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New Jersey Social Work — Requirements & Free Practice

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Licensed Clinical Social Worker

New Jersey Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential under the Social Workers' Licensing Act of 1991.

Licensing authority: New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners · Application information

Reapplication after administrative closure of an abandoned application
ASWB Clinical Exam
Abandoned Application
Prior application administratively closed under N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.7(a)-(b).
Qualification
Reapply under the ordinary credential eligibility provisions and pay the appropriate application fee; the ordinary examination remains required for LSW and LCSW.
Licensure by endorsement or reciprocity
ASWB Clinical Exam
Application
Submit the Board application and application fee.
Background Check
Consent to and complete the criminal history background check.
Clinical Reciprocity
Board reviews clinical work in the preceding five years instead of supervision hours; provide a detailed current resume and primary-source verifications of every held license.
Documentation
Submit the Board application, fee, criminal-history consent, education/experience records and examination results.
Education
MSW from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, or doctorate in social work from an accredited institution; provide an official transcript.
Examination Waiver
Board may excuse taking the examination again based on passing a similar examination; currently offered ASWB examination remains a leaf even when already passed.
Grandfathered Applicants
If previously licensed without the clinical exam under grandfathering provisions, upload a letter detailing licensure history; the Board determines the exception.
Other License
Hold a license or registration from another United States jurisdiction with substantially equivalent educational and experiential requirements.
Reapplication after more than five years inactive
ASWB Clinical Exam
Board Rule
The dated Board compilation requires initial licensure requirements, including the registered ASWB examination.
Controlling Statute
N.J.S.A. 45:1-7.4 provides reinstatement/reactivation submissions and authorizes individualized examination or skills remediation; submit application, employment certification, applicable fees and continuing-education proof, including the other-jurisdiction continuing-education equivalency where applicable. The Board determines whether a new sitting or remediation is necessary.
Duration
More than five years in the specified status.
Renewal in inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential and elect inactive renewal.
Inactive Status
Pay the inactive fee and refrain from professional practice or representing eligibility to practice in New Jersey.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Licensure by examination
ASWB Clinical Exam
Application
Submit the Board application and application fee.
Background Check
Consent to and complete the criminal history background check.
Clinical Coursework
Twelve graduate semester hours in clinical social-work methods, excluding field placement: diagnosis and assessment, psychotherapy or clinical-practice models, clinical supervision and consultation, and/or intervention with special populations.
Education
MSW from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, or doctorate in social work from an accredited institution; provide an official transcript.
Exam Approval
Clinical hours must be completed before approval to sit for the Clinical exam; provide passing results or official ASWB score transfer.
Experience Status
Hold LSW status during experience, or demonstrate practice in a setting exempt under N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-5.
Older Eligibility Page
The Board eligibility page last modified November 13, 2020 states: "A supervisor's certification, or the applicant's affidavit in lieu of a supervisor's certification, indicating that the applicant has acquired two years of full-time clinical social work experience under supervision within a period of not less than two, and not more than three, consecutive years;". The later Board rule is applied; its two-to-four-year completion period is distinct from the five-year lookback before application.
Supervised Experience
3,000 supervised post-MSW hours over two to four years; at least 1,920 face-to-face client-contact hours, half in psychotherapeutic counseling. Experience must be completed within five years before application; submit supervisor certification or explain its absence by affidavit.
Supervision Documents
Provide the Board-approved 20-hour supervisor course, official job description and employer authorization for an outside supervisor when applicable.
Renewal within 30 days after expiration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
40 credits, including 20 clinical practice credits, five ethics and three social/cultural competence credits; at least one opioid-risk credit within the prescribed total. Board-approved waiver for hardship may apply; first issuance during the second year has reduced requirements under 13:44G-6.2(b).
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential.
Disciplinary Declaration
Execute the sworn renewal statement required by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-9(a).
Late Renewal
File renewal and pay renewal and late fees within 30 days; license remains valid during this period; suspension follows if not renewed.
Renewal
Submit biennial renewal application and renewal fee before expiration.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Initial credential with credit for military education, training and experience
ASWB Clinical Exam
Documentation
Provide VMET DD Form 2586 for training/experience and Joint Services Transcript for education/training; relevant courses must have American Council on Education evaluation.
Military Service
Honorably discharged from active service; Board evaluates military education, training and experience for substantial equivalence on a case-by-case basis.
Remaining Requirements
Complete remaining ordinary credential requirements, including the ASWB examination for LSW or LCSW; CSW requires no licensing examination.
Renewal after active military service
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
40 credits, including 20 clinical practice credits, five ethics and three social/cultural competence credits; at least one opioid-risk credit within the prescribed total. Board-approved waiver for hardship may apply; first issuance during the second year has reduced requirements under 13:44G-6.2(b).
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential.
Disciplinary Declaration
Execute the sworn renewal statement required by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-9(a).
Military Extension
License does not expire during qualifying active service and extends up to 120 days after return; submit service documentation and apply within 120 days for normal renewal with late and reinstatement requirements waived.
Renewal
Submit biennial renewal application and renewal fee before expiration.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Endorsement for a nonresident military spouse
ASWB Clinical Exam
Applicant
Nonresident spouse of an active-duty member transferred to, legally domiciled in, or permanently reassigned to New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 45:1-15.5(a).
Board Choice
The Board may issue through existing endorsement/reciprocity or through the separate temporary courtesy pathway. This route describes the endorsement option.
Documentation
Submit ordinary endorsement documentation, criminal-history consent and fee; document the qualifying military-spouse status.
Qualification
Meet the ordinary endorsement education/experience and examination-result requirements; the Board may excuse a new examination sitting on the basis of a comparable passing examination.
Licensure by examination with pre September 17, 2018 supervision
ASWB Clinical Exam
Application
Submit the Board application and application fee.
Background Check
Consent to and complete the criminal history background check.
Clinical Coursework
Twelve graduate semester hours in clinical social-work methods, excluding field placement: diagnosis and assessment, psychotherapy or clinical-practice models, clinical supervision and consultation, and/or intervention with special populations.
Education
MSW from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, or doctorate in social work from an accredited institution; provide an official transcript.
Exam Approval
Clinical hours must be completed before approval to sit for the Clinical exam; provide passing results or official ASWB score transfer.
Experience Status
Hold LSW status during experience, or demonstrate practice in a setting exempt under N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-5.
Older Eligibility Page
The Board eligibility page last modified November 13, 2020 states: "A supervisor's certification, or the applicant's affidavit in lieu of a supervisor's certification, indicating that the applicant has acquired two years of full-time clinical social work experience under supervision within a period of not less than two, and not more than three, consecutive years;". The later Board rule is applied; its two-to-four-year completion period is distinct from the five-year lookback before application.
Supervised Experience
For applicants who began supervised clinical experience before September 17, 2018, 1,920 face-to-face client-contact hours are deemed two years of full-time clinical social work; other applicable eligibility requirements remain.
Supervision Documents
Provide the Board-approved 20-hour supervisor course, official job description and employer authorization for an outside supervisor when applicable.
Biennial active renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
40 credits, including 20 clinical practice credits, five ethics and three social/cultural competence credits; at least one opioid-risk credit within the prescribed total. Board-approved waiver for hardship may apply; first issuance during the second year has reduced requirements under 13:44G-6.2(b).
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential.
Disciplinary Declaration
Execute the sworn renewal statement required by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-9(a).
Renewal
Submit biennial renewal application and renewal fee before expiration.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reapplication after more than five years suspended
ASWB Clinical Exam
Board Rule
The dated Board compilation requires initial licensure requirements, including the registered ASWB examination.
Controlling Statute
N.J.S.A. 45:1-7.4 provides reinstatement/reactivation submissions and authorizes individualized examination or skills remediation; submit application, employment certification, applicable fees and continuing-education proof, including the other-jurisdiction continuing-education equivalency where applicable. The Board determines whether a new sitting or remediation is necessary.
Duration
More than five years in the specified status.

Licensed Social Worker

New Jersey Licensed Social Worker credential under the Social Workers' Licensing Act of 1991.

Licensing authority: New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners · Application information

Reapplication after administrative closure of an abandoned application
ASWB Masters Exam
Abandoned Application
Prior application administratively closed under N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.7(a)-(b).
Qualification
Reapply under the ordinary credential eligibility provisions and pay the appropriate application fee; the ordinary examination remains required for LSW and LCSW.
Licensure by endorsement or reciprocity
ASWB Masters Exam
Application
Submit the Board application and application fee.
Background Check
Consent to and complete the criminal history background check.
Documentation
Submit the Board application, fee, criminal-history consent, education/experience records and examination results.
Education
MSW from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, or doctorate in social work from an accredited institution; provide an official transcript.
Examination Waiver
Board may excuse taking the examination again based on passing a similar examination; currently offered ASWB examination remains a leaf even when already passed.
Other License
Hold a license or registration from another United States jurisdiction with substantially equivalent educational and experiential requirements.
Reapplication after more than five years inactive
ASWB Masters Exam
Board Rule
The dated Board compilation requires initial licensure requirements, including the registered ASWB examination.
Controlling Statute
N.J.S.A. 45:1-7.4 provides reinstatement/reactivation submissions and authorizes individualized examination or skills remediation; submit application, employment certification, applicable fees and continuing-education proof, including the other-jurisdiction continuing-education equivalency where applicable. The Board determines whether a new sitting or remediation is necessary.
Duration
More than five years in the specified status.
Renewal in inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential and elect inactive renewal.
Inactive Status
Pay the inactive fee and refrain from professional practice or representing eligibility to practice in New Jersey.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Licensure by examination
ASWB Masters Exam
Application
Submit the Board application and application fee.
Background Check
Consent to and complete the criminal history background check.
Education
MSW from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, or doctorate in social work from an accredited institution; provide an official transcript.
Exam Approval
Board approval and passing ASWB Masters results; eligibility is valid one year. The Board permits testing with 40 graduate credits or in the final semester of an advanced-standing MSW program, but degree completion is required for issuance.
Renewal within 30 days after expiration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
30 credits, including five ethics, three social/cultural competence and at least one opioid-risk credit within the total. Board-approved waiver for hardship may apply; first issuance during the second year has reduced requirements under 13:44G-6.2(b).
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential.
Disciplinary Declaration
Execute the sworn renewal statement required by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-9(a).
Late Renewal
File renewal and pay renewal and late fees within 30 days; license remains valid during this period; suspension follows if not renewed.
Renewal
Submit biennial renewal application and renewal fee before expiration.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Initial credential with credit for military education, training and experience
ASWB Masters Exam
Documentation
Provide VMET DD Form 2586 for training/experience and Joint Services Transcript for education/training; relevant courses must have American Council on Education evaluation.
Military Service
Honorably discharged from active service; Board evaluates military education, training and experience for substantial equivalence on a case-by-case basis.
Remaining Requirements
Complete remaining ordinary credential requirements, including the ASWB examination for LSW or LCSW; CSW requires no licensing examination.
Renewal after active military service
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
30 credits, including five ethics, three social/cultural competence and at least one opioid-risk credit within the total. Board-approved waiver for hardship may apply; first issuance during the second year has reduced requirements under 13:44G-6.2(b).
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential.
Disciplinary Declaration
Execute the sworn renewal statement required by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-9(a).
Military Extension
License does not expire during qualifying active service and extends up to 120 days after return; submit service documentation and apply within 120 days for normal renewal with late and reinstatement requirements waived.
Renewal
Submit biennial renewal application and renewal fee before expiration.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Endorsement for a nonresident military spouse
ASWB Masters Exam
Applicant
Nonresident spouse of an active-duty member transferred to, legally domiciled in, or permanently reassigned to New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 45:1-15.5(a).
Board Choice
The Board may issue through existing endorsement/reciprocity or through the separate temporary courtesy pathway. This route describes the endorsement option.
Documentation
Submit ordinary endorsement documentation, criminal-history consent and fee; document the qualifying military-spouse status.
Qualification
Meet the ordinary endorsement education/experience and examination-result requirements; the Board may excuse a new examination sitting on the basis of a comparable passing examination.
Biennial active renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
30 credits, including five ethics, three social/cultural competence and at least one opioid-risk credit within the total. Board-approved waiver for hardship may apply; first issuance during the second year has reduced requirements under 13:44G-6.2(b).
Current Credential
Hold this New Jersey credential.
Disciplinary Declaration
Execute the sworn renewal statement required by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-9(a).
Renewal
Submit biennial renewal application and renewal fee before expiration.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reapplication after more than five years suspended
ASWB Masters Exam
Board Rule
The dated Board compilation requires initial licensure requirements, including the registered ASWB examination.
Controlling Statute
N.J.S.A. 45:1-7.4 provides reinstatement/reactivation submissions and authorizes individualized examination or skills remediation; submit application, employment certification, applicable fees and continuing-education proof, including the other-jurisdiction continuing-education equivalency where applicable. The Board determines whether a new sitting or remediation is necessary.
Duration
More than five years in the specified status.

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