Social Work: General Test Prep

Social Work: General Test Prep

Preparing for the social work exam can seem like an overwhelming task. After years of school, internships, and the application process itself, facing the prospect of months of study and practice can be daunting, to say the least. This is especially true if you don’t have a plan. Therefore, the best way to approach your exam prep is - with a plan! The last thing you want to do is spend weeks or months feeling unsure as to what you should be doing just to take the exam unprepared and risk the possibility of failing.

The exam prep process can actually be a positive one - one that makes you into a better social worker. This is not just because you are licensed (although that’s certainly a good thing!) but because you sharpen your thinking process and your clinical skills as you study. The prep process consists of two major parts: 1) study and review and 2) question practice. Fortunately, if you’re working with our TestMaster program, you can do both at the same time.

TestMaster operates in two modes: Study Mode and Test Mode. When taking exams in Study Mode, this is the time to really work on consolidating knowledge while learning the “how” of answering questions at the same time. When in Study Mode, read ALL of the rationales for all of the questions, whether you’ve gotten the question right or wrong. The rationales are loaded with useful information to review. Expect this process to take time - time well spent reviewing and learning new information relevant to not only your exam, but to your clinical practice as well. Make sure to note the areas that TestMaster says you need to work on and supplement your study with the written materials that are part of your study tools. Once you’ve gotten through ALL of the exams in Study Mode, start taking the exams in Exam Mode beginning with Practice Exam #1. This will go a lot faster as you now only need to review the questions you missed. Keep a log of questions you missed and jot down WHY you missed that particular question: was it lack of knowledge, jumping to conclusions, reading too fast, over-generalization, or just plain being tired?

Be sure to time yourself, either with a timer or your phone, when you take the last two practice exams. The last two practice exams should be taken in “exam conditions,” I.e., with no food, drink, interruptions, etc. However, a 5-minute bathroom/water break - with the timer running - is vital to performance in the latter half of the test.

Most of all, make sure that when you take your exam, you do so feeling that you have done ALL that you need to do to be prepared - which may have included taking workshops, studying additional material, or even writing your own test-type questions. Take the test when you feel you have done everything you possibly can do and right before you begin to burnout! Having a plan and working diligently on your preparation gives you the best chance of passing your exam and moving on to your new and exciting life as a licensed social worker.