ASWB Licensing Exam Leaves Social Workers Underprepared
Social workers express relief and joy after successfully completing challenging licensing exams (ASWB and LCSW). They share study strategies, resources, and experiences, often highlighting the emotional toll of the process and the significance of achieving licensure. Many felt underprepared but persevered, demonstrating resilience and a commitment to the profession.
SOURCES (60)
“I recently passed my CPTE, and I’m extremely relieved. Before the results, I was constantly thinking about whether I would pass or not. Now that I’ve passed, I realize that this was only one major hurdle, and there are still many things I need to…”
“Hello everyone. I recently took the NCLEX on 9/17 and received my unofficial results from Pearson Vue on 9/19 saying that I passed. I had a misdemeanor from 8 years ago that has since been expunged, but I’m still waiting on my license to be posted as active. I’m in Washington State if that helps! The misdemeanor was from 8 years ago when I was living in California. I have already submitted all documentation in regards to my expunged misdemeanor to the BON. Is there a realistic timeline to see my”
“Just passed my ASWB-C on my first attempt in the state of Colorado! It was the new version of the exam, which I love they reduced the number of total/scored questions! Feeling so relieved, so I thought I would offer any advice, tips, study materials I found helpful (and those I didn’t), or any questions you may have about the process, the exam itself, or anything else are curious about based on my experience! I just took the exam this afternoon, so as of now, I only know I passed; I won’t have m”
“Hi all, I am finishing up my maternity leave and thought, "What better time than to take an exam!" Anyway, I am wanting to take this exam for a future job opportunity and purchased the 2nd ed. textbook and plan to purchase the practice exam. Can anyone who recently took the exam help me plan what to study? I have been in an inpatient clinical setting working in my oncology unit for 4-5 years now. I would like to take this in 6 months (March 2027) with confidence and pass. Is there a li”
“Idk if it is financially feasible, but after being denied a test at my apartment because of book shelves, and my toddler barging in I got a cheap hotel room for one night. Booked my test for like 8pm, checked in around 5. The only thing they weren't happy about in the hotel room was the TV, but once I showed that I couldn't unplug it they were okay.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty strict about it. They had me show them the entire room on camera, prove there was only one entrance/exit and ensure I sat in front of it so they could monitor if it opened, wear short sleeves and show them my wrists to prove I didn’t have an Apple watch/some other way of concealing cheating, etc. I was worried the entire time they’d think I was cheating, even though I was home alone in a room that had absolutely nothing in it (recently moved in) just because of how strict th”
“You probably do not need six months. Start applying and prep alongside it. A good stopping point is when you can solve common easy and medium patterns with a time limit and explain your approach out loud. Keep a short warmup routine so the OA is not a cold start.”
“Same. I thought the assertion level was the RAP under each issue and the OFSL level was factors that we analyzed but concluding on low, medium, or high”
“I can’t believe it! Earlier today while I was at work I got the A! This journey has been so long and to finally be here is insane… SOMEONE PLEASE PIGEON ME!! submitted by /u/SpiritedResource1401 [link] [comments]”
“Need to push through my last three exams in the next two weeks. Give me all of the words of encouragement to push through the finish line. I’m running out of steam! Help! submitted by /u/shmo-12 [link] [comments]”
“On the first try! Yipeee!! 1 down 2 more to go. Super proud of myself lol submitted by /u/illnamethisaccount [link] [comments]”
“First Class Exam and I failed it with a 55 I felt like I was sooooo prepared and got humbled immediately It’s only the first exam so I know I can bounce back but i’m bummed AF because I really thought I had it in the bag 😭 submitted by /u/Pinkaddict2003 [link] [comments]”
“I’m so excited to share that I finally passed the AWSB exam. This was my third time taking it. The new version was well structured compared to old version. A lot of application and reasoning with a few recall. I’ll list the material I used below. Resources: -Pocket prep (look at what you got wrong and why) -Purchased the practice exam -ChatGPT - I know not everyone like AI but it help break down some material - I also used TDC but didn’t use primarily - Lastly I watched Ayo, Raytube, and agents”
Thank you, brother, for the motivation; this exam is a trauma for me.
“Here it is my obligatory I passed post! I passed in my first time in under 3 hours. I studied with the pocket prep app, the Dawn Apgar book, took a prep class and spent some time in Raytube. I am so thankful to have this behind me and have so much gratitude for all of the posts here on Reddit that got me through my education and the exam. My greatest tips is to know order of operations & read the code of ethics. AASPIRINS (Acknowledge, Assess, Start where client is at, Protect life, Intoxica”
“I took the new version of the exam this morning and am so relieved to share that I passed on my first try!!! I have been reading so many other posts about the new exam to prep and found it helpful- so wanted to share my own experience while it’s fresh in my brain. Ofc every exam is different but I would say I had less than 10 recall type questions in the whole exam. It was HEAVY on real work application scenarios, which I’ve heard other folks say the same. Lots of first next best. Also several s”
“Thank you to all of you that gave advice and shared your experience with the test. It was a big help and it paid off. submitted by /u/changowango00 [link] [comments]”
“I have been working towards them for about a year now. I passed READ and science on first try, but math and social studies took two tries. I got all of my official scores back today and I am so excited and proud. I will be interning and graduating in the spring submitted by /u/AllHomo_NoSapien [link] [comments]”
“Hi all! I passed my licensing exam on my first try today in Oregon. I am very relieved to have it done and with it still being fresh in my brain, I’ve been thinking about how exactly my day to day job will change now that I’ll be switching into LCSW land after three years of CSWA purgatory. Aside from the raise, I’m not sure my daily job tasks will change much other than my supervisor won’t have to approve the mental health assessments that I complete on our EHR. I work at an outpatient communit”
“I did a ton of practice yesterday and man was it rough. The best I did for a single passage was like half of the questions right. Even though I regularly read, these passages remind me of that TikTok sound that goes like “it’s rather disconcerting, befuddling, bamboozling” and it’s hard to understand them lots of the time. These questions are too subjective and most of the time have multiple correct answers listed. Any advice? submitted by /u/danitalibi1 [link] [comments]”
“My first time taking it, so I don’t know how it compares to the previous version, but I’m so happy! Mostly utilized PocketPrep doing their “quick 10” a few times a week. Also took the official practice test. What a relief. submitted by /u/DisasterScoutMaster [link] [comments]”
“I’m so happy I could cry! I finished my 18 month program recently and studied like crazy after, but it was so worth it! It was def a really hard test but I’m glad all that hard work has finally paid off. I feel like I can breathe now ☺️ submitted by /u/Samurott12345 [link] [comments]”
“I’ve taken LGSW/LMSW exam twice with the old version and was off by 3 points or less both times. I’m going back and forth on if/when I should redo it but feel uninspired to without knowing the exactly I’m up against since I want a foolproof study plan. It would be especially helpful to hear from people who have taken both the old and new versions of the exam and what differences you noticed? Especially since I struggled with the language ASWB used compared to the practice exams I took. sub”
“Yay I passed today! I will get to see the score report tomorrow but I’m so excited!! I was worried because I got sick and didn’t study as much as I would have liked, but nonetheless here we are :) submitted by /u/sdangbb [link] [comments]”
“my heart was literally beating in my ear when i submitted the exam then it sank when I realized the result wasn't immediate and could take up to 24 hours half an hour later i got an email....I passed!!!!!!!!! I am so incredibly proud of myself. I had a very dodgy study plan. Gave myself 3 weeks and realistically only studied for a little over a week. I took a readiness/test taker style questionnaire and scored very low on preparedness, but super high on confidence LOL. I guess my hubris paid”
“Well done for everything you have put in place. It's not easy, and for what it's worth, I'm very proud of you. Take time to be gentle with yourself.”
“My first try, I felt under prepared and was so nervous. I felt like I was possibly failing during the test and was so relieved to pass. I scored 94/125. Not amazing but good enough! I’m curious what other’s scores were? I did nicole kupchick’s review which was decent. And then I mostly focused on the aacn test bank! submitted by /u/Dear-Menu1264 [link] [comments]”
“Congrats, so happy for you!🎉 Any advice for how things finally to turned around?”
“I don’t want to take the exam again, and I ESPECIALLY don’t want to pay $650 for it, but I KNOW I should… and I know I can lock in and study hard. I was very close to passing the first time and I believe I failed because I had to hand-write the essays when everyone else used a laptop. I’m about to submit my application and pay for it, using almost all the money in my savings to pay for the exam + prep course…… ahhhhh submitted by /u/True-Shape7744 [link] [comments]”
“It's not "un-tested" just because you didn't see it in the sample of questions you got for your test”
“Honestly not very thrilled that I passed… I know I did because it was way too easy, Becker was substantially much harder solely due to its excessive and insignificant coverage of (un-tested) topics. submitted by /u/Accomplished-You9473 [link] [comments]”
“I have an interview for a SNF and am freaking out because i just passed my exam a few weeks ago and i don't feel prepared at all to work as th only RD. I feel like i don't know anything and don't know anything about food service (my internship was so awful). Idk how to order or budget and purchase food for a kitchen, idk if my interventions will be correct if im the first RD who's seeing them. I'd do better if I had another RD to talk to to bounce back ideas or for me to ask”
“Curious what your passing numbers were! Mine was 102 and wondering if I passed submitted by /u/PirateOutrageous3347 [link] [comments]”
“I hadn’t taken a standardized test in over 10 years. I was so nervous, but it wasn’t that bad! Feeling proud of myself. submitted by /u/Outside-Salt-3610 [link] [comments]”
“I’ve been studying since May. I used the VetTechPrep app and completed at least 95% of the course material. I’ve been using some of Evolves textbook resources (however lots of errors on this one) and now I’m reviewing my main notes bur I constantly feel underprepared. It’s impossible to memorize every thing learned from school for every species. I can’t even believe I had once managed to memorize some of this stuff and passed my classes! Everyone at my work knows I’m writing tomorrow and says th”
“Hey guys, I am so disappointed because I passed day 1 and passed EVERY part of day 2/3 but only failed overall because I didnt pass level 1.. i am beyond shocked and sad. It says I have a decile ranking of 2. Is it worth it to appeal? How can they fail you if you passed everything and just because of this id have to write day 2 and 3 all over again? I cant believe it. Does anyone know if this is worth appealing? :(”
“It’s a MIRACLE! I passed all threedays with depth in both FR and MA!! I left all three FR AOs BLANK on Day 2, and on Day 3, I could only manage RCs at best on the three FR AOs—there was absolutely no way I got a single C. How on earth did I still pass FR at Level 2 depth??? BTW, I also left another AO blank on Day 3, so that’s four completely blank AOs in total, and I STILL PASSED!!!”
“Passed my LCSW this morning and very excited about it! I used the Therapist Development Center and Pocket Prep, studied most days of the week (usually six, sometimes five) for an hour and a half or two hours each evening. I'm in private practice and carry a full caseload of clients, so toward the end, the stress was definitely starting to wear on me. I had the exam scheduled further out and moved it up when my official ASWB practice test went well. Hope that everyone else's study time is”
“Studying with others really helps me too, especially if we quiz each other or share different perspectives on tough topics. You all seem so engaged, it's great to see.”
“Anyone else going for recertification via exam vs CE? I refuse to give them money for their 'simple' low yielding, conflict of interest (ie money scheme $$) CE so Im taking the exam again at the end of the month. I reluctantly bought the ACCP online prep material despite having 2018 material and im focusing on material i have zero clue about - pharmacoeconomics and other non-clinical topics. Then will probably skim the other chapters. Would be interested in knowing if anyone else is goin”
“Yay!!! Successfully earned my LISW this morning after the ASWB Clinical. It took me about 55ish minutes and the new format was helpful! I used the Dawn Apgbar for about 2 weeks. Can’t wait to celebrate!! submitted by /u/Express-Classroom-78 [link] [comments]”
“I took my test yesterday and passed with strong scores in every content area. While I was studying for it, I browsed Reddit for any information pertaining to studying for the exam since the name change from BMTCN to TCTCN, however I didn’t see any posts. If you have any questions feel free to reach out. Praying for success to anyone studying for it 😊. submitted by /u/casuallyobservingx [link] [comments]”
“Hey all. Was wondering if we could all create a study group? Would be super helpful to share insights and thoughts before the exam. 😇”
“Yea, get the exams out of the way. Focus on that instead. The other stuff is less important not worth the headspace. Passing the exams will be better in the long run that thinking about the other things. Imagine how you'll feel with the exams out of the way. Now get to it”
“Hi everyone! In June, I celebrated the completion of my 3,000+ hours of supervised clinical experience (yay!) and submitted my application to take the ASWB exam. True to form, my state board has been a nightmare to work with. They take 30-65 days to review applications and we’ve wound up in a scenario where they tell me that my application is approved/they’ve received the correct materials, ask me to wait 30ish days, and then come back 30ish days later and let me know that there was an error wit”
I'm very happy to hear this worked out for you. I'm glad you gave it a shot, and thank you for sharing. Best of luck to you in your journey.
“I saw my 6th and final PASS on the screen yesterday! PPD gave me a run for my money (literally). But honestly, you can feel the pass while you’re taking it just like you can feel the fail. I took PDD last week and didn’t prolong going for the finish! A little under 3 years between my first and last pass and it feels weird having the extra time on my hands, although it hasn’t completely sunk in. I literally can go to a bar or cafe without my laptop and iPad…although I’m sure I’ll find a reason to”
“I got a 92/110 and I finished it about 50 mins. I was metaphorically pooping bricks while in the Pearson room. I unfortunately had a CMH supervisor who refused to sign on some hours early on before I knew better, so I’m now placing the last of my energy (and money) on 2 supervision sessions a week for the next ~15 weeks submitted by /u/mangopear29 [link] [comments]”