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ASWB

Sources

Every fact about the exams on the ASWB path (the four exams, their 2026 content outlines word for word, the three content areas and their percentages, the 122 questions of which 110 are scored, the four hours, the scoring, the retake rules and the English-only delivery) comes from the documents below, from the bodies that issue them. Where they are silent, the choice is ours and we say so.

Checked against the issuers' sites on November 13, 2026.

The exams: ASWB's guidebook and exam pages

What the exams cover, how they are delivered and scored, and the rules candidates agree to.

  • ASWB Examination Guidebook: Your Guide to Taking the Social Work Licensing Exams

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    08/2026, for exams from 3 August 2026 (80 pages)
    What we use it for
    Our authority for format: two sections of 61 questions, 12 unscored, 110 scored, four hours; the scratch pad, breaks and tools; scoring and the 90-day retake; capitalized and bolded qualifiers; random order on every exam; and the four content outlines, word for word, that our Library prints.
    Read it at the source

  • The Social Work Licensing Exams

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    122 questions, 110 scored and 12 unscored, a mix of three- and four-option multiple choice, a four-hour limit, and the fees.
    Read it at the source

  • Exam scoring

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Pass or fail against a standard set per exam, several forms, and a passing score that generally ranges from 66 to 78 correct answers out of 110: the bands our mock's report uses.
    Read it at the source

  • If you fail the exam; Request a 90-day waiting period waiver

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web pages, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The retake facts on our ASWB page: at least 90 days, a waiver within 10 correct answers of the passing score where the board allows it (not California or North Dakota), at most two in 12 months per exam.
    Read it at the source

  • ASWB Candidate Rules Agreement

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    10/2026 (2 pages)
    What we use it for
    U.S. spellings on all exams, which our English questions follow; the 10-minute break with the clock stopped; unscheduled breaks with the clock running; an erasable booklet for notes only.
    Read it at the source

  • ASWB Confidentiality Statement

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    2025 (2 pages)
    What we use it for
    Exam content is confidential, which is why nothing on the path comes from recalled exam questions.
    Read it at the source

  • On exam day

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Arrive 30 minutes early with two IDs, and report a problem to ASWB within two business days.
    Read it at the source

  • Nonstandard testing arrangements

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    Arrangements for disability, health conditions, English as a second language and lactation, approved before registering.
    Read it at the source

  • Requesting English as a second language arrangements

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The exams are given only in English; qualified candidates may receive up to two extra hours and two dictionaries (none in California). Our Language line, the English option of our French mock and its extended-time setting rest on it.
    Read it at the source

  • ASWB Nonstandard Testing Arrangements Handbook

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    PDF of 2 March 2026 (11 pages)
    What we use it for
    The same English-only statement and up to two hours of additional time for English as a second language; boards decide whether to accept such scores.
    Read it at the source

Content outlines and the 2024 practice analysis

Where the 2026 outlines come from, and the French names of their content areas, competencies and statements.

  • Content outlines

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026 (no date shown)
    What we use it for
    What a content area, a competency and an applied knowledge statement are, and each exam's percentages. Stale part: its worked example still uses the 2018 outline, so we never quote it.
    Read it at the source

  • Blueprints for the 2026 competence assessments reflect significant structural modifications, minor content changes

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), news
    Version
    20 February 2025
    What we use it for
    Three content areas replace four, values and ethics weigh the most, and one set of blueprints serves the United States and Canada.
    Read it at the source

  • 2024 Analysis of the Practice of Social Work

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), with HumRRO
    Version
    February 2025, revised January 2026 (131 pages)
    What we use it for
    The practice analysis behind the 2026 outlines; its appendices settle a word the guidebook breaks across a line.
    Read it at the source

  • Analyse de la pratique du travail social 2024

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Official French edition, 20 February 2025 (138 pages)
    What we use it for
    Every French name on the path: the exam categories, the content areas and their percentages (Annexe D), and every competency and applied knowledge statement (Annexe E).
    Read it at the source

  • 2024 Practice Analysis Summary

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    21 February 2025 (4 pages)
    What we use it for
    A short summary of the practice analysis; background only.
    Read it at the source

  • Résumé, Analyse de la pratique du travail social, 2024

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    21 February 2025
    What we use it for
    ASWB's French summary of the practice analysis; background only.
    Read it at the source

  • Exams for the future of social work

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The 2024 to 2026 timeline of the new exams. Stale part: it still says the current exams come from the 2017 analysis, so we never quote it.
    Read it at the source

ASWB's own preparation materials

Described so you know what ASWB offers; we use none of their content.

  • Online Practice Test

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    ASWB's paid practice test for registered candidates: one version per exam except Advanced Generalist, a four-hour timer, 30 days of review. We use none of its questions.
    Read it at the source

  • Using the online practice test

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    ASWB's practice test gives a score and a diagnostic page by content area: background for our report.
    Read it at the source

  • Guide to the Social Work Licensing Exams for Educators and Supervisors

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026; the guide itself not read
    What we use it for
    Exists for faculty and supervisors only, with retired questions; we do not request it, and we never use retired exam questions.
    Read it at the source

ASWB announcements and background

  • Upcoming Changes to the Social Work Licensing Exams

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), news
    Version
    11 December 2025
    What we use it for
    From 150 scored and 20 pretest questions to 110 and 12, with more questions having three options; the four-hour limit kept. Our share of three-option questions (about 45%) is our reading of it, labelled ours.
    Read it at the source

  • New social work licensing exam begins August 3

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), news
    Version
    30 April 2026
    What we use it for
    The date a candidate tests decides which exam, 2018 or 2026, they take.
    Read it at the source

  • The new Social Work Licensing Exams begin today

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), news
    Version
    3 August 2026
    What we use it for
    The launch of the 2026 exams, with fees and processes unchanged.
    Read it at the source

  • Inclusive standard setting panel meets to inform passing standard for the social work licensing exams

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), news
    Version
    13 April 2026
    What we use it for
    How the 2026 passing standard was set; background for why a real form's passing number is not public.
    Read it at the source

  • Exam security and confidentiality

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    The consequences of a security breach. Stale part: its guidebook link points to the 2025 guidebook; we use the 2026 one.
    Read it at the source

  • The science of measuring competence fairly

    Issued by
    Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
    Version
    Web page, read 13 November 2026
    What we use it for
    How pretest questions are tried out. Stale part: its 20 pretest and 150 scored questions describe the 2018 exam, so we never quote it.
    Read it at the source

Codes and references the exams cite

Named in the guidebook's reference lists. These were not read from the source here, as each version line says.

  • NASW Code of Ethics

    Issued by
    National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
    Version
    2021, as cited in the guidebook (the site could not be reached from our environment; not read from the source)
    What we use it for
    The code our ethics questions and guides rest on. The standard numbers our guides cite are still to be checked against the code; a wrong number would change an explanation, never an answer.
    Read it at the source

  • CASW Code of Ethics / Code de déontologie

    Issued by
    Canadian Association of Social Workers / Association canadienne des travailleuses et travailleurs sociaux (CASW-ACTS)
    Version
    2024, as cited in every exam's reference list (the site could not be reached from our environment; not read from the source)
    What we use it for
    The Canadian code our questions must also satisfy, since one set of exams serves the United States and Canada.
    Read it at the source

  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR)

    Issued by
    American Psychiatric Association
    Version
    2022, as cited in the guidebook (a book: not checked here)
    What we use it for
    The diagnostic content of our Clinical questions, which the Clinical outline names.
    Read it at the source

What the sources leave open, and what we do

  • ASWB publishes percentages per content area, not question counts. We turn them into counts of the 110 scored questions by largest remainder (Clinical: 40, 35 and 35, where ASWB's guidebook says "about 36" for the two smaller areas, which cannot add up to 110).
  • ASWB says more questions now have three options but gives no share; our mock uses about 45% three-option questions, and says it is ours.
  • The passing number of a real form is not public. Our report compares a score with ASWB's published range of 66 to 78 and cannot predict a result.
  • The exam is given only in English. Our French pages are for studying; the French mock can also be sat in English, as the real exam is.

ExamDragon is independent exam preparation. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). The exams' names belong to ASWB and are used only to describe the exams; every question and guide on the ASWB path is our own, written from ASWB's published content outlines.