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Free ASWB Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Licensing Exam (ASWB) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free ASWB practice test to study every exam domain.

These 10 free ASWB questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Licensing Exam blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.

Domain 1: Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment

Question 1

A social worker notices that a client who has strong feelings of hostility toward their therapist repeatedly says, 'You seem angry today. Are you upset with me?' This is an example of:

  1. Displacement
  2. Projection
  3. Transference
  4. Reaction formation
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Projection

Question 2

A client recently escaped domestic violence and is staying in a shelter. She asks the social worker about starting college courses. Based on Maslow's hierarchy, the social worker should:

  1. Prioritize housing stability goals first and revisit educational planning once basic needs are fully met
  2. Support the client's interest while also ensuring basic safety and stability needs are addressed
  3. Help the client develop educational goals as a way to build motivation and long-term self-sufficiency
  4. Refer the client to a career counselor who can simultaneously address vocational and educational goals
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Support the client's interest while also ensuring basic safety and stability needs are addressed

Domain 2: Assessment and Diagnosis

Question 3

A client recently started an antidepressant and reports feeling more energized but still has suicidal thoughts. The social worker should be MOST concerned because:

  1. Increased energy with persistent suicidal ideation raises the risk of acting on those thoughts
  2. The medication may be causing activation syndrome that requires an immediate dosage adjustment
  3. The energy increase suggests the medication is working and suicidal thoughts will likely resolve soon
  4. The client is likely experiencing a placebo response that will diminish within the first two weeks
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Increased energy with persistent suicidal ideation raises the risk of acting on those thoughts

Question 4

A client presents with a pervasive pattern of instability in relationships, self-image, and affect, along with impulsivity, recurrent self-harm, chronic feelings of emptiness, and frantic efforts to avoid abandonment. The MOST likely diagnosis is:

  1. Bipolar II Disorder
  2. Borderline Personality Disorder
  3. Histrionic Personality Disorder
  4. Dependent Personality Disorder
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Borderline Personality Disorder

Question 5

A client tells the social worker, 'I've been thinking about driving my car off a bridge on the way home.' The social worker should FIRST:

  1. Explore the client's underlying feelings and emotional context surrounding the thought
  2. Assess the immediacy of the plan, the client's intent, and access to means
  3. Schedule an urgent follow-up appointment for the next available day
  4. Contact the client's emergency contact to inform them of the situation
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Assess the immediacy of the plan, the client's intent, and access to means

Domain 3: Psychotherapy, Clinical Interventions, and Case Management

Question 6

A client says, 'I know I should quit smoking, but I enjoy it and it helps me relax.' The social worker using Motivational Interviewing should:

  1. Provide detailed psychoeducation about the specific health dangers of continued smoking
  2. Explore the client's ambivalence by discussing both sides of the issue without judgment
  3. Insist the client commit to setting a concrete quit date before the next session
  4. Confront the client directly about making excuses to avoid necessary behavioral change
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Explore the client's ambivalence by discussing both sides of the issue without judgment

Question 7

A client expresses sadness and anger about the upcoming end of therapy, saying, 'You're abandoning me, just like everyone else.' The social worker should:

  1. Offer a gradual step-down in session frequency to ease the emotional impact of the transition
  2. Explore the client's feelings about termination and connect them to broader relational themes of loss
  3. Normalize the client's feelings and redirect focus toward the concrete progress made during treatment
  4. Process the feelings while proposing a brief extension to allow more time for closure work
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Explore the client's feelings about termination and connect them to broader relational themes of loss

Domain 4: Professional Values and Ethics

Question 8

A social worker practicing in a rural area discovers that a prospective client is the parent of their child's best friend. The social worker should:

  1. Accept the client without any further consideration, since rural communities have limited provider options available
  2. Evaluate the potential impact of the dual relationship on the client, consulting with a supervisor
  3. Automatically refuse to see the client in order to completely eliminate any risk of a dual relationship
  4. See the client only after obtaining their verbal agreement to keep the therapeutic relationship confidential
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Evaluate the potential impact of the dual relationship on the client, consulting with a supervisor

Question 9

A social worker at a domestic violence shelter learns that a child client is being physically abused by their mother, who is also a client at the shelter. The social worker should:

  1. Prioritize protecting the mother, recognizing that she is also a victim of domestic violence
  2. File a mandated report of child abuse regardless of the mother's status as a DV victim
  3. Address the issue in therapy but delay reporting unless the abuse becomes more severe
  4. Confront the mother directly about the behavior without involving outside agencies
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - File a mandated report of child abuse regardless of the mother's status as a DV victim

Question 10

A social worker's client says, 'I'm going to kill my neighbor.' To trigger a Tarasoff duty to protect, the social worker must assess whether:

  1. The client has a documented history of violent behavior toward others in the community
  2. There is an identifiable victim, a credible threat, and imminent danger of serious harm
  3. The client has direct access to a weapon that could be used to carry out the stated threat
  4. The threat was communicated in the context of acute emotional distress during the session
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - There is an identifiable victim, a credible threat, and imminent danger of serious harm

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