Social Work Jurisprudence Exam Requirements by State (2026)

Research publicationLast updated / verified: August 8, 2026

Headline finding: As of August 8, 2026, 8 of 51 U.S. jurisdictions (15.7%) require a separate state-law or jurisprudence assessment in at least one standard first-time social work licensing path: California, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The other number worth keeping: 37 of 51 jurisdictions (72.5%) had no separate assessment or named state-law learning step in the application paths we reviewed. For standard-path exams with a published cut score, the range is 70% in New Mexico to 90% in Oregon.

This page tracks social work jurisprudence exam requirements by state for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. A jurisprudence exam is a state test about that state's own laws and rules. It is not the national ASWB exam. Most states do not have one. The states that do run them very differently, and this page shows how.

Across every scored item in this dataset — including Louisiana's special-path exam, Florida's required-course test, and Minnesota's reactivation module — published passing scores run from 70% to 100%.

Last verified: August 8, 2026 Dataset version: 1.1 Coverage: 50 states and the District of Columbia Research unit: Castleport Test Prep Research, an independent research and reference resource

Four of the eight standard-path exam states publish a number. Three other jurisdictions publish one for a special-path exam, a required-course test, or a reactivation module. Here they are together, with what each score is actually attached to. Read the third column before you use the number.

Published passing scores on social work state-law requirements, verified August 8, 2026
Jurisdiction	Score	What the score is on	Who it applies to	Where the number comes from
New Mexico	70%	Board jurisprudence exam	Applicants other than those applying by credentials	16.63.3.8(J) NMAC
Louisiana	70%	Open-book state-law exam	Endorsement and reinstatement applicants	Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners
New Hampshire	75%	Multi-board mental health jurisprudence exam	All initial applicants, including candidates	Prov candidate bulletin, March 30, 2026
Florida	80%	Test inside a required 8-hour course	LCSW applicants	Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B4-3.0035(2)(b)
Wisconsin	85%	Board statutes and rules exam	Applicants for the four listed social work credentials	Wisconsin DSPS exam page
Oregon	90%	Board statutes and rules exam	Regulated social work applicants, including people qualified elsewhere	OAR 877-020-0008(4)(a)
Minnesota	100%	Online jurisprudence learning module	People reactivating from temporary leave or emeritus inactive status	Minnesota Board of Social Work

Plain-text source line: Castleport Test Prep Research review of the official rule, board page, or candidate bulletin named in each row. Last verified August 8, 2026.

California, Colorado, Texas, and Vermont require a pass but do not publish a numerical cut score on the official pages and rules we checked. We left the number blank rather than guess.

National summary of social work state-law requirements, 51 jurisdictions
Code	Count	Share of 51	What it means	Jurisdictions
A	8	15.7%	Required separate state-law assessment in at least one standard first-time license path	California, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin
B	3	5.9%	State-law assessment only in a special licensing or status-change path	Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska
C	3	5.9%	Named state-law course, tutorial, or video in an application path; no separate board law exam counted	Arizona, Florida, Ohio
D	37	72.5%	No separate assessment or named application-path state-law learning item found in the current materials reviewed	Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
E	0	0.0%	Current controlling official sources conflict	None
Total	51	100%	All 50 states plus the District of Columbia	All jurisdictions

Plain-text source line: Castleport Test Prep Research analysis of current official social work board and licensing-agency materials in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Last verified August 8, 2026.

The headline count is narrow on purpose. It measures a separate state-law assessment in a standard first-time path. It does not turn every ethics course, renewal hour, or quiz inside a course into a board jurisprudence exam.

Eight jurisdictions require a separate state-law or jurisprudence assessment in at least one standard first-time path: California, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The names differ, but each item checks state law, board rules, ethics duties, or practice limits on top of the national exam.

New Hampshire added its current requirement in 2026. The rule took effect February 17, 2026. Prov began administering the exam on April 9, 2026. That date matters because an older guide can miss the state completely.

Three more states use an assessment only in a special path. Three others require a course, tutorial, or video in an application path without a separate board law exam. Thirty-seven jurisdictions had no separate assessment or named application-path law item in the materials we reviewed.

What score do you need to pass?

It depends on the state and on what is being scored.

Among the standard-path exam states that publish a number, the lowest is New Mexico at 70% and the highest is Oregon at 90%. Louisiana also uses 70%, but only for endorsement and reinstatement. Florida's 80% is a test inside a required course. Minnesota's 100% applies only to a reactivation module.

New Mexico and Oregon show the widest standard-path gap. New Mexico's rule requires "no less than seventy percent." Oregon's rule requires "a score of not less than 90 per cent." Both test state social work law. They leave very different room for error.

Oregon deserves a note because the number is easy to miss. The board's application page tells applicants to take and pass the rules and laws exam, but the current administrative rule prints the 90% cut score. We used the rule.

Florida's 80% is a different animal. It is not a separate board exam. It is a test built into a required course, and the course section below explains why Florida stays outside the headline count of eight.

What does this data show, and what does it not show?

This data shows whether a current official source lists a separate state-law assessment or a named state-law learning item in the licensing and status-change paths we reviewed. It keeps the ordinary path for a new applicant separate from endorsement, reciprocity, reinstatement, and reactivation.

It does not decide whether any one person qualifies for a license. It does not cover every temporary permit, disciplinary order, consent agreement, supervisor credential, school social work credential, or one-off condition a board can attach to a file.

A row that says "no separate assessment found" is not a promise that no rule exists anywhere in that jurisdiction. It means the item did not appear in the current official materials reviewed under the method below. The licensing board is the final authority on an individual application.

Routine renewal continuing education is outside the national count unless it is a named state-law item tied to an application or status change. Arizona stays in code C because its tutorial is required for applicants licensed in another state as well as at renewal. Minnesota stays in code B because its module is required to reactivate certain inactive licenses.

How was this 51-jurisdiction dataset built?

We built a 51-row list before we searched, so no jurisdiction could quietly go missing. Then we checked each one against current primary sources: licensing board pages, application checklists, administrative rules, statutes, exam pages, and official candidate bulletins.

Method

1. We started from a fixed list of 50 states plus Washington, D.C. 2. We checked the standard first-time path first — the ordinary route a new applicant takes. 3. We then checked endorsement, reciprocity, reinstatement, reactivation, and renewal materials when a state-law item appeared there. 4. We counted a requirement only when a current official source stated it. 5. We kept separate board exams apart from courses, tutorials, videos, and optional items. 6. We did not treat proposed rules, board discussion, old blogs, or test-prep pages as proof of a current rule. 7. When a current rule gave more detail than a board summary page, we used the rule and showed the difference. 8. When an old official packet remained online but current application materials no longer listed the step, we treated the old packet as history, not as the current rule. Indiana is the example. 9. Where a board page said only "pass" but the current rule set a number, we used the rule. That is how Oregon's 90% and Florida's 80% entered the dataset. 10. We recorded a shared verification date of August 8, 2026, and kept source URLs in every row and in the data files.

What counts as an exam here

A counted assessment is a state-specific test, quiz, or scored module that an applicant must pass or complete apart from the national ASWB exam.

A — Required separate state-law assessment in at least one standard first-time path.
B — Assessment only in a special licensing or status-change path, such as endorsement, reciprocity, reinstatement, or reactivation.
C — Named state-law course, tutorial, or video in an application path, with no separate board law exam counted.
D — No separate assessment or named application-path state-law learning item found in the current official materials reviewed.
E — Current controlling official sources conflict, so the jurisdiction is counted as neither yes nor no.

"Standard first-time path" means the usual route for a new applicant. It excludes endorsement from another state, returning after a lapse, a disciplinary order, and case-specific board conditions.

Reproducible count

The headline number is the count of rows marked A.

8 rows are A
3 rows are B
3 rows are C
37 rows are D
0 rows are E
Total: 51 jurisdictions

The percentages in the national table are each code count divided by 51 and rounded to one decimal place. Anyone can rebuild the count from the status codes below or from the downloadable files.

One row covers every state and Washington, D.C. The ordinary path stays separate from special paths, so a reciprocity-only rule is never mistaken for a rule that applies to everyone.

Social work jurisprudence exam requirements by state and D.C., verified August 8, 2026
State or D.C.	Code	Standard first-time path	Special or other path	Exam, course, or video	Key details	Official source
Alabama	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Alaska	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Arizona	C	No separate state-law exam found in the ordinary first-time path	Tutorial required for applicants licensed in another state; also required in each two-year renewal period	Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial	Online tutorial with a completion certificate; no public passing score found; A.A.C. R4-6-304(4) requires completion for the out-of-state application path	Official source · Second official source
Arkansas	D	No separate state-law assessment found	No conditional law test found in the current checklist	None found		Official source · Second official source
California	A	Required for the ASW/LCSW path	A separate California law-and-ethics course also applies in some out-of-state and retake situations	California Law and Ethics Examination	Computer-delivered, through Pearson VUE; pass required, no numerical cut score on the cited pages; the board states it "must be TAKEN annually, until passed" to renew an Associate registration; must be passed before the ASWB Clinical exam	Official source · Second official source
Colorado	A	Required for social work applicants covered by the board rule	Also applies to endorsement applicants	Colorado Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination	Pass required; no numerical cut score found on the official pages reviewed; a passing result may be used for up to five years	Official source · Second official source
Connecticut	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Delaware	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
District of Columbia	D	No separate D.C. law exam found in the current examination checklist	No separate law exam found in the current endorsement checklist	None found	The current checklists list the national ASWB route and ASWB score transfer, not a D.C. social work law exam	Official licensing page
Florida	C	No separate board law exam; an 8-hour laws and rules course is required for the LCSW path	The course is also documented in application-related materials	8-hour Florida Laws and Rules Course	An 8-hour course is required for the LCSW path. Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B4-3.0035 requires seven named subject areas and a test with an 80% passing score. The test is given by the approved course provider, not the board.	Board license page · Current rule
Georgia	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Hawaii	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Idaho	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Illinois	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Indiana	D	No separate social work state-law assessment found in the current first-time materials	No separate social work law exam listed in the current reciprocity sections	None found in current social work materials	A stale social work reciprocity packet still lists a 30-question, 75% exam. The current social work page and reciprocity sections omit it, so the old packet is disclosed but not counted as current.	Current licensing page · Older reciprocity packet
Iowa	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Kansas	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed reciprocity and reinstatement materials	None found		Official source · Second official source
Kentucky	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Louisiana	B	No separate law exam found for the standard first-time path	Open-book exam required for endorsement and reinstatement applications	Louisiana Open Book Exam	50 items; 70% to pass; three-hour limit; no waiting period before a retake	LABSWE application information
Maine	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensing forms	None found		Official source
Maryland	D	No current separate state-law assessment found	Older board minutes discussed creating one; no current requirement was found	None found		Official source
Massachusetts	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure rules and application pages	None found		Official source · Second official source
Michigan	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Minnesota	B	No separate law exam for the standard first-time path	Jurisprudence Online Learning Module required to reactivate a license from temporary leave or emeritus inactive status; optional for everyone else	Jurisprudence Online Learning Module	Online module; 100% required; free, and worth one continuing-education hour; must be finished before the reactivation is completed	Official source
Mississippi	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensing forms	None found		Official source
Missouri	D	No required separate state-law assessment found	The committee offers an optional jurisprudence exam for continuing-education credit	Optional Missouri jurisprudence examination	Optional only; not part of initial licensure, so not counted	Official source
Montana	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Nebraska	B	No separate social work jurisprudence exam found for the standard first-time path	Nebraska Social Work Jurisprudence Exam appears in reciprocity materials; the exact trigger depends on the credential and the reciprocity basis	Nebraska Social Work Jurisprudence Exam	State jurisprudence exam; score not stated on the cited landing page; completed as part of the applicable reciprocity review	Official source
Nevada	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
New Hampshire	A	Required for all initial applicants, including candidates	None separate beyond the ordinary requirement	New Hampshire Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination	Open book; remote or testing-center delivery; 35 questions; 90 minutes; 75% to pass; $60 in the March 30, 2026 bulletin; official results generally arrive in 1–3 days. The rule took effect February 17, 2026, and Prov administration began April 9, 2026.	Official source · Second official source
New Jersey	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source · Second official source
New Mexico	A	Required for applicants other than those applying by credentials	The current credentials/reciprocity rule does not list the jurisprudence exam	New Mexico Social Work Jurisprudence Examination	Must be passed before the application is submitted; at least 70% is required under 16.63.3.8(J) NMAC; a separate New Mexico cultures requirement also applies	Application rule · Credentials/reciprocity rule
New York	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
North Carolina	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
North Dakota	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source · Second official source
Ohio	C	No separate scored law exam; the board laws and rules video is a listed application step	The same video is listed for multiple social work license paths and for out-of-state applicants	Ohio CSWMFT Board Laws and Rules Video	Online video; no test score; free; viewed during the application process	Official source · Second official source
Oklahoma	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Oregon	A	Required for regulated social work applicants	People licensed, certified, or registered elsewhere must also complete it	Oregon statutes and rules examination	OAR 877-020-0008 requires at least 90% for the clinical path. Current Oregon rules also require the state exam for people qualified in another jurisdiction.	Board application page · OAR 877-020-0008 · OAR 877-020-0016
Pennsylvania	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure guide	None found		Official source
Rhode Island	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
South Carolina	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed exam page	None found		Official source
South Dakota	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Tennessee	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed application materials	None found		Official source
Texas	A	Required for all candidates for licensure	No separate exception found for out-of-state applicants	Texas Social Work Jurisprudence Examination	Online exam administered by eStrategy Solutions under contract to the Council; required of all candidates for licensure; no numerical cut score found on the public pages reviewed; must be passed no more than six months before the application is received	Official source · Second official source
Utah	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found	The division's exam page says the Social Service Worker and Certified Social Worker licenses have no examination requirement; the LCSW path uses the national clinical exam	Official source
Vermont	A	Required for LMSW and LICSW applicants	None separate beyond the ordinary requirement	Vermont jurisprudence examination	Completed through the online application with an answer and score sheet; pass required; no numerical cut score stated in the cited rules	Official source
Virginia	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed licensure materials	None found		Official source
Washington	D	No separate state-law assessment found	Professional law and ethics education sits inside broader education and CE rules, but no dedicated state jurisprudence exam was found	None found		Official source
West Virginia	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed examination page	None found		Official source
Wisconsin	A	Required for the Wisconsin social work credentials listed by DSPS	None separate beyond the ordinary requirement	Wisconsin Statutes and Rules Examination	Online, open book, not timed — applicants may leave and return during the access period; 85% to pass; assigned after the application is processed, with a three-month access window; covers Social Worker, Advanced Practice Social Worker, Independent Social Worker, and Clinical Social Worker	Official source
Wyoming	D	No separate state-law assessment found	None found in reviewed examination information	None found		Official source

Plain-text source line: Castleport Test Prep Research review of the official source linked in each row. Last verified August 8, 2026.

Data files

Each file carries the status code, license path, assessment name, format, score, timing, fee where public, primary-source URL, evidence note, confidence rating, limitation, verification date, and refresh priority for all 51 jurisdictions.

Which states use a course, tutorial, or video instead of an exam?

Three jurisdictions require a named state-law learning item in an application path without a separate board jurisprudence exam: Arizona, Florida, and Ohio.

Florida is the reason this category needs its own line.

Florida law requires an LCSW applicant to show knowledge of the laws and rules that govern practice. The board's current rule requires an eight-hour approved course covering seven named areas of Florida law. The same rule says the course must include a test and the attendee must score 80% before receiving credit.

So a Florida LCSW applicant does have to pass a law test at 80%. It just is not a separate board exam. The approved course provider gives it.

We kept Florida in the course group because the headline count measures separate state-law assessments in the licensing process, not scored tests inside required courses. That is a judgment call, and hiding it would make the number less useful. If you count every required scored law test, the answer is nine, not eight. Use the definition that fits your work and say which one you used.

Arizona is cleaner. Its out-of-state application rule requires completion of the Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial. The board also requires the tutorial in each two-year renewal period. The official item is a tutorial with a completion certificate, not a separately scored board exam.

Ohio lists a board laws and rules video in multiple social work application paths. No separate test score is attached to the video.

Which states require one only for endorsement, reciprocity, reinstatement, or reactivation?

Louisiana, Minnesota, and Nebraska use a state-law assessment in a special path rather than as a step every new applicant takes.

Louisiana's board requires an open-book exam for endorsement and reinstatement. It has 50 items, a three-hour limit, and a 70% passing score. A failed test may be retaken with no waiting period.

Nebraska's social work jurisprudence exam appears in reciprocity materials. The exact trigger depends on the credential and the route used.

Minnesota's online module is required to reactivate a license from temporary leave or emeritus inactive status. It requires 100%, is free, and is worth one continuing-education hour.

Oregon belongs in this conversation too, even though it is a standard-path exam state. Its current rule says people licensed, certified, or registered in another jurisdiction must complete the Oregon statutes and rules exam as well.

For the transfer paths themselves, see the social work license reciprocity register.

Who runs these exams?

The delivery model changes from state to state.

New Hampshire uses one mental health jurisprudence exam for initial applicants covered by the Board of Mental Health Practice. Prov delivers it remotely or at a testing center.

Texas contracts its online social work jurisprudence exam to eStrategy Solutions. The Council warns that the social work exam does not satisfy the separate jurisprudence requirement for another board.

California delivers the Law and Ethics Examination through Pearson VUE.

Florida leaves the required-course test to board-approved continuing-education providers.

Wisconsin gives an online, open-book, untimed statutes and rules exam. Oregon's board administers its statutes and rules exam.

Colorado requires its Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination and allows a passing result to be used for up to five years. The official social work materials reviewed require a pass but do not publish a numerical cut score.

When do you take it, before or after the ASWB exam?

The order is not the same everywhere.

In California, the state Law and Ethics Examination comes first for the ASW-to-LCSW path. The Board of Behavioral Sciences requires it to be passed before the ASWB Clinical exam. An Associate Clinical Social Worker must take the state exam each year until it is passed to renew the registration.

Texas is built around a date window. Under 22 TAC § 882.5, the jurisprudence exam must be taken and passed no more than six months before the application is received.

In New Mexico, the exam must be passed before the application is submitted for applicants covered by the ordinary application rule. The separate credentials and reciprocity rule does not list it.

Wisconsin assigns its exam after the application has been processed and gives a three-month access window. Colorado accepts a passing result from within the prior five years.

Do you still need one if you are already licensed somewhere else?

Sometimes. Holding a license in one state does not automatically excuse a person from another state's law step.

Oregon requires people qualified in another jurisdiction to complete its statutes and rules exam. Colorado applies its exam to endorsement applicants. Arizona requires its tutorial from applicants licensed in another state. Louisiana and Nebraska put a law exam in special out-of-state paths.

New Mexico goes the other direction. Its ordinary application rule requires the jurisprudence exam, but its current licensure-by-credentials and reciprocity rule does not list it.

Indiana needs a historical warning, not a current exam label. A stale official reciprocity packet still lists a 30-question test with 75% to pass. The current social work licensing page and reciprocity sections no longer list that exam. We coded Indiana D and kept the old packet visible so nobody mistakes an old PDF for the current path.

The pattern is worth naming: in several states, the law item is not about graduation. It is a border crossing or a return to active status.

How is a jurisprudence exam different from the ASWB exam?

ASWB exams are national social work licensing exams. A state jurisprudence exam is local. It tests that jurisdiction's statutes, board rules, ethics duties, and practice limits.

Passing one does not replace the other. A state may require the national exam only, both exams, a course or video, a special-path assessment, or no separate state-law item in the path reviewed.

This 51-jurisdiction study found all five patterns: 8 code-A jurisdictions, 3 code-B jurisdictions, 3 code-C jurisdictions, 37 code-D jurisdictions, and no current code-E conflict.

The national ASWB category is a separate question from a state-law assessment. A jurisdiction may change one requirement without changing the other.

Why do these rules change?

Boards can change application steps, testing vendors, fees, cut scores, forms, and effective dates.

New Hampshire shows how quickly a national table can age. Its rule took effect February 17, 2026. Prov administration began April 9, 2026. A table checked before those dates can be right for its day and wrong now.

Old official files can also stay online after the live application path changes. Indiana's stale reciprocity packet is the clearest example in this release.

That is why this page prints a real verification date instead of using a loose word like "current." A missing certificate can leave an application incomplete, so the linked board source should be checked again before a person pays or submits a form.

For a separate state-by-state look at timing, see the social work license processing times register.

Refresh plan

Monthly: all A, B, and C rows; scores; fees; vendor bulletins; rule dates; and the Indiana stale-packet issue.
Quarterly: full 51-jurisdiction source check.
Immediate: new rulemaking, a board notice, a changed application packet, a broken source link, or a reported mismatch.
Annual: full method audit and a new version number.

Change log

Version 1.1 — August 8, 2026: Added Louisiana's published 70% score, 50-item count, and three-hour limit; narrowed New Mexico to applicants outside the credentials path; recoded Indiana from E to D based on current social work materials; corrected the D.C. row; updated Florida and Oregon to current rule sources; added exact New Hampshire rollout dates; fixed front matter, tables, source links, counts, percentages, and schema.
Version 1.0 — August 7, 2026: First 51-jurisdiction release.

Three places that need a note

Indiana's old packet. An older official social work reciprocity packet lists a 30-question exam, a 75% passing score, and a 14-day return window. The current social work licensing page and reciprocity sections omit the exam. The current page also contains a different 30-question, 75% law exam in its marriage-and-family-therapy section, which is not a social work requirement. Indiana is code D, and the stale social work packet remains linked as a warning.

Oregon's cut score. The board's application page says applicants must take and pass the rules and laws exam. The current administrative rule supplies the number: at least 90%. We publish the rule's figure and link the current Oregon Secretary of State rule record.

Florida's classification. Florida has a mandatory 80% law test inside an eight-hour course. It is not a separate board exam. The headline count is eight under the separate-assessment definition and nine under a broader every-scored-law-test definition.

What this page does not cover

This is a reference for licensing research and general education. It is not legal advice, and it cannot tell anyone whether they personally qualify for a license.

We reviewed standard first-time paths first and special paths where a state-law item appeared. We did not try to catalogue every temporary permit, disciplinary or consent order, supervisor credential, school social work credential, ordinary renewal continuing-education topic, or case-specific condition a board can place on one file.

Several fields are deliberately empty. Where an official source says "pass" without a cut score, the score stays blank. Where a fee is not public on an official source, the fee stays blank. Empty means we could not verify it, not that the item does not exist.

Rules can change between verification dates. The board linked in each row is the authority on an individual application and is the right place to confirm the step before paying for a course or filing a form.

How to cite this page

Castleport Test Prep Research. "Social Work Jurisprudence Exam Requirements by State (2026)." Version 1.1. Last verified August 8, 2026. https://castleporttestprep.com/research/social-work-jurisprudence-exam-requirements-by-state/

No. This review found 8 of 51 jurisdictions with a separate state-law assessment in at least one standard first-time path. Thirty-seven jurisdictions had no separate assessment or named application-path state-law learning item in the materials reviewed as of August 8, 2026.

California, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The license level, format, score, and timing vary by state.

For standard-path exams with a published number, the range is 70% to 90%: New Mexico requires at least 70%, New Hampshire 75%, Wisconsin 85%, and Oregon 90%. Louisiana's special-path exam also requires 70%, Florida's required-course test requires 80%, and Minnesota's reactivation module requires 100%. California, Colorado, Texas, and Vermont require a pass but do not publish a number on the official sources checked.

Is the jurisprudence exam the same as the ASWB exam?

No. ASWB exams are national social work licensing exams. A jurisprudence exam is a separate state test about that state's statutes, board rules, ethics duties, or practice limits. Passing one does not replace the other.

Do you take the jurisprudence exam before or after the ASWB exam?

It depends on the state. California requires passing the Law and Ethics Examination before the ASWB Clinical exam. Texas requires the jurisprudence exam no more than six months before the application is received. Wisconsin assigns its exam after the application has been processed.

Do you need a jurisprudence exam if you move to another state?

Sometimes. Oregon requires people qualified in another jurisdiction to complete its statutes and rules exam. Colorado applies its exam to endorsement applicants. Arizona requires a statutes and regulations tutorial from applicants licensed in another state, and Louisiana and Nebraska place law exams in special out-of-state paths.

Which states require a jurisprudence assessment only for a special path?

Louisiana, Minnesota, and Nebraska have clear special-path requirements in the official materials reviewed. Louisiana uses an open-book exam for endorsement and reinstatement, Minnesota uses a module for reactivation, and Nebraska lists a jurisprudence exam in reciprocity materials.

Not a separate board exam. Florida requires LCSW applicants to complete an eight-hour laws and rules course, and the board's rule requires the course to include a test with an 80% passing score. The approved course provider gives the test.

Which states use a course or video instead of an exam?

Arizona uses a statutes and regulations tutorial in its out-of-state application path and at renewal. Florida requires an eight-hour laws and rules course for the LCSW path. Ohio lists a board laws and rules video in its social work application steps.

Who made this research

This page was prepared by Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team for Castleport Test Prep Research, an independent research and reference resource. We built it because the answer to a simple question — does my state add a law exam on top of the national one — was spread across 51 licensing systems that use many names for the same idea.

We read the board pages, application checklists, administrative rules, statutes, and candidate bulletins, and recorded what each source said and when it was checked. Where a current rule supplied a number missing from a board summary, we used the rule and said so. Where an old official file stayed online after the current path changed, we kept the old file visible but did not let it control the current count.

Social work jurisprudence exam passing scores

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