ASWB BACHELORS EXAM 2024/2025
A SW in CPS contacts a parent reported for neglect of a 7-year-old child. To gather
information for decision-making, what should the SW do FIRST?
A. Observe the household environment for safety risks
B. Interview the child and parent separately and together
C. Read the current report of suspected neglect
D. Obtain collateral data on the parent from neighbors - ANSWER C. Read the
current report of suspected neglect
What interviewing skill is used in SW to help the client set treatment goals?
A. Containment
B. Focusing
C. Summarizing
D. Reassuring - ANSWER B. Focusing
A SW meets with an 85-year-old client with cognitive impairments who is having
financial difficulties. The SW discovers that the client has been charged exorbitant
fees for inadequate home repairs over a long period of time. The client does not
want to report the repair company since the workers were very friendly. What should
the SW do FIRST?
A. Reach an agreement with the client to no longer use the company
B. Report the situation to the appropriate authorities
C. Provide the client with contact information for filing a complaint
D. Contact the company regarding repair fees - ANSWER B. Report the situation to
the appropriate authorities.
The ability to evaluate a situation, social phenomenon, or person without prejudice or
distortion is referred to as:
A. Subjectivity
B. Bias
C. Judgement
D. Objectivity - ANSWER D. Objectivity
A patient whose hand was severed in an accident is referred to the hospital social
worker. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Present available rehabilitation options
B. Evaluate the patient's social supports
C. Assess the patient's emotional reaction
D. Gather social history information - ANSWER C. Assess the patient's emotional
reaction.
While reading a couple's adoption references, the SW notices that three out of five
references include information on the wife only. What is the SW's MOST appropriate
response to this lack of information?
A. Ask the husband why the reference did not include him
B. Request a follow-up interview with the husband
C. Tell the wife the references did not include the husband
,D. Contact the references and ask for additional data - ANSWER D. Contact the
references and ask for additional data.
A SW working in a homeless shelter meets with a client who demands to leave on a
cold winter day. The client has schizophrenia and has no supportive connections
away from the shelter. The client is wearing clothes inappropriate for the weather
conditions. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Inform the agency administrator of the client's plans
B. Discuss with the client the risks involved in leaving
C. Provide the client with appropriate clothing items
D. Inform appropriate authorities of the client's intention - ANSWER B. Discuss with
the client the risks involved in leaving.
During an interview, before actually speaking, a SW considers what to say to a client
in words the client will understand. What aspect of the communication cycle is the
SW using?
A. Giving Feedback
B. Receiving
C. Transmitting
D. Encoding - ANSWER D. Encoding
A school SW is talking to a group of middle school students about smoking
cigarettes. There is general agreement among the students that occasional use of
electronic cigarettes is safe. What should the SW do to BEST respond to the
discussion?
A. Educate the students about the addictive properties of electronic cigarettes
B. Discuss the impact of peer pressure on smoking behavior
C. Inform the students that smoking can lead to other drug use
D. Remind the students that electronic cigarettes create offensive odors - ANSWER
A. Educate the students about the addictive properties of electronic cigarettes.
A SW tells a client, "You looked confused when I just explained our agency's policy."
What communication technique is the SW attempting with this statement?
A. Structuring
B. Summarizing
C. Rephrasing
D. Reflection - ANSWER D. Reflection.
In addition to verbalizing the SW's understanding, what does an empathetic
response include?
A. Mirroring the client's feelings
B. Expressing the SW's similar feeling
C. Exploring the problem further
D. Universalizing the client's problem - ANSWER A. mirroring the client's feelings.
Individuals who view the norms and values of their own culture as absolute and use
them as standards for judging others are exhibiting:
A. Racism
B. Prejudice
C. Ethnocentrism
, D. Discrimination - ANSWER C. Ethnocentrism
A 26-year-old women who is homeless and pregnant is referred to a SW. She is in
conflict with her family, has no money, abuses substances, and needs emergency
housing. What is the woman's MOST immediate problem?
A. Need for shelter
B. Need for prenatal care
C. Substance abuse
D. Lack of money - ANSWER A. Need for Shelter.
A SW meets with a 13-year-old client who reports that she may be pregnant. Her
boyfriend is 16-years old. The client demands that the SW not tell anyone. What
should the SW do FIRST?
A. Review the limits of confidentiality related to the circumstance
B. Make a formal report to the appropriate child welfare authority
C. Respect the client's right to keep her situation private
D. Notify the client's parents of the client's possible pregnancy - ANSWER A.
Review the limits of confidentiality related to the circumstances.
A SW selects clients to participate in a research project about child abuse. What is
the BEST term for this process?
A. Recruitment
B. Evaluation
C. Sampling
D. Assessment - ANSWER C. Sampling.
A hospital SW contacts a nursing home about accepting a patient. The nursing home
asks the SW for a copy of the patient's records. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Discuss the specifics of the requests with the client
B. Provide a copy of the patient's record as requested
C. Ask the nursing home to put the request in writing
D. Provide a redacted copy of the patient's records - ANSWER A. Discuss the
specifics of the request with the client.
A SW learns that a client is receiving services from another SW for the same
problem. The client has not told this to the SW. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Initiate termination of services to the client
B. Ignore the issue unless the client discloses it
C. Explore which service provider the client prefers
D. Consult with the SW Supervisor regarding the case - ANSWER D. Consult with
the SW supervisor regarding the case.
What step is an appropriate part of the referral process?
A. Following up to determine whether the resources were provided
B. Alerting the client about problems within the agency to which the client has been
referred
C. Offering the client the use of the SW's resource listing, but allowing the client to
determine whom to call
A SW in CPS contacts a parent reported for neglect of a 7-year-old child. To gather
information for decision-making, what should the SW do FIRST?
A. Observe the household environment for safety risks
B. Interview the child and parent separately and together
C. Read the current report of suspected neglect
D. Obtain collateral data on the parent from neighbors - ANSWER C. Read the
current report of suspected neglect
What interviewing skill is used in SW to help the client set treatment goals?
A. Containment
B. Focusing
C. Summarizing
D. Reassuring - ANSWER B. Focusing
A SW meets with an 85-year-old client with cognitive impairments who is having
financial difficulties. The SW discovers that the client has been charged exorbitant
fees for inadequate home repairs over a long period of time. The client does not
want to report the repair company since the workers were very friendly. What should
the SW do FIRST?
A. Reach an agreement with the client to no longer use the company
B. Report the situation to the appropriate authorities
C. Provide the client with contact information for filing a complaint
D. Contact the company regarding repair fees - ANSWER B. Report the situation to
the appropriate authorities.
The ability to evaluate a situation, social phenomenon, or person without prejudice or
distortion is referred to as:
A. Subjectivity
B. Bias
C. Judgement
D. Objectivity - ANSWER D. Objectivity
A patient whose hand was severed in an accident is referred to the hospital social
worker. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Present available rehabilitation options
B. Evaluate the patient's social supports
C. Assess the patient's emotional reaction
D. Gather social history information - ANSWER C. Assess the patient's emotional
reaction.
While reading a couple's adoption references, the SW notices that three out of five
references include information on the wife only. What is the SW's MOST appropriate
response to this lack of information?
A. Ask the husband why the reference did not include him
B. Request a follow-up interview with the husband
C. Tell the wife the references did not include the husband
,D. Contact the references and ask for additional data - ANSWER D. Contact the
references and ask for additional data.
A SW working in a homeless shelter meets with a client who demands to leave on a
cold winter day. The client has schizophrenia and has no supportive connections
away from the shelter. The client is wearing clothes inappropriate for the weather
conditions. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Inform the agency administrator of the client's plans
B. Discuss with the client the risks involved in leaving
C. Provide the client with appropriate clothing items
D. Inform appropriate authorities of the client's intention - ANSWER B. Discuss with
the client the risks involved in leaving.
During an interview, before actually speaking, a SW considers what to say to a client
in words the client will understand. What aspect of the communication cycle is the
SW using?
A. Giving Feedback
B. Receiving
C. Transmitting
D. Encoding - ANSWER D. Encoding
A school SW is talking to a group of middle school students about smoking
cigarettes. There is general agreement among the students that occasional use of
electronic cigarettes is safe. What should the SW do to BEST respond to the
discussion?
A. Educate the students about the addictive properties of electronic cigarettes
B. Discuss the impact of peer pressure on smoking behavior
C. Inform the students that smoking can lead to other drug use
D. Remind the students that electronic cigarettes create offensive odors - ANSWER
A. Educate the students about the addictive properties of electronic cigarettes.
A SW tells a client, "You looked confused when I just explained our agency's policy."
What communication technique is the SW attempting with this statement?
A. Structuring
B. Summarizing
C. Rephrasing
D. Reflection - ANSWER D. Reflection.
In addition to verbalizing the SW's understanding, what does an empathetic
response include?
A. Mirroring the client's feelings
B. Expressing the SW's similar feeling
C. Exploring the problem further
D. Universalizing the client's problem - ANSWER A. mirroring the client's feelings.
Individuals who view the norms and values of their own culture as absolute and use
them as standards for judging others are exhibiting:
A. Racism
B. Prejudice
C. Ethnocentrism
, D. Discrimination - ANSWER C. Ethnocentrism
A 26-year-old women who is homeless and pregnant is referred to a SW. She is in
conflict with her family, has no money, abuses substances, and needs emergency
housing. What is the woman's MOST immediate problem?
A. Need for shelter
B. Need for prenatal care
C. Substance abuse
D. Lack of money - ANSWER A. Need for Shelter.
A SW meets with a 13-year-old client who reports that she may be pregnant. Her
boyfriend is 16-years old. The client demands that the SW not tell anyone. What
should the SW do FIRST?
A. Review the limits of confidentiality related to the circumstance
B. Make a formal report to the appropriate child welfare authority
C. Respect the client's right to keep her situation private
D. Notify the client's parents of the client's possible pregnancy - ANSWER A.
Review the limits of confidentiality related to the circumstances.
A SW selects clients to participate in a research project about child abuse. What is
the BEST term for this process?
A. Recruitment
B. Evaluation
C. Sampling
D. Assessment - ANSWER C. Sampling.
A hospital SW contacts a nursing home about accepting a patient. The nursing home
asks the SW for a copy of the patient's records. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Discuss the specifics of the requests with the client
B. Provide a copy of the patient's record as requested
C. Ask the nursing home to put the request in writing
D. Provide a redacted copy of the patient's records - ANSWER A. Discuss the
specifics of the request with the client.
A SW learns that a client is receiving services from another SW for the same
problem. The client has not told this to the SW. What should the SW do FIRST?
A. Initiate termination of services to the client
B. Ignore the issue unless the client discloses it
C. Explore which service provider the client prefers
D. Consult with the SW Supervisor regarding the case - ANSWER D. Consult with
the SW supervisor regarding the case.
What step is an appropriate part of the referral process?
A. Following up to determine whether the resources were provided
B. Alerting the client about problems within the agency to which the client has been
referred
C. Offering the client the use of the SW's resource listing, but allowing the client to
determine whom to call
