LMSW PRACTICE TEST EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026
VERIFIED.
1. According to Beck, a depressed person does not see the positive aspects of his/her situation
because of:
a. Precipitating factors
b. Lack of support
c. A dysfunctional schema
d. Lack of adaptive coping strategies - ANS c. A dysfunctional schema
2. It is necessary to obtain informed consent prior to giving out data about a patient. Which of
the following statements is MOST correct regarding this issue?
a. You must obtain informed consent from your patient in most situations, but not in all
situations.
b. If a significant other requests information about your patient, you may release it without
informed consent.
c. If you are going to consult with a colleague, you must have informed consent from your
patient.
d. You must always have informed consent from your patient. - ANS a. You must obtain
informed consent from your patient in most situations, but not in all situations.
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,3. A soldier with combat-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder desires to return to combat.
What is the first thing you should do?
a. Allow the soldier full self-determination, returning when he deems appropriate.
b. Inform the client that return will likely cause an increase in symptoms and is not advised.
c. Contact the commanding officer to determine if this is an option for the soldier.
d. Assess progress in treatment and current level of functioning. - ANS d. Assess progress in
treatment and current level of functioning.
4. A man is referred by his primary care provider and presents with a diagnosis of
Hypochondriasis. What is the FIRST crucial step in treatment?
a. History taking
b. Establishment of trust and appreciation for the patient's problems
c. Education about the link between stress, emotions and lifestyle and physical health
d. Treatment planning - ANS b. Establishment of trust and appreciation for the patient's
problems
5. Client: "I'm depressed. I've lost my hair at a much quicker rate than I thought possible. I'm
terribly embarrassed to go out in public. I'm feeling extremely anxious and uneasy about my
baldness." Social Worker: "You're anxious and uneasy about the transformations that are a
natural process of aging." The social worker's response is:
a. Encouragement
b. Summarization
c. Paraphrase
d. Reflection of feeling - ANS d. Reflection of feeling
6. How do you find the median of a set with an even number of items?
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,a. The larger of the two middle numbers is the median.
b. The two middle numbers are both medians.
c. Find the average of the two middle numbers.
d. A set with an even number of items does not have a median. - ANS c. Find the average of
the two middle numbers.
7. A young, beginning social worker has some intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles with
women in authority positions that stem from her poor relationship with her mother. The social
worker's client is a female 50-ish successful CEO of an Internet start-up. The social worker is
likely to struggle in therapy due to:
a. Counter-resistance
b. Counter-transference
c. Transference
d. Resistance - ANS b. Counter-transference
8. When treating elder adults with depression, the BEST approach to treatment is:
a. Cognitive behavioral therapy coupled with family interventions.
b. Significant reliance on psychiatry because medication management is most important.
c. Treatment of elder adults is similar to other adults, so no significant alterations are needed.
d. Coordination between medical and mental health due to the influence of medical conditions
on psychiatric symptomatology. - ANS d. Coordination between medical and mental health
due to the influence of medical conditions on psychiatric symptomatology.
9. Professional ethics and professional values differ in which of the following:
a. Values are a subset of ethics.
b. Values deal with what is right or wrong in practice, and ethics deals with the principles of
practice.
c. Values and ethics are basically the same and are evaluated based on the specific situation.
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, d. When a social worker makes a judgment that is ethical, you can assume it is a judgment that
also upholds professional values. - ANS b. Values deal with what is right or wrong in practice,
and ethics deals with the principles of practice.
10. What is the first thing to assess in on-site basic crisis intervention, such as in the aftermath
of a natural disaster?
a. Immediate needs for physical safety, food and clothing
b. Trauma response
c. Future mental health risk
d. Needs for various concrete services (e.g., transportation, alternate housing) - ANS a.
Immediate needs for physical safety, food and clothing
7-year-old child is refusing to sleep in his own bed at night. When the parents sit with him in his
room, he is fine. When they leave the room, he begins to cry. When they come back in, he stops
crying. This is an example of
Operant conditioning
Classical conditioning
Punishment cycles
Higher order conditioning - ANS operant conditioning
Older individuals are often misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's when, in fact, the more accurate
diagnosis is
Anxiety
Depression
Thyroid Disorder
Delirium - ANS Depression. Approximately 55% of the elderly suffer from depression and are
often misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's or Dementia. Anxiety (answer #1) is not correct, although
anxiety can be a problem in older adults; anxiety is not a characteristic that would be a
symptom of Alzheimer's. Thyroid disorder (answer #3) is not correct because this condition is a
malfunction of the thyroid gland, resulting in a variety of medical symptoms, usually not similar
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 4 OF 43
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026
VERIFIED.
1. According to Beck, a depressed person does not see the positive aspects of his/her situation
because of:
a. Precipitating factors
b. Lack of support
c. A dysfunctional schema
d. Lack of adaptive coping strategies - ANS c. A dysfunctional schema
2. It is necessary to obtain informed consent prior to giving out data about a patient. Which of
the following statements is MOST correct regarding this issue?
a. You must obtain informed consent from your patient in most situations, but not in all
situations.
b. If a significant other requests information about your patient, you may release it without
informed consent.
c. If you are going to consult with a colleague, you must have informed consent from your
patient.
d. You must always have informed consent from your patient. - ANS a. You must obtain
informed consent from your patient in most situations, but not in all situations.
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 1 OF 43
,3. A soldier with combat-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder desires to return to combat.
What is the first thing you should do?
a. Allow the soldier full self-determination, returning when he deems appropriate.
b. Inform the client that return will likely cause an increase in symptoms and is not advised.
c. Contact the commanding officer to determine if this is an option for the soldier.
d. Assess progress in treatment and current level of functioning. - ANS d. Assess progress in
treatment and current level of functioning.
4. A man is referred by his primary care provider and presents with a diagnosis of
Hypochondriasis. What is the FIRST crucial step in treatment?
a. History taking
b. Establishment of trust and appreciation for the patient's problems
c. Education about the link between stress, emotions and lifestyle and physical health
d. Treatment planning - ANS b. Establishment of trust and appreciation for the patient's
problems
5. Client: "I'm depressed. I've lost my hair at a much quicker rate than I thought possible. I'm
terribly embarrassed to go out in public. I'm feeling extremely anxious and uneasy about my
baldness." Social Worker: "You're anxious and uneasy about the transformations that are a
natural process of aging." The social worker's response is:
a. Encouragement
b. Summarization
c. Paraphrase
d. Reflection of feeling - ANS d. Reflection of feeling
6. How do you find the median of a set with an even number of items?
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 2 OF 43
,a. The larger of the two middle numbers is the median.
b. The two middle numbers are both medians.
c. Find the average of the two middle numbers.
d. A set with an even number of items does not have a median. - ANS c. Find the average of
the two middle numbers.
7. A young, beginning social worker has some intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles with
women in authority positions that stem from her poor relationship with her mother. The social
worker's client is a female 50-ish successful CEO of an Internet start-up. The social worker is
likely to struggle in therapy due to:
a. Counter-resistance
b. Counter-transference
c. Transference
d. Resistance - ANS b. Counter-transference
8. When treating elder adults with depression, the BEST approach to treatment is:
a. Cognitive behavioral therapy coupled with family interventions.
b. Significant reliance on psychiatry because medication management is most important.
c. Treatment of elder adults is similar to other adults, so no significant alterations are needed.
d. Coordination between medical and mental health due to the influence of medical conditions
on psychiatric symptomatology. - ANS d. Coordination between medical and mental health
due to the influence of medical conditions on psychiatric symptomatology.
9. Professional ethics and professional values differ in which of the following:
a. Values are a subset of ethics.
b. Values deal with what is right or wrong in practice, and ethics deals with the principles of
practice.
c. Values and ethics are basically the same and are evaluated based on the specific situation.
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 3 OF 43
, d. When a social worker makes a judgment that is ethical, you can assume it is a judgment that
also upholds professional values. - ANS b. Values deal with what is right or wrong in practice,
and ethics deals with the principles of practice.
10. What is the first thing to assess in on-site basic crisis intervention, such as in the aftermath
of a natural disaster?
a. Immediate needs for physical safety, food and clothing
b. Trauma response
c. Future mental health risk
d. Needs for various concrete services (e.g., transportation, alternate housing) - ANS a.
Immediate needs for physical safety, food and clothing
7-year-old child is refusing to sleep in his own bed at night. When the parents sit with him in his
room, he is fine. When they leave the room, he begins to cry. When they come back in, he stops
crying. This is an example of
Operant conditioning
Classical conditioning
Punishment cycles
Higher order conditioning - ANS operant conditioning
Older individuals are often misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's when, in fact, the more accurate
diagnosis is
Anxiety
Depression
Thyroid Disorder
Delirium - ANS Depression. Approximately 55% of the elderly suffer from depression and are
often misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's or Dementia. Anxiety (answer #1) is not correct, although
anxiety can be a problem in older adults; anxiety is not a characteristic that would be a
symptom of Alzheimer's. Thyroid disorder (answer #3) is not correct because this condition is a
malfunction of the thyroid gland, resulting in a variety of medical symptoms, usually not similar
@COPYRIGHT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAGE 4 OF 43
