The ASWB Bachelors exam
For generalist practice at bachelor’s level, normally after a BSW. It shares its content outline and question bank with the Associate exam.
Commonly leads to LBSW, LSW, LSWA — though the title varies by jurisdiction. Check yours.
What this exam actually weights
- I. Values and Ethics35%
- II. Assessment and Planning33%
- III. Intervention and Practice32%
Associate and Bachelors share one content outline and one question bank. They differ only in the passing standard, so either choice studies the same material.
How many pass it first time
70.4%
Of the 2,741 people who sat the Bachelors exam for the first time in 2025 across all ASWB member jurisdictions.
ASWB notes that pass rates are most representative for groups of more than 200 candidates. This cohort is well above that.
Source: ASWB exam pass rates, last verified August 16, 2026. We publish no pass rate of our own — no preparation provider can honestly claim one.
What we cover for it
- 110
- applied knowledge statements, each a written lesson
- 2,004
- practice questions, each with a full rationale
- 12
- full-length mocks, with no question repeated across any two
Scoped to this exam. Of the 124 applied knowledge statements across all four content outlines, 110 are on the Bachelors exam — the rest are not shown to you and are not counted against you.
A question from this exam
From Ethical Principles and Responsibilities, which you can read in full without an account.
A social worker has a signed consent form in a client's file. What does the signature by itself establish?
- AThat the agency gave the client its standard disclosure form
- BThat the client agreed, but not that she understood the service
- CThat the client agreed and understood what she was agreeing to
Where this exam is required
States whose license rules we have read on their own board’s site. We are working through the rest and will not list a state until we have checked it.
The format
The same for every category: 122 questions, of which 110 are scored and 12 are unscored pretest items, in 2 sections of 61 with 240 minutes in total. More on how the exam works.
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