Free LBSW Practice Test: 61 Questions for the 2026 ASWB Bachelors Exam
Use this free LBSW practice test to answer 61 original, unofficial ASWB Bachelors questions for the blueprint effective 3 August 2026. Record your choices before revealing the explanations; this ethics-and-case-management-focused sample is not a full-length exam or pass predictor.
Practice questions
Question 1 of 61
The NASW Code of Ethics names six core values that form the foundation of the profession. Which of the following is one of them?
A. Integrity
B. Confidentiality
C. Objectivity
D. Efficiency
Show answer to Question 1
Answer: A — Integrity.
The six core values are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence.
Confidentiality (B) is an ethical standard that flows from those values. It matters enormously, but it is a rule, not one of the six named values. Objectivity (C) and efficiency (D) are not among the six named values. This question asks for the Code's named value, not for every quality that might be useful in practice.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, Ethical Principles
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Identifying the six core values · Item LBSW-01 · Recall
Question 2 of 61
What BEST describes a biopsychosocial assessment in generalist social work practice?
A. A medical evaluation completed by a physician and summarised by the social worker
B. Collaborative assessment of biological, psychological, and social functioning within the client's environment
C. A standardised screening instrument scored at intake to assign a service level
D. A one-time intake summary completed before services begin
Show answer to Question 2
Answer: B.
NASW describes biopsychosocial assessment as the foundation of social work case management, conducted in collaboration with the client and rooted in the person-in-environment perspective.
A physician's evaluation (A) may inform the assessment, but it does not define it, and gathering it does not make the assessment social work. A screening instrument (C) is a starting point in developing an individualised assessment, not the assessment itself. Option D fails on the point that matters most in practice: assessment is an ongoing activity, not a one-time event.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 5
Assessment and Planning → IIA. Assessment Concepts · Topic: Biopsychosocial assessment · Item LBSW-22 · Recall
Question 3 of 61
In social work case management, the working relationship between the social worker and the client is BEST described as:
A. A formality completed once the service agreement is signed
B. A technique reserved for master's-level practitioners
C. Integral to helping the client achieve their goals
D. Useful mainly with clients who are reluctant to participate
Show answer to Question 3
Answer: C.
NASW names primacy of the client–social worker relationship as a defining characteristic of social work case management: the working alliance is integral to helping the client reach their goals.
Option A treats the relationship as paperwork that is finished once signed. Option B is wrong at the level this exam tests — the relationship is central to generalist bachelor's-level practice, not a specialty skill acquired later. Option D narrows to one kind of client what the standards apply to all of them.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Guiding Principles
Intervention and Practice → IIIA. Practice Concepts · Topic: The helping relationship · Item LBSW-42 · Recall
Question 4 of 61
A client has signed an intake form for a voluntary programme. Before services begin, the client says, "I signed because I thought I had to. I don't really understand what this involves." The client makes their own decisions, and there is no emergency. For the consent to be informed, what must the social worker do?
A. Explain the services and choices clearly, invite questions, and check understanding
B. Give the client a copy of the signed form and continue with the session
C. Begin the assessment and return to the consent discussion once more is known about the client's needs
Show answer to Question 4
Answer: A.
A signature alone does not establish informed consent; the client must understand the service and the choices being offered. The Code requires clear and understandable language covering the purpose of services, the risks, any limits imposed by a third-party payer, relevant costs, reasonable alternatives, the right to refuse or withdraw, and the time frame covered — plus an opportunity to ask questions.
Option B supplies paperwork and never addresses the thing the client just said. Option C starts the service while the consent problem stays open, which is the order this standard reverses.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.03(a)
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Informed consent and comprehension · Item LBSW-02 · Application
Question 5 of 61
A social worker describes a client as someone whose difficulties cannot be understood apart from their housing, income, neighbourhood, and relationships. Which perspective is the social worker using?
A. Medical model
B. Harm reduction
C. Psychodynamic model
D. Person-in-environment
Show answer to Question 5
Answer: D.
Person-in-environment holds that each individual has a mutually influential relationship with their physical and social environment and cannot be understood outside that context. NASW names this ecological perspective as distinguishing social work case management, and notes it recognises that systemic injustice and oppression underlie many of the challenges clients face.
The decisive feature is the client's relationship with their physical and social environment. Options A, B, and C do not name that perspective. Recognising person-in-environment here does not require assuming that other approaches always ignore context or that harm reduction is limited to one population.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Guiding Principles
Assessment and Planning → IIA. Assessment Concepts · Topic: Person-in-environment · Item LBSW-23 · Recall
Question 6 of 61
Which sequence BEST reflects the core functions of social work case management?
A. Engagement, assessment, plan development and implementation, monitoring, evaluation, closure
B. Diagnosis, treatment, discharge
C. Screening, eligibility determination, benefit approval
D. Referral, documentation, billing, audit
Show answer to Question 6
Answer: A.
These are the core functions NASW lists as common to social work case management, ending with closure — termination or transition follow-up.
Option B lists diagnosis, treatment, and discharge, but omits the engagement, assessment, planning, and monitoring functions asked for here. Option C describes a benefits-administration role; it may be part of a job, but it is not the case management process. Option D lists tasks that support the work without being the work.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Guiding Principles
Intervention and Practice → IIIA. Practice Concepts · Topic: The case management process · Item LBSW-43 · Recall
Question 7 of 61
Under the NASW Code of Ethics, the general expectation that a social worker will keep information confidential does NOT apply when:
A. The client's family asks for an update
B. Disclosure is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm
C. A colleague at another agency requests the file
D. The client has missed three appointments in a row
Show answer to Question 7
Answer: B.
The Code states this directly, and adds a limit people often forget: even then, the social worker discloses the least amount of confidential information necessary to achieve the purpose, and only information directly relevant to it.
A family request (A) or a colleague's request (C) does not, by itself, establish consent or another valid basis for disclosure. Missed appointments (D) do not, by themselves, establish a confidentiality exception. The question asks about the exception expressly stated in §1.07(c), not every disclosure permitted or required by law.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.07(c)
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Confidentiality and serious imminent harm · Item LBSW-03 · Recall
Question 8 of 61
A client has missed two appointments. When the social worker reaches them, the client explains that the bus route serving the agency was discontinued last month and they cannot afford a ride. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Document the client as non-compliant and close the case
B. Ask the client to explain why they did not call ahead
C. Assess the transportation barrier and work out options with the client
D. Refer the client for a mental health evaluation for avoidance
Show answer to Question 8
Answer: C.
What the stem describes is an environmental access barrier, not a motivation problem. NASW's assessment domains explicitly include individual and systemic barriers to a client's use of resources and services, and improving clients' access to resources is a named advocacy function.
Option A converts a resource problem into a client deficit and ends the service. Option B centres the worker's inconvenience over the client's situation. Option D infers a psychological explanation the stem gives no support for.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standards 5 and 7
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Assessing an environmental access barrier · Item LBSW-24 · Application
Question 9 of 61
A client who is job hunting mentions that after a neighbour's hospital stay, they organised meals and rides for that family for a month. The client and the social worker have already agreed on a goal of finding steady work. What is the MOST strengths-based next step?
A. Note the client's helpfulness and return to the list of job openings
B. Explore how the client's demonstrated planning and coordination could support their job search
C. Suggest the client look for caregiving work, since that is clearly what they are good at
Show answer to Question 9
Answer: B.
A strengths perspective elicits, supports, and builds on capacities the client already shows, and service plans are built to promote those strengths toward the client's own goals.
Option A notices the strength and then does nothing with it. Option C uses the strength but narrows the job search to caregiving without asking whether that work interests the client. The client's demonstrated skill can inform the search without deciding the occupation for them.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Guiding Principles and Standard 6
Intervention and Practice → IIIA. Practice Concepts · Topic: Applying a demonstrated strength · Item LBSW-44 · Application
Question 10 of 61
When should a social worker review with a client the circumstances in which confidential information may be disclosed?
A. Only if the client asks
B. At the point that a disclosure becomes necessary
C. As soon as possible in the relationship, and again as needed throughout it
Show answer to Question 10
Answer: C.
The Code directs that this discussion occur as soon as possible in the social worker–client relationship and as needed throughout its course. The reason is practical: a client cannot meaningfully consent to a service whose limits they do not know.
Option A makes an ethical duty depend on the client knowing what to ask about. Option B leaves the client to discover the limits at the worst possible moment — the moment a disclosure is about to happen.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.07(e)
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Discussing confidentiality limits · Item LBSW-04 · Recall
Question 11 of 61
An adult client cares for a parent with a chronic illness while working full time. The client says they are managing but mentions sleeping about four hours a night. What is the MOST appropriate assessment focus?
A. Whether the parent should move to a residential facility
B. Whether the client meets criteria for a depressive disorder
C. Which other relatives could be required to share the caregiving
D. Caregiving demands, available supports, and effects on both people
Show answer to Question 11
Answer: D.
NASW's assessment domains include family caregiving roles and support needs, the desire and capacity of family members to support the client, and physical and psychosocial functioning including the ability to fulfil social roles. Option D gathers that before anything is decided.
Option A presumes an outcome the client has not raised, about a person who is not the client. Option B narrows the assessment to one possible diagnosis before the broader caregiving demands and supports are understood. Option C assumes an obligation the stem does not establish and makes a plan for a family the social worker has not met.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standards 3 and 5
Assessment and Planning → IIA. Assessment Concepts · Topic: Caregiving demands and supports · Item LBSW-25 · Application
Question 12 of 61
At a care-planning meeting the client has authorised, other team members focus on the client's medical plan. The client had told the social worker that their main worry is losing their apartment and agreed that this concern could be shared with the team. The client has not authorised contact with the landlord. What is the social worker's MOST appropriate contribution?
A. Bring the client's housing priority and social context into the decision
B. Defer to the medical team, since housing is outside this meeting's purpose
C. Ask the team to postpone the meeting until the housing issue is resolved
D. Call the client's landlord during the meeting to find out where things stand
Show answer to Question 12
Answer: A.
The Code directs social workers on interdisciplinary teams to participate in and contribute to decisions affecting client wellbeing by drawing on the perspectives, values, and experiences of the profession. NASW's collaboration standard adds advocating for the client's integral role in team communications and service planning.
Option B silences the one perspective the social worker is in the room to supply. Option C halts a process that should instead be informed. Option D acts on the client's situation without consent and outside the meeting's purpose.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §2.03(a) and Case Management Standard 8
Intervention and Practice → IIIA. Practice Concepts · Topic: Interdisciplinary contribution · Item LBSW-45 · Application
Question 13 of 61
A social worker is offered an assignment involving a client population and a set of programmes they have never worked with. Appropriate training and supervision are available before unfamiliar services begin. What should the social worker do?
A. Decline the assignment, since competence cannot be acquired after accepting a role
B. Accept with a plan to acquire the necessary competence before providing unfamiliar services
C. Accept it and rely on clients to explain how the service system works
D. Accept it and apply the approach that worked with their previous caseload
Show answer to Question 13
Answer: B.
The Code permits accepting employment on the basis of existing competence or the intention to acquire the necessary competence, and directs social workers entering substantive areas new to them to do so only after appropriate study, training, consultation, and supervision.
Option A misreads the standard as a bar on ever learning anything new. Option C makes the client responsible for the worker's education. Option D transplants an approach without checking whether it fits — which is how a familiar method becomes the wrong one.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §4.01(a) and §1.04(b)
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Competence before unfamiliar services · Item LBSW-05 · Application
Question 14 of 61
During a home visit with an older adult client, the social worker notices that the client's bank card is being held by a relative who is present. The client says quietly that money has been withdrawn without their permission. Which concern is MOST directly indicated?
A. A confirmed loss of decision-making capacity
B. A voluntary gift to the relative
C. Possible financial exploitation
D. A normal family arrangement that needs no assessment
Show answer to Question 14
Answer: C.
Unauthorised use of the client's money raises concern about financial exploitation. NASW includes risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation among assessment domains; the interagency statement on elder financial exploitation describes misuse of an older adult's funds or resources. The facts indicate a concern, not a completed investigation.
Option A infers loss of capacity without evidence. Option B contradicts the client's statement that they did not give permission. Option D dismisses that statement because a family member is involved. This item identifies the concern; it does not prescribe a reporting deadline or an order of emergency actions.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 5 and Interagency Statement on Elder Financial Exploitation, Background
Assessment and Planning → IIA. Assessment Concepts · Topic: Recognising possible financial exploitation · Item LBSW-26 · Application
Question 15 of 61
A funder has approved money for a new neighbourhood youth programme. The agency has decided the programme's activities without consulting residents. What is the MOST appropriate step before the programme is finalised?
A. Conduct a community needs assessment and involve residents in shaping the programme
B. Launch the programme and collect satisfaction surveys afterwards
C. Publish the programme plan so residents know what is coming
Show answer to Question 15
Answer: A.
NASW names community needs assessments and community organising among mezzo- and macro-level advocacy, and names inclusion of clients in programme design, planning, and evaluation among micro-level advocacy. Option A brings residents in while the decisions are still open.
Option B gathers reactions after the decisions are fixed, which is feedback rather than participation. Option C informs rather than involves — a communication step that leaves the programme exactly as the agency designed it.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 7
Intervention and Practice → IIIA. Practice Concepts · Topic: Community participation before programme decisions · Item LBSW-46 · Application
Question 16 of 61
A social worker faces a situation in which two ethical standards appear to conflict. There is no immediate risk of harm to anyone. According to the NASW Code of Ethics, how should the worker proceed?
A. Apply the standard that appears earlier in the Code, since the order signals priority
B. Follow agency policy, which exists to resolve conflicts between standards
C. Do whichever the client prefers, since self-determination outranks other standards
D. Consider all relevant values, principles, and standards, and seek appropriate consultation
Show answer to Question 16
Answer: D.
The Code says plainly that it does not specify which values, principles, and standards are most important or ought to outweigh others when they conflict, and that reasonable differences of opinion exist among social workers about how to rank them. It directs the worker to consider everything relevant and to seek consultation — from an agency or organisational ethics committee, a regulatory body, knowledgeable colleagues, supervisors, or legal counsel.
Option A invents a ranking the Code explicitly disclaims. Option B reverses the relationship: the Code says social workers should not let an employer's policies interfere with ethical practice. Option C matters and is not the whole answer — self-determination is one ethical consideration among several in play, not an automatic tie-breaker.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, Purpose of the Code and §3.09(d)
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Resolving conflicting ethical responsibilities · Item LBSW-06 · Reasoning
Question 17 of 61
The strengths perspective in social work case management is BEST described as:
A. Avoiding discussion of problems so the client stays motivated
B. Focusing on the resilience and potential for growth inherent in each person rather than on pathology
C. Emphasising only those strengths the client can evidence with documentation
Show answer to Question 17
Answer: B.
NASW describes the strengths perspective as eliciting, supporting, and building on the resilience and potential for growth and development inherent in each individual — strengths that may be intrapersonal, found in the environment, or developed in response to the environment.
Option A confuses a perspective with avoidance; problems still get assessed, and a plan that ignores them is not strengths-based, just incomplete. Option C adds an evidentiary test the standard does not contain.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Guiding Principles
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Assessing strengths and resilience · Item LBSW-27 · Recall
Question 18 of 61
A client says: "I want to go back to school, but if I cut my hours I don't know how I'd pay rent." Which response BEST reflects what the client has said?
A. "So you want to go back to school, and you're worried about covering rent if you worked less."
B. "You should look into financial aid before you decide anything."
C. "Plenty of people manage school and work at the same time."
D. "Why haven't you looked into this already?"
Show answer to Question 18
Answer: A.
A reflection restates both halves of what the client expressed — the goal and the competing worry — without adding advice or judgment. That is what lets the client correct it, expand it, or hear their own dilemma clearly. SAMHSA's explanation of reflective listening describes rephrasing a client's statement and listening for correction or elaboration; NASW's assessment standard also calls for client-centred interviewing.
Option B jumps to a solution before the concern is understood, and may solve the wrong problem. Option C is reassurance that dismisses the specific worry the client just named. Option D is a judgment wearing a question mark, not a reflection of what the client said.
Source: SAMHSA TIP 35, Chapter 3, “Reflective Listening” and NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 5
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Reflecting the client’s goal and concern · Item LBSW-47 · Application
Question 19 of 61
Which statement about self-care BEST reflects current social work professional standards?
A. Self-care is a personal matter outside the scope of professional ethics
B. Self-care becomes relevant once a worker's performance has already been affected
C. Professional self-care is considered essential to competent and ethical practice
Show answer to Question 19
Answer: C.
The Code states that professional self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work practice, citing professional demands, challenging workplace climates, and exposure to trauma — and it encourages organisations and schools to support it. NASW's case management standards say the same thing from the other direction: self-care is essential to being present for clients.
Option A treats as private what the profession treats as professional. Option B waits for harm before acting, which is the opposite of what the standard is for.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, Purpose of the Code: professional self-care and Case Management Standard 1
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Professional self-care · Item LBSW-07 · Recall
Question 20 of 61
In social work case management, what purpose does reassessment serve?
A. Monitoring progress, evaluating services, and adjusting goals or plans
B. It replaces the initial assessment once services are underway
C. It is required only when the client requests a change
Show answer to Question 20
Answer: A.
NASW describes assessment as an ongoing activity, not a one-time event. In reassessment, the worker and client revisit the needs, assets, and priorities identified earlier and discuss emerging concerns — which both monitors what is happening and evaluates whether services have been effective.
Option B discards the baseline the plan was built on, so there is nothing left to measure change against. Option C makes a continuing professional function depend on the client knowing to ask for it.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 5
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Ongoing reassessment · Item LBSW-28 · Recall
Question 21 of 61
A client has chosen a goal of applying for permanent housing but says the list of steps feels impossible. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Choose a smaller, easier goal for the client
B. Agree on a manageable first task, responsibility, and review date
C. Complete the application steps on the client's behalf to save time
Show answer to Question 21
Answer: B.
Service plans are developed with the client and should identify specific, attainable, measurable objectives, the steps needed to reach them, and the responsibilities of everyone involved — including a schedule for reviewing progress. That is exactly what turns an overwhelming goal into something a person can start on Monday.
Option A changes the client's goal when the problem is the size of the steps. Option C takes over before the worker and client have agreed what help is needed. Completing a task for a client can be appropriate when the plan calls for that assistance; here, the question is how to make an agreed goal manageable with the client's participation.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 6
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Partialising an agreed task · Item LBSW-48 · Application
Question 22 of 61
According to the NASW Code of Ethics, what is a social worker's responsibility for keeping current?
A. Complete whatever continuing education the employer selects
B. Review relevant literature and pursue continuing education in practice and ethics
C. Keep current on the employing programme's policies, without reviewing wider practice or ethics
D. Rely on supervision as the source of new knowledge
Show answer to Question 22
Answer: B.
The Code directs social workers to strive to become and remain proficient, to critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to social work, and to routinely review the literature and take part in continuing education covering both practice and ethics.
Option A hands a personal professional responsibility to an employer. Option C shrinks a professional duty to the boundaries of one job. Option D relies on a single channel; supervision is valuable, and the standard names literature and continuing education alongside it.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §4.01(b) and Case Management Standard 12
Values and Ethics → IA. Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Topic: Maintaining professional competence · Item LBSW-08 · Recall
Question 23 of 61
A bachelor's-level social worker at a community agency notices that a client's description of their experience suggests a possible mental health condition. The worker's authorised role includes assessment and referral, but not independent diagnosis or psychotherapy, and no immediate safety concern is present. What is within this social worker's role?
A. Assigning a diagnosis and recording it in the client's file
B. Beginning psychotherapy while a referral is pending
C. Document the concern and arrange evaluation with the client's consent
D. Telling the client that a diagnosis is not relevant to their service plan
Show answer to Question 23
Answer: C.
NASW states that a social work case manager whose responsibilities include diagnosing behavioral health conditions or providing psychotherapy should hold a master's degree in social work and either be licensed at the clinical level or, where the jurisdiction allows, perform those clinical tasks under supervision. Recognising, documenting, and referring is within the role described in this question, and the Code requires representing oneself as competent only within the boundaries of one's education, training, and licence. The NASW standard is not a substitute for the licensing law that controls a particular worker's scope.
Options A and B both exceed that scope. Option D dismisses information the client raised, which may be central to the goals they came in with.
Source: Case Management Standard 2 and Code of Ethics §§1.04(a), 1.16(a)
Assessment and Planning → IIA. Assessment Concepts · Topic: Assessment and referral within the stated role · Item LBSW-29 · Application
Question 24 of 61
According to NASW's case management standards, a service plan should:
A. Be written by the social worker and filed for supervisory review
B. List the agency's available services so the client can choose from them later
C. Be revisited only if the client's circumstances change significantly
D. Be collaborative and plainly worded, with specific, attainable, measurable objectives
Show answer to Question 24
Answer: D.
The standard requires plans based on meaningful assessment with specific, attainable, measurable objectives, developed collaboratively. Wherever possible the client signs the plan to show they took part in developing it and agree with it, and the worker gives the client a written, plainly worded copy so both can use it to guide implementation and evaluation.
Option A leaves the client out of their own plan. Option B is a service menu, not a plan. Option C omits the reassessment schedule the standard says should be built in from the start.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 6
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Collaborative, measurable service plans · Item LBSW-49 · Recall
Question 25 of 61
A social worker discovers that a new client is the parent of their own child's closest friend, and the two families socialise regularly. The agency is the only provider of this service in the area. What should the social worker do?
A. Discuss the conflict with the client, set protective boundaries, and consult about transfer
B. Proceed without comment, since the client has not objected
C. End the families' social friendship so the professional relationship can continue
D. Refuse the case, since dual relationships are prohibited without exception
Show answer to Question 25
Answer: A.
The Code calls for informing clients about a real or potential conflict of interest. It directs social workers to avoid dual or multiple relationships where there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm — and, where such relationships are unavoidable, places the responsibility on the worker to take steps to protect the client and set clear, appropriate, culturally sensitive boundaries.
Option B leaves a known risk unmanaged and puts the burden on the client to raise it. Option C imposes a change on people who are not parties to the professional relationship. Option D overstates the rule; the Code addresses unavoidable dual relationships rather than banning every one of them, which matters in a small community with one provider.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, §§1.06(a), (c)
Values and Ethics → IB. Ethical Service Delivery · Topic: Managing dual relationships · Item LBSW-09 · Application
Question 26 of 61
A client has given a brief account of why they came in. The social worker wants to hear more in the client's own words. Which question BEST serves that purpose?
A. "Have you felt this way for more than six months?"
B. "What has this been like for you?"
C. "Would you say the main problem is money or family?"
D. "Don't you think it would help to talk to your family about it?"
Show answer to Question 26
Answer: B.
An open question invites the client to describe their situation without being steered toward an answer, which is what client-centred interviewing is for at this stage.
Option A is closed and can be answered with one word. Option C is a forced-choice question: it limits the client to two categories the worker picked. Option D is a leading question with the worker's suggestion already inside it. Closed questions can be useful for specific facts, including during an assessment; option B better serves this question's purpose of inviting an expanded account.
Source: SAMHSA TIP 35, Chapter 3, “Asking Open Questions” and NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 5
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Open versus forced-choice questions · Item LBSW-30 · Application
Question 27 of 61
Which entry BEST meets professional documentation standards?
A. "Client was difficult and uncooperative throughout the visit."
B. "Client seems depressed and probably needs medication; appeared unmotivated about the worker's recommendations and should be persuaded to accept the proposed treatment referral."
C. "Client reported sleeping poorly for two weeks; declined a referral to the sleep clinic; agreed to review at next visit on 3 October."
D. "Home visit completed."
Show answer to Question 27
Answer: C.
Documentation should be accurate, sufficient and timely enough to support continuity of services, and limited to information directly relevant to service delivery. Option C does that and keeps the client's report, the client's decision, and the agreed next step distinct from one another.
Option A uses derogatory, conclusory language, which the Code prohibits in communications to or about clients. Option B offers a speculative diagnosis and medication need without recording the observations or client report that would support them. Option D is too thin to support continuity — no one could pick up the case from it.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §§3.04(a)–(c), §1.12, and Case Management Standard 10
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Accurate and relevant documentation · Item LBSW-50 · Application
Question 28 of 61
An adult client with decision-making capacity has listened to the social worker's explanation of a recommended programme and decided not to enrol. The programme is voluntary, no legal mandate applies, and nothing suggests serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk. The client has not authorised contact with family. What should the social worker do?
A. Re-explain the programme until the client agrees to try it
B. Record the client as refusing services and close the case
C. Contact a family member who might help persuade the client
D. Respect the decision and ask what the client would like to work on instead
Show answer to Question 28
Answer: D.
The Code directs social workers to respect and promote clients' right to self-determination, and states that it may be limited when the client's actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others — which the stem rules out.
Option A applies pressure dressed up as information. Option B treats one declined option as a decision to end everything. Option C both breaches confidentiality and recruits a third party against the client's stated choice.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.02
Values and Ethics → IB. Ethical Service Delivery · Topic: Informed refusal of a voluntary service · Item LBSW-10 · Application
Question 29 of 61
An agency requires a standardised screening tool at intake. A client's score falls in a range the tool labels "low need," but during the interview the client describes an eviction notice and no safe place to stay next week. What should the social worker do?
A. Record the tool's result, since it is the agency's standard measure
B. Re-administer the tool until the score matches what the interview revealed
C. Treat the score as one starting point and complete an individualised assessment reflecting what the client described
Show answer to Question 29
Answer: C.
NASW states that standardised instruments should be used only as starting points in developing and refining an individualised, comprehensive assessment — and that where they are used, they should be explained clearly so the client understands what is being asked and how it will be used.
Option A lets an instrument override the person it was designed to help describe. Option B manipulates a measure instead of assessing a person, and it makes the record inaccurate, which creates a second problem on top of the first.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 5
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Screening and individualised assessment · Item LBSW-31 · Reasoning
Question 30 of 61
Which of the following is an example of mezzo- or macro-level advocacy in case management?
A. Reviewing and proposing changes to organisational policies that limit clients' access to services
B. Calling a housing provider about one client's application
C. Helping a client prepare what they want to say at an appointment
D. Explaining a client's strengths to a colleague
Show answer to Question 30
Answer: A.
NASW places review, modification, and creation of organisational policy, procedures, and resources among mezzo- and macro-level advocacy, alongside community needs assessment, community organising, and social and political action.
Options B, C, and D are all genuine advocacy, and NASW names each of them — but as micro-level activity. They act on one client's situation rather than on the conditions producing it. That distinction is the point of the question, not a hierarchy of value.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 7
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Organisational advocacy · Item LBSW-51 · Recall
Question 31 of 61
According to NASW's Code of Ethics, how do specific legal obligations to report child abuse relate to a social worker's commitment to clients?
A. The client's refusal of consent always prevents a legally required report
B. A specific legal reporting obligation may supersede loyalty to the client
C. Agency policy alone determines whether a legally required report is made
D. The Code itself supplies one reporting threshold and deadline for every state
Show answer to Question 31
Answer: B.
The Code notes that a social worker's responsibility to the larger society or specific legal obligations may, on limited occasions, supersede the loyalty owed to clients — and it gives being required by law to report that a client has abused a child as its own example.
Option A treats consent as a veto over an applicable legal duty. Option C lets agency policy replace law. Option D turns a national ethical standard into a uniform state reporting statute, which it is not. The applicable law determines who must report, the threshold, timing, and recipient; the Code's example does not establish those details.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, §1.01 and Purpose of the Code
Values and Ethics → IB. Ethical Service Delivery · Topic: Legal reporting duties and client loyalty · Item LBSW-11 · Recall
Question 32 of 61
A social worker has completed an assessment and drafted a set of goals. At the next meeting, what is the MOST appropriate way to proceed?
A. Present the goals and ask the client to sign
B. Email the goals so the client can read them before the following appointment
C. Review the assessment with the client and work out together which priorities and goals belong in the plan
D. File the goals and begin the first service
Show answer to Question 32
Answer: C.
NASW makes client involvement in goal identification and decision making a basic tenet of practice, upheld to the greatest extent possible throughout the case management process: on the basis of the assessment discussion, the worker supports the client in establishing priorities and goals.
Option A asks for agreement to a plan the client had no hand in shaping. Option B shares information but leaves the decisions already made. Option D removes the client from the process entirely.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standards 5 and 6
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Client participation in goal identification · Item LBSW-32 · Application
Question 33 of 61
A client attending services under a court order opens the first meeting by saying the referral is a waste of time and nothing is wrong. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Remind the client that non-attendance will be reported
B. Begin the agency's standard programme content
C. Ask the client to describe the events that led to the order
D. Acknowledge the objection, explain services and refusal rights, and explore the client's goals
Show answer to Question 33
Answer: D.
The Code is specific about this situation: when clients receive services involuntarily, social workers should provide information about the nature and extent of services and about the extent of the client's right to refuse service. Engagement starts by naming the involuntary part out loud rather than working around it, and then finding something the client actually wants.
Option A assumes a reporting requirement that the stem does not state and leads with a consequence instead of explaining the service. Any actual reporting requirements must be explained accurately as part of that discussion. Option B delivers content to someone who has not agreed to receive it. Option C puts the referring system's agenda first in the opening minutes, which is exactly what the client just objected to.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.03(d)
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Engaging an involuntary client · Item LBSW-52 · Application
Question 34 of 61
A new agency policy would require social workers to share identifiable client information with a partner organisation without obtaining client consent. No applicable legal permission, legal requirement, or emergency exception supports the proposed disclosure. What should the social worker do?
A. Raise the conflict, work to change the policy, and continue to obtain consent in the meantime
B. Follow the policy, since agency procedures govern day-to-day practice
C. Follow the policy but tell clients informally that it exists
D. Resign, since the conflict cannot be resolved
Show answer to Question 34
Answer: A.
The Code states that social workers should not allow an employing organisation's policies, procedures, regulations, or administrative orders to interfere with their ethical practice — and directs them to work to improve employers' policies and to take reasonable steps to ensure employers know what social workers' ethical obligations are. In the circumstances stated here, the policy does not supply a valid basis for disclosure without consent.
Option B subordinates ethics to procedure. Option C tells clients that a breach is happening rather than preventing it. Option D skips every step the Code actually names and leaves the policy in place for the next worker.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §§3.09(b)–(d) and §1.07(b)
Values and Ethics → IB. Ethical Service Delivery · Topic: Confidentiality and employer policies · Item LBSW-12 · Application
Question 35 of 61
While helping a client complete a housing application, a social worker notices a section asking about the client's past relationships that is not required for the application and has no identified relevance to the housing service. What should the social worker do?
A. Complete the section so the record is thorough
B. Leave it out; no compelling professional reason justifies collecting it
C. Ask the client to fill in that section on their own
D. Ask a colleague who knows the client to supply the information
Show answer to Question 35
Answer: B.
The Code directs social workers to respect clients' right to privacy and not to solicit private information from or about clients except for compelling professional reasons — and notes that once private information is shared, confidentiality obligations attach to it. Collecting it creates a duty to protect it.
Option A mistakes volume for quality. Option C still collects the information, just less comfortably. Option D gathers information about a client from a third party without the client's consent, which is a separate problem again.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §§1.07(a)–(b)
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Compelling reasons to collect private information · Item LBSW-33 · Application
Question 36 of 61
A client is being discharged from a short inpatient stay back into the community, where the social worker will continue as case manager. What is the MOST important action during the transition?
A. Wait for the discharge summary before contacting the client
B. Close the case and reopen it once the client is settled
C. Coordinate discharge services and confirm responsibility for each
D. Ask the client to call if anything goes wrong
Show answer to Question 36
Answer: C.
NASW directs the case manager to coordinate service implementation to promote continuity of services, with special attention to transitions of care — an individual leaving a psychiatric hospital is one of the examples the standard names. The Code adds a duty to make reasonable efforts to ensure continuity when services are interrupted.
Option A makes receipt of a document the trigger for coordination, rather than planning the continuity the client needs at discharge. Option B creates the exact gap the standard exists to prevent. Option D leaves coordination to the client without arranging the services the case manager is responsible for coordinating.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 6 and Code of Ethics §1.15
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Continuity during discharge · Item LBSW-53 · Application
Question 37 of 61
A current client sends the social worker a connection request on the worker's personal social media account. What should the social worker do?
A. Decline it and explain the agency's approved channels for contact
B. Accept it, since the client initiated the contact
C. Accept it but stop posting anything personal
Show answer to Question 37
Answer: A.
The Code directs social workers to avoid accepting requests from, or engaging in personal relationships with, clients on social networking sites or other electronic media, to prevent boundary confusion, inappropriate dual relationships, or harm to clients. It also says to avoid communicating with clients through technology for personal or non-work-related purposes. Explaining the approved channel keeps the client's access to the worker intact while keeping the relationship professional.
Option B treats the client's initiation as consent to a boundary change the worker is responsible for setting. Option C accepts the boundary problem and then tries to manage around it.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §§1.06(e), (h)
Values and Ethics → IB. Ethical Service Delivery · Topic: Personal social-media boundaries · Item LBSW-13 · Application
Question 38 of 61
A client tells a social worker that they have been thinking about hurting a named person, and describes a specific plan. Which assessment focus is directly required by the information provided?
A. Whether to describe the client as uncooperative
B. Whether the thought should be dismissed because no injury has occurred
C. Whether confidentiality prevents the worker from discussing the statement
D. Risk of harm to others
Show answer to Question 38
Answer: D.
NASW includes risk of homicide among the domains of case management assessment. A stated plan to hurt a named person makes risk of harm to others the relevant assessment focus. This identifies the safety issue; it is not a rule to delay an urgent protective response while completing a routine assessment.
Option A substitutes a label for assessing the information given. Option B dismisses a stated plan because harm has not yet occurred. Option C inverts the rule: confidentiality does not prevent the social worker from discussing risk with the client, and the Code recognises limits on confidentiality when disclosure is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm. The applicable law, professional role, and safety procedures govern the response; agency policy does not itself create a legal duty to warn.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standards 1 and 5 and Code of Ethics, §1.07(c)
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Identifying risk of harm to others · Item LBSW-34 · Application
Question 39 of 61
A client needs a service the agency does not provide. The client agrees to the referral and to the necessary information being shared. What should the social worker do?
A. Give the client the provider's phone number and close the case
B. Coordinate transfer of pertinent information with consent and confirm connection
C. Send the client's complete record to the new provider so nothing is missed
Show answer to Question 39
Answer: B.
The Code requires social workers who refer clients to take appropriate steps to facilitate an orderly transfer of responsibility, and to disclose, with the client's consent, all pertinent information to the new provider.
Option A provides contact information but gives no basis for treating the transfer as complete and closing the case. Option C over-discloses: the standard is pertinent information, and elsewhere the Code directs revealing only what is directly relevant to the purpose of the disclosure.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, §§1.16(a)–(b), 1.07(c) and Case Management Standard 6, transfer and follow-up
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: Orderly referral and follow-up · Item LBSW-54 · Application
Question 40 of 61
A client's agreed goals have been met, and the client says the service is no longer needed. No unmet need requiring continuation has been identified. What should the social worker do?
A. Review what was achieved with the client, arrange any follow-up the client wants, and end the service
B. Continue services in case the client's situation changes
C. End services immediately with no further contact
D. Transfer the client to another worker so the case stays open
Show answer to Question 40
Answer: A.
The Code directs termination when services and professional relationships are no longer required or no longer serve the client's needs or interests. NASW's standards make preparing for the effects of termination a shared responsibility of the worker, the client, and other members of the client system, including arrangements with other providers where needed.
Option B continues a service with no identified need for continuation. Option C is abrupt withdrawal, which the Code reserves for unusual circumstances. Option D keeps a file open rather than meeting a need.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §§1.17(a)–(b) and Case Management Standard 6
Values and Ethics → IB. Ethical Service Delivery · Topic: Planned termination · Item LBSW-14 · Application
Question 41 of 61
For a routine case-management assessment, a social worker wants to obtain information from a client's former case manager. No existing consent or applicable exception authorises the exchange. Under NASW's record-keeping standard, what is required first?
A. Nothing, since both are professionals bound by confidentiality
B. Approval from the social worker's supervisor
C. Written permission from the client or a person legally authorised to consent for them
Show answer to Question 41
Answer: C.
The Code permits appropriate disclosure with valid consent, and NASW's record-keeping standard includes written permission to release and obtain information when necessary. The permission should identify the information, recipient, and time frame. The stem rules out an existing permission or applicable exception.
Option A assumes that shared professional status substitutes for the client's permission. It does not — the duty runs to the client, not between practitioners. Option B is an internal step that creates no authority to exchange a client's information.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.07(b) and Case Management Standard 10
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Permission for a routine collateral exchange · Item LBSW-35 · Application
Question 42 of 61
At the first meeting of a support group, what should the facilitator tell members about confidentiality?
A. That everything said in the group is confidential and protected
B. Seek members' confidentiality agreement, while explaining that compliance cannot be guaranteed
C. That confidentiality applies only to what the facilitator hears privately
D. That members should avoid saying anything they would not want repeated
Show answer to Question 42
Answer: B.
The Code directs social workers providing services to groups to seek agreement among the parties about each individual's right to confidentiality and obligation to preserve the confidentiality of what others share — and to inform participants that the social worker cannot guarantee that all participants will honour such agreements. Both halves are required.
Option A makes a promise the facilitator has no power to keep. Option C abandons the group agreement entirely. Option D is a caution rather than an agreement, and it quietly tells members not to use the group for what it is for.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.07(f)
Intervention and Practice → IIIB. Intervention Methods and Techniques · Topic: A group confidentiality agreement · Item LBSW-55 · Application
Question 43 of 61
A client attended one session and cancelled another. The agency charges no cancellation fee. What should the billing record show?
A. One session, identifying who provided the service
B. Two sessions, since both were scheduled
C. One session, plus an administrative charge for the worker's reserved time
Show answer to Question 43
Answer: A.
The Code requires billing practices that accurately reflect the nature and extent of services provided and that identify who provided the service in the practice setting. Both halves of that are in option A.
Option B bills for a service that did not happen. Option C invents a charge the agency's own policy does not support. The question does not ask whether a cancellation fee may ever be charged — here the stem settles it: there is none.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §3.05
Values and Ethics → IB. Ethical Service Delivery · Topic: Accurate billing for services delivered · Item LBSW-15 · Application
Question 44 of 61
A client's decision-making capacity is limited, and a representative has legal authority for the service decisions at issue. How should the social worker proceed with case management?
A. Work only with the representative, since the client cannot give consent
B. Proceed with the client alone and inform the representative afterwards
C. Collaborate with the representative and support the client's continued participation
D. Pause services until the client's capacity is restored
Show answer to Question 44
Answer: C.
NASW directs that when a client's decision-making capacity is limited, the case manager should collaborate with the individual legally authorised to represent the client — a power of attorney, health care agent, or guardian — while continuing to promote the client's participation in case management. The Code adds that the worker should inform the client consistent with their level of understanding and take reasonable steps to enhance their ability to give informed consent.
Option A removes the client from their own life. Option B ignores a legal authority that exists for the client's protection. Option D withholds services for a condition that may never change.
Source: Case Management Standard 1 and Code of Ethics §§1.03(c), 1.14
Assessment and Planning → IIB. Assessment Methods and Techniques · Topic: Client participation with an authorised representative · Item LBSW-36 · Application
Question 45 of 61
A programme reports that it delivered 240 job-readiness sessions last quarter. A funder asks whether the programme is working. What does that figure establish?
A. That the programme is effective, since the sessions were delivered as planned
B. That participants are satisfied with the programme
C. That the programme is cost-effective
D. The volume of activity delivered, but not whether participants' employment outcomes changed
Show answer to Question 45
Answer: D.
NASW's evaluation standard calls for measurement of both process and outcome objectives. A session count measures activity or output: it describes what the programme did, not what changed for anyone. CDC's evaluation framework distinguishes these outputs from outcomes.
Option A treats activity as evidence of effect. Option B would require participant feedback, which the report does not contain. Option C would require cost data set against results, which is also absent — you cannot get cost-effectiveness from a count of sessions alone.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 9 and CDC Program Evaluation Framework (2024), Step 4: indicators
Intervention and Practice → IIIC. Practice Evaluation and Research · Topic: Activity outputs versus outcomes · Item LBSW-56 · Reasoning
Question 46 of 61
During an assessment, a social worker realises they had assumed what the client's goals would be, based on the worker's own expectations about the client's family situation. What is the MOST appropriate response?
A. Examine the assumption, and ask the client directly what they want to work toward
B. Set the observation aside, since the assessment is nearly finished
C. Read about the client's cultural background before the next session and proceed from there
D. Ask a colleague from a similar background what the client probably wants
Show answer to Question 46
Answer: A.
The Code describes cultural humility as engaging in critical self-reflection — understanding one's own bias and engaging in self-correction — while recognising clients as the experts on their own culture. Option A does both: it catches the bias and returns the question to the only person who can answer it.
Option B leaves a known error inside the assessment the plan will be built on. Option C treats background reading as a substitute for the individual's own account, which is how general knowledge becomes a stereotype. Option D replaces one person's assumption with another's.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.05(c)
Values and Ethics → IC. Diversity and Social Justice · Topic: Examining one’s cultural assumptions · Item LBSW-16 · Application
Question 47 of 61
A client's goal is to find stable housing. The client and worker have agreed that applying to three suitable programmes by 14 November is feasible. Which option BEST states that agreed client objective?
A. Client will feel more hopeful about their housing situation
B. Client will submit applications to three listed housing programmes by 14 November
C. Social worker will research housing options for the client
D. Client will improve their housing stability
Show answer to Question 47
Answer: B.
NASW requires service-plan objectives to be specific, attainable, and measurable, with the steps needed to reach them identified. Option B names the agreed client action, the quantity, and the date. A service plan can also assign responsibilities to the worker and others; this question asks for the client's agreed objective.
Option A provides no defined measure or review date; feelings can be assessed through a specified self-report measure, but none is given here. Option C is the worker's task; useful, but not the client's objective. Option D restates the goal in different words without saying what will be done, by whom, or by when.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 6
Assessment and Planning → IIC. Assessment Practices · Topic: An agreed measurable objective · Item LBSW-37 · Application
Question 48 of 61
A social worker wants to evaluate whether case management has helped a client. What is the MOST appropriate step?
A. Review the number of contacts completed during the period
B. Combine client feedback on goal attainment with other evaluation measures
C. Ask a supervisor to review the file and give an opinion
Show answer to Question 48
Answer: B.
NASW's evaluation standard names solicitation and incorporation of feedback from clients about the extent to which services have helped them identify and achieve their goals as an evaluation practice — and makes client involvement essential to evaluation, just as it is to assessment and planning.
Option A counts activity rather than effect. Option C is a legitimate quality step; peer review, supervision, and consultation appear on the same list of evaluation practices. But on its own it leaves out the client's direct account, which should be considered alongside other relevant evidence.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 9
Intervention and Practice → IIIC. Practice Evaluation and Research · Topic: Client feedback in evaluation · Item LBSW-57 · Application
Question 49 of 61
A client has limited proficiency in the language used at the agency. This is a routine appointment, no urgent need would be delayed, and the client can attend again in two days. The client's adult daughter offers to interpret so the appointment can go ahead today; a qualified interpreter is available in two days. What should the social worker do?
A. Proceed today with the daughter interpreting
B. Provide a written summary in the client's language instead
C. Arrange the qualified interpreter and discuss the timing options with the client
Show answer to Question 49
Answer: C.
The Code directs social workers to take steps to ensure comprehension when clients have difficulty understanding the primary language of the practice setting, including arranging for a qualified interpreter or translator whenever possible. NASW's cultural and linguistic competence standard is more specific still: use professional interpreters rather than relying on family members to interpret for each other.
Option A risks accuracy and, just as importantly, changes what a client is willing to say about family, money, or health. Option B assumes literacy in the written language, which the stem does not establish. Note that option C also leaves the scheduling decision with the client rather than making it for them.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.03(b) and Case Management Standard 4
Values and Ethics → IC. Diversity and Social Justice · Topic: Language access at a routine appointment · Item LBSW-17 · Application
Question 50 of 61
The programme a client most wants has a six-month waiting list. Two less-preferred options are available now. What should the social worker do?
A. Enrol the client in whichever option is available soonest
B. Leave the preferred programme off the list to avoid disappointing the client
C. Explain available options and waiting times so the client can choose
D. Wait to discuss options until a place opens up
Show answer to Question 50
Answer: C.
NASW addresses this situation directly: although a lack of organisational or community resources may limit a client's options, the social worker should inform the client of the full range of existing choices so the client may decide which services will best meet their needs.
Option A makes the decision for the client on the basis of speed, which may or may not be what the client values. Option B withholds information to manage the client's feelings, and in doing so removes their choice. Option D suspends the conversation while the client's situation carries on.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 1
Assessment and Planning → IIC. Assessment Practices · Topic: Resource choices and waiting lists · Item LBSW-38 · Reasoning
Question 51 of 61
A client has attended every scheduled appointment for three months, which was the agreed objective, but reports feeling no closer to the goal the plan was built around. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Increase the number of appointments
B. Refer the client to a different programme
C. Record the objective as met and set a new one
D. Review the objective's link to the client's goal and revise together
Show answer to Question 51
Answer: D.
Reassessment serves both monitoring and evaluative functions and lets the worker and client determine whether services have been effective in helping achieve the client's goals — and on that basis, goals or service plans may be adjusted. Here the measure is being met while the outcome is not, which is the signal to examine the measure, with the client.
Option A adds more of something that is already happening. Option B may well turn out to be right, but referring before re-examining the plan skips the evaluation step and takes the decision out of the client's hands. Option C records something technically true and abandons the goal the client actually came for.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standards 5 and 6
Intervention and Practice → IIIC. Practice Evaluation and Research · Topic: Reassessing whether a measure serves the goal · Item LBSW-58 · Reasoning
Question 52 of 61
In a team meeting, a colleague proposes excluding all applicants with a particular disability from a programme, on the grounds that the programme is not set up for them. What is the social worker's MOST appropriate response?
A. Challenge blanket exclusion; assess individual participation needs and programme accessibility
B. Agree, since the programme's design is a practical limitation
C. Stay quiet and raise it privately with the colleague afterwards
D. Suggest referring all such applicants to another agency
Show answer to Question 52
Answer: A.
The Code states that social workers should not practise, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of mental or physical ability, and directs them to act to prevent and eliminate discrimination against people and groups.
Option B accepts a categorical exclusion as though it were a design fact rather than a choice. Option C is better than nothing, but the proposal is being made now, in front of the people who will act on it. Option D routes people away rather than addressing the barrier, which leaves the exclusion intact under a friendlier name.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, §4.02 and §6.04(d)
Values and Ethics → IC. Diversity and Social Justice · Topic: Responding to discriminatory exclusion · Item LBSW-18 · Application
Question 53 of 61
A client asks that a person they consider family — not a blood relative — be involved in service planning, and gives permission for that involvement. What should the social worker do?
A. Include the person the client has identified, on the terms the client has set
B. Include only legally related family members in planning
C. Include the person, and require their approval of the client's goals
Show answer to Question 53
Answer: A.
NASW defines family as each individual defines it — family of origin, spouses or domestic partners, children, extended family, friends, community elders, or others who support the client — and directs the case manager to honour differences within the client system and facilitate maximal participation of the members the client involves.
Option B applies a legal definition the standards do not use, and it excludes the support networks many clients actually rely on. Option C brings the right person in and then hands them authority over goals that belong to the client.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 4 and Definitions
Assessment and Planning → IIC. Assessment Practices · Topic: Client-defined family in planning · Item LBSW-39 · Application
Question 54 of 61
A newly licensed social worker notices they consistently struggle to open conversations with clients about money. How should they BEST use supervision?
A. Wait until a supervisor observes the difficulty and raises it
B. Bring a specific learning goal and relevant case material, and agree how progress will be reviewed
C. Ask the supervisor to take those conversations over
Show answer to Question 54
Answer: B.
NASW makes the social worker personally responsible for their own professional development and competence, and names supervision, consultation, and mentoring among the activities that serve it. That only works if the supervisee brings the learning need to the table.
Option A leaves a known learning need unaddressed until somebody else identifies it. Option C moves the task instead of building the skill, and the social worker will still be sitting with clients where money comes up.
Source: Case Management Standard 12 and Code of Ethics §3.01(a)
Intervention and Practice → IIID. Supervision and Administration · Topic: Identifying a supervision learning need · Item LBSW-59 · Application
Question 55 of 61
An agency moves its intake process entirely online. Within two months, applications drop sharply among the older adults the programme was designed to serve. Feedback from intended applicants identifies lack of reliable internet or difficulty using the online form as barriers. What is the MOST appropriate response?
A. Offer individual help to any client who calls to complain
B. Raise the access barrier with management and work to restore an alternative intake route
C. Add instructions to the website explaining how to complete the form
D. Conclude that the programme is now reaching the people who most want it
Show answer to Question 55
Answer: B.
The Code directs social workers who provide electronic services to be aware of cultural and socioeconomic differences in clients' use of and access to technology and to seek to prevent such barriers, assessing the issues that may affect delivery or use of those services. The Code also directs social workers to work to improve their employers' policies and procedures. The problem here is organisational, so the remedy has to be.
Option A helps only applicants who make contact and leaves the identified organisational barrier in place. Option C assumes the barrier is instructions rather than access. Option D mistakes a barrier for evidence of good targeting.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics, §1.05(e) and §3.09(b)
Values and Ethics → IC. Diversity and Social Justice · Topic: Repairing an evidenced digital access barrier · Item LBSW-19 · Application
Question 56 of 61
A client needs a service the social worker has not arranged before. What is the MOST appropriate first step in deciding whether a particular programme fits?
A. Refer the client and see how it goes
B. Choose the programme the agency refers to most often
C. Match eligibility, availability, and services against the client's needs
D. Ask the client to research the options and report back
Show answer to Question 56
Answer: C.
NASW describes the case manager as a resource expert who supports clients in navigating service delivery systems, accessing resources, and identifying service gaps and barriers — and directs informing clients of the anticipated availability, costs, benefits, and risks of resources. Option C matches a real programme against a real need before anyone's time is spent.
Option A tests the fit on the client. Option B substitutes habit for fit. Option D hands the navigation task back to the person who came in for help navigating.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standards 3 and 6
Assessment and Planning → IIC. Assessment Practices · Topic: Assessing resource suitability · Item LBSW-40 · Application
Question 57 of 61
A social worker wants to consult a colleague about a difficult case. What should guide what they share?
A. Full case details, so the colleague can give the best possible advice
B. Only information the client has already made public
C. Whatever the colleague asks for
D. Minimum necessary information, shared with a colleague who has relevant expertise
Show answer to Question 57
Answer: D.
The Code directs social workers to seek consultation only from colleagues who have demonstrated knowledge, expertise, and competence related to the subject, and to disclose the least amount of information necessary to achieve the purposes of the consultation. It separately says not to disclose identifying information when discussing clients with consultants unless the client has consented or there is a compelling need.
Option A defaults to full disclosure. Option B misunderstands the rule and would make most consultation impossible. Option C lets the listener set the limit rather than the standard.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §§2.05(b)–(c) and §1.07(v)
Intervention and Practice → IIID. Supervision and Administration · Topic: Expertise and minimal disclosure in consultation · Item LBSW-60 · Application
Question 58 of 61
NASW's case management standards direct social workers to recognise how systemic or institutional privilege and oppression affect clients. Which of the following BEST reflects that direction in practice?
A. Advising clients to avoid services where they may encounter bias
B. Treating each client's difficulties as entirely individual, to avoid stereotyping
C. Identifying cultural biases in policy and service delivery systems that shape the challenges a client faces
Show answer to Question 58
Answer: C.
The standard names identification of cultural biases in policy, the media, and service delivery systems as especially useful in helping clients contextualise the challenges they face — and calls for action to eliminate institutional oppression at organisational, community, and broader levels.
Option A leaves the barrier untouched and narrows the client's options rather than the barrier. Option B tries to avoid stereotyping by denying systemic effects altogether, which the person-in-environment perspective explicitly recognises. Individualising a person is not the same as pretending their environment is neutral.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 4
Values and Ethics → IC. Diversity and Social Justice · Topic: Institutional privilege and oppression · Item LBSW-20 · Recall
Question 59 of 61
A client is 22, lives in North District, and can attend appointments only on Tuesday. Using the fictional programme information below, which programme matches all three stated requirements?
| Fictional programme | Ages served | District served | Appointment day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programme A | 18–24 | North | Tuesday |
| Programme B | 25 and older | North | Tuesday |
| Programme C | 18–24 | South | Tuesday |
| Programme D | 18–24 | North | Thursday |
A. Programme A
B. Programme B
C. Programme C
D. Programme D
Show answer to Question 59
Answer: A.
Programme A matches the client's age, district, and Tuesday availability. All programme information is fictional and is supplied in the question.
Programme B does not serve a 22-year-old. Programme C serves the wrong district. Programme D offers the wrong day. Nothing in the question establishes additional costs, exceptions, or eligibility rules. The task is to apply every stated constraint, not to guess which programme would produce the best outcome.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standards 3 and 6: resources and service planning; answer derived from the fictional table in this question
Assessment and Planning → IIC. Assessment Practices · Topic: Matching a fictional resource to stated constraints · Item LBSW-41 · Application
Question 60 of 61
A supervisor tells a team that because caseload numbers are the same as last year, the workload must be manageable. What is the MOST accurate response?
A. Workload also reflects complexity, resources, and responsibilities—not only client count
B. Caseload size is the correct measure, so the supervisor is right
C. Workload is a personal matter for each worker to manage
D. Workload concerns should be raised only once clients have complained
Show answer to Question 60
Answer: A.
NASW distinguishes the two terms deliberately. A caseload is the number of clients served at a given point in time. A workload is any social work function performed in support of case management services — direct contact, administration, policy, research, education. The standard states that determinations of workload sustainability cannot be based solely on caseload size, and names the breadth and complexity of client needs, availability of resources, administrative responsibilities, and access to technology among the variables.
Option B collapses a distinction the standard draws on purpose. Option C is contradicted by the standard's assignment of joint responsibility to social workers, managers, and organisations. Option D waits for service failure before raising a problem the standard says should be managed in advance.
Source: NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management, Standard 11
Intervention and Practice → IIID. Supervision and Administration · Topic: Caseload versus workload · Item LBSW-61 · Reasoning
Question 61 of 61
The NASW Code of Ethics describes cultural humility as including which of the following?
A. Achieving comprehensive knowledge of the cultures a social worker serves
B. Recognising clients as experts on their own culture and committing to lifelong learning
C. Matching each client with a worker from a similar background
Show answer to Question 61
Answer: B.
The Code describes cultural humility as engaging in critical self-reflection — understanding one's own bias and engaging in self-correction — recognising clients as experts of their own culture, committing to lifelong learning, and holding institutions accountable for advancing cultural humility.
Option A treats cultural understanding as something completed through comprehensive knowledge rather than the ongoing reflection and learning the standard requires. Option C may sometimes be a client's preference, but it is not what the standard describes.
Source: NASW Code of Ethics §1.05(c)
Values and Ethics → IC. Diversity and Social Justice · Topic: Cultural humility and lifelong learning · Item LBSW-21 · Recall
Your result
Count your correct answers out of 61, then count them separately in each content area. Use the breakdown to organise your review, not to rank your ability across whole domains.
For a first-attempt result, count only answers you recorded before revealing that item's explanation. Record any earlier reveals as assisted; leave those out of your independent-correct count. Keep unanswered items separate. For a timed attempt, record all your choices before opening any explanations.
| Content area | Questions | Question numbers to count |
|---|---|---|
| I. Values and Ethics | 21 | 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58, 61 |
| II. Assessment and Planning | 20 | 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59 |
| III. Intervention and Practice | 20 | 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 51, 54, 57, 60 |
| Total | 61 | Questions 1–61 |
If you answered all 61 independently, percentage correct is correct answers ÷ 61 × 100. For example, 40 ÷ 61 × 100 = 65.6%, rounded to one decimal place. A content-area percentage uses that area's denominator: 21, 20, or 20. Do not apply the official area weights a second time. For an incomplete or assisted attempt, report the counts rather than presenting a full-test percentage.
Show complete answer key
The area labels are I = Values and Ethics, II = Assessment and Planning, and III = Intervention and Practice. Each question's explanation remains beside that question.
| Question | Item ID | Answer | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LBSW-01 | A | I |
| 2 | LBSW-22 | B | II |
| 3 | LBSW-42 | C | III |
| 4 | LBSW-02 | A | I |
| 5 | LBSW-23 | D | II |
| 6 | LBSW-43 | A | III |
| 7 | LBSW-03 | B | I |
| 8 | LBSW-24 | C | II |
| 9 | LBSW-44 | B | III |
| 10 | LBSW-04 | C | I |
| 11 | LBSW-25 | D | II |
| 12 | LBSW-45 | A | III |
| 13 | LBSW-05 | B | I |
| 14 | LBSW-26 | C | II |
| 15 | LBSW-46 | A | III |
| 16 | LBSW-06 | D | I |
| 17 | LBSW-27 | B | II |
| 18 | LBSW-47 | A | III |
| 19 | LBSW-07 | C | I |
| 20 | LBSW-28 | A | II |
| 21 | LBSW-48 | B | III |
| 22 | LBSW-08 | B | I |
| 23 | LBSW-29 | C | II |
| 24 | LBSW-49 | D | III |
| 25 | LBSW-09 | A | I |
| 26 | LBSW-30 | B | II |
| 27 | LBSW-50 | C | III |
| 28 | LBSW-10 | D | I |
| 29 | LBSW-31 | C | II |
| 30 | LBSW-51 | A | III |
| 31 | LBSW-11 | B | I |
| 32 | LBSW-32 | C | II |
| 33 | LBSW-52 | D | III |
| 34 | LBSW-12 | A | I |
| 35 | LBSW-33 | B | II |
| 36 | LBSW-53 | C | III |
| 37 | LBSW-13 | A | I |
| 38 | LBSW-34 | D | II |
| 39 | LBSW-54 | B | III |
| 40 | LBSW-14 | A | I |
| 41 | LBSW-35 | C | II |
| 42 | LBSW-55 | B | III |
| 43 | LBSW-15 | A | I |
| 44 | LBSW-36 | C | II |
| 45 | LBSW-56 | D | III |
| 46 | LBSW-16 | A | I |
| 47 | LBSW-37 | B | II |
| 48 | LBSW-57 | B | III |
| 49 | LBSW-17 | C | I |
| 50 | LBSW-38 | C | II |
| 51 | LBSW-58 | D | III |
| 52 | LBSW-18 | A | I |
| 53 | LBSW-39 | A | II |
| 54 | LBSW-59 | B | III |
| 55 | LBSW-19 | B | I |
| 56 | LBSW-40 | C | II |
| 57 | LBSW-60 | D | III |
| 58 | LBSW-20 | C | I |
| 59 | LBSW-41 | A | II |
| 60 | LBSW-61 | A | III |
| 61 | LBSW-21 | B | I |
This is feedback on these 61 questions, and that is all it is. It is not a scaled score, it is not a prediction of passing, and it cannot tell you how far you are from the passing standard. This set has not been calibrated to ASWB's exam. The missed items can point you toward concepts to revisit; they do not establish your weakest exam domain or a meaningful cutoff between “ready” and “not ready.”
Review what you missed
Working through the ones you got wrong is where a practice set earns its keep. Three steps, in order:
- Find what decided the answer. Was it a rule, a fact sitting in the stem, or the specific action the question asked for? Identifying which part you missed gives you a specific concept or reasoning step to review.
- Read the explanation and open its source. Then write the rule in your own words. "When comprehension is explicitly missing, a signature does not finish the consent conversation" is a usable note. "B is correct" is not.
- Come back to those items in a few days and say out loud why your answer is right before you look. Improving on questions you have already seen partly reflects familiarity, so treat it as a check on your reasoning rather than proof you have learned the area.
If it helps, keep a running log:
| Item | What I missed | Concept or source to review | My own explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LBSW-02 (Question 4) | I treated a signature as understanding | NASW Code of Ethics, §1.03(a) | Explain the service and choices, invite questions, and check understanding before proceeding |
Which exam does an LBSW actually take?
The LBSW license comes from your state board; the exam behind it is the ASWB Bachelors examination.
Three organisations do three different jobs here, and confusing them is what sends candidates down the wrong path. ASWB develops the exam. Pearson administers it at its test centres. Your licensing board sets the licensing requirements and issues the licence; some boards arrange for ASWB to handle pre-exam eligibility review. ASWB: getting your first license; exam overview.
The licence title varies. Texas and Virginia both issue the Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW), and both require passage of the ASWB Bachelors examination. Check your own board for the title and the rules that apply to you — we are not going to guess your state. Texas LBSW route; Virginia examination requirement, 18VAC140-20-70(A)(2).
The order of operations is not the same everywhere either:
| Question | Virginia | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| First step for exam approval | Apply to the Board of Social Work for approval to take the exam, with the required education, application fee, and official transcripts | Apply through ASWB — ASWB staff perform all Texas pre-exam eligibility tasks |
| Education and sitting before graduation | A bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work is required for approval; qualifying foreign education is addressed separately in the regulation | Students in a qualifying programme may sit before graduation — but must pass the exam and have the degree conferred before applying for the licence |
| An additional requirement beyond passing the ASWB exam | The regulation requires a current National Practitioner Data Bank report for licensure; the LBSW application-processing fee is $100, separate from the ASWB exam fee | The Texas Social Work Jurisprudence completion certificate must be dated no earlier than six months before the licence application is received; the board also requires an NPDB self-query and fingerprint background check |
These are selected differences, not complete application checklists. A requirement mentioned for one state should not be read as absent in the other. Sources checked on 14 September 2026: Texas BHEC, How to Become an LBSW; Virginia 18VAC140-20-51, 18VAC140-20-60, 18VAC140-20-70, and 18VAC140-20-30. Fees and procedures change — confirm with your board before you apply.
The exam changed on 3 August 2026
If your test date is on or after 3 August 2026, you are taking a 122-question exam across three content areas. The 170-question, four-area version is retired. ASWB transition announcement; current exam overview.
That matters more for your study materials than for your studying. A 2026 date on a study resource does not tell you which exam version it covers. Here is a check you can run on a resource before relying on its exam-format claims.
Your materials describe the retired version if they present these as the current exam:
- 170 questions, or 150 scored
- Four content areas
- Content-area names like "Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment" or "Direct and Indirect Practice"
The content-area list settles it. The cover does not. The 2026 Guidebook uses applied knowledge statements, rather than the older knowledge, skills, and abilities statements (KSAs). Mentioning an old term in a historical comparison is not, by itself, evidence that an entire resource is outdated.
Review the official comparison of old and new formats in ASWB’s 2026 transition announcement.
What this set covers
| Content area | ASWB weight | Questions here | Competencies sampled |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Values and Ethics | 35% | 21 | Ethical Principles and Responsibilities · Ethical Service Delivery · Diversity and Social Justice |
| II. Assessment and Planning | 33% | 20 | Assessment Concepts · Assessment Methods and Techniques · Assessment Practices |
| III. Intervention and Practice | 32% | 20 | Practice Concepts · Intervention Methods and Techniques · Practice Evaluation and Research · Supervision and Administration |
| Total | 100% | 61 | All ten published competencies |
The weights are ASWB's. The question counts are ours. 61 × 0.35 = 21.35, rounded to 21. 61 × 0.33 = 20.13, rounded to 20. 61 × 0.32 = 19.52, rounded to 20. ASWB's percentages apply to the 110 scored questions on the real exam; 61 items is a rounded approximation of the same shape.
Why 61 and not a round 50 or 100? Because the 2026 exam is delivered as two sections of 61 questions, two hours each. One section is a real unit of the test. A two-hour attempt with explanations closed lets you practise that item-count-and-time combination. It does not reproduce an official section's difficulty, item mix, or unscored questions: all 61 questions here have a practice answer key. ASWB Guidebook, ‘The examination’ and ‘Scheduled break’.
One thing worth noticing while you plan your hours: Values and Ethics is now the largest area on the Bachelors exam. Its 35% weight is still close to the other two areas; none should be ignored.
Below the three content areas, ASWB publishes competencies, and below those, applied knowledge statements — the specific concepts a question can be built on. Each question above identifies an editorial topic and a relevant current competency. Those labels show where the teaching fits; they are not ASWB approvals of the items. Two caveats about that, both of which matter:
- ASWB publishes percentages only at the content-area level. How we distributed questions across the ten competencies is our editorial judgment, not an ASWB weighting.
- The number of statements printed under a competency tells you nothing about how hard it is, how many questions it will get, or how long to study it. Counting bullets is not a study plan.
Sixty-one questions cannot cover every applied knowledge statement in the outline, and this set does not claim to. It samples all three areas and all ten competencies. The set emphasises ethics and case management. It does not cover every topic within its sampled competencies: medication effects, lifespan development, many intervention approaches, and transference within supervisory relationships are examples of material to review in the full outline.
How ASWB writes Bachelors questions
Six mechanics from ASWB’s own Guidebook, “Understanding examination questions” that change how you answer.
- Every stem is self-contained. Use the information given together with the professional knowledge the question tests; do not invent missing case details. If you catch yourself inventing detail to justify an answer, you have left the question.
- Qualifiers appear capitalised and bolded — BEST, FIRST, NEXT, MOST. And the word after the qualifier matters as much as the qualifier. FIRST what? MOST appropriate to whom?
- There is no "All of the above," "None of the above," or "Both A and B." ASWB does not use them. One option is correct; others may be reasonable at a different point in the work.
- Some questions have three options, some four. This set uses both formats; its proportions are an editorial choice, not a claim to reproduce an official exam form.
- Recall, application, and reasoning all appear — and ASWB states that the Associate and Bachelors exams contain a larger proportion of recall questions and a smaller proportion of application and reasoning than the Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical exams. The Guidebook does not specify exact percentages for that mix. This set runs 16 recall, 39 application, and 6 reasoning items, and that split is our judgment, not ASWB's.
- ASWB commissioned a readability study in 2019 and found the exams read at the level of tenth-grade textbooks, apart from social work terms of art. That is a reported readability finding, not a way to decide whether a particular learner’s confusion reflects wording, access needs, or a knowledge gap.
ASWB also says something about prep companies that is worth repeating, and that applies to this page: no test preparation company has special access to the Social Work Licensing Examinations, and some supply practice questions that bear little resemblance to real ones. A source beside each explanation lets you examine its support. That transparency does not establish official difficulty, psychometric validity, or professional review.
Exam-day facts that change your pacing
These are the rules described in the ASWB Guidebook, “The testing room,” “The examination,” and “Breaks”.
- Two sections of 61 questions, two hours each. That is just under two minutes a question — and it is why this set is 61 items.
- One optional scheduled ten-minute break between sections, and the clock stops for up to ten minutes. Any overrun uses exam time. Unscheduled breaks do not stop the clock.
- You cannot return to section one after you submit it or its time expires. Use your review time before submitting, not after.
- Within a section you can skip questions, flag them for review, highlight text, strike through options, and change answers.
- Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer. Never leave one blank — an unanswered question is counted as incorrect, so a guess is strictly better than a blank.
- You get an erasable note board and marker, plus an on-screen scratch pad. You may not write on the note board before the exam begins, and you must return it; not returning it invalidates your score.
- Text enlargement and contrast controls are available in the standard exam software. Nonstandard testing arrangements are a separate process, and they must be requested and approved before you register and pay. ASWB Guidebook, “The examination”; nonstandard testing arrangements.
Scoring, passing, and retakes
There is no single passing number for every form, but ASWB does publish a general range: 66–78 correct answers out of 110 scored questions. Your form’s required number appears on your score report. ASWB exam scoring.
Results are reported as pass or fail, and the report shows the number of questions needed to pass alongside the number you answered correctly. Because individual questions differ slightly in difficulty and questions change between administrations, ASWB makes statistical adjustments so that every version of the exam demands the same overall ability. That means the number required moves a little from form to form.
If you do not pass, the unofficial report breaks your performance down by content area. That breakdown is a useful starting point for your retake plan, alongside the current content outline and the concepts you need to review.
Check the denominator before using a passing range. Numbers expressed out of 150 scored questions describe the retired format. The current published 66–78 range is out of 110; neither range should be converted into a passing threshold for this 61-question set.
Retakes: the standard wait is 90 days between attempts. If your score was within 10 correct answers of passing and your jurisdiction permits waivers, you may request one — no earlier than 24 hours after the exam. ASWB limits use to two waivers in twelve months for any single exam category. When requesting a waiver, wait for the decision before registering again. Some boards limit the total number of attempts; that is your board’s rule, not ASWB’s. ASWB retake guidance; waiver criteria and request instructions.
Pass rate, with its limits: in 2025, 70.4% of the 2,741 Bachelors examinations taken by first-time test-takers were passed. Three things to hold onto about that number. It covers first-time candidates only, not all attempts. It describes the retired version of the exam, not performance on the blueprint that began in August 2026. And roughly three in ten first-time candidates did not pass on that attempt, which is worth knowing and is not a reason to panic. ASWB’s 2025 first-time pass-rate table. No exact count of passes or failures is inferred from the rounded percentage.
What this practice test can't do
These are not real exam questions. They are original items written to ASWB's published outline. We do not claim special access to live exam questions. Sharing recalled examination questions breaches the confidentiality commitment candidates make; this page does not use them. ASWB Guidebook, “Confidentiality Statement” and “Sharing exam information".
Sixty-one questions cannot predict a pass. They can identify specific concepts you missed in this set. They cannot establish your overall proficiency in an exam content area.
Free official examples are available. The ASWB Examination Guidebook includes a Bachelors and Associate sample-question section. Use those authorised examples to understand the exam owner’s question style; the complete original Castleport set remains on this page.
This page does not determine your eligibility or confer a licence. The state examples above illustrate specific differences; eligibility, fees, jurisprudence exams, attempt limits, and the licence title come from your board. ASWB’s licensing route explains how to find the relevant process.
Sources
Exam facts and the teaching sources cited beside the questions were checked on 14 September 2026. The dates below identify the source or version, not the date of a professional review.
| Source | What it supports here |
|---|---|
| ASWB Examination Guidebook: 2026 blueprint | Bachelors/Associate content outline and references; exam structure; “The examination,” “Breaks,” “Exam scoring,” and “Understanding examination questions”; authorised sample questions |
| ASWB current exam overview and 2026 transition announcement | Test-date boundary; 122 questions, 110 scored and 12 unscored; three content areas; four-hour limit |
| ASWB exam scoring | Form-dependent passing requirement and the published general 66–78 out of 110 range |
| ASWB exam pass rates | The 2025 first-time Bachelors cohort, 2,741 examinations, and 70.4% pass rate |
| ASWB retake guidance and 90-day waiver criteria | Waiting period, correct-answer eligibility condition, timing and waiver-use limit |
| ASWB nonstandard testing arrangements | Approval before registration; separate arrangements process |
| NASW Code of Ethics (2021 update) | Core values and ethical standards; each question links the relevant section |
| NASW Standards for Social Work Case Management (2013) | The specific assessment, planning, advocacy, collaboration, evaluation, documentation, workload and development standards cited beside items |
| SAMHSA TIP 35 (2019), Chapter 3, OARS | Open questions and reflective listening; used for the communication skills, not a claim about a treatment outcome |
| CDC Program Evaluation Framework (2024), Step 4 | Distinguishing programme activity/output from outcomes |
| Interagency Statement on Elder Financial Exploitation (2024), Background | The concept of financial exploitation, not a state reporting procedure |
| Texas BHEC, How to Become an LBSW | Texas's ASWB pre-exam route, student examination option and the selected additional requirements above |
| Virginia 18VAC140-20-51, 18VAC140-20-60, 18VAC140-20-70 and 18VAC140-20-30 | Exam approval, education, Bachelors examination, NPDB and application-fee requirements |
The NASW Code of Ethics and the case management standards are not arbitrary choices: ASWB lists the current NASW Code of Ethics among its own suggested references for the Bachelors examination. Note what the exam blueprint does and does not do — it establishes which subjects can be tested, not what the correct answer to a practice scenario is. That is why the answers above cite professional standards rather than the outline. Professional standards do not replace the law governing an individual worker's practice.
Castleport Test Prep is an independent publisher of exam preparation materials. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Association of Social Work Boards or by any state or provincial licensing board. Exam, credential, and organisation names are used to identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners. The practice questions on this page are original and unofficial — we do not use recalled, leaked, or live exam questions. Completing this set does not determine eligibility, confer a licence, or guarantee an exam result. For registration, eligibility, accommodations, fees, scoring, and licensing, go to ASWB and to your own board.
By Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. This page was developed and audited with AI assistance, as described in our methodology. Source checking is not review by a licensed social worker or psychometric validation; neither is claimed for this set. These questions are for exam preparation, not individual case-management or emergency instructions.
Last source-checked: 14 September 2026 — the exam facts, current content outline, selected Texas and Virginia requirements, and the teaching sources cited beside the items.