20 free LMSW practice questions (ASWB Masters)

Correct answer: B · Explain the agreed privacy terms and offer to ask each student and parent about telling teachers.

No safety concern or legal requirement applies, so the privacy terms students and parents accepted govern the request. Explaining those terms and offering to ask each student and parent whether they want teachers told keeps the agreement and can still meet the principal’s goal. The principal’s role and good intentions do not override the agreed limits. Giving teachers the names alone still discloses membership, which was itself the private fact. Saying social workers can never share student information with school staff is inaccurate: safety concerns and legal requirements were stated exceptions, and the federal education-records law (FERPA) permits, without requiring, some sharing of education records with school officials who have a legitimate educational interest. Learn the records rules and district policies where you practice.

Look for this next time: In this scenario, honor the agreed privacy terms and seek consent for the proposed support. In practice, distinguish disclosures the law requires from those it permits, and check the applicable records rules and confidentiality obligations.

Correct answer: D · Arrange to speak with the woman alone and ask her calmly about the bruises and home life.

Bruises on both upper arms, a relative who answers for her, and her glances at him before each answer warrant concern. Of the options offered, the best NEXT action is a private, non-leading conversation with her, arranged safely, so she can speak freely. Asking the nephew to explain while she listens makes an honest answer from her less likely and may raise her risk. Writing the bruises off as normal aging dismisses observations that call for assessment; the bruises alone neither confirm nor rule out abuse. Telling the possible abuser that a report is coming can put her in danger. Adult-abuse reporting thresholds differ by state: if the facts already known meet the threshold, make the report promptly rather than waiting for the interview or a full assessment.

Look for this next time: Seek a safe, private conversation with the older adult, and make any report the law already requires without waiting.

Correct answer: A · Help him slow down and focus, then work with him on a safe place for the family tonight.

Crisis intervention starts with the person’s immediate state and most pressing need. With medical needs already ruled out, his urgent problem is where his children will sleep tonight, and he is too overwhelmed to solve it alone. Calming and orienting him enough to work together, then finding a safe place for tonight with him, comes FIRST. Exploring earlier losses is not the task of a crisis contact and may add to his distress. A stack of applications hands an overwhelmed person a job he cannot do right now. Counseling may help later, but a referral leaves tonight’s problem unsolved. This vignette is for exam reasoning, not a disaster-response protocol.

Look for this next time: In a crisis, stabilize the person and solve the most urgent concrete need first. History and longer-term work come later.

Correct answer: D · Agree with the client on how to handle store encounters, and consult if the overlap causes problems.

In rural practice some overlapping contact cannot be avoided, and when that is true the NASW Code makes the social worker responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries. Agreeing in advance on how to handle meetings at the store (for example, letting the client decide whether to say hello, and keeping the professional relationship private in public), then consulting if the overlap grows, protects the client. Referring the client two hours away removes access to care over contact that can be managed. Accepting set-aside sale items gives the social worker a personal benefit from the client and risks exploiting the relationship, however small the favor. Saying nothing leaves the client unsure what will happen when they meet. The test is the risk of harm or exploitation, not whether any outside contact ever happens.

Look for this next time: When a dual relationship cannot be avoided, the social worker sets and explains the boundaries. Avoiding all contact at any cost is not the rule.

Correct answer: B · Explore what he values about drinking, what worries him, and his own reasons for change.

He sees a problem and is thinking about change but is not ready to commit. That is the contemplation stage, where ambivalence is the work. Exploring both sides of his drinking and drawing out his own reasons for change, in a motivational interviewing style, fits where he is. A quit-date plan belongs to the preparation and action stages and is likely to feel like pressure. Labeling him as in denial invites argument and makes change talk less likely. Nothing in the vignette establishes a need for inpatient care, and the referral skips his readiness; the level of care comes from assessment. Having had no withdrawal symptoms so far does not by itself show that stopping suddenly would be safe, so withdrawal risk is a medical question for the primary care team.

Look for this next time: Match the intervention to the stage of change. In contemplation, work with the ambivalence before asking for a plan.

Correct answer: C · Tell him honestly that this must be shared to keep him safe, and report it right away.

A child’s disclosure plus visible injuries gives a mandated reporter reason to suspect abuse, which is what generally triggers the duty to report. The report does not wait for proof, and the social worker does not investigate. Telling him honestly, in words he can understand, why it must be shared respects him without making a promise that cannot be kept. Promising secrecy, even for now, is false and leaves him unprotected. Calling his mother first can alert the household, raise his risk, and turn the social worker into an investigator. Waiting for more marks lets the harm continue. If he is in immediate danger, follow emergency procedures as well. State law sets who must report, to whom, and how quickly, and an agency procedure should not delay a required report, so learn the rules where you practice. This item tests the principle.

Look for this next time: Reasonable suspicion is enough to report. Be honest with the child, do not investigate, and do not alert the person suspected.

Correct answer: A · Continue reunification services, develop a backup permanent plan, and tell the mother about both.

Concurrent planning means working toward reunification and an alternative permanent plan, such as relative guardianship, at the same time, so a child does not wait in care while plans are tried one after another. Reunification usually stays the primary goal, and the parent is told plainly about both plans. Ending services over some missed visits abandons a parent who is making progress. Waiting for reunification to fail before starting a backup plan is the sequential approach concurrent planning was designed to replace. Returning the child just to close the case skips the safety and progress review that the agency and court require. Timelines and court steps vary by state.

Look for this next time: Concurrent planning runs reunification and a backup permanent plan in parallel, openly, instead of one after the other.

Correct answer: C · Ask her directly whether she is thinking about suicide and whether she has a plan.

Her journal statement, giving away her possessions, and access to an unlocked handgun call for prompt, direct assessment of suicidal thoughts, intent, plan, and access to means. Ask directly while she stays with an appropriate adult, and follow the school’s safety protocol; protective steps do not wait for the assessment to finish. Studies summarized by the National Institute of Mental Health find that asking about suicide does not increase suicidal thoughts or behavior, so avoiding the word only leaves the risk unassessed. Depending on her answers, urgent evaluation, contact with her parents, and steps to restrict access to the gun may follow. Sending her back to class until the end of the day delays assessment and safety planning. Having the teacher keep watching the journal delays action when warning signs are already present. This vignette is for exam reasoning, not a substitute for emergency services.

Look for this next time: Ask directly about suicide while keeping the student safe and supervised, then act on the answers under the safety protocol.

Correct answer: C · Arrange a qualified interpreter, in person or by phone or video, for the conversation.

Informed consent and good care depend on the client understanding the information, and the NASW Code calls for arranging a qualified interpreter or translator whenever possible when language is a barrier. A child should not be asked to interpret clinical information for a parent, however gently he might explain it: he may not know the terms, the content may be private or upsetting, and it hands him an adult role. Speaking slowly and watching for nods does not confirm understanding, since a nod may show politeness rather than comprehension. A receptionist who speaks some Dari is not a trained interpreter, and a hurried explanation between check-ins does not protect accuracy or privacy. Many health settings also have language-access policies that limit using children as interpreters.

Look for this next time: When language is a barrier, use a qualified interpreter. Do not hand the interpreting job to a client’s child or untrained staff.

Correct answer: D · “You fixed radios and TVs for forty years. Would you want to use those skills here?”

A strengths perspective starts from the person’s abilities, experience, and interests and builds toward roles he values. Naming his forty years of repair work and asking whether he wants to use those skills opens options such as a volunteer or mentoring role at the senior center. A list of what he can no longer do keeps the focus on deficits. Telling him the feeling usually passes dismisses it without exploring it. Handing his errands to his daughter increases his dependence and can deepen the sense of being useless. Strengths work does not replace assessment: if low mood persists or other signs of depression appear, the social worker screens for it.

Look for this next time: A strengths-based response names a real capacity and asks how the client wants to use it.

Correct answer: D · She used about 15 words at 18 months but now uses none and no longer turns to her name.

Losing skills a child already had, here words and response to her name, is a warning sign at any age. CDC guidance says to act early when a child has lost skills, which here means prompt follow-up with her doctor and a developmental evaluation. Tantrums and insisting on feeding and dressing herself are typical of a toddler’s push for independence. Playing beside other children without much sharing or turn-taking is typical parallel play at this age. Crying at drop-off and then settling is common separation distress in toddlers. The social worker’s role is to recognize the concern and connect the family to screening and evaluation, not to diagnose.

Look for this next time: Loss of language or social skills a child once had is a reason to refer now, not to wait and see.

Correct answer: B · Raise the effect on her work with her supervisor and ask about support, such as workload changes.

Her irritability with parents and slipping documentation show that stress is starting to affect her work. The NASW Code calls professional self-care paramount for competent, ethical practice and expects social workers whose personal difficulties interfere with their judgment and performance to seek consultation promptly and take remedial steps, such as getting professional help or adjusting their workload. Raising it with her supervisor and asking about support comes FIRST, and resources such as an employee assistance program can be part of that support. Pushing through quietly lets the effect on families grow. Resigning without notice leaves families without a planned transfer. An informal swap with a coworker moves the cases without supervision, documentation, or a plan, and it does not address what is happening to her.

Look for this next time: When stress starts to show in your work, raise it with supervision and get support early. Self-care is part of ethical practice.

Correct answer: A · Explain the extent of his right to refuse, the consequences in the order, and what the program reports.

The NASW Code asks social workers whose clients receive services involuntarily to explain the nature and extent of services and the extent of the client’s right to refuse them. Answering his question honestly, including what the court order says would follow and what the program reports to the court, gives him accurate information to decide with. The worker explains what the order actually says, without inventing sanctions or giving legal advice beyond the role. Saying he has no choice is misleading, because the order attaches consequences to his decision rather than removing it, and it shuts down the conversation. Saying nothing will happen is false and could harm his case. Setting the question aside dodges what he asked and can suggest the program is hiding something. Once the limits are clear, the social worker can explore goals he has for himself and his children.

Look for this next time: With a mandated client, be honest about the extent of the choice, the consequences, and what you will report. Accurate information is the basis for engagement.

Correct answer: C · Get emergency medical care for the toddler right now, following the shelter’s emergency procedure.

A high fever in a toddler who is unusually sleepy and hard to wake is an emergency warning sign; pediatric guidance lists a child with fever who is sluggish and hard to wake among the reasons to go to the emergency room. Getting emergency medical care now, under the shelter’s emergency procedure, comes FIRST, and the social worker does not try to diagnose the cause. School re-enrollment, a replacement ID, and the apartment search are real needs, and stable housing would help with the others, but none of them outweighs an urgent threat to a child’s health. Once the emergency is handled, the social worker can break the remaining goals into steps and rank them with the mother.

Look for this next time: In triage, an urgent health or safety risk comes first, without trying to diagnose it. Then rank the remaining goals with the client.

Correct answer: A · “Client reports applying for two jobs this week; verification not yet reviewed. Plan: review the applications together Thursday.”

Records should be accurate, reflect the services provided, and include only information relevant to those services. The keyed entry records what the client reported, what has not been checked, and the agreed next step, without labels or guesses about her motives. Adding “unmotivated and evasive” keeps judgments that the facts in the stem do not support. Recording the applications as verified states something nobody has checked yet. A vague “job search discussed” entry leaves out the reported applications and the Thursday review that another worker would need for continuity. Agency rules for correcting an entry, such as a dated amendment rather than erasing the original, still apply.

Look for this next time: Record what was reported or observed, what is still unverified, and the plan. Leave out labels and guesses about motives.

Correct answer: B · Displacement

Displacement shifts feelings from the person or situation that caused them to a safer target. His anger about the court decision could not be expressed to the judge or caseworker, so it came out at a younger resident who had nothing to do with it. Projection would mean attributing his own unacceptable feelings to someone else, such as insisting the other resident is the angry one. Reaction formation would look like the opposite of what he feels, such as acting unusually cheerful about the decision. Sublimation would channel the feeling into an acceptable outlet, such as a hard workout or writing. Naming the defense helps the social worker respond to the loss underneath it, not only the argument.

Look for this next time: Displacement moves a feeling to a safer target. Look for a mismatch between the trigger and who receives the reaction.

Correct answer: D · Name the conflict as a normal group stage and invite members to revisit the ground rules.

Challenges to the leader and struggles over speaking time are typical of an early group stage often called storming, or power and control. Groups that work through this stage usually build stronger norms and trust. The leader’s task is to name the conflict without blame and involve members in shaping the rules they will follow. Canceling the meeting and restarting with the same agenda treats a normal stage as a failure and leaves the conflict unaddressed. Removing the most outspoken members can cost the group members it needs. Imposing a strict speaking order and ruling out disagreement pushes the conflict underground and leaves members without a say in their own group.

Look for this next time: Conflict over control is an expected early group stage. Name it and let members shape the norms.

Correct answer: A · Respect his choice and plan a safer discharge with him, including wound-care supplies and follow-up.

The medical team has documented decision-making capacity, and he has explained why he declines the shelter bed. The NASW Code permits limiting self-determination when a client’s actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to self or others; the stem describes no such risk, and staff preferring another option is not a reason to override a capable choice. Respecting the choice still includes planning with him: wound-care supplies, clinic follow-up, street outreach, and keeping the shelter offer open. Delaying discharge until he agrees uses the hospital stay as pressure. Discharging him with no plan withdraws help because he said no. Calling his partner to persuade him shares his information without his consent and adds pressure; involving her should follow his consent and the applicable privacy rules. Hospital policy and the law on capacity and discharge still apply.

Look for this next time: When a capable client turns down a recommendation, respect the choice and reduce the risk of the option the client chose.

Correct answer: C · “You sound discouraged, like all that effort hasn’t paid off.”

A reflection of feeling names the emotion the client is expressing, so the client feels understood and can say more. Naming the discouragement does that. A “why” question about employers asks the client to explain and can sound like blame. Reassurance that a job will come soon dismisses the feeling and promises something the social worker cannot know. A closed question about cover letters jumps to problem-solving before the client feels heard. Problem-solving can come next, once the feeling is acknowledged.

Look for this next time: A reflection of feeling names the emotion behind the words. Save advice and fact-finding until the client feels heard, but never delay safety questions the situation calls for.

Correct answer: B · A formative evaluation of how the program is delivered and what barriers arise

The director wants information that can improve delivery now: whether mentors and youth meet as planned and what gets in the way. Formative evaluation is used to develop or refine a program, including whether it can be offered as intended and what helps or hinders implementation, so it fits this purpose. A summative evaluation asks whether a program achieved its goals; one at the end of the second year would not answer the director’s current question in time to adjust. A cost-benefit analysis answers an economic question. A needs assessment examines the needs and gaps a program should address, not how the current program is being delivered. Classify an evaluation by its question and intended use, not only by whether the program has started or ended.

Look for this next time: Formative evaluation is used to refine a program, including how it is delivered; summative evaluation judges whether it achieved its goals. Match the type to the question.