Question 1IB · Ethical service delivery
When may a social worker limit a client's right to self-determination?
Is the social work licensing exam hard?
It is hard in a particular way. Most questions describe a client situation and ask what the social worker should do FIRST, NEXT or BEST, so several options can sound reasonable. In 2025, 75.7% of first-time Clinical test-takers and 73.9% of first-time Masters test-takers passed.
| Clinical, first time, 2025 | 75.7% passed (26,439 exams) |
|---|---|
| Masters, first time, 2025 | 73.9% passed (20,636 exams) |
| Questions | 122 multiple choice: 110 scored and 12 pretest |
| Sections | Two sections of 61 questions, two hours each |
What makes it hard
- Judgment questions: many questions are application and reasoning questions, where you choose the best of several plausible actions.
- Priority words: FIRST, NEXT, BEST and MOST turn a question about what is right into a question about order.
- Breadth: ethics, development, diagnosis, medications, family and group work, research and supervision all appear.
- Length: 122 questions over four hours, in two sections you cannot go back to once closed.
- Pretest questions: 12 of the 122 do not count, and you cannot tell which.
What makes it easier
ASWB publishes the content outline for each level, with the share of the exam in each content area, so you know where the questions come from. Most priority questions follow one order of practice: safety first, then engagement, assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation.
How to prepare
Learn the order of practice, then practice under time at your level. Start with the free diagnostic: your score in each content area shows where to begin.
Try 3 questions
Question 2IIA · Assessment concepts
An adult client describes feeling down most days for as long as they can remember, at least the last three years, with low energy and poor self-esteem, but never meeting criteria for a major depressive episode. What diagnosis is MOST likely?
Question 3IIIB · Intervention methods and techniques
A mandated client says, "Nobody is going to tell me how to live my life." Which response is MOST consistent with motivational interviewing?
Next step
ASWB exam pass rates, with 2022 to 2025 data by state and program
Questions people ask
What percentage of people pass the ASWB Clinical exam?
75.7% of first-time Clinical test-takers passed in 2025, across all ASWB member jurisdictions.
What percentage pass the ASWB Masters exam?
73.9% of first-time Masters test-takers passed in 2025.
How long is the social work licensing exam?
Four hours: two sections of 61 questions, each with a two-hour limit.
What kinds of questions are on the exam?
Recall, application and reasoning questions. The Masters and Clinical exams have more application and reasoning questions than the Bachelors exam.