3 Exam Strategies
Alexandria Lewis
Highlights
What “it is and isn’t”:
- Remind yourself that the exam is a national standardized exam and not state-specific.
- Do not rely on your professional social work practice experience to answer the exam items.
- Use a generalist social work practice lens when reading and selecting answers.
Keep It Simple:
- Do not engage in too much critical thinking because vignettes have limited details.
balancing time
Take your time reading the question, but watch the clock on the exam to ensure you have time to answer all 85 questions within the two hours allotted.
Key Format Reminder:
- The exam is divided into two sections of 85 questions each.
- Each section is timed separately: Two hours per section.
- Once you submit Section 1, you cannot return to Section 1 questions.
- After Section 1, there is a fixed optional 10-minute break (the timer stops).
Important Timing Note:
- If a test-taker has remaining time in Section 1, this time does not carry over into Section 2. For instance, if you complete Section 1 in one hour, you lose the remaining hour. You will only have two hours available for Section 2.
Total Time for Each Section of the Exam (2 Sections- 85 questions each section):
- Try to complete all 85 questions within 100 minutes.
- Do not spend a lot of time on questions that are unclear or confusing. Flag the questions and return later.
- Use the final 15-20 minutes for review:
- Revisit flagged or unsure questions.
Image Accessible Chart:
| Time Per Question | Total Time for 85 Questions | Review Time Left (out of 120 min) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 min | 85 min | 35 min |
| 1 min 10 sec | 99.2 min | ~21 min |
| 1 min 15 sec | 106.25 min | ~14 min |
| 1 min 20 sec | 113.3 min | ~6.5 min |
| 1 min 25 sec | 120 min | 0 min (no review time) |
| 1 min 30 sec | 127.5 min | Over time limit |
Selecting your answer
- Read the question (item) carefully. Pay close attention to qualifiers used in questions: First, next, most, or best. Qualifiers are in all caps and bolded.
- For vignettes, use the highlighter tool to highlight keywords from the question.
- Try to determine the content area when the question is unclear. For instance, if you read the question as an assessment question but the question is an ethics question, you might select the incorrect answer.
- Read each answer choice.
- Use the answer elimination tool (strike out tool) or an erasable note board to rule out the answer choices.
- Be aware that there could be items on your exam where there is content in the stem that is inaccurate.
- As you read each question, focus on what the ASWB views as the correct answer. Ask yourself, “What is the ASWB looking for?”
Acronyms
Some of you might have encountered resources online about the use of acronyms. If you use the following acronyms, be careful not to become so focused on using the acronym that it impacts your ability to answer the question in a timely manner.
Acronyms might help with the questions you are stuck on versus being used for every application/reasoning question.
Tip: Write down the acronyms on the erasable note board instead of trying to remember the acronyms while taking the exam.
The following are several acronyms (original authors unknown):
“FAREAFI”
- F- Feelings (i.e., validate the client’s feelings)
- A- Assess
- R- Refer
- E- Educate
- A- Advocate
- F- Facilitate
- I- Intervene
“AASPIRINS”
- A- Acknowledge client
- A- Assess
- S- Start where the client is
- P- Protect the client system (e.g., individual, group, family, community)
- I- Intoxicated- Refer
- R- Rule out a medical issue
- I- Informed consent
- N- Non-judgmental
- S- Support the self-determination of the client
“VERELAT”
- V- Validate
- E- Explore
- R- Refer
- E- Educate
- L- Lay foundation for empowerment
- A- Advocate
- T- Treat
Helping process overview
The following content is a refresher on the helping process.
Phases of Social Work Practice (Cournoyer, 2011)
- Preparing (Engage)
- Beginning (Engage)
- Exploring (Engage)
- Assessing (Assess)
- Contracting (Assess)
- Working & Evaluating (Intervene and evaluate)
- Ending (Intervene and evaluate)
Helping Process (Hepworth et al., 2017)
- Phase I
- Exploration
- Engagement
- Assessment
- Planning
- Phase II
- Implementation
- Goal Attainment
- Phase III
- Evaluation
- Termination
Generalist Social Work Practice Model
- Engagement
- Assessment
- Planning
- Implementation
- Evaluation
- Termination
- Follow-Up
- Reassess
- Discontinue
The following questions capture the helping process embedded within the question.
References
Cournoyer, B. (2011). The social work skills workbook (6th ed.). Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Hepworth, D.H., Rooney, R.H., Rooney, G.D., & Storm-Gottfried (2017). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills. Cengage Learning.
