MSW PRACTICE EXAM 2025
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from
a. direct experience.
b. tradition.
c. direct, personal inquiry.
d. authority.
e. All of these. - ANS e. All of these.
A social worker invents a new therapy that brings her fame, fortune, and a large following of
professional disciples. Two studies evaluate her new therapy. One is scientifically weak in its
design, and concludes that her therapy is extremely effective. The other is scientifically very
strong in its design, but concludes that her therapy is not effective at all. She writes a letter to
the journal publishing both studies. In her letter she severely criticizes the design of the strong
study (and therefore also criticizes the credibility of its findings), and she praises the design and
findings of the weak study.
a. overgeneralization.
b. ego-involvement in understanding.
c. premature closure of inquiry.
d. made-up information.
e. mystification. - ANS b. ego-involvement in understanding.
Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding entering your first job as a
professional social worker?
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,a. You should disregard agency traditions.
b. You should disregard advice based on authority, even if the authority figure has a high level
of training, credentials and experience.
c. You should keep in mind that knowledge based on tradition and authority could be wrong,
and seek evidence that might support or challenge that knowledge.
d. All of these.
e. None of these. - ANS c.You should keep in mind that knowledge based on tradition and
authority could be wrong, and seek evidence that might support or challenge that knowledge.
Scientific evidence should be based on
a. observations gathered in ways that seek to reduce the influence of researcher biases.
b. systematic and comprehensive observations.
c. a large and diverse sample of observations.
d. All of these. - ANS d. All of these.
Practitioners engaged in evidence-based practice will:
a. be critical thinkers.
b. track down evidence as an ongoing lifelong part of their practice.
c. question things that are based on tradition or authority.
d. think for themselves as to the logic and evidence supporting what others may convey as
practice wisdom.
e. All of these. - ANS e. All of these.
The evidence-based practice process
a. requires practitioners to employ interventions that have the best research support even if
those interventions conflict with client values.
b. can involve decisions about the selection of assessment tools.
c. applies only to clinical decisions, NOT to practice decisions about communities or social
policies.
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, d. All of these. - ANS b. Can involve decisions about the selection of assessment tools.
Which of the following statements is/are true about evidence-based practice
a. The studies at the top of the research hierarchy usually involve clients who are very much
like those typically encountered in everyday social work practice.
b. Its proponents agree with its critics that it denigrates professional expertise and ignores
client values and preferences.
c. Real-world obstacles often prevent implementing it thoroughly in everyday social work
practice.
d. All of these.
e. None of these. - ANS c. Real-world obstacles often prevent implementing it thoroughly in
everyday social work practice.
Critical thinkers will:
a. Be willing to question and alter their own beliefs based on new experiences.
b. Be willing to question what those in authority assert as fact.
c. Question unstated assumptions underlying accepted practice wisdom.
d. All of these. - ANS d. All of these.
Qualitative methods:
a. Emphasize precise and generalizable statistical findings.
b. Are likely to tap deeper meanings.
c. Cannot be combined with quantitative methods in the same study.
d. Eschew objectivity entirely. - ANS b. Are likely to tap deeper meanings.
Which of the following statements is correct about evidence-based practice?
a. It is a process.
b. It is a list of interventions that will be effective with every client.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from
a. direct experience.
b. tradition.
c. direct, personal inquiry.
d. authority.
e. All of these. - ANS e. All of these.
A social worker invents a new therapy that brings her fame, fortune, and a large following of
professional disciples. Two studies evaluate her new therapy. One is scientifically weak in its
design, and concludes that her therapy is extremely effective. The other is scientifically very
strong in its design, but concludes that her therapy is not effective at all. She writes a letter to
the journal publishing both studies. In her letter she severely criticizes the design of the strong
study (and therefore also criticizes the credibility of its findings), and she praises the design and
findings of the weak study.
a. overgeneralization.
b. ego-involvement in understanding.
c. premature closure of inquiry.
d. made-up information.
e. mystification. - ANS b. ego-involvement in understanding.
Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding entering your first job as a
professional social worker?
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,a. You should disregard agency traditions.
b. You should disregard advice based on authority, even if the authority figure has a high level
of training, credentials and experience.
c. You should keep in mind that knowledge based on tradition and authority could be wrong,
and seek evidence that might support or challenge that knowledge.
d. All of these.
e. None of these. - ANS c.You should keep in mind that knowledge based on tradition and
authority could be wrong, and seek evidence that might support or challenge that knowledge.
Scientific evidence should be based on
a. observations gathered in ways that seek to reduce the influence of researcher biases.
b. systematic and comprehensive observations.
c. a large and diverse sample of observations.
d. All of these. - ANS d. All of these.
Practitioners engaged in evidence-based practice will:
a. be critical thinkers.
b. track down evidence as an ongoing lifelong part of their practice.
c. question things that are based on tradition or authority.
d. think for themselves as to the logic and evidence supporting what others may convey as
practice wisdom.
e. All of these. - ANS e. All of these.
The evidence-based practice process
a. requires practitioners to employ interventions that have the best research support even if
those interventions conflict with client values.
b. can involve decisions about the selection of assessment tools.
c. applies only to clinical decisions, NOT to practice decisions about communities or social
policies.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 THESTAR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, d. All of these. - ANS b. Can involve decisions about the selection of assessment tools.
Which of the following statements is/are true about evidence-based practice
a. The studies at the top of the research hierarchy usually involve clients who are very much
like those typically encountered in everyday social work practice.
b. Its proponents agree with its critics that it denigrates professional expertise and ignores
client values and preferences.
c. Real-world obstacles often prevent implementing it thoroughly in everyday social work
practice.
d. All of these.
e. None of these. - ANS c. Real-world obstacles often prevent implementing it thoroughly in
everyday social work practice.
Critical thinkers will:
a. Be willing to question and alter their own beliefs based on new experiences.
b. Be willing to question what those in authority assert as fact.
c. Question unstated assumptions underlying accepted practice wisdom.
d. All of these. - ANS d. All of these.
Qualitative methods:
a. Emphasize precise and generalizable statistical findings.
b. Are likely to tap deeper meanings.
c. Cannot be combined with quantitative methods in the same study.
d. Eschew objectivity entirely. - ANS b. Are likely to tap deeper meanings.
Which of the following statements is correct about evidence-based practice?
a. It is a process.
b. It is a list of interventions that will be effective with every client.
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