2025/2026 ASWB LSW High-Yield Practice Questions:
Social Work Roles, Ethics, Mental Status Exam,
Assessments & Interventions
A social worker meets with a 3-year-old client who is in recovery from cocaine
addiction. The client has made progress and has shown improved social
functioning. Recently, the client has been expressing self-pity and sorrow for
what he has lost over the years of his substance abuse. The social worker
notices that the client is increasingly depressed. What should the social
worker do NEXT?
A. Refer the client to a 12 step program
B. Complete a suicide risk assessment
C. Explore recent changes i life situations
D. Refer the client for a medication evaluation - correct answer Rationale:
Due to the severity of the client's symptoms, the social worker should NEXT
assess for suicide risk (key B). After ensuring that the client is safe, the social
worker may decide to refer the client to a 12-step program (A) or for a
medication evaluation (D)j, or discuss life changes (C).
A 14-year old student is referred to the school social worker. The student was
involved in an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He
recently returned to school after a long hospitalization. The student does not
want to be at school and is struggling academically and socially. What should
the social worker do FIRST?
A. Refer the student to a community grief support group
B. Recommend home-schooling for the student
C. Evaluate the student for depression
D. Arrange a meeting with the student and his teachers - correct answer (A)
may be helpful after gaining an understanding of he student's needs. It is not
clear yet whether home-schooling (B) would be helpful recommendation.
Goals should be established before arranging a meeting with teachers (D).
,A 23-year-old Latino client who is a recent immigrant is referred to a social
worker by his brother. The client says his brother believes he has a chemical
dependency problem. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Refer the client to a Latino social worker in another agency
B. Ask the client to agree to a urine screen
C. Explore the circumstances that led to the immigration
D. Engage the client in a discussion of his substance use history - correct
answer The social worker FIRST needs to gather more information about
the client's substance use (key D). Asking what led to he client's immigration
(C) could be explored at a later time. Nothing warrants referring the client to a
Latino social worker (A). Asking for a urine screen (B) could occur later,
depending upon the results of the assessment, but there is not enough
information to justify one now.
A child protective services agency social worker is working with a family who
was referred because of child neglect. The parents have substance abuse
and gambling problems. They frequently leave their children alone at night
and fail to obtain routine medical care for them. The parents also keep the
ten-year-old child home from school to watch the younger children. After
completing a psychosocial assessment, what should the social worker do
NEXT?
A. Ensure that he parents receive substance abuse treatment
B. Assess the availability and cost of services
C. Refer the children for day care services
D. Help the family identify services needs - correct answer Rationale: Due
to the severity of the family's problems, the social worker must immediately
identify needs to help connect the family with services (key D). Option (A), (B),
and (C) are individual components of an overall service plan that needs to be
established FIRST.
A social worker meets with a client who complains about reliving a motorcycle
accident that he witnessed six weeks earlier. Two people were killed in the
,accident. The client is having trouble sleeping and is experiencing recurring
nightmares. What is the MOST likely diagnosis to the client?
A. Adjustment disorder with anxiety
B. Acute stress disorder
C. Generalized anxiety disorder
D. Postraumatic stress disorder - correct answer Rationale: This is an
unscored item. This item requires knowledge of the diagnostic criteria for
posttraumatic stress disorder (key D). Options (A), (B), and (C) do not include
these diagnostic criteria.
A social worker is completing an assessment on a 36-year-old client who
reports multiple emotional problems. The client is married with three
adolescent children. She reports that over the past few months she has been
irritable with her children and husband, has no energy, feels anxious, has
difficulty concentrating, and is constantly sad. She tells the social worker, "I
just don't know what's wrong with me." What should the social worker do
FIRST?
A. Assess the client's current level of cognitive functioning
B. Ask when the client had her last medical examination
C. Focus on the use of drugs or alcohol as likely contributing factors
D. Identify and engage the client's interpersonal support systems - correct
answer Rationale: The social worker must FIRST rule out any medical
reason for the client's recent symptoms (keyb). There is not enough
information to lead to assessing the client's cognitive functioning FIRST (A).
Option (C) is incorrect because it makes an assumption about the client's
substance use. Option (D) may occur later after medical causes have been
ruled out.
A client requests that the social worker accompany her to weekly church
services. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Accommodate the client's request
, B. Interpret the client's dependency
C. Consult with a social work supervisor
D. Clarify professional boundaries - correct answer Rationale: A clarification
of boundaries (key D) reflects social work ethics. Simply agreeing to attend
(A) would be unethical, Interpreting he client's dependency (B) and engaging
in later consultation (C) do not respond to the immediate request from the
client.
A social worker asks a client for written permission to disclose confidential
information to the social worker's clinical supervisor, who is not in the same
agency. What is the MOST important thing that the social worker should tell
the client?
A. The risks involved in releasing the information
B. The reasons for providing the information to the supervisor
C. The rights of the client to refuse to release the information
D. The impact on treatment if the information is not released - correct answer
Rationale: The MOST important element of consent is that it is completely the
client's decision. Telling the client of the client's right to refuse a release of
information supports client self-determination (key C. Option (A), (B), and (D)
only provide information to help the client make a decision to refuse or grant
the request.
A child protective services agency social worker meets with a single mother
who recently left her abusive boyfriend. The mother has found a job cleaning
houses but has to take her three-year-old son to work with her. She admits to
spanking her son and leaving marks. She tells the social worker that she is
depressed. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Refer the mother for a medication evaluation
B. Arrange day care for the child
C. Enroll the mother in a single parent support group
D. Require the mother to begin weekly therapy - correct answer Rationale:
The social worker should FIRST put day care services in place for the child to
Social Work Roles, Ethics, Mental Status Exam,
Assessments & Interventions
A social worker meets with a 3-year-old client who is in recovery from cocaine
addiction. The client has made progress and has shown improved social
functioning. Recently, the client has been expressing self-pity and sorrow for
what he has lost over the years of his substance abuse. The social worker
notices that the client is increasingly depressed. What should the social
worker do NEXT?
A. Refer the client to a 12 step program
B. Complete a suicide risk assessment
C. Explore recent changes i life situations
D. Refer the client for a medication evaluation - correct answer Rationale:
Due to the severity of the client's symptoms, the social worker should NEXT
assess for suicide risk (key B). After ensuring that the client is safe, the social
worker may decide to refer the client to a 12-step program (A) or for a
medication evaluation (D)j, or discuss life changes (C).
A 14-year old student is referred to the school social worker. The student was
involved in an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He
recently returned to school after a long hospitalization. The student does not
want to be at school and is struggling academically and socially. What should
the social worker do FIRST?
A. Refer the student to a community grief support group
B. Recommend home-schooling for the student
C. Evaluate the student for depression
D. Arrange a meeting with the student and his teachers - correct answer (A)
may be helpful after gaining an understanding of he student's needs. It is not
clear yet whether home-schooling (B) would be helpful recommendation.
Goals should be established before arranging a meeting with teachers (D).
,A 23-year-old Latino client who is a recent immigrant is referred to a social
worker by his brother. The client says his brother believes he has a chemical
dependency problem. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Refer the client to a Latino social worker in another agency
B. Ask the client to agree to a urine screen
C. Explore the circumstances that led to the immigration
D. Engage the client in a discussion of his substance use history - correct
answer The social worker FIRST needs to gather more information about
the client's substance use (key D). Asking what led to he client's immigration
(C) could be explored at a later time. Nothing warrants referring the client to a
Latino social worker (A). Asking for a urine screen (B) could occur later,
depending upon the results of the assessment, but there is not enough
information to justify one now.
A child protective services agency social worker is working with a family who
was referred because of child neglect. The parents have substance abuse
and gambling problems. They frequently leave their children alone at night
and fail to obtain routine medical care for them. The parents also keep the
ten-year-old child home from school to watch the younger children. After
completing a psychosocial assessment, what should the social worker do
NEXT?
A. Ensure that he parents receive substance abuse treatment
B. Assess the availability and cost of services
C. Refer the children for day care services
D. Help the family identify services needs - correct answer Rationale: Due
to the severity of the family's problems, the social worker must immediately
identify needs to help connect the family with services (key D). Option (A), (B),
and (C) are individual components of an overall service plan that needs to be
established FIRST.
A social worker meets with a client who complains about reliving a motorcycle
accident that he witnessed six weeks earlier. Two people were killed in the
,accident. The client is having trouble sleeping and is experiencing recurring
nightmares. What is the MOST likely diagnosis to the client?
A. Adjustment disorder with anxiety
B. Acute stress disorder
C. Generalized anxiety disorder
D. Postraumatic stress disorder - correct answer Rationale: This is an
unscored item. This item requires knowledge of the diagnostic criteria for
posttraumatic stress disorder (key D). Options (A), (B), and (C) do not include
these diagnostic criteria.
A social worker is completing an assessment on a 36-year-old client who
reports multiple emotional problems. The client is married with three
adolescent children. She reports that over the past few months she has been
irritable with her children and husband, has no energy, feels anxious, has
difficulty concentrating, and is constantly sad. She tells the social worker, "I
just don't know what's wrong with me." What should the social worker do
FIRST?
A. Assess the client's current level of cognitive functioning
B. Ask when the client had her last medical examination
C. Focus on the use of drugs or alcohol as likely contributing factors
D. Identify and engage the client's interpersonal support systems - correct
answer Rationale: The social worker must FIRST rule out any medical
reason for the client's recent symptoms (keyb). There is not enough
information to lead to assessing the client's cognitive functioning FIRST (A).
Option (C) is incorrect because it makes an assumption about the client's
substance use. Option (D) may occur later after medical causes have been
ruled out.
A client requests that the social worker accompany her to weekly church
services. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Accommodate the client's request
, B. Interpret the client's dependency
C. Consult with a social work supervisor
D. Clarify professional boundaries - correct answer Rationale: A clarification
of boundaries (key D) reflects social work ethics. Simply agreeing to attend
(A) would be unethical, Interpreting he client's dependency (B) and engaging
in later consultation (C) do not respond to the immediate request from the
client.
A social worker asks a client for written permission to disclose confidential
information to the social worker's clinical supervisor, who is not in the same
agency. What is the MOST important thing that the social worker should tell
the client?
A. The risks involved in releasing the information
B. The reasons for providing the information to the supervisor
C. The rights of the client to refuse to release the information
D. The impact on treatment if the information is not released - correct answer
Rationale: The MOST important element of consent is that it is completely the
client's decision. Telling the client of the client's right to refuse a release of
information supports client self-determination (key C. Option (A), (B), and (D)
only provide information to help the client make a decision to refuse or grant
the request.
A child protective services agency social worker meets with a single mother
who recently left her abusive boyfriend. The mother has found a job cleaning
houses but has to take her three-year-old son to work with her. She admits to
spanking her son and leaving marks. She tells the social worker that she is
depressed. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Refer the mother for a medication evaluation
B. Arrange day care for the child
C. Enroll the mother in a single parent support group
D. Require the mother to begin weekly therapy - correct answer Rationale:
The social worker should FIRST put day care services in place for the child to
