ASWB Masters Social Work Licensing Exam — All Questions

A 4-year-old gives her favorite teddy bear to comfort her crying grandfather. In Piaget's terms, this reflects:

• a.Formal operations
• b.Object permanence
• c.Conservation
• d.Egocentrism✓

StatPearls describes preoperational children as egocentric, giving the example of offering a favorite stuffed toy to comfort an upset loved one.

At about what age does object permanence emerge, according to StatPearls' summary of Piaget?

• a.Around two years
• b.Around seven years
• c.Around six months✓
• d.Birth

StatPearls states that object permanence emerges around six months of age.

According to Erikson, the central task of adolescence is:

• a.Intimacy versus isolation
• b.Generativity versus stagnation
• c.Trust versus mistrust
• d.Identity versus role confusion✓

Erikson's fifth stage, adolescence, is identity versus role confusion.

A 9-year-old can solve problems about real objects but struggles with hypothetical "what if" questions. Which Piagetian stage fits?

• a.Concrete operational✓
• b.Preoperational thought
• c.Sensorimotor
• d.Formal operational thought

The concrete operational stage (ages 7 to 11) involves logical operations including conservation; the ability to use abstractions develops in the formal operational stage from about age 12.

A woman who is furious with her mother becomes an award-winning advocate for elder safety. Which defense mechanism is this?

• a.Sublimation✓
• b.Reaction formation
• c.Projection
• d.Displacement

Sublimation is transforming anxiety or emotions into pursuits considered by societal norms to be more useful.

A man insists nothing is wrong despite losing his license after three drunk-driving arrests. He is MOST likely using:

• a.Rationalization
• b.Denial✓
• c.Suppression
• d.Undoing

Denial is dismissing external reality to avoid an uncomfortable situation. Suppression is a conscious choice to set thoughts aside, not a refusal to see the problem.

A child who receives predictable, responsive care from a parent is MOST likely to develop:

• a.Disorganized attachment
• b.Avoidant attachment
• c.Secure attachment✓
• d.Ambivalent attachment

Attachment strategies reflect caregiver availability; unpredictable care is linked to disorganized patterns, while consistent, responsive care supports secure attachment.

In a family, a teenage daughter acts as her mother's confidante against her father. In structural terms this is:

• a.Differentiation of self
• b.An inappropriate cross-generational coalition✓
• c.A strategic reframing technique
• d.Healthy family disengagement

Structural family therapy looks for inappropriate coalitions between family members, especially across generational lines.

Which is the BEST definition of historical trauma?

• a.Trauma affecting a whole culture over generations✓
• b.Trauma from a single frightening event
• c.Trauma absorbed by a professional helper from clients
• d.Trauma recalled only under hypnosis

SAMHSA describes historical trauma as events so widespread as to affect an entire culture, with effects that reach generations beyond those directly affected.

Which is one of the four common types of child maltreatment listed by CDC?

• a.Poverty
• b.Strict discipline
• c.Emotional abuse✓
• d.Sibling rivalry

CDC lists physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect as the four common types.

Which finding MOST suggests neglect rather than poverty alone?

• a.Children wearing secondhand clothes
• b.A family using a food bank
• c.A family of five living in a one-bedroom apartment
• d.A parent refusing available care for a sick child✓

CDC defines neglect as the failure to meet a child's basic needs, including access to medical care; refusing care that is available is a failure to provide, while material hardship alone reflects lack of resources.

Which behavior is an example of psychological aggression in intimate partner violence?

• a.Asking a partner to call when late
• b.A single argument over finances
• c.Disagreeing about parenting
• d.Threats and monitoring used to control✓

CDC defines psychological aggression as verbal and nonverbal communication intended to harm a partner mentally or emotionally or to exert control.

Adverse childhood experiences, as CDC defines them, occur during which ages?

• a.Birth to 5
• b.5 to 12
• c.0 to 17✓
• d.12 to 21

CDC defines ACEs as potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood, ages 0 to 17.

A college student reports days of little sleep, racing thoughts and huge spending, followed by weeks of hopelessness. Which condition does this pattern suggest?

• a.Borderline personality disorder
• b.Generalized anxiety disorder
• c.Bipolar disorder✓
• d.Seasonal adjustment

NIMH describes bipolar disorder as periods of extremely up, energized behavior (manic episodes) and very down, hopeless periods (depressive episodes).

According to NIMH, schizophrenia is usually first diagnosed between which ages?

• a.16 and 30✓
• b.60 and 75
• c.35 and 50
• d.5 and 12

NIMH states that people are usually first diagnosed with schizophrenia between the ages of 16 and 30, after a first episode of psychosis.

A client has both major depression and an alcohol use disorder. This is BEST described as:

• a.A dual relationship
• b.Co-occurring disorders✓
• c.A primary medical condition
• d.A personality disorder

SAMHSA defines co-occurring disorders as the coexistence of a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder.

A heavy daily drinker stopped drinking two days ago and now has tremors, sweating and agitation. What should the social worker do FIRST?

• a.Arrange urgent medical evaluation✓
• b.Refer him to a support group
• c.Suggest he drink a small amount to ease symptoms
• d.Praise his progress and schedule a follow-up

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms appear within hours and peak around 72 hours, and untreated withdrawal can be fatal; medical evaluation comes first.

Which warning sign of suicide does NIMH list?

• a.Giving away prized possessions✓
• b.Sleeping eight hours a night
• c.Planning a vacation
• d.Starting a new hobby

NIMH lists withdrawing from friends, saying goodbye, giving away important items or making a will among warning signs.

A social worker is unsure whether asking a client about suicide might put the idea in his head. What does NIMH say?

• a.Asking does not increase suicidal thoughts✓
• b.Only a psychiatrist should ask
• c.Asking should wait until trust is established
• d.Asking may increase the risk

NIMH states that studies show asking people if they are suicidal does not increase suicidal behavior or thoughts.

On a mental status examination, a client's own description of how she feels is recorded as:

• a.Thought content
• b.Affect
• c.Insight
• d.Mood✓

StatPearls defines mood as the patient's subjective description of their feelings in their own words; affect is the clinician's observation.

A tool that maps a family's relationships with schools, agencies and community groups is:

• a.A timeline
• b.An ecomap✓
• c.A sociogram of the family
• d.A genogram

An eco-map depicts connections between the individual or family and various outside systems, with lines showing their quality; a genogram maps the family across generations.

A client has not used cocaine in 14 months and practices relapse-prevention skills to keep it that way. Which stage of change is this?

• a.Maintenance✓
• b.Action
• c.Contemplation
• d.Preparation

In maintenance the person has changed the behavior and is working to maintain the change and not slip back.

Which question is MOST open-ended?

• a."Is your job going well?"
• b."Are you feeling better this week?"
• c."Did you take your medication?"
• d."How has this past week been for you?"✓

Open-ended questions invite free expression and self-motivational statements; the other options can be answered yes or no.

How long do antidepressants usually take to work, according to NIMH?

• a.A few days
• b.Six months
• c.4 to 8 weeks✓
• d.One year

NIMH states that antidepressants usually take 4 to 8 weeks to work.

A client on an antidepressant is also taking St. John's wort. What serious interaction is possible?

• a.Tardive dyskinesia
• b.Serotonin syndrome✓
• c.Lithium toxicity
• d.Neuroleptic malignant syndrome

NIMH warns that combining antidepressants with serotonergic supplements such as St. John's wort can cause serotonin syndrome.

Which medication requires regular blood monitoring of drug levels and kidney and thyroid function?

• a.Sertraline
• b.Methylphenidate
• c.Lithium✓
• d.Buspirone

NIMH notes that people taking lithium generally participate in regular monitoring of lithium levels and kidney and thyroid function.

When a client presents several problems, which should usually be addressed FIRST?

• a.Safety and basic needs✓
• b.The problem the family names
• c.The oldest problem
• d.The problem the social worker finds most interesting

Planning prioritizes safety and basic physiological needs, which must be met before higher needs.

A client's former partner repeatedly shows up at her job and sends unwanted messages, making her afraid for her safety. CDC calls this form of intimate partner violence:

• a.Physical violence
• b.Stalking✓
• c.Sexual violence
• d.Psychological aggression

CDC defines stalking as a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a partner that causes fear or concern for one's safety, and intimate partners include former partners.

An older woman's daughter reports that her mother has become forgetful over three years and now cannot manage bills or cooking. This pattern is MOST consistent with:

• a.Delirium from a new medication
• b.Normal aging
• c.Dementia✓
• d.Grief

NIA defines dementia as the loss of cognitive functioning to such an extent that it interferes with daily life; gradual decline over years affecting bills and cooking fits.

A caregiver reports feeling exhausted, impatient and isolated. These are signs of:

• a.Secondary trauma
• b.Caregiver stress✓
• c.Elder abuse
• d.Compassion satisfaction

NIA lists feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or anxious, becoming easily angered or impatient, and feeling lonely as signs of caregiver stress.

A family fleeing domestic violence is staying in a motel with no other housing. Which HUD homelessness category applies?

• a.Fleeing domestic violence✓
• b.Imminent risk of homelessness
• c.At risk of homelessness
• d.Homeless under other federal statutes

HUD's four categories include Fleeing/Attempting to Flee Domestic Violence, which fits a family leaving abuse without other housing.

Which domain is one of the five social determinants of health in Healthy People 2030?

• a.Built environment✓
• b.Genetic inheritance
• c.Religious affiliation
• d.Personal motivation

Healthy People 2030 groups social determinants into economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.

A client says she will not take medication because of her religious beliefs. How should culture be considered in the plan?

• a.Refer her to a religious leader only
• b.Remove medication from the options without discussion
• c.Explore her beliefs and build a plan that fits them✓
• d.Tell her medication is required for treatment

Cultural humility treats clients as experts on their own culture, and plans should reflect the client's values and choices.