LMSW Exam Format: Number of Questions, Time Limit, and Breaks

122 questions, 110 of them scored

The 2026 ASWB Examination Guidebook covers every licensing exam given from August 3, 2026, onward. Each exam is two sections of 61 multiple-choice questions. Twelve of the 122 are pretest questions that ASWB is trying out for future forms. They do not affect your result, and they are mixed in with the scored questions, so treat every item as one that counts.

Each question has three or four options. The guidebook says ASWB never uses "all of the above," "none of the above," or combinations such as "both A and B." ASWB's launch announcement adds that the current exams use a larger share of three-option questions than before.

Some stems include a capitalized qualifier such as BEST, FIRST, NEXT, or MOST. Those words change which option is correct, and the FIRST, NEXT, BEST, and MOST guide shows how to read them.

How the four hours are split

The guidebook gives each section its own two-hour limit. It does not describe carrying leftover minutes from section 1 into section 2. If you finish section 1 early, spend the spare time on your flagged items before you submit, because those questions close for good.

On any break you may go only to the nearest restroom and to your stored drink or snack. Take your photo ID with you. You may not leave the building, and ASWB says doing so can end your exam or invalidate your score.

A pacing plan for two 61-question sections

Four hours for 122 questions works out to just under two minutes per question, and the same rate holds inside each section: 120 minutes for 61 items. The guidebook points out that recall questions usually take less time, which leaves more for application and reasoning items.

An even pace gets you through a section with no time left over. The right-hand column below is a Passy checkpoint plan that finishes the first pass with about 15 minutes in reserve for flagged items. It is a study habit, not an ASWB rule.

If you are well behind a checkpoint, choose your best answer on the slow item, flag it, and move on. Answer every question before the section closes: ASWB does not take points off for wrong answers, and a blank counts as incorrect. To test the plan before the real day, run the 20 free LMSW questions against a 30-minute clock → and see whether you reach question 17, the first checkpoint.

The 12 pretest questions you cannot spot

The pretest items look like every other question. Skipping a hard question because it "might be pretest" is a gamble with no upside, since you cannot know. ASWB's passing range is counted only on the 110 scored questions, which the passing score guide explains.

What the day takes beyond four hours

ASWB schedules each appointment for 30 minutes more than the testing time, to cover check-in, the tutorial, the exit survey, and check-out. It also asks you to arrive 30 minutes early, and late arrivals are treated as no-shows who forfeit the fee. Add the optional 10-minute break and you should expect to spend a little over five hours at the test center, plus travel.

The current guidebook describes testing at Pearson VUE test centers. ASWB suspended its online-proctoring pilot effective July 31, 2026, so a remote option described in an older article is not the current route.

On screen you can enlarge text up to 200% and change the color contrast. You also get an electronic scratch pad, and test center staff give you an erasable note board and marker that you must return at the end.

If you need extra time or another nonstandard arrangement, it has to be approved before you register and pay. How to register covers that order. If a prep book shows a different question count or four content areas, it describes the exam that ended in August 2026. What changed in 2026 shows how to adjust it, and what is on the exam lists the three current content areas.