LMSW Exam Passing Score: How Many Questions You Need to Pass

One general range, not a Masters-only cutoff

ASWB's scoring page gives a single statement for its licensing exams: the passing score generally ranges from 66 to 78 correct answers out of 110 scored questions. The page does not list a separate range for the Masters exam. It says each category's passing standard reflects the level of competence that category requires, and that the number of correct answers needed depends on the difficulty of the form.

So if a website gives you one Masters cutoff, such as "you need 72," that number did not come from ASWB's scoring page. Your own score report is the only place you will see the exact number for your form.

Only scored questions count. The 12 pretest questions on each 122-question exam are left out of the calculation, which is why the format guide separates 122 total from 110 scored.

Why the number moves from form to form

ASWB uses several versions of each exam, called forms, and the guidebook explains that their questions differ slightly in difficulty. To keep the standard fair, ASWB makes statistical adjustments that raise or lower the number of correct answers needed on each form.

Picture two forms built from the same Masters outline. Form A happens to contain a few harder questions, so it needs slightly fewer correct answers to pass. Form B is slightly easier, so it needs slightly more. The level of competence needed to pass is the same on both, even though the number of correct answers differs. That is what ASWB means when it says no candidate gains an advantage or suffers a disadvantage from the form they receive.

ASWB describes the passing standard as a level of competence, and says candidates who meet or exceed it pass. Your result is measured against that standard, not ranked against the other people testing that day.

Why "70%" is the wrong target

Sixty-six correct out of 110 is 60%. Seventy-eight correct is about 71%. A rule such as "you need 70%" picks one point inside that range and treats it as the standard. Use the range only to remember that the exact cut depends on your form, not as a target score.

Reading your result and score report

1. At the test center. After a brief exit survey, the testing computer shows whether you passed.
2. About 24 hours later. Your unofficial score report appears in your ASWBCentral dashboard and stays there.
3. What the report shows. Every report lists two numbers: how many scored questions you needed to answer correctly on your form, and how many you did answer correctly.
4. If you did not pass. The report also lists, for each of the three content areas, how many questions you answered correctly and how many that area contained on your form.
5. The official result. ASWB forwards it to the board where you applied. The guidebook says board processing can take from two weeks to two months.

ASWB, Pearson VUE, and licensing boards cannot change exam scores. A failing report does not tell you which questions you missed, but the content-area counts are the clearest signal you will get about where to study next.

Using a Masters pass in another state

The guidebook says a passing or failing score is valid in all states and provinces for the same exam category, and ASWB's scoring page says all jurisdictions that use the exams recognize the same passing standard. A pass on the Masters exam does not stand in for a Clinical result. LMSW vs LCSW explains why the categories stay separate.

To use a passing Masters score for a license somewhere else, ASWB's order is:

1. Apply for the license with the new state's board.
2. Request a score transfer in ASWBCentral by finding your passed exam under Exam Registration and choosing to purchase a score transfer.
3. Pay the nonrefundable fee of US$40 per transfer.
4. Allow 7 to 10 business days for ASWB to send the score. ASWB notes that some boards need more processing time after that.

The license itself is always the board's decision, and a pass does not waive its other requirements.

If you did not pass

The next attempt generally has to be at least 90 days after the last one, unless you qualify for and receive a waiver. Failed the LMSW exam? lays out that timeline and how to use the content-area counts.

If you are still preparing, there is no cut score to plan around in advance. A better use of the weeks before your date is to work the free LMSW set and note the items you guessed →, then study the areas where you slowed down or guessed.