ASWB

Overview

The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) runs the social work licensing exams used by state and provincial regulators in the United States and Canada. Passing the exam for your practice level is one step towards a social work licence. The exams are taken at Pearson test centres.

Who can apply

You do not apply to ASWB first. The usual path is to finish a social work degree, apply to your state or provincial board for a licence or for approval to sit the exam, and then register with ASWB once the board has approved you. Clinical or independent practice licences also require supervised practice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction, so check your own board's rules.

Levels or stages

ASWB offers five exam categories. Your state or provincial board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take. The requirements below are from the 2026 ASWB Examination Guidebook.

Associate

Used only in jurisdictions that license people who do not hold a social work degree. Requirements depend on the jurisdiction. It shares its questions with the Bachelors exam.

Bachelors

Requires a bachelor's degree in social work. It covers basic generalist practice at bachelor's level.

Masters

Requires a master's degree in social work. It covers master's-level practice, including specialised knowledge and advanced practice skills.

Advanced Generalist

Requires a master's degree in social work and two years of experience in nonclinical settings, or the equivalent as defined by the jurisdiction. It covers nonclinical practice, which can include macro-level work.

Clinical

Requires a master's degree in social work and two years of experience in clinical settings, or the equivalent as defined by the jurisdiction. It covers clinical social work that needs specialised clinical knowledge and advanced clinical skills.

Exam pattern

Every exam category tests three content areas: Values and Ethics, Assessment and Planning, and Intervention and Practice. Each exam is built from content areas, competencies and applied knowledge statements. The questions are the same for the Associate and Bachelors exams, and the Guidebook says those two have more recall questions than the others. The exam is split into two sections of 61 questions, with two hours for each section.

Syllabus

ASWB organises each exam around broad content areas, specific competencies and applied knowledge statements that individual questions are based on. In the 2026 Guidebook, the Bachelors/Associate, Masters and Advanced Generalist outlines weight Values and Ethics at 35%, Assessment and Planning at 33% and Intervention and Practice at 32%. The Clinical outline weights Values and Ethics at 36% and Intervention and Practice at 32%. The full content outlines are in the ASWB Examination Guidebook and in ASWB's 2024 Analysis of the Practice of Social Work.

Marking and results

The exams are pass or fail. The passing standard for each category reflects the competence expected of an entry-level social worker at that practice level. ASWB keeps several forms of each exam and adjusts the passing score so that forms of different difficulty hold candidates to the same standard. The passing score typically falls between 66 and 78 correct answers out of the 110 scored questions. The 12 pretest questions do not count.

Fees

As listed on the official site in 2026, the exam fee is US$230 for the Associate, Bachelors or Masters exam, and US$260 for the Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam.

How to apply

1. Apply to your state or provincial board and get approval to test.

2. Register with ASWB at examregistration.aswb.org once approved, and receive an Authorization to Test.

3. Schedule an appointment at a Pearson test centre.

4. Take the exam, then receive your result and proceed to licensure through your board.

After the exam

If you do not pass, ASWB requires a 90-day wait before the next attempt. A waiver may be requested if your last score was within 10 correct answers of passing and your board allows waivers. A new exam fee applies to each attempt, and some boards cap the number of attempts. ASWB suggests waiting 7 to 10 days after an attempt before registering again, and reviewing the unofficial score report in ASWBCentral to find weak areas. Exam results can be sent to another state or province through ASWB.

Preparation tips

ASWB publishes an Examination Guidebook and an online practice test. Start with the content outline for your category and use the practice test to get used to the format and time limit.