LCSW ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◍ Pilot study.
Answer: a procedure testing and validating a questionnaire or other
instrument by administering it to a small group of respondents from the
intended test population; the procedure helps determine whether the test
items possess the desired qualities of measurement and the ability to
discriminate other prob- lems before the instrument is put to widespread use.
◍ 1. You are treating a family consisting of Sharon, 33, Mike, 36, Carol, 15,
and Billy, 12. You receive a subpoena from a lawyer, regarding a lawsuit
over an inheritance, for which another family member is suing your clients.
The subpoena requests all records for the purpose of showing that this
family is not mentally competent to receive the inheritance. How would you
manage this situation? Content Area: Law: Confidentiality, Privilege, and
ConsentThis question looks at your legal responsibility when receiving a
subpoena for an entire family, not just an individual client.
A. Get a release from the parents since the parents hold the children's
privilege.
B. Contact the lawyer to assert privilege on behalf of the family.
C. Obtain written authorization from the entire family to contact their
lawyers and waive/assert privilege as the family sees fit.
D. Comply with the subpoena since their mental condition has been entered
into a legal proceeding and send a copy of the records..
Answer: C. Obtain written authorization from the entire family to contact
their lawyers and waive/assert privilege as the family sees fit.You would be
required to obtain written authorizations from the family in order to contact
, their lawyers who would determine whether to waive or assert privilege.
◍ 2. Sidney comes to his session with his 80-year-old mother, who uses a
walker following a bad fall, that she reports was caused by a fight with her
husband. The mother tells you that the fight was her fault, and she knew that
if she kept goading her husband, he would explode. A social worker in this
situation must: Content Area: Law: Limits to Confidentiality/Mandated
Reporting. This question tests your knowledge of laws regarding elder
abuse.
A. Call Adult Protective Services and report physical abuse.
B. Call law enforcement within 24 hours and follow-up with a written report
to local law enforcement, licensing agency, and ombudsman.
C. Explore possibilities for alternative living arrangements and address the
feelings both she and Sidney are experiencing.
D. Report domestic violence since the victim was an elder..
Answer: A. Call Adult Protective Services and report physical abuse.Social
workers are mandated to report physical injury to an elder, inflicted by
another person, that occurs by other than accidental means.
◍ *3. A 17-year-old girl, Janet, is referred to you by her school counselor.
Janet's nose, eyebrow, and tongue are pierced, and her hair is dyed green
and yellow. Janet says that recently her twin brother Michael comes into her
room at night and tries to "play sleep-over" with her. Janet tells you that a
cute boy she met at a rave last week wants her to move in with him. She
asks you not to tell her parents that she's seeing you because they're
"extremely religious." How would you manage your ethical responsibilities
if you were working with the entire family? Content Area: Ethics:
Therapeutic Relationship/ServicesThis question test your knowledge of the
ethical issues that arise when treating a family unit.
A. Clarify for Janet that, as a victim of abuse, she can consent to her own
treatment without her parents' permission.
B. Clarify for the family how your therapeutic work differs from religious
counseling.
C. Review your fee policy, especially as this case involves various family
, members and religious issues.
D. Explain the limits of confidentiality to Janet with regard to sexual abuse..
Answer: B. Clarify for the family how your therapeutic work differs from
religious counseling.This response addresses your client's expectations
about therapy and promotes a better understanding of the process.
◍ 4. Your client Melissa comes in at Christmas time, gives you an expensive
watch, and expresses how thankful she is for the help you have given her.
How would you best ethically proceed? Content Area: Ethics: Business
Practices and PoliciesThis question assesses your knowledge of the ethical
management of gift-giving by clients.
A. Review your informed consent document with Melissa specifically
discussing boundaries.
B. Accept the watch since Melissa very rarely gives you gifts, and you
suspect there may be an element of cultural diversity to heed.
C. Do not accept the gift, explain to Melissa how the gift giving could
negatively impact the therapeutic relationship, and process Melissa's
reaction.
D. Do not accept the gift since ethical standards prohibit accepting gifts
from clients..
Answer: C. Do not accept the gift, explain to Melissa how the gift giving
could negatively impact the therapeutic relationship, and process Melissa's
reaction.Not accepting this expensive gift is the ethical course of action.
Additionally, explaining your reasoning to Melissa and processing her
reaction demonstrates good ethical management.
◍ 5. Psychological evaluation test scores should be released to: Content Area:
Ethics: Business Practices and PoliciesThis question deals with the ethics
involved in the release of test scores.
A. Clients always.
B. Only the parents of children.
C. Only to those qualified to interpret them.
D. Only to other therapists who have the proper training to interpret them..
Answer: C. Only to those qualified to interpret them.Psychological
, evaluation test scores should only be released to people who are able to
interpret them appropriately. However, if a client insists on seeing his/her
test scores, the therapist must release them but must also provide
interpretation of the scores in a way that the client can understand.
◍ Null hypothesis.
Answer: the statement that no relationship exists
◍ Experimental group.
Answer: in research a collection of subjects who are matched and compared
with a control group in all relevant respects, except that they are also subject
to a specific variable being tested.
◍ Correlation.
Answer: a mutual relation a pattern of variation be- tween two phenomena
in which change in one is associated with change in the other.
◍ Mean.
Answer: the average value or measure of central ten- dency.
◍ 6. Which of the following constitutes an optional reporting (rather than a
mandated) situation? Content Area: Law: Limits to
Confidentiality/Mandated Reporting. This question asks you to identify the
situation in which reporting would be an option rather than a requirement.
A. Fetal abuse.
B. Neglect.
C. Undue influence of an elder.
D. Willful cruelty..
Answer: A. Fetal abuse.Fetal abuse is optional under the mandated reporting
laws.
◍ 7. A 6-year-old girl who,se parents are involved in a longstanding custody
trial, is in treatment with you. She is in therapy with the consent of both
parents. You receive a subpoena from the father's attorney for your session
notes to bolster the father's claim that he should have sole custody. What is
your legal responsibility? Content Area: Law: Confidentiality, Privilege, and
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◍ Pilot study.
Answer: a procedure testing and validating a questionnaire or other
instrument by administering it to a small group of respondents from the
intended test population; the procedure helps determine whether the test
items possess the desired qualities of measurement and the ability to
discriminate other prob- lems before the instrument is put to widespread use.
◍ 1. You are treating a family consisting of Sharon, 33, Mike, 36, Carol, 15,
and Billy, 12. You receive a subpoena from a lawyer, regarding a lawsuit
over an inheritance, for which another family member is suing your clients.
The subpoena requests all records for the purpose of showing that this
family is not mentally competent to receive the inheritance. How would you
manage this situation? Content Area: Law: Confidentiality, Privilege, and
ConsentThis question looks at your legal responsibility when receiving a
subpoena for an entire family, not just an individual client.
A. Get a release from the parents since the parents hold the children's
privilege.
B. Contact the lawyer to assert privilege on behalf of the family.
C. Obtain written authorization from the entire family to contact their
lawyers and waive/assert privilege as the family sees fit.
D. Comply with the subpoena since their mental condition has been entered
into a legal proceeding and send a copy of the records..
Answer: C. Obtain written authorization from the entire family to contact
their lawyers and waive/assert privilege as the family sees fit.You would be
required to obtain written authorizations from the family in order to contact
, their lawyers who would determine whether to waive or assert privilege.
◍ 2. Sidney comes to his session with his 80-year-old mother, who uses a
walker following a bad fall, that she reports was caused by a fight with her
husband. The mother tells you that the fight was her fault, and she knew that
if she kept goading her husband, he would explode. A social worker in this
situation must: Content Area: Law: Limits to Confidentiality/Mandated
Reporting. This question tests your knowledge of laws regarding elder
abuse.
A. Call Adult Protective Services and report physical abuse.
B. Call law enforcement within 24 hours and follow-up with a written report
to local law enforcement, licensing agency, and ombudsman.
C. Explore possibilities for alternative living arrangements and address the
feelings both she and Sidney are experiencing.
D. Report domestic violence since the victim was an elder..
Answer: A. Call Adult Protective Services and report physical abuse.Social
workers are mandated to report physical injury to an elder, inflicted by
another person, that occurs by other than accidental means.
◍ *3. A 17-year-old girl, Janet, is referred to you by her school counselor.
Janet's nose, eyebrow, and tongue are pierced, and her hair is dyed green
and yellow. Janet says that recently her twin brother Michael comes into her
room at night and tries to "play sleep-over" with her. Janet tells you that a
cute boy she met at a rave last week wants her to move in with him. She
asks you not to tell her parents that she's seeing you because they're
"extremely religious." How would you manage your ethical responsibilities
if you were working with the entire family? Content Area: Ethics:
Therapeutic Relationship/ServicesThis question test your knowledge of the
ethical issues that arise when treating a family unit.
A. Clarify for Janet that, as a victim of abuse, she can consent to her own
treatment without her parents' permission.
B. Clarify for the family how your therapeutic work differs from religious
counseling.
C. Review your fee policy, especially as this case involves various family
, members and religious issues.
D. Explain the limits of confidentiality to Janet with regard to sexual abuse..
Answer: B. Clarify for the family how your therapeutic work differs from
religious counseling.This response addresses your client's expectations
about therapy and promotes a better understanding of the process.
◍ 4. Your client Melissa comes in at Christmas time, gives you an expensive
watch, and expresses how thankful she is for the help you have given her.
How would you best ethically proceed? Content Area: Ethics: Business
Practices and PoliciesThis question assesses your knowledge of the ethical
management of gift-giving by clients.
A. Review your informed consent document with Melissa specifically
discussing boundaries.
B. Accept the watch since Melissa very rarely gives you gifts, and you
suspect there may be an element of cultural diversity to heed.
C. Do not accept the gift, explain to Melissa how the gift giving could
negatively impact the therapeutic relationship, and process Melissa's
reaction.
D. Do not accept the gift since ethical standards prohibit accepting gifts
from clients..
Answer: C. Do not accept the gift, explain to Melissa how the gift giving
could negatively impact the therapeutic relationship, and process Melissa's
reaction.Not accepting this expensive gift is the ethical course of action.
Additionally, explaining your reasoning to Melissa and processing her
reaction demonstrates good ethical management.
◍ 5. Psychological evaluation test scores should be released to: Content Area:
Ethics: Business Practices and PoliciesThis question deals with the ethics
involved in the release of test scores.
A. Clients always.
B. Only the parents of children.
C. Only to those qualified to interpret them.
D. Only to other therapists who have the proper training to interpret them..
Answer: C. Only to those qualified to interpret them.Psychological
, evaluation test scores should only be released to people who are able to
interpret them appropriately. However, if a client insists on seeing his/her
test scores, the therapist must release them but must also provide
interpretation of the scores in a way that the client can understand.
◍ Null hypothesis.
Answer: the statement that no relationship exists
◍ Experimental group.
Answer: in research a collection of subjects who are matched and compared
with a control group in all relevant respects, except that they are also subject
to a specific variable being tested.
◍ Correlation.
Answer: a mutual relation a pattern of variation be- tween two phenomena
in which change in one is associated with change in the other.
◍ Mean.
Answer: the average value or measure of central ten- dency.
◍ 6. Which of the following constitutes an optional reporting (rather than a
mandated) situation? Content Area: Law: Limits to
Confidentiality/Mandated Reporting. This question asks you to identify the
situation in which reporting would be an option rather than a requirement.
A. Fetal abuse.
B. Neglect.
C. Undue influence of an elder.
D. Willful cruelty..
Answer: A. Fetal abuse.Fetal abuse is optional under the mandated reporting
laws.
◍ 7. A 6-year-old girl who,se parents are involved in a longstanding custody
trial, is in treatment with you. She is in therapy with the consent of both
parents. You receive a subpoena from the father's attorney for your session
notes to bolster the father's claim that he should have sole custody. What is
your legal responsibility? Content Area: Law: Confidentiality, Privilege, and
