There are many steps that go into the creation and implementation of ASWB exams. The goal is for the questions on the test to be relevant to the profession, thought provoking in nature, and sensitive to the diverse future practitioners who will be taking the exams. The mission of the ASWB is also to provide scenarios that test your knowledge on a variety of issues that social workers face in the field on a daily basis. They derive many of these questions from direct input that they receive from current practitioners working in the field. These social workers report back to the ASWB with situations that they feel are important for future practitioners to know about before going into practice.
Because social work is such a broad field, the test measures a wide range of practice knowledge. You may feel competent in you knowledge of handling certain situations but others may not be as familiar to you. That is why is important for you to consult a good study tool, like The Complete Guide to Social Work, so that you can find out if there are topics that you need to review a little more in depth.
There are 170 questions on each of the ASWB exams (20 of which are ungraded pre-test questions). They are all multiple choice questions with 4 answer options. The questions on the Advanced Generalist Examination measure your knowledge, skills, and abilities as outlined by 5 categories:
Human Development, Diversity, Behavior in the Environment, Social Work Relationships and Professional Values and Ethics
The questions on the Clinical Examination are also designed to measure you knowledge, skills, and abilities. The 5 categories that will appear on the Clinical Examination are as follows:
Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment, Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning Psychotherapy, Clinical Interventions and Case Management, and Professional Values and Ethics
For more information, visit www.socialworkguide.com