Ohio Social Work — Requirements & Free Practice
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Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW)
Ohio independent social-worker license. Clinical is the ordinary initial examination beginning July 10, 2026; Board-approved Advanced Generalist transition applicants remain an exception. Multistate compact licenses are not yet available.
Licensing authority: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board — Social Workers Professional Standards Committee · Application information
Biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- Thirty hours of approved continuing education, including three in ethics.
- Existing credential
- Hold the applicable Ohio license/registration; renew every two years by the Board application and fee.
- Waivers
- The Board may waive or amend continuing education for disability, military service, residence abroad or other acceptable cause; request and document the waiver.
Licensure by endorsement/reciprocity — licensed or government certified applicant
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Additional board review
- OAC 4757-19-07 permits an examination otherwise acceptable to the Board and consideration of good standing, discipline and years in practice; an unnamed approved alternative is an applicant condition.
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Conflicting exam guidance
- The same Board page describes LISW as Clinical or Advanced Generalist with training supervision, but its LISW checklist says: Requirements for the LISW application: Submit to the Board or request that ASWB send to the Board your ASWB Bachelors, Masters, Clinical, or Advanced Generalist exam results (exam scores more than seven years old are not considered valid, unless you are actively licensed in another state). The current initial-issuance page ordinarily specifies Clinical after July 10, 2026. The broader reciprocal checklist is retained as named examination alternatives, with the Board determining applicant eligibility, rather than silently excluding the named examinations.
- Exam documentation
- The Board’s current reciprocal application explicitly requests ASWB Bachelors, Masters, Clinical or Advanced Generalist scores; scores older than seven years are accepted when actively licensed in another state. A prior passing score remains an examination leaf under this survey contract.
- Existing license
- Hold a substantially similar active out-of-state occupational license or qualifying government certification in good standing; provide online verification or requested statements from each licensing jurisdiction.
- Experience recognition
- R.C. 4796.03 ordinarily requires holding the license/certification for at least one year and practice for one of the preceding five years; the licensing authority may waive those periods.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Independent scope
- Applicants whose out-of-state license permits diagnosis and treatment without direct clinical supervision should request LISW; dependent reciprocal LSW holders seeking LISW by examination must satisfy ordinary independent-license requirements.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Prior qualifications
- Under R.C. 4796.03(D), the originating credential must have required minimum education, training, experience or an examination; the Board assesses the appropriate Ohio level.
- Restrictions
- Under R.C. 4796.10, a disqualifying offense may be addressed by a restricted or limited license when the Board approves an offense-relevant restriction.
Election/renewal of inactive escrow classification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- Inactive renewal does not require active-status continuing education; reactivation has separate requirements.
- Practice
- Attest to no active practice while inactive; do not represent an inactive credential as active.
- Status
- The existing license/registration must be in good standing; apply at biennial renewal and pay the inactive fee.
Reactivation from inactive escrow — over five years without practice
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Education
- OAC 4757-7-03(D) requires forty-five hours including six ethics hours; satisfy the underlying application requirements as well.
- Existing status
- Hold an inactive-escrow credential; request restoration electronically with signature, Board fee and required information.
- Term
- The restored active credential runs for two years from completion of restoration requirements.
- Time out of practice
- More than five but no more than ten years without practice.
Reactivation from inactive escrow — over ten years without practice
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Education
- OAC 4757-7-03(D) requires forty-five hours including six ethics hours; satisfy the underlying application requirements as well.
- Existing status
- Hold an inactive-escrow credential; request restoration electronically with signature, Board fee and required information.
- Professional development plan
- Propose a professional development plan unless waived by the committee; components may include performance appraisals, mentorship, further CE, coursework or other learning options. These are conditions, with no separately identified licensing examination.
- Term
- The restored active credential runs for two years from completion of restoration requirements.
- Time out of practice
- More than ten years without practice.
Reactivation from inactive escrow — up to five years without practice
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Education
- OAC 4757-7-03(B) specifies thirty hours in the preceding two years including six ethics hours; these hours cannot be reused for subsequent renewal.
- Existing status
- Hold an inactive-escrow credential; request restoration electronically with signature, Board fee and required information.
- Term
- The restored active credential runs for two years from completion of restoration requirements.
- Time out of practice
- No more than five years without practice.
Initial licensure by examination — current Clinical policy
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Education
- Hold a master’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited institution or institution in candidacy; official conferred-degree transcript required.
- Exam approval
- Board pre-approval is required before sitting, valid for up to twelve months.
- Existing license
- Hold an LSW during qualifying Ohio supervised experience.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Score age
- Pass within seven years unless currently licensed to practice social work in Ohio with a prior independent-level passing examination, or equivalently licensed elsewhere with that examination.
- Supervised experience
- At least two complete years and 3,000 hours of post-master’s social work experience; no more than 1,500 hours credited in any twelve-month period.
- Training supervision
- At least 150 hours, averaging one hour per twenty work hours, supervised by an LISW-S unless a hardship exception is granted; complete supervision before application, retain supervisor-signed logs, and have the last training supervisor submit all accrued hours and a recommendation.
Initial licensure — Board approved Advanced Generalist transition cohort
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Compact acknowledgment
- If approved for Advanced Generalist, acknowledge that qualifying on that examination may limit multistate compact or comparable out-of-state licensure eligibility.
- Education
- Hold a master’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited institution or institution in candidacy; official conferred-degree transcript required.
- Exam approval
- Board pre-approval is required before sitting, valid for up to twelve months.
- Existing license
- Hold an LSW during qualifying Ohio supervised experience.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Score age
- Pass within seven years unless currently licensed to practice social work in Ohio with a prior independent-level passing examination, or equivalently licensed elsewhere with that examination.
- Supervised experience
- At least two complete years and 3,000 hours of post-master’s social work experience; no more than 1,500 hours credited in any twelve-month period.
- Training supervision
- At least 150 hours, averaging one hour per twenty work hours, supervised by an LISW-S unless a hardship exception is granted; complete supervision before application, retain supervisor-signed logs, and have the last training supervisor submit all accrued hours and a recommendation.
- Transition eligibility
- The Board considers exceptions for people who had started training supervision by July 10, 2026 intending to take Advanced Generalist. Advanced Generalist requires individual Board approval; the ordinary Clinical option remains available.
Restoration of credential lapsed for no more than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- Thirty hours of approved continuing education, including three in ethics. Document the required completion and pay the renewal fee.
- Examination prohibition
- R.C. 4757.32 expressly prohibits an examination as a condition of restoration of a lapsed license/certificate.
- Lapse
- Apply no later than two years after expiration; a person eligible for restoration may not instead apply for a new license.
- Term
- Restoration is for the remainder of the two-year period measured from the expiration date.
Regular license/certificate in lieu of military temporary recognition
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Background checks
- Comply with the statutory Ohio criminal records check requirements; results must be received before issuance. The Board rule cites R.C. 4755.70, while the controlling R.C. 4743.041(B)(4) cites R.C. 4776.01–4776.04; the controlling statutory requirement governs.
- Board discretion
- R.C. 4743.041(C) permits the authority to issue a regular license/certificate in lieu of a temporary one for an applicant meeting this section; issuance must meet its statutory deadlines.
- Duration
- If the Board elects regular issuance, subsequent regular renewal rules apply rather than the temporary six-year term.
- Examination
- Existing foreign or out-of-state credential qualifications are conditions; R.C. 4743.041(B) adds no new professional licensing examination.
- Existing license
- Hold a valid, unrestricted comparable license or certificate from another state/jurisdiction and remain in good standing.
- Fees
- R.C. 4743.041(G) expressly waives temporary issuance fees; regular issuance is subject to applicable Board military fee provisions.
- Military connection
- The applicant or spouse is on military duty in Ohio; submit adequate proof.
- Scope
- Practice only within the comparable Ohio scope and the applicant’s training.
Renewal/restoration following military related lapse
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- A full/partial waiver or extension may be available with service documentation; otherwise satisfy applicable professional CE.
- Deadline
- Provide satisfactory evidence of honorable discharge/release within six months after discharge/release.
- Fees
- The usual renewal fee applies without a late fee; other Board military waiver provisions may apply.
- Military service
- The holder’s service caused the failure to renew, or a spouse’s service caused the holder’s absence from Ohio.
Statutory endorsement based on private certification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Conduct
- Satisfy R.C. 4796.03(E)–(G): no misconduct-related revocation/surrender, applicable fees, and no disqualifying criminal offense unless an offense-relevant limited/restricted license is approved under R.C. 4796.10.
- Eligibility
- For private certification: hold the certification for at least two preceding years and practice for two of the preceding five years, remain in good standing with its issuer; the Board may waive the periods.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Practice scope
- Recognition permits only the applicable Ohio scope that does not exceed the applicant’s training, under R.C. 4796.21.
- Statutory basis
- R.C. 4757.18(B) requires recognition in accordance with Chapter 4796; this route concerns an applicant from a jurisdiction that does not issue the respective occupational license or government certification, rather than a currently licensed reciprocal applicant. The statute does not identify a currently offered professional examination for this pathway.
- Unnamed or external assessments
- A private certification or qualifying government/work history is an applicant condition; no unidentified prior examination is converted into an examination leaf.
Official no-examination sources
Effective from 2026-09-22.
- 4757.18
4757.18 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.04
4796.04 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.03
4796.03 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.08
4796.08 — complete substantive provision
- 4757.27
4757.27 — complete substantive provision
- Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Statutory endorsement based on work experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Conduct
- Satisfy R.C. 4796.03(E)–(G): no misconduct-related revocation/surrender, applicable fees, and no disqualifying criminal offense unless an offense-relevant limited/restricted license is approved under R.C. 4796.10.
- Eligibility
- Practice for at least three of the preceding five years in a jurisdiction not licensing the profession, or qualifying uniformed-services work; the Board may waive the period.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Practice scope
- Recognition permits only the applicable Ohio scope that does not exceed the applicant’s training, under R.C. 4796.21.
- Statutory basis
- R.C. 4757.18(B) requires recognition in accordance with Chapter 4796; this route concerns an applicant from a jurisdiction that does not issue the respective occupational license or government certification, rather than a currently licensed reciprocal applicant. The statute does not identify a currently offered professional examination for this pathway.
- Unnamed or external assessments
- A private certification or qualifying government/work history is an applicant condition; no unidentified prior examination is converted into an examination leaf.
Official no-examination sources
Effective from 2026-09-22.
- 4757.18
4757.18 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.05
4796.05 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.03
4796.03 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.08
4796.08 — complete substantive provision
- 4757.27
4757.27 — complete substantive provision
- Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
Ohio dependent social-worker license. Multistate compact licenses are not yet available; the existing Ohio single-state license remains the offered credential. Restricted or limited recognition under R.C. 4796.10 is a restriction on this license, rather than a separately named Board license identity.
Licensing authority: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board — Social Workers Professional Standards Committee · Application information
Biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- Thirty hours of approved continuing education, including three in ethics.
- Existing credential
- Hold the applicable Ohio license/registration; renew every two years by the Board application and fee.
- Waivers
- The Board may waive or amend continuing education for disability, military service, residence abroad or other acceptable cause; request and document the waiver.
Licensure by endorsement/reciprocity — licensed or government certified applicant
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Additional board review
- OAC 4757-19-07 permits an examination otherwise acceptable to the Board and consideration of good standing, discipline and years in practice; an unnamed approved alternative is an applicant condition.
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Exam documentation
- The Board’s current reciprocal application explicitly requests ASWB Bachelors, Masters, Clinical or Advanced Generalist scores; scores older than seven years are accepted when actively licensed in another state. A prior passing score remains an examination leaf under this survey contract.
- Existing license
- Hold a substantially similar active out-of-state occupational license or qualifying government certification in good standing; provide online verification or requested statements from each licensing jurisdiction.
- Experience recognition
- R.C. 4796.03 ordinarily requires holding the license/certification for at least one year and practice for one of the preceding five years; the licensing authority may waive those periods.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Prior qualifications
- Under R.C. 4796.03(D), the originating credential must have required minimum education, training, experience or an examination; the Board assesses the appropriate Ohio level.
- Restrictions
- Under R.C. 4796.10, a disqualifying offense may be addressed by a restricted or limited license when the Board approves an offense-relevant restriction.
Election/renewal of inactive escrow classification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- Inactive renewal does not require active-status continuing education; reactivation has separate requirements.
- Practice
- Attest to no active practice while inactive; do not represent an inactive credential as active.
- Status
- The existing license/registration must be in good standing; apply at biennial renewal and pay the inactive fee.
Reactivation from inactive escrow — over five years without practice
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Education
- OAC 4757-7-03(D) requires forty-five hours including six ethics hours; satisfy the underlying application requirements as well.
- Existing status
- Hold an inactive-escrow credential; request restoration electronically with signature, Board fee and required information.
- Term
- The restored active credential runs for two years from completion of restoration requirements.
- Time out of practice
- More than five but no more than ten years without practice.
Reactivation from inactive escrow — over ten years without practice
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Education
- OAC 4757-7-03(D) requires forty-five hours including six ethics hours; satisfy the underlying application requirements as well.
- Existing status
- Hold an inactive-escrow credential; request restoration electronically with signature, Board fee and required information.
- Professional development plan
- Propose a professional development plan unless waived by the committee; components may include performance appraisals, mentorship, further CE, coursework or other learning options. These are conditions, with no separately identified licensing examination.
- Term
- The restored active credential runs for two years from completion of restoration requirements.
- Time out of practice
- More than ten years without practice.
Reactivation from inactive escrow — up to five years without practice
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Education
- OAC 4757-7-03(B) specifies thirty hours in the preceding two years including six ethics hours; these hours cannot be reused for subsequent renewal.
- Existing status
- Hold an inactive-escrow credential; request restoration electronically with signature, Board fee and required information.
- Term
- The restored active credential runs for two years from completion of restoration requirements.
- Time out of practice
- No more than five years without practice.
Initial licensure by examination
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Education
- Hold an accredited baccalaureate, master’s or doctorate degree in social work; CSWE-accredited degrees qualify, and otherwise OAC 4757-19-01(C) curriculum review applies.
- Exam approval
- Obtain Board approval before sitting; approval lasts up to twelve months, and expired approval requires a new admission letter. Applicants in the final term may submit a graduation-on-track statement.
- Exam assignment
- The Board instructs bachelor’s applicants to select ASWB Bachelors and master’s applicants to select ASWB Masters. Doctoral degrees are legally eligible; the published selection instructions do not separately identify the doctoral selection, so the Board must assign the appropriate named LSW examination. The exams are alternatives tied to educational qualification.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Official transcript
- An official transcript showing the conferred degree is required before ordinary issuance.
- Score age
- Pass within seven years of application unless currently equivalently licensed in another state with the prescribed passing examination.
Restoration of credential lapsed for no more than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- Thirty hours of approved continuing education, including three in ethics. Document the required completion and pay the renewal fee.
- Examination prohibition
- R.C. 4757.32 expressly prohibits an examination as a condition of restoration of a lapsed license/certificate.
- Lapse
- Apply no later than two years after expiration; a person eligible for restoration may not instead apply for a new license.
- Term
- Restoration is for the remainder of the two-year period measured from the expiration date.
Regular license/certificate in lieu of military temporary recognition
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Background checks
- Comply with the statutory Ohio criminal records check requirements; results must be received before issuance. The Board rule cites R.C. 4755.70, while the controlling R.C. 4743.041(B)(4) cites R.C. 4776.01–4776.04; the controlling statutory requirement governs.
- Board discretion
- R.C. 4743.041(C) permits the authority to issue a regular license/certificate in lieu of a temporary one for an applicant meeting this section; issuance must meet its statutory deadlines.
- Duration
- If the Board elects regular issuance, subsequent regular renewal rules apply rather than the temporary six-year term.
- Examination
- Existing foreign or out-of-state credential qualifications are conditions; R.C. 4743.041(B) adds no new professional licensing examination.
- Existing license
- Hold a valid, unrestricted comparable license or certificate from another state/jurisdiction and remain in good standing.
- Fees
- R.C. 4743.041(G) expressly waives temporary issuance fees; regular issuance is subject to applicable Board military fee provisions.
- Military connection
- The applicant or spouse is on military duty in Ohio; submit adequate proof.
- Scope
- Practice only within the comparable Ohio scope and the applicant’s training.
Renewal/restoration following military related lapse
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Continuing education
- A full/partial waiver or extension may be available with service documentation; otherwise satisfy applicable professional CE.
- Deadline
- Provide satisfactory evidence of honorable discharge/release within six months after discharge/release.
- Fees
- The usual renewal fee applies without a late fee; other Board military waiver provisions may apply.
- Military service
- The holder’s service caused the failure to renew, or a spouse’s service caused the holder’s absence from Ohio.
Statutory endorsement based on private certification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Conduct
- Satisfy R.C. 4796.03(E)–(G): no misconduct-related revocation/surrender, applicable fees, and no disqualifying criminal offense unless an offense-relevant limited/restricted license is approved under R.C. 4796.10.
- Eligibility
- For private certification: hold the certification for at least two preceding years and practice for two of the preceding five years, remain in good standing with its issuer; the Board may waive the periods.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Practice scope
- Recognition permits only the applicable Ohio scope that does not exceed the applicant’s training, under R.C. 4796.21.
- Statutory basis
- R.C. 4757.18(B) requires recognition in accordance with Chapter 4796; this route concerns an applicant from a jurisdiction that does not issue the respective occupational license or government certification, rather than a currently licensed reciprocal applicant. The statute does not identify a currently offered professional examination for this pathway.
- Unnamed or external assessments
- A private certification or qualifying government/work history is an applicant condition; no unidentified prior examination is converted into an examination leaf.
Official no-examination sources
Effective from 2026-09-22.
- 4757.18
4757.18 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.04
4796.04 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.03
4796.03 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.08
4796.08 — complete substantive provision
- 4757.28
4757.28 — complete substantive provision
- Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Statutory endorsement based on work experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
- Application
- File the Board application and pay the applicable fee; satisfy the Board criminal-conviction and disciplinary review.
- Background checks
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI criminal records checks; results must be sent directly by BCI and are valid for one year.
- Conduct
- Satisfy R.C. 4796.03(E)–(G): no misconduct-related revocation/surrender, applicable fees, and no disqualifying criminal offense unless an offense-relevant limited/restricted license is approved under R.C. 4796.10.
- Eligibility
- Practice for at least three of the preceding five years in a jurisdiction not licensing the profession, or qualifying uniformed-services work; the Board may waive the period.
- Foreign education
- Under R.C. 4757.17, the committee reviews foreign post-secondary education, experience and command of English for equivalence to an accredited academic program.
- Laws rules video
- Attest to viewing the Board laws and rules video; this viewing and attestation is an applicant condition.
- Practice scope
- Recognition permits only the applicable Ohio scope that does not exceed the applicant’s training, under R.C. 4796.21.
- Statutory basis
- R.C. 4757.18(B) requires recognition in accordance with Chapter 4796; this route concerns an applicant from a jurisdiction that does not issue the respective occupational license or government certification, rather than a currently licensed reciprocal applicant. The statute does not identify a currently offered professional examination for this pathway.
- Unnamed or external assessments
- A private certification or qualifying government/work history is an applicant condition; no unidentified prior examination is converted into an examination leaf.
Official no-examination sources
Effective from 2026-09-22.
- 4757.18
4757.18 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.05
4796.05 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.03
4796.03 — complete substantive provision
- 4796.08
4796.08 — complete substantive provision
- 4757.28
4757.28 — complete substantive provision
- Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Laws and Rules Video — new-applicant attestation
Temporary Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW)
Temporary social-work licensure while the regular application is pending; passing the examination for the underlying license is required before issuance. The rule expressly refers to regular licenses under both R.C. 4757.27 and 4757.28.
Licensing authority: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board — Social Workers Professional Standards Committee · Application information
Temporary license pending ordinary issuance
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Application
- Submit the completed licensure/temporary application and the prescribed fee; the Board must determine the applicant appears qualified for the actual license sought.
- Duration
- Ends at the earliest of ordinary issuance, ninety days after temporary issuance, or withdrawal of the underlying application.
- Exam eligibility
- Bachelor’s versus Master’s is determined by LSW education; LISW ordinarily uses Clinical, and Advanced Generalist is limited to the Board-approved July 10, 2026 transition exception.
- Prior passing exam
- OAC 4757-19-06(E) requires passage of the examination for the underlying license before temporary issuance. Currently offered previously passed exams remain leaves.
- Underlying qualification
- For LSW, meet the social-work degree requirements; for LISW, meet master’s degree and supervised-experience requirements.
Temporary Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
Temporary social-work licensure while the regular application is pending; passing the examination for the underlying license is required before issuance. The rule expressly refers to regular licenses under both R.C. 4757.27 and 4757.28.
Licensing authority: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board — Social Workers Professional Standards Committee · Application information
Renewal of temporary degree pending license for good cause
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Academic evidence
- Completed academic requirements but awaiting degree conferral or the official transcript; provide the institution’s statement of completion and projected conferral/transcript date.
- Application
- Submit the completed licensure/temporary application and the prescribed fee; the Board must determine the applicant appears qualified for the actual license sought.
- Duration
- Ends at the earliest of ordinary issuance, ninety days after temporary issuance, or withdrawal of the underlying application.
- Exam eligibility
- Bachelor’s versus Master’s is determined by LSW education; LISW ordinarily uses Clinical, and Advanced Generalist is limited to the Board-approved July 10, 2026 transition exception.
- Prior passing exam
- OAC 4757-19-06(E) requires passage of the examination for the underlying license before temporary issuance. Currently offered previously passed exams remain leaves.
- Temporary renewal
- A ninety-day temporary license may be renewed once for up to ninety days under OAC 4757-19-06(F); R.C. 4757.28(C)(2) allows renewal for good cause.
- Underlying qualification
- For LSW, meet the social-work degree requirements; for LISW, meet master’s degree and supervised-experience requirements.
Temporary license pending degree conferral or transcript
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Academic evidence
- Completed academic requirements but awaiting degree conferral or the official transcript; provide the institution’s statement of completion and projected conferral/transcript date.
- Application
- Submit the completed licensure/temporary application and the prescribed fee; the Board must determine the applicant appears qualified for the actual license sought.
- Duration
- Ends at the earliest of ordinary issuance, ninety days after temporary issuance, or withdrawal of the underlying application.
- Exam eligibility
- Bachelor’s versus Master’s is determined by LSW education; LISW ordinarily uses Clinical, and Advanced Generalist is limited to the Board-approved July 10, 2026 transition exception.
- Prior passing exam
- OAC 4757-19-06(E) requires passage of the examination for the underlying license before temporary issuance. Currently offered previously passed exams remain leaves.
- Temporary renewal
- A ninety-day temporary license may be renewed once for up to ninety days under OAC 4757-19-06(F); R.C. 4757.28(C)(2) allows renewal for good cause.
- Underlying qualification
- For LSW, meet the social-work degree requirements; for LISW, meet master’s degree and supervised-experience requirements.
Temporary license pending ordinary issuance
At least one of the following alternatives:
- Application
- Submit the completed licensure/temporary application and the prescribed fee; the Board must determine the applicant appears qualified for the actual license sought.
- Duration
- Ends at the earliest of ordinary issuance, ninety days after temporary issuance, or withdrawal of the underlying application.
- Exam eligibility
- Bachelor’s versus Master’s is determined by LSW education; LISW ordinarily uses Clinical, and Advanced Generalist is limited to the Board-approved July 10, 2026 transition exception.
- Prior passing exam
- OAC 4757-19-06(E) requires passage of the examination for the underlying license before temporary issuance. Currently offered previously passed exams remain leaves.
- Underlying qualification
- For LSW, meet the social-work degree requirements; for LISW, meet master’s degree and supervised-experience requirements.
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 Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
Inside cover (PDF page 2), edition and applicability statement
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch date of the 2026 exams
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 6 (PDF page 8), Part 1, Creating an outline for the examinations (outline model)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 34 (PDF page 36), Part 4, Connecting exam questions and content areas
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 58 (PDF page 60), Part 4, Advanced Generalist exam content outline heading
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (pretest and scored questions)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (time limit and delivery)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (pass/fail reporting)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (validity by exam category)
- ASWB Exam scoring web page
Exam scoring page, passing score paragraph
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 9 (PDF page 11), Step 1, Make sure you are eligible
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Payment of fees
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Authorization to Test (one examination)
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch of the 2026 exams (test date determines exam)
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 Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
Inside cover (PDF page 2), edition and applicability statement
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch date of the 2026 exams
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 6 (PDF page 8), Part 1, Creating an outline for the examinations (outline model)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 34 (PDF page 36), Part 4, Connecting exam questions and content areas
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 36 (PDF page 38), Part 4, Bachelors exam content outline heading
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (pretest and scored questions)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (time limit and delivery)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (pass/fail reporting)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (validity by exam category)
- ASWB Exam scoring web page
Exam scoring page, passing score paragraph
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 9 (PDF page 11), Step 1, Make sure you are eligible
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Payment of fees
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Authorization to Test (one examination)
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch of the 2026 exams (test date determines exam)
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 Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
Inside cover (PDF page 2), edition and applicability statement
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch date of the 2026 exams
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 6 (PDF page 8), Part 1, Creating an outline for the examinations (outline model)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 34 (PDF page 36), Part 4, Connecting exam questions and content areas
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 66 (PDF page 68), Part 4, Clinical exam content outline heading
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 6 (PDF page 8), Part 1, Examination construction (Clinical content-area percentages)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (pretest and scored questions)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (time limit and delivery)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (pass/fail reporting)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (validity by exam category)
- ASWB Exam scoring web page
Exam scoring page, passing score paragraph
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 9 (PDF page 11), Step 1, Make sure you are eligible
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Payment of fees
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Authorization to Test (one examination)
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch of the 2026 exams (test date determines exam)
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
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
Inside cover (PDF page 2), edition and applicability statement
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch date of the 2026 exams
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 6 (PDF page 8), Part 1, Creating an outline for the examinations (outline model)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 34 (PDF page 36), Part 4, Connecting exam questions and content areas
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 46 (PDF page 48), Part 4, Masters exam content outline heading
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (pretest and scored questions)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 4 (PDF page 6), Part 1, Exam format (time limit and delivery)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (pass/fail reporting)
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 18 (PDF page 20), Part 2, After the exam, Exam scoring (validity by exam category)
- ASWB Exam scoring web page
Exam scoring page, passing score paragraph
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 9 (PDF page 11), Step 1, Make sure you are eligible
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Payment of fees
- ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams
p. 10 (PDF page 12), Step 2, Authorization to Test (one examination)
- ASWB news: New social work licensing exam begins August 3
News article, launch of the 2026 exams (test date determines exam)