Values and Ethics
ASWB gives Values and Ethics 35% of the 2026 Masters exam — the largest of its three content areas. It covers ethical principles and responsibilities, ethical service delivery, and diversity and social justice. The PrepPass ASWB Masters Study Guide teaches each competency in depth, with worked examples, chapter quizzes and a full-length practice exam.
Consent and confidentiality
Informed consent is ongoing and must be understandable: purpose, risks, limits set by payers, costs, alternatives, the right to refuse and the time frame. Language barriers call for a qualified interpreter, not a family member. Confidentiality gives way when disclosure is needed to prevent serious, foreseeable and imminent harm, and even then the social worker shares only what is necessary and tells the client when feasible. HIPAA treats psychotherapy notes separately from the rest of the record.
Boundaries, self-determination and reporting
Dual relationships are avoided when they risk exploitation or harm; sexual contact with current clients is never permitted. Competent adults make their own choices, including risky ones, and the social worker helps them plan for safety. Mandated reporters report suspected child abuse — suspicion is the trigger, not proof — and duty-to-protect rules for threats against others vary by state.
Diversity and social justice
The 2021 NASW Code asks social workers to act against oppression and racism and to practice cultural humility: self-reflection, and treating clients as experts on their own culture. Expect questions on accessibility and interpreters, implicit bias and microaggressions, trafficking indicators, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the experiences of immigrants and refugees.
Keep going: the full ASWB Masters Social Work Licensing Exam guide covers every section of the exam. ASWB Masters Study Guide — 2026 Edition — PDF + EPUB, $24.99 · 14-day refund →
Practice stays free. The full ASWB Masters Social Work Licensing Exam study guide is the material itself, taught start to finish — a downloadable PDF + EPUB you keep.