic and applied research design and methods, data collection and analysis methods, and methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research (e.g., objective, subjective, qualitative, quantitative)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Quality assurance (e.g., program reviews and audits by external sources)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervisee’s role in supervision (e.g., identifying learning needs, self-assessment, prioritizing)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervision and consultation models and techniques (e.g., individual, peer, group, case recording)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Transference and countertransference within supervisory relationships
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures that minimize risk for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Organizational development, structure, and functioning (e.g., policies, procedures)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Fiscal management and resource allocation techniques
Examination sources

ASWB Masters Exam

Provider
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); administered on computer at Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination (three- and four-option questions) in two 61-question sections, each with a two-hour time limit; scored and pretest questions are mixed together; results reported as pass/fail
Exam questions
122 multiple-choice questions: 110 scored and 12 unscored pretest questions
Time limit
4 hours (two sections, each with a two-hour time limit)
Passing score
Pass/fail; the number of correct answers required varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions
Exam fee
US$230 exam registration fee
Examination outline
  • I. VALUES AND ETHICS (35%) (35%)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Principles and processes of obtaining informed consent
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues regarding confidentiality, including limitations of confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, PHI, privacy)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues related to the practice of social work, including responsibility to clients/client systems, colleagues, the profession, and society
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Professional values and principles (e.g., competence, social justice, integrity, dignity and worth of the person)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Social worker self-care principles
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Importance of professional development activities to improve practice and maintain current professional knowledge (e.g., in-service training, licensing requirements, reviews of literature, workshops, on-going supervision, consultation)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Professional boundaries in the social worker-client/client system relationship (e.g., power differences, influence, privilege, conflicts of interest, self-disclosure, dual relationships)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Protecting and enhancing client/client system self-determination (e.g., medication, medical treatment, counseling, placement, right to refuse services)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding mandatory reporting (e.g., abuse, threat of harm, impaired professionals, duty to warn)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding documentation (e.g., maintaining client records)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Impact of governmental policies on service delivery (e.g., local, state, federal legislation and policy)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues related to death and dying
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues in supervision and management
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Responsible billing practices (e.g., managed care, insurance reimbursement, incident to billing)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues related to electronic practice
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding termination
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Anti-oppressive and anti-racist approaches
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social, racial, environmental, and economic justice principles
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and intersectionality on behaviors, attitudes, and identity formation
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Accessibility including language, physical, and cultural access (e.g., translation and interpretation, neurodiversity, American Sign Language)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Privilege and bias and their impact on client/client systems (e.g., implicit bias, microaggressions)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Power differential and racial privilege (e.g., internalized racial and ethnic inferiority and superiority)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Cultural impacts of exploitation across marginalized communities (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social justice, truth and reconciliation, and restorative practices related to clients/client systems from historically oppressed and marginalized communities
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of globalization, immigration, and refugee or immigration status on clients/client systems and service delivery
  • II. ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (33%) (33%)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of trauma, stressors, violence, and crises on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., intergenerational, historical, and complex)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Family dynamics and functioning and the effects on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of poverty on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., social determinants of health)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Dynamics of interpersonal relationships and relationship development (e.g., family, couples, groups, polyamory)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators of mental and emotional illness throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of out-of-home placement (e.g., hospitalization, foster care, residential care, criminal justice system) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of caregiving on families
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of addiction and substance use and abuse on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Co-occurring disorders and conditions
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Biopsychosocial assessment model and related components and factors
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Characteristics of perpetrators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of exploitation across the lifespan (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Defense mechanisms and their effects on behavior and relationships
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Effects of physical and mental ability throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors of out-of-home displacement (e.g., homelessness, immigration, and refugee status) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of aging on the individual and family systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors influencing self- and body-image (e.g., culture, race, religion/spirituality, age, ability, trauma, gender, sexuality, size)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Racial, ethnic, cultural, and spiritual/faith development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Typical and atypical physical, cognitive, emotional, and sexual development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — The influence and impact of technology, including social media, on client/client-systems (personal and professional)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of urbanization, globalization, environmental hazards, and climate change on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Client/client system competence, self-determination, and self-monitoring techniques (e.g., financial decisions, treatment decisions, emancipation, age of consent, permanency planning)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles and techniques of interviewing (e.g., supporting, clarifying, confronting, validating, feedback, reflecting, language differences, use of interpreters)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing risk of harm to self and others
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, problem solving, and intervention planning
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods, techniques, and instruments for assessing client/client system strengths, resources, needs, and challenges
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for obtaining sensitive and/or confidential information (e.g., substance use, sexual abuse)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for assessing resilience and coping abilities
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Indicators of and methods of assessing motivation, barriers, and readiness for change
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing clients’/client systems’ communication skills
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of incorporating information from records and evaluations (e.g., employment, medical, psychological, school)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Components and function of the mental status examination
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Assessing the availability of and determining appropriate community resources
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Cultural considerations in the creation of an intervention plan
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Factors and processes used in goal planning, treatment planning, triage, and service plans
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Criteria used in the selection of intervention/treatment modalities (e.g., client/client system abilities, developmental level, culture, life stage)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Use and side effects of common prescription, over-the-counter, and alternative medications
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Indicators of client/client system readiness for termination
  • III. INTERVENTION AND PRACTICE (32%) (32%)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Strengths-based and empowerment strategies and interventions
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Principles and techniques for building and maintaining a helping relationship (e.g., acceptance, empathy, rapport)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — The social worker’s role in the problem-solving process
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary team collaboration (e.g., co-therapy, care conference, IEP)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — End of life practice (e.g., continuity of care, hospice, palliative care, stages of death and dying)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Parenting capacities and skill building
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Policies, procedures, regulations, and legislation and their impact on social work practice and service delivery
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Permanency planning (e.g., child welfare)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Community organizing, development, and mobilizing community participation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Limit and boundary setting techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, congruence, feedback)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods and approaches for providing trauma-informed care for various types of trauma (e.g., complex, vicarious)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles of active listening and observation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Crisis intervention and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Emotional regulation techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Approaches to and methods of advocacy for needed services and resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of teaching coping and other self-care skills to clients
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Practice with clients experiencing loss, separation, and grief
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for engaging and motivating voluntary and involuntary clients/client systems
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Case management techniques (e.g., case recording, documentation, case presentation)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Evidence-based practices (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Stress management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Harm reduction techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Contracting and goal-setting techniques (e.g., partializing, measurable objectives)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Problem-solving models and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Discharge, aftercare, wrap-around services, and follow-up
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Conflict resolution methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Establishing service networks or community resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Techniques and methods for addiction intervention
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Psychoeducation methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Anger management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Group work techniques and approaches (e.g., developing and managing group processes and cohesion)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Family therapy models, interventions, and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Social change and social planning methods
    • IIIC. PRACTICE. EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Techniques for evaluating progress and effectiveness of intervention, treatment, and service plans
    • IIIC. PRACTICE. EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods, techniques, and instruments used to evaluate social work practice
    • IIIC. PRACTICE. EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of evaluating agency programs (e.g., needs assessment, formative/summative assessment, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit analysis, outcomes assessment)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE. EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Basic and applied research design and methods, data collection and analysis methods, and methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research (e.g., objective, subjective, qualitative, quantitative)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervisee’s role in supervision (e.g., identifying learning needs, self-assessment, prioritizing)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures for safe, inclusive, and a healthy work environment
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures that minimize risk for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervision and consultation models and techniques (e.g., individual, peer, group, case recording)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Transference and countertransference within supervisory relationships
Examination sources