ASWB Social Work Licensing Examination – Clinical
ASWB Practice Test: Clinical Exam
This ASWB practice test is written for the Clinical exam as it has been since August 3, 2026: 122 questions (110 scored, 12 unscored) in 4 hours, delivered as two separately timed sections of 61 questions. Questions follow the 2026 Clinical content outline: Values and Ethics 36%, Assessment and Planning 32%, Intervention and Practice 32%. The free 25-question diagnostic needs no account.
The free ASWB Clinical diagnostic is being prepared and is not open yet. The exam facts and the content outline on this page are current.
The exam changed on August 3, 2026. It is shorter than the 170-question exam it replaced, it has a new content outline based on ASWB's 2024 practice analysis, and it is now taken in two sections: once you submit the first, you cannot go back to it. Preparation material written for the earlier format describes a different exam in both length and content areas.
More than a third of the Clinical exam is Values and Ethics. ASWB says the 2026 exams lean further toward applying knowledge through problem-solving and reasoning, so expect a situation and a question about what the social worker should do first, or next, more often than a rule to recall. That is why each question here explains every option: on a vignette, the wrong answers are usually reasonable actions taken at the wrong moment.
The ASWB Clinical exam at a glance
What you are preparing for, in the exam owner's own numbers.
| Questions | 122 (110 scored, 12 unscored) |
|---|---|
| Time limit | 4 hours |
| Exam fee | $260 |
| Delivery | In person on computer at Pearson test centers, by individual appointment with no fixed test dates. The exam is delivered as two separately timed 61-question sections with an optional scheduled break of up to 10 minutes between them; once a section is submitted it cannot be reopened. |
| Eligibility | Candidates must first be approved by the social work board in their state or province, which decides eligibility and the exam category. The Clinical category requires a master's degree in social work plus two years of experience in clinical settings, or the commensurate experience the jurisdiction defines. |
| Passing standard | Pass/fail against a fixed passing standard. The number of correct answers needed varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions; the 12 pretest questions do not count. |
| Retakes | Candidates must wait 90 days between attempts. A waiver of the wait may be requested if the score was within 10 correct answers of passing and the jurisdiction allows waivers. The full exam fee is due for each attempt, further board approval may be needed, and some boards limit the number of attempts. |
| Outline in force | 2026 Clinical exam content outline (ASWB Examination Guidebook, 08/2026; based on the 2024 Analysis of the Practice of Social Work), effective August 3, 2026 |
Exam facts are taken from ASWB’s own published material, last checked October 2, 2026. Source. Confirm fees, dates and rules with the organization you register with before you book.
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 61 | 2 hours |
| Section 2 | 61 | 2 hours |
Who takes it
You cannot register for an ASWB exam on your own initiative. The social work board in your state or province must first approve you, and it decides both your eligibility and which exam category you take. The Clinical category requires a master's degree in social work plus two years of experience in clinical settings, or the commensurate experience your jurisdiction defines. It is commonly the exam behind clinical licenses such as the LCSW; your board confirms the category when it approves you.
What the ASWB Clinical exam covers
3 content areas and the share of the exam each carries. The bank is tagged to the same outline, so your results come back by area.
| Domain | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| IValues and Ethics28 tasks | 36% | Confidentiality and its limits, informed consent, boundaries and dual relationships, mandatory reporting and duty to warn, documentation, billing, technology-based practice and ending services, plus diversity and social justice. The Clinical outline also lists research ethics here: review boards, human subjects and consent to research. |
| IIAssessment and Planning40 tasks | 32% | Recognizing trauma, abuse, substance use and mental illness across the lifespan; assessing risk of harm; interviewing; the mental status examination; and planning treatment. This is where the Clinical outline names the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an assessment tool. |
| IIIIntervention and Practice48 tasks | 32% | Crisis work, trauma-informed care, evidence-based therapies, family and group work, and treatment approaches for couples, along with role play, role modeling and assertiveness training. It also covers evaluating practice and programs, quality assurance, supervision, and running an organization, down to fiscal management. |
How to use the bank for the ASWB Clinical exam
- 1
Take the diagnostic to see the three areas separately
25 questions across the outline, scored by content area. With only three areas, one weak result is a third of the exam.
- 2
Practice reasoning through the vignette
In tutor mode, decide what you would do and why before you look at the options, then read the explanation for all of them. The habit to build is ruling an option out for a stated reason rather than choosing the one that sounds most caring, or the one your own agency would choose: after two years in practice, habit is the easiest thing to answer from.
- 3
Rehearse the two-section format
The exam is two sections of 61 questions with two hours each, and an optional break of up to 10 minutes between them. A submitted section cannot be reopened, so practice finishing a timed block, reviewing your flagged questions inside it, and letting it go.
- 4
Finish with a full-length mock
122 questions in 4 hours, split the way the exam is. Review every miss by content area and spend your last week on the weakest one.
What is in the paid ASWB Clinical bank
The question bank
The ASWB Clinical bank is still being written. The live count appears here when questions are published.
Every option explained
A written reason for every option, right and wrong, plus a one-line takeaway, a cited reference and the outline task the question tests.
Tutor mode and timed mode
Tutor mode shows the explanation after each question. Timed mode holds everything back until the end, at exam pace.
A readiness band, by domain
Your first-attempt results weighted the way the exam weights its domains, shown as a band rather than a pass probability: nobody outside the exam owner knows the cut score.
A study plan
Set your exam date and the plan divides the questions you have not seen across the days you have left, weakest domains first, with the mock exams placed in the back half.
ASWB Clinical passes
A pass is access for a fixed number of days. You pay once; nothing renews.
30-day pass
$49one-off
- The full ASWB Clinical bank for 30 days
- Every mock exam, tutor and timed modes
- Charged once. It does not renew.
90-day pass
$79one-off
- The full ASWB Clinical bank for 90 days
- Every mock exam, tutor and timed modes
- Charged once. It does not renew.
Refund within 7 days if you have answered fewer than 50 questions. Pass guarantee: complete 100% of the bank with an average of 80% or better, and if you still do not pass the exam your pass is extended by 90 days at no charge.
How the questions are written and checked
Step 1
Written to the public outline
Each question is written by AI against one task in ASWB's published content outline. Nothing is taken from the exam itself.
Step 2
Solved blind by a second model
A different model answers the question without seeing the key. If it does not reach the same answer, the question is not published.
Step 3
Audited for flaws and duplicates
A separate pass looks for item-writing flaws: two defensible answers, a giveaway in the wording, a rationale that contradicts the key. Near-duplicates are removed.
Step 4
Corrected in public
Learners can report any question. Reports and answer statistics flag questions for withdrawal or correction, and every correction is logged.
There is no human subject-matter-expert review in that process, and we do not claim one. What you get instead is a cited reference on every question, so you can check it yourself. Read the full methodology or see the corrections log.
ASWB Clinical practice questions: common questions
Is this practice test for the new 2026 ASWB exam?
Yes. It follows the Clinical content outline and the format in use since August 3, 2026: 122 questions in two sections, with 110 scored. It is not written for the earlier 170-question exam.
How many questions are on the ASWB Clinical exam?
122. 110 are scored and 12 are unscored pretest questions that are not identified. They are delivered in two sections of 61 questions, each with two hours. ASWB's guidebook says the exam may contain both three-option and four-option questions.
What score do I need to pass the ASWB Clinical exam?
The exam is pass or fail against a fixed standard. ASWB says the number of correct answers needed varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions.
How much does the ASWB Clinical exam cost?
$260, and the full fee is due again for each attempt.
What is the pass rate for the ASWB Clinical exam?
ASWB's published figure: 2025 first-time test-takers: 75.7% (26,439 exams administered). This figure predates the exam format and content outline introduced on August 3, 2026. It describes everyone who took the exam, not users of this site, for whom we publish no pass rate.
How long do I have to wait to retake the ASWB exam?
90 days between attempts. A waiver of the wait may be requested if your score was within 10 correct answers of passing and your jurisdiction allows waivers. Some boards also limit the number of attempts or require fresh approval.
Is the ASWB practice test free?
The 25-question diagnostic is free, with no account needed and every question explained at the end. The full bank and the mock exams are part of a paid pass, charged once with no renewal.
Which ASWB exam is this page for?
The Clinical exam. ASWB runs several exam categories with different outlines, and your board decides which one you take. There is a separate question bank for the Masters exam.
ASWB is a trademark of the Association of Social Work Boards, which owns and administers the Social Work Licensing Examinations. This site is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Association of Social Work Boards.