ASWB COMPLETE PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
1. Which of the following is NOT true about motivation to change?
A. Motivation fluctuates from one time to another.
B. Motivation can be increased by working to remove barriers to change.
C. Motivation is driven by hope or the belief that life can be different.
D. Motivation that is imposed by external forces is more salient than that which is
intrinsic. - Answers-D
Motivation is a state of readiness or eagerness to change, which fluctuates from one
time to another. The role of the social worker is to create an atmosphere that is
conducive to change and to increase a client's intrinsic motivation, so that change arises
from within rather than being imposed from without. If a client is driven to change
internally, it is much more likely that the change effort will be sustained. A technique to
increase motivation is to work to remove barriers and instill hope or the belief that life
can be different.
2. Evidence-based social work practice can BEST be defined as:
A. Interventions that a social worker has gained training and experience in delivering
B. Treatment that yields the most cost-effective outcomes according to a cost-benefit
analysis
C. Decision making based on the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of research
knowledge, clinical expertise, social work values, and client wishes
D. Practice evaluations that adhere to scientific principles - Answers-C
Evidence-based practice (EBP) combines well-researched interventions with clinical
experience and ethics, as well as client preferences and culture, to guide and inform the
delivery of treatments and services. Social workers, clients, and others must work
together in order to identify what works, for whom, and under what conditions. This
approach ensures that the treatments and services, when used as intended, will have
the most effective outcomes as demonstrated by the research.
3. What are the stages of change in sequential order?
A. Precontemplation, preparation, contemplation, action, maintenance, and relapse
B. Preparation, action, precontemplation, contemplation, maintenance, and relapse
C. Preparation, precontemplation, contemplation, action, maintenance, and relapse
D. Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and relapse -
Answers-D
Precontemplation is denial or ignorance of the problem. It is followed by contemplation
in which there is ambivalence about making change. Then comes preparation or
experimenting with small changes. Action moves toward achieving a goal, whereas
maintenance sustains a new behavior and avoids relapse, which can lead to feelings of
frustration and failure.
4. Which of the following is NOT an essential step in ethical problem solving?
,A. Identifying the ethical standards that may be compromised
B. Determining whether there is an ethical dilemma
C. Weighing ethical issues in light of social work values and principles
D. Asking a supervisor to monitor practice to identify new ethical issues or dilemmas -
Answers-D
A social worker, not his or her supervisor, should monitor practice to identify whether
new issues or dilemmas arise.
5. A young boy is stopped by a police officer and claims that he is a member of the
armed forces, though it is obvious that he is not. This assertion by the boy is MOST
likely a:
A. Comorbid thought
B. Dissociation
C. Folie à deux
D. Delusion - Answers-D
A delusion is a false, fixed belief despite evidence to the contrary (i.e., believing
something that is not true). Comorbid means existing at the same time. Dissociation is a
change in memory, perception, or consciousness. Folie à deux is a shared delusion.
6. Which of the following is an example of social stratification?
A. A child is not included in group activities in school because of his or her poor social
skills.
B. Children who are violent need to be segregated from their peers.
C. A child with social deficits is assumed to be delayed in cognition without additional
assessment.
D. Children from affluent households receive a better public education than those from
low-income households. - Answers-D
Stratification refers to structured inequality of entire categories of people in society who
have unequal access to social rewards. Stratification applies to individuals based on
ethnic and racial background, social status, and/or other factors.
7. During an intake interview, a client reports that she is extremely depressed and has
self-destructive thoughts. She has had prior suicide attempts, but tells the social worker
not to worry as she won't "do it again." The social worker should FIRST:
A. Tell the client that her decision not to harm herself is a good one
B. Explore with the client what is causing her depression
C. Conduct a safety assessment
D. Refer the client to a psychiatrist for a medication evaluation - Answers-C
Despite the client's report that she will not act on her thoughts, she is at risk because
she has had these feelings and has acted on them in the past. The case vignette does
not describe the social worker taking any action yet. A safety assessment will determine
the severity of the depression and whether the client is at risk for a suicide attempt. It
must be done FIRST before any other action is taken.
8. A client with a Social Anxiety Disorder will MOST likely be prescribed which of the
following medications to take on an ongoing basis?
,A. Zoloft (sertraline)
B. Mellaril (thioridazine)
C. Thorazine (chlorpromazine)
D. Valium (diazepam) - Answers-A The primary medications used to treat social anxiety
disorder are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which were first developed
to treat depression. They have been found to be effective in the treatment of a wider
range of disorders. Zoloft (sertraline) is an SSRI.
Benzodiazepines, such as Valium (diazepam), reduce levels of anxiety. However, they
are habit-forming and sedating, so they are typically prescribed for only short-term use.
Mellaril (thioridazine) and Thorazine (chlorpromazine) are antipsychotic medications for
the treatment of psychosis.
9. A social work administrator is having trouble finding a group home manager for a new
program scheduled to open in 2 weeks. Further delays in locating staff will delay clients
from moving into the program. The administrator temporarily hires her niece, who just
graduated with a social work degree, for this position. This action is:
A. Ethical because the niece is clearly qualified for the position
B. Unethical because this is a conflict of interest
C. Ethical because the position is temporary and ensures clients get the services
needed
D. Unethical because clients will experience staff turnover when a new manager is hired
- Answers-B
Social workers should avoid situations interfering with impartial judgment. Hiring a
family member creates a dual relationship and should be avoided.
10. A social worker is interested in seeing the extent to which current clients are
satisfied with a new relapse prevention program. The social worker distributes a client
satisfaction survey to those in the program. The social worker then collects the surveys
and analyzes the results that are presented to a management team in the agency. The
social worker is conducting which type of evaluation?
A. Summative
B. Experimental
C. Quasi-experimental
D. Formative - Answers-D
Formative evaluations examine the process of delivering services, whereas summative
evaluations examine the outcomes. Formative evaluations are ongoing processes that
allow for feedback to be implemented during service delivery. These types of
evaluations allow social workers to make changes as needed to help achieve program
goals. Summative evaluations occur at the end of services and provide an overall
description of their effectiveness. Summative evaluation examines outcomes to
determine whether objectives were met.
The design described is not experimental—which requires a control group and
randomization of assignment—or quasi-experimental, which does not require
, randomization, but has more support for causal inferences than does preexperimental
designs.
11. A social worker is appointed by the court to conduct a child custody evaluation for a
couple that is divorcing. The mother reports that her husband is verbally abusive,
controlling, and neglects the children when they are in his care. She reports that the
children have missed a lot of school when staying with their father because he does not
assist with getting them ready for school or doing their homework. The father states that
his wife is lazy, irresponsible, and cannot meet the children's basic needs. He reports
that the school frequently has to provide lunch for the children because the mother does
not supply it when they are in her care. In order to BEST evaluate the legitimacy of the
information, the social worker should:
A. Ask the husband and wife to put their allegations in writing and sign them, attesting to
their accuracy
B. Determine whether the husband or wife have had any past instances with bein -
Answers-D
Collateral information is often used when the credibility and validity of information
obtained from a client or others is questionable. For example, child custody cases are
inherently characterized by biased data within an adversarial process. Social workers
should use data from neutral parties, such as the school, because this information has
higher integrity.
12. A social worker is facilitating a psychotherapy group for individuals who are in
recovery from substance abuse. After group, a client mentions that she has been having
problems dealing with job stress without the use of substances. In order to meet this
client's needs, the social worker should: A. Recommend that the client see the social
worker individually in addition to the group therapy because she appears to need some
additional support
B. Suggest that the client bring this topic up in the group next week to see if others are
having similar problems
C. Evaluate whether group therapy is the best treatment modality for the client due to
the issue being mentioned to the social worker outside of the group context
D. Determine if there is an employee assistance program in the client's work setting to
assist - Answers-B
In group therapy, the group is the major helping agent. Issues should be brought back to
the group to address. There is no need for the client to see the social worker for
individual therapy. Contacting an employee assistance program would breach
confidentiality.
13. An 11-year-old child would like to start helping around the house with chores. She
approaches her mother many times, but is told she cannot assist because "she won't do
it right." During several attempts to do things on her own, she is scolded. According to
psychosocial development theory, she may experience doubts in her abilities due to a
crisis in which of the following stages?
A. Industry versus inferiority
B. Initiative versus guilt