ASWB LMSW PRACTICE EXAM BANK 2026/2027 | ACCURATE
REAL EXAM 390 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
RATIONALES EACH | CURRENTLY TESTING AND
FREQUENTLY TESTED VERSIONS | EXPERT VERIFIED FOR
GUARANTEED PASS | LATEST UPDATE
A school social worker meets with parents of a child who has recently completed
treatment for cancer. The child's physician is recommending that the child return
to school as soon as possible, but the parents believe that more time at home
would be beneficial. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Advocate for the parents to keep the child at home
B. Explore the reasons for the parents' beliefs
C. Obtain the child's perspective on the situation
D. Refer the parents and child for family therapy - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- B.
Explore the reasons for the parents' beliefs
Before taking action, the social worker should acknowledge and validate the
parents' concerns and explore the events and emotions that have led to these
concerns (key B). Advocating that the child stay at home (A) is not supported by
the physician's recommendation. Although the social worker may eventually
want to obtain the child's perspective (C), this would not be the NEXT step.
There are no indications of family dysfunction that would warrant family
therapy (D).
1|Page
,A social worker begins a job at a psychiatric hospital and is assigned a caseload.
One of the clients is a former intimate partner. The social worker and client have
not had any contact for several years. What should the social worker do?
A. Process the issue with the client
B. Deny the relationship occurred
C. Transfer the client to a colleague
D. Request a transfer to a different department - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- C.
Transfer the client to a colleague
To avoid the ethical dilemma of dual relationships, the social worker should
transfer the client to another social worker (key C). Processing the issue with
the client (A) is not going to
resolve the ethical dilemma. Denying the existence of the past relationship (B) is
unethical. Asking for a transfer to another department (D) avoids the issue
entirely.
A client who is trying to become pregnant uses cocaine consistently and has
questions about the effects on the fetus. The social worker tells the client that
cocaine use could harm the fetus. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Offer substance abuse treatment options to the client
B. Refer the case for possible criminal prosecution
C. Inform the client that the drug use will be reported to child protective services
D. Ask the client's health care provider to drug test the client - CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔- A. Offer substance abuse treatment options to the client
2|Page
,Offering treatment options (key A) to the client supports client self-
determination and choice. Options (B), (C), and (D) are all restrictive and breach
client confidentiality.
A social worker is asked to analyze new social welfare policies that will affect the
community. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Examine the likely impact of the policies on the community
B. Research the historical problems that led to the policies
C. Organize a grassreets coalition to diseuss reaction to the policies
D. Look into legal precedents that could potentially nullify the policies - CORRECT
ANSWER ✔✔- B. Research the historical problems that led to the policies
This item requires understanding of the basic steps in policy analysis. The social
worker must FIRST understand the historical background of the policy (key B)
before moving to the
analysis stage. Options (A), (C), and (D) are steps to take later in the process.
A client meets with a social worker at a crisis center. The client is living with a
sibling and shares that the sibling's boyfriend is threatening to force the client out
of the home. The client does not feel safe. What should the social worker do
FIRST?
A. Call the police for the client
B. Develop a safety plan
C. Try to locate housing for the client
3|Page
, D. Determine the nature of the danger - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- D. Determine
the nature of the danger
Before taking any action, the social worker should assess the situation FIRST
(key D). Options (A), (B), and (C) are all action steps that may be done later.
Taking action without
assessing the situation involves reaching conclusions without knowing the facts.
A social worker meets with a new client who is diagnosed with depression. The
social worker observes that the client is ambivalent, non-trusting, and passive.
What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Focus on directly engaging the client
B. Suggest a task to improve the client's mood
C. Encourage the elient to recall better times
D. Provide information about depression - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- A. Focus on
directly engaging the client
Engaging the client (key A) is the only option that helps build rapport and
supports client self-determination. This should be done before taking additional
steps such as suggesting a
task to improve mood (B), encouraging recall of better times (C), and educating
about depression (D).
© Help
Diagnostic
4|Page
REAL EXAM 390 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
RATIONALES EACH | CURRENTLY TESTING AND
FREQUENTLY TESTED VERSIONS | EXPERT VERIFIED FOR
GUARANTEED PASS | LATEST UPDATE
A school social worker meets with parents of a child who has recently completed
treatment for cancer. The child's physician is recommending that the child return
to school as soon as possible, but the parents believe that more time at home
would be beneficial. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Advocate for the parents to keep the child at home
B. Explore the reasons for the parents' beliefs
C. Obtain the child's perspective on the situation
D. Refer the parents and child for family therapy - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- B.
Explore the reasons for the parents' beliefs
Before taking action, the social worker should acknowledge and validate the
parents' concerns and explore the events and emotions that have led to these
concerns (key B). Advocating that the child stay at home (A) is not supported by
the physician's recommendation. Although the social worker may eventually
want to obtain the child's perspective (C), this would not be the NEXT step.
There are no indications of family dysfunction that would warrant family
therapy (D).
1|Page
,A social worker begins a job at a psychiatric hospital and is assigned a caseload.
One of the clients is a former intimate partner. The social worker and client have
not had any contact for several years. What should the social worker do?
A. Process the issue with the client
B. Deny the relationship occurred
C. Transfer the client to a colleague
D. Request a transfer to a different department - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- C.
Transfer the client to a colleague
To avoid the ethical dilemma of dual relationships, the social worker should
transfer the client to another social worker (key C). Processing the issue with
the client (A) is not going to
resolve the ethical dilemma. Denying the existence of the past relationship (B) is
unethical. Asking for a transfer to another department (D) avoids the issue
entirely.
A client who is trying to become pregnant uses cocaine consistently and has
questions about the effects on the fetus. The social worker tells the client that
cocaine use could harm the fetus. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Offer substance abuse treatment options to the client
B. Refer the case for possible criminal prosecution
C. Inform the client that the drug use will be reported to child protective services
D. Ask the client's health care provider to drug test the client - CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔- A. Offer substance abuse treatment options to the client
2|Page
,Offering treatment options (key A) to the client supports client self-
determination and choice. Options (B), (C), and (D) are all restrictive and breach
client confidentiality.
A social worker is asked to analyze new social welfare policies that will affect the
community. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Examine the likely impact of the policies on the community
B. Research the historical problems that led to the policies
C. Organize a grassreets coalition to diseuss reaction to the policies
D. Look into legal precedents that could potentially nullify the policies - CORRECT
ANSWER ✔✔- B. Research the historical problems that led to the policies
This item requires understanding of the basic steps in policy analysis. The social
worker must FIRST understand the historical background of the policy (key B)
before moving to the
analysis stage. Options (A), (C), and (D) are steps to take later in the process.
A client meets with a social worker at a crisis center. The client is living with a
sibling and shares that the sibling's boyfriend is threatening to force the client out
of the home. The client does not feel safe. What should the social worker do
FIRST?
A. Call the police for the client
B. Develop a safety plan
C. Try to locate housing for the client
3|Page
, D. Determine the nature of the danger - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- D. Determine
the nature of the danger
Before taking any action, the social worker should assess the situation FIRST
(key D). Options (A), (B), and (C) are all action steps that may be done later.
Taking action without
assessing the situation involves reaching conclusions without knowing the facts.
A social worker meets with a new client who is diagnosed with depression. The
social worker observes that the client is ambivalent, non-trusting, and passive.
What should the social worker do NEXT?
A. Focus on directly engaging the client
B. Suggest a task to improve the client's mood
C. Encourage the elient to recall better times
D. Provide information about depression - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- A. Focus on
directly engaging the client
Engaging the client (key A) is the only option that helps build rapport and
supports client self-determination. This should be done before taking additional
steps such as suggesting a
task to improve mood (B), encouraging recall of better times (C), and educating
about depression (D).
© Help
Diagnostic
4|Page
