ASWB exam registration: steps, fees, and deadlines
ASWB exam registration runs in this order: get approved to test, register and pay in ASWBCentral, then use your Authorization to Test (ATT) to book an appointment with Pearson VUE. If you need nonstandard testing arrangements, those have to be approved before you pay, as ASWB's registration instructions require.
| Stage | Where you are now | Do this next | You're done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You haven't been approved to test, or ASWB doesn't have your approval yet | Follow the approval route for the license you are seeking. For an exam-required route in Colorado, Maine, Texas, or Utah, apply to ASWB for exam preapproval. Otherwise, start with your social work board or college. | ASWB has your approval in hand. Your board receiving your application is not the same thing. |
| 2 | You need nonstandard testing arrangements and don't have a decision yet | Request them in ASWBCentral, before you register | ASWB's decision letter arrives and lists your approved arrangements |
| 3 | You're approved but haven't registered | Register in ASWBCentral and pay the exam fee | Your registration is complete and your Authorization to Test is available |
| 4 | You've registered but have no appointment | Follow the scheduling instructions in your Authorization to Test to book with Pearson VUE | Pearson's confirmation email arrives with your date, time, and test center |
| 5 | You have an appointment | Check it against your Authorization to Test and save the confirmation | Your name and exam category match, your test date falls within your authorization window, and you have the confirmation stored |
What it costs
| What you pay | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Associate, Bachelors, or Masters exam registration | US$230 | ASWB |
| Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam registration | US$260 | ASWB |
| Exam preapproval, where required through ASWB in Colorado / Maine / Texas / Utah | US$60 | ASWB Licensing Services |
| Your board's license or exam application | Varies by jurisdiction | Your board or college |
Exam registration fees are nonrefundable, and ASWB takes Mastercard, Visa, and Discover. The US$230 and US$260 exam fees do not include separate preapproval or licensing application charges. The US$60 preapproval charge is published on ASWB's Colorado, Maine, Texas, and Utah pages; your regulator sets its own licensing charges.
ASWB's exam registration fees are in US dollars for everyone, including candidates applying through a Canadian college.
How long ASWB exam registration takes
Four things sit between you and a test date. ASWB publishes a figure for three of them.
- Board or preapproval review. There is no single turnaround for all jurisdictions. Ask the office handling your approval for its current processing time and whether it needs more documents.
- Accommodations reply. Allow up to three weeks for a reply, which may ask for additional information rather than grant approval. ASWB reviews requests in the order received and does not expedite them.
- Registration to authorization. ASWB's Examination Guidebook says the Authorization to Test email arrives within two business days. ASWB also says that once your registration is complete you can go straight to Pearson's scheduling system from your ASWBCentral dashboard. Check the dashboard rather than sitting on your inbox, and follow the scheduling route for any approved arrangements.
- Getting the date you want. ASWB advises booking four to six weeks ahead of your preferred date.
These figures are different kinds of guidance, not a guaranteed end-to-end registration time. Four to six weeks is advice for getting a preferred date, not a required wait. If a seat is open next week, you can take it provided your eligibility, authorization dates, and any approved arrangements allow it.
The part you need to check separately is your approval. Start there early.
Stage 1: Get approved before you pay
The usual route
In most jurisdictions you apply for a license first, and your board or college tells ASWB you're eligible. Boards set their own requirements, including the education and any supervised experience needed for the license you seek. They charge their own fees, separate from ASWB's. ASWB explains the usual licensing route here.
Your board also decides which exam category you take. You don't choose freely between Associate, Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical. ASWB is told which one you're approved for.
You cannot register until ASWB has actually received the approval. An application sitting on your board's desk doesn't count. If ASWBCentral does not show your eligibility, ask your board to send or confirm the approval; if it has already done so, contact ASWB Candidate Services about the missing record. ASWB's account FAQs explain the approval requirement.
Already passed the required exam for another jurisdiction? Ask the receiving board whether it will accept your existing result before paying for another exam. ASWB provides a score-transfer process for applicants seeking a license in another state or province.
Exam preapproval in Colorado, Maine, Texas, and Utah
If your licensing route in one of these four states requires an ASWB exam, follow ASWB's exam-preapproval instructions. You apply to ASWB Licensing Services for exam preapproval, for a nonrefundable US$60, then register for the exam the normal way. Exam preapproval does not issue a license or establish that every license category requires an exam. Your board still controls the licensing application and its requirements.
The approval windows differ. Colorado's preapproval is good for five years. Maine, Texas, and Utah run one year. These are preapproval windows, not the lifespan of the Authorization to Test you receive after paying for an exam.
If instructions disagree, check that they address your license category and application route before paying. Do not disregard your board's requirements. Call ASWB Licensing Services at 866.825.9580. The Texas board's exam instructions illustrate the distinction: ASWB handles exam approval; the board handles licensure.
Massachusetts is a different arrangement. ASWB processes social work licensing applications on behalf of that state's board, which is not the same as the four-state exam preapproval route. Start from ASWB's Massachusetts licensing page if you're applying there.
Stage 2: Get accommodations approved before registration
If you have a disability or health condition, if you're lactating, or if English isn't your primary language, you may be eligible for nonstandard testing arrangements. Request them through ASWBCentral.
The order matters and it's strict. Requests must be submitted and approved before you register and pay. Arrangements cannot be added to an appointment once it's booked. If you have already registered, contact ASWB for the correction process; a booked appointment must be canceled before that process can be completed. Do not make a second paid registration to fix it. ASWB's arrangements handbook explains both situations.
Allow up to three weeks for a reply, and there is no expedited option. A request for more information is not an approval. You can register on the day your approval letter arrives once the required exam-eligibility approval is also in place. See the review and registration instructions.
Candidates requesting English as a second language (ESL) arrangements must have their board or jurisdiction approval first. Candidates approved for English as a second language arrangements may receive up to two hours of additional time and may request up to two printed dictionaries, one word-to-word bilingual and one general English. California is the exception: you need preliminary approval from the Board of Behavioral Sciences first, and California does not permit an English or bilingual dictionary. Boards also decide individually whether they accept scores earned with ESL arrangements, so ask yours. Check ASWB's ESL requirements and its arrangements handbook.
After you register and receive your Authorization to Test, compare the arrangements on your Authorization to Test against your decision letter. If they don't match, ASWB's instruction is to email specialarrangements@aswb.org and not book anything until it's corrected. See the authorization check in ASWB's handbook.
Read the requirements and request arrangements
Stage 3: Register and pay in ASWBCentral
Registration happens in one place: your ASWBCentral account. You'll confirm your jurisdiction and exam category, answer education and demographic questions, sign the Candidate Rules Agreement electronically, and pay. Registration requirements are in the Guidebook.
Register in the exact first and last name printed on both IDs you'll bring to the test center. ASWB requires two acceptable original IDs, not just one photo ID. The test center doesn't check middle names, initials, or punctuation, but the first and last names have to match your Authorization to Test. If the name on your approval is wrong, you can't fix it yourself. Your board has to send a correction to ASWB; after it sends the correction, ASWB says to allow 24 to 48 additional business hours. For an ASWB preapproval application, ask Licensing Services to route the correction. Check the accepted identification requirements before registering.
If your legal name has changed, the Guidebook has a separate documentation procedure using an original marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Follow that procedure and notify your jurisdiction; do not assume a name-change document fixes an unrelated registration error. See ASWB's name-change instructions.
One safety note. Pay the exam registration fee to ASWB through its official registration process. Castleport does not collect your exam fee or identity documents. Do not send them to a test prep publisher.
Open ASWBCentral · ASWB's account and access instructions
Your Authorization to Test, and its clock
The Authorization to Test is the document that lets you book. It carries your candidate ID, your exam category, your approved arrangements if you have any, your scheduling instructions, and an expiration date.
A payment receipt is not an Authorization to Test, and an Authorization to Test is not an appointment. Three separate things.
It covers one exam only, and it may be valid for up to a year. Your board can impose a shorter expiration, and if it does, you cannot test after that date. Use the date printed on your actual authorization. Don't count a year forward from the day you paid. See the authorization and expiration rules.
If you can't test in time, you may request one extension of up to six months per registration through ASWBCentral. Your jurisdiction's approval affects whether you get it and how long it runs. ASWB tells candidates to request it within 30 days of the expiration date and warns that if the request is denied you should have left yourself enough time to test anyway. If you already have an appointment booked and the extension is approved, that appointment is canceled automatically and you'll get a new authorization to rebook with.
Check the extension charge before submitting a purchase in ASWBCentral. An extension is not automatic.
Stage 4: Book with Pearson VUE
Pearson VUE administers the exam at test centers across the US, Canada, and abroad. There are no fixed national exam dates. You pick from whatever appointments are open. See ASWB's scheduling and test-center rules.
Schedule through ASWBCentral, or call Pearson VUE at 877.884.9537. If you have approved nonstandard testing arrangements, you must schedule by phone, at 800.466.0450. Follow your Authorization to Test rather than assuming the standard online path will carry your arrangements across. ASWB publishes both scheduling numbers here.
Have these ready: your first and last name exactly as they appear on your authorization, your candidate ID number, the address you used at registration, your date of birth, and your exam category.
Booking online does not mean testing at home. You're reserving a seat at a physical test center.
Scheduling details and appointment rules
Stage 5: Check and save the appointment confirmation
You should get a confirmation email from Pearson VUE within 24 hours. If it doesn't arrive, contact Pearson VUE immediately to confirm the booking and request that the email be sent again. Keep that confirmation. Check the date, time, and test center location, confirm the exam category, and make sure your test date falls within the dates on your authorization before you treat the appointment as real. ASWB explains the confirmation requirement.
What can cost you your registration fee
Every rule below is published by ASWB. They're scattered across a guidebook, an appointments page, an extension page, and an excused-absence page, so here they are together with the action or deadline that matters.
| What happens | What it costs you | What to do or when to act |
|---|---|---|
| You miss your appointment or arrive late | Fee forfeited unless ASWB grants relief through its excused-absence process. Otherwise, you must re-register and pay again. | Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours before the appointment. If you're testing Monday or Tuesday, the Guidebook requires a call before 7:00 p.m. Eastern on the preceding Friday. Cancellation rules |
| You cancel inside 24 hours | Treated as a no-show unless ASWB excuses it | File the Excused Absence Request Form within 14 days of the missed appointment with the required documentation. Requests inside that window may be approved with no fee. Excused absences |
| You file for an excused absence late | After 14 days but within 30 days, ASWB may process the request at a reduced registration fee of US$150. Without the required documentation, it may be charged at US$150 or denied, even if filed within 14 days. | Send documentation with the request, inside 14 days. Processing takes about two weeks. Don't pay for a new registration while you're waiting on the determination. Review rules |
| You don't test before your authorization expires | Fee forfeited if you do not have an approved extension | Ask about the one permitted extension in ASWBCentral. ASWB says request it within 30 days of the expiration date. Leave time to test before expiry if the request is denied. Extension rules |
| You register before your accommodations are approved | The registration must be corrected; a booked appointment must be canceled. Contact ASWB before paying another registration fee. | Wait for the approval decision. Allow up to three weeks for a reply; requests are not expedited. Correction instructions |
| You bring insufficient ID or have an unresolved name mismatch | You may be refused admission and forfeit the fee | Check both IDs and your authorization before exam day. Name corrections must come from your board; legal name changes have a separate documentation procedure. ID and name-change rules |
| You try to re-register before your results are received, or while a waiver is pending | You have not met the published conditions for retake registration | Confirm ASWB has your official results and any further board approval. If you've asked for a 90-day waiver, wait for the decision before you register. Retake registration rules |
| You change your mind | No refund | ASWB registration fees are nonrefundable. Fee policy |
| The test center closes for weather or a disaster | No additional charge to reschedule the canceled exam | This applies when the center cancels. If it's open and you don't show, you may still forfeit. Closure and absence rules |
One more, on exam day itself: if the software or equipment fails during your exam, tell test center staff at the time, give them 30 minutes to fix it, and report it to ASWB through ASWBCentral within two business days. Miss that window and ASWB says you have no recourse. ASWB's exam-day page and Guidebook explain incident reporting.
If something goes wrong
My board approved me, but ASWBCentral says I'm not eligible.
ASWB may not have received your approval. Ask your board to send it or confirm it already did. If the board confirms transmission and the problem remains, contact ASWB Candidate Services; ASWB's FAQs do not publish a blanket processing time for all incoming approvals. Don't create a second account or a duplicate registration. For a four-state preapproval application, contact ASWB Licensing Services instead of asking a board to send an approval it does not issue for that route. Account approval help.
My name is wrong.
If your board supplied the approval, it has to send the correction to ASWB. You can't change it from your side. Wait for it to land before you register. If ASWB handled your exam preapproval, ask Licensing Services which office needs to correct the record. Name-correction guidance.
I paid but I can't find my Authorization to Test.
Check the notifications on your ASWBCentral dashboard first. You can pull a duplicate from there. If it's still missing, call ASWB Candidate Services at 888.579.3926. Do not pay again to solve a missing email. Missing-authorization help.
I scheduled but never got a Pearson confirmation.
Check your exam details in ASWBCentral and call Pearson VUE at 877.884.9537 to confirm the appointment and request the confirmation again. Do not assume the booking is complete. A payment receipt is not a reserved seat. Confirmation instructions.
I need to cancel or reschedule.
Rescheduling itself is free if you follow the rules: at least 24 hours' notice, and a call before 7:00 p.m. Eastern the preceding Friday for a Monday or Tuesday appointment. If your arrangements include a reader, scribe, or ASL interpreter, ASWB asks for two business days. Candidates with arrangements should follow the instructions in their authorization rather than the general online path. Keep the confirmation of the change. Check the full cancellation instructions.
My authorization is about to expire.
Request the extension before it lapses. One per registration, up to six months, and your board's approval affects the outcome. If it's approved, any booked appointment is canceled and you rebook with the new authorization. Don't assume approval, and leave yourself time to just take the exam if it's denied. Extension rules.
I missed my appointment because of an emergency.
Use the excused absence process, not a refund request. Wait 24 hours after the missed appointment time, then file within 14 days with documentation. Expect about two weeks for a determination, and don't register again until you have it. Questions go to exampc@aswb.org. ASWB grants no more than two excused absences for a single exam administration. Request rules and documentation.
Excused absence rules and outcomes
Registering for another attempt
ASWB policy is 90 days between exam attempts. That's a gap between test dates, not a waiting period before you're allowed to open registration. ASWB's retake policy.
A waiver is possible if two things are true: your most recent score was within 10 correct answers of the passing score, and the board where you're applying allows waivers. California and North Dakota do not permit them. No one may use more than two waivers in twelve months for a single exam category. ASWB needs your official results first, so wait at least one day after your exam before requesting, and request it from the Waiver/Excused Absence tab in ASWBCentral.
If you've requested a waiver, don't register until it's granted or denied.
For the retake itself, ASWB's guidance is split and worth reading carefully. Its retake page lists waiting seven to ten days after your last exam before registering again as a step, and then says on the same page that you may register any time after ASWB receives your official results, provided you do not need further board approval. Its waiver page says ASWB receives official results from Pearson VUE within 24 hours of your exam. Before trying to register earlier than seven to ten days, call Candidate Services at 888.579.3926 to confirm that your results and any required approval are in. Do not treat the waiver page's results timeline as permission to bypass the retake instructions.
The rest repeats: pay the full fee again, receive a new Authorization to Test, and book a date that falls between the eligibility date and the expiration date on it. Your new test date must be at least 90 days after your last attempt unless a waiver was granted.
Two things to confirm with Candidate Services before you pay: whether your board requires fresh approval to retest, and whether your existing accommodations are still valid. Some boards cap the number of attempts. Confirm these points with ASWB before retaking.
Which version of the exam you'll take
Every appointment from 3 August 2026 onward uses the 2026 blueprint. That's 122 questions: 110 scored plus 12 unscored pretest items, or 110 + 12 = 122. The exam is split into two 61-question sections, so 2 × 61 = 122, with two hours per section, or 2 × 2 hours = 4 hours in total, across three content areas, in a mix of three-option and four-option multiple choice. Current exam format; effective-date notice; section rules.
Registration doesn't let you pick a version. Your appointment date decides. Paying earlier does not preserve the older format.
If a blog or study guide still describes a 170-question exam with four content areas, it describes the former format, not an appointment on or after 3 August 2026. For the full breakdown of what moved, see our guide to the 2026 exam changes.
Why some pages still say PSI
Pearson VUE administers the exam. ASWB returned to Pearson VUE in March 2025: the last PSI testing day was 15 March 2025, testing paused from 16 to 30 March, and Pearson VUE test centers resumed on 31 March 2025. ASWB's transition notice lists those dates.
An instruction to book a current ASWB exam with PSI is outdated. Use the current ASWB and Pearson instructions rather than a testing vendor named in an older form.
When sources disagree, the document that governs your appointment is the Authorization to Test email ASWB sent you. Follow its scheduling instructions. If the instructions are unclear, contact ASWB before booking. Current appointment instructions.
Who to contact
| Contact them for | Who |
|---|---|
| Eligibility, approval status, name corrections, which exam category you're approved for | Your social work board or college; use ASWB Licensing Services for an ASWB exam-preapproval application |
| Registration, a missing Authorization to Test, account problems, extensions, waivers, excused absences | ASWB Candidate Services, 888.579.3926 |
| Booking, confirmation, and appointment changes | Pearson VUE, 877.884.9537 |
| Booking with approved nonstandard testing arrangements | Pearson VUE, 800.466.0450 |
| Exam preapproval in Colorado, Maine, Texas, or Utah | ASWB Licensing Services, 866.825.9580 |
Contact ASWB Candidate Services · Pearson VUE's ASWB contacts · Arrangements scheduling number · ASWB Licensing Services
Sources
The registration rules on this page are drawn from ASWB's publications, Pearson's ASWB program information, and the licensing source identified below.
- ASWB Examination Guidebook, 2026 PDF — registration, authorization, identification, cancellation, and exam format; official guidebook download page
- Getting ready for the exam and Exam overview — current fees and the official steps
- About ASWBCentral and the ASWBCentral FAQs — account functions, approval problems, name corrections
- Nonstandard testing arrangements, the arrangements handbook, and ESL requirements — applications, timing, approval, and scheduling
- Exam appointments and On exam day — scheduling, confirmation, cancellation, identification, and incident reporting
- Authorization to Test expiration date extension
- Excused absences — documentation, request windows, and possible fee outcomes
- If you fail the exam and Request a 90-day waiting period waiver
- Exam preapproval pages for Colorado, Maine, Texas, and Utah; Massachusetts application services
- Texas board: ASWB licensure examinations — exam approval versus the licensing application
- Transferring an existing exam result
- Pearson VUE's ASWB program page — current testing provider and contacts
- ASWB's January 2025 transition notice — the historical return from PSI to Pearson VUE
By the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team.
Last verified 14 September 2026. On that date we checked the registration sequence, both fee tiers, the preapproval fees and approval windows, the accommodations timeline, identification requirements, the authorization and extension rules, the cancellation and excused-absence conditions, the retake and waiver rules, and the current testing provider against the official sources listed above. These are source checks, not confirmation of an individual applicant's eligibility or a test of account, payment, or booking functions.
This page was developed and source-checked with AI assistance. No credentialed professional review of this version is claimed. Editorial standards.
Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam preparation publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Association of Social Work Boards, Pearson VUE, or any social work licensing board. Exam and credential names identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page explains published registration procedures. It is not legal advice, it does not determine your eligibility, and passing an exam does not by itself issue a license. Your board or college sets licensing requirements; ASWB handles exam preapproval where that process is delegated to it.