LCSW Exam Prep- 3 things to consider
You have finished your 2 plus years of practice, the hours of supervision, evaluation and you are ready to begin prepping for taking the LCSW exam.
First of all, congratulations! Take a breath. This is the last step between you and the professional goal that you have spent years of work aspiring to. While we would hope that the education, work experience, and supervision that you have completed would put you in a good place to take the LCSW exam successfully, there are a few things that I strongly suggest supervisees do prior to testing.
Step 1: Pick a plan to help you review content.
There are a lot of plans for LCSW test prep that are out there. The reality of social work practice is that we all tend to develop a niche of expertise, even in what may seem like a very diverse job description. If you have spent the last few years working with adults in community mental health, you may be rusty on the childhood stages of development. If you have focused on developing a therapy niche like trauma therapy or addiction therapy, the steps to crisis intervention may need a review.
The moral of the story is, it is important to remember that the ASWB will test on all elements of the social work practice and it may have been a few years since you have really studied and applied some of that coursework. Some popular study guides include:
For book Studies
For online video courses and programs
SW to SW (They have some great free resources through their blogs and videos too)
There also may be local study groups in your area. If you are located near a university with a Master of Social Work program, they may host or be able to direct you to local study groups or programs near you.
Step 2: Know your Ethics.
Sure, we would all hopefully say that we are familiar with or know the NASW code of ethics. But do you KNOW the code of ethics?
In the ASWB test outline, it states that up to 19% of the questions on the exam are related to professional values and ethics. While that may be a smaller percentage compared to some other content sections, professional values and ethics is an area of the test that you have access to the exact content that is being evaluated. Many of those who have taken the LCSW exam and come up short may only miss the pass cut-off point by a few points. If you can commit to knowing the code of ethics thoroughly, it could be enough to push you past the past/ fail cut-off point.
For my LCSW supervisees, I suggest that they read the entire code of ethics daily during their test prep phase to make sure they get those ethics questions answered correctly. Here is a link to the NASW code of social work ethics if it has been a while since you spent some time reading it.
Step 3: If in doubt, invest in the ASWB practice exam.
If you are at all concerned about your pass rate for the LCSW exam, purchasing the official ASWB practice exam is likely a great use of funds. This is the exam available from the test writers themselves. The exam is formatted with the same screen layout as what you will experience on testing day and most people find that they score very similarly on this practice exam as they do on exam day. Even more, you are able to read the question break down and see what questions you may have missed and alter your study approach for the day of the exam.
Best of luck to you as you prepare for the LCSW exam. As an LCSW supervisor, I celebrate this moment with each supervises and cannot wait to welcome you into the amazing world of clinical social work as a college!
Are you interested in developing your professional career further through supervision or consultation services? At our Arlington, TX based therapy group, the development of competent and confident therapist is one of our passions. Learn more about LCSW supervision, EMDR consultation, or contact us! We would love to connect with you!
