lmsw
Showing posts with label lmsw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lmsw. Show all posts

How to Pass the LMSW Exam

2:03 AM 0
How do you pass the LMSW exam? Here's one, good, thorough answer from Nicole Clark on her blog. The post is called, fittingly enough, "Ask Nicole: How Did You Pass the LMSW Exam on Your First Try?" Here are the bullet points--do's and don'ts--which echo much of what we've been saying here. Our quick reaction/summary follows each:
  • Do know the NASW Code of Ethics (yes!)
  • Do take practice exams (she likes SWTP)
  • Do figure out how you like to retain information (she used a brainwave app)
  • Do take study breaks (research says so)
  • Do a trial run (if you've got the time and some anxiety to burn off, can help)
  • Do find ways to relieve stress (please do!)
  • Do know your acronyms (she means FAREAFI and AASPIRINS--sometimes helpful, sometimes not)
  • Don’t tell (many) people you’re taking the exam (good idea to reduce felt pressure)
  • Don’t pull out your class books (depends upon the class books, though, doesn't it? what about a textbooky textbook like Hepworth, Rooney, and Larson?)
  • Don’t answer exam questions based on what you’d do at your agency (yes! be the ideal, in-a-vacuum, textbook social worker)
All of the above applies to the LCSW exam and other ASWB exams, of course. More details within the post. Have at it!

Q&A: How many questions on the social work exam? What score do I need to pass?

1:10 AM 0
Some questions pop up from time to time in email and as search terms that show up in site stats. Here are a couple of regulars:

Q: How many questions are there on the social work exam?

A: Two answers: 170 or 200. It's 170 for all ASWB administered exams, 200 for the standard written exam administered by the California BBS. Which is you? If you're in California, 200. Everywhere else, 170. You know who you are.

Note: Not all of the exam questions account toward your score. Some are testers (20 on the ASWB, --their usefulness is being gauged before they're made real questions on some future exam. There's no way to know which questions are testers, so you may as well treat them all as real. That said, keeping in mind that some questions are testers can help you maintain calm and composure if you hit a few questions that makes no sense or seem way too hard or that you just don't know. Just shrug it off--"Must be a tester"--make your best guess and move on.

Q: What score do I need to pass the social work exam?

A: Depends upon the state. States set their own pass rates--check with your state board to get a precise number if you want it.  Passing percentages tend to land in the 70-75% range. So, for a state with a 72% requirement, that's 122 out of 170 or 108 out of 150 (excluding testers). For those preparing with online practice exams (a good idea), a good guideline is to aim for percentages coming in at high 70s/low 80s before going to sit for the real thing.

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Have a social work licensing exam question you don't see answered on the site? Write us and we'll do our best to get it answered (find our gmail on the sidebar).

Pass the LMSW Exam

4:23 AM 0
Licensed Master Social Workers of the future, take heart. The LMSW exam is passable. It has been passed or will be passed by somebody within hours of your reading this. Thousands of people pass the LMSW exam each year. You're next!

Just because it's doable, doesn't mean it won't take some work to do.  Get help where you can.  Keep your study prep focused.  Here are some useful links for easing your way to your LMSW on the web:
Good luck!
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