United States · Licensing examHow much does the ASWB exam cost?
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Associate, Bachelors or Masters exam | $230 |
| Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam | $260 |
| Exam preapproval, four states | $60 |
| Excused absence, reduced fee | $150 |
| Score transfer, per request | $40 |
All amounts are in US dollars, and every ASWB fee is nonrefundable. ASWB takes Mastercard, Visa and Discover. Preapproval applies only in Colorado, Maine, Texas and Utah, where ASWB checks your eligibility for the board.
Your board’s own application and license fees are separate, and the board sets them. Extending an Authorization to Test is also a purchase in ASWBCentral, but ASWB’s extension page doesn’t give a price. ASWB’s practice test price is on the study options page.
How do you register for the ASWB exam?
- Apply for a license with your state or provincial board, or for preapproval through ASWB in Colorado, Maine, Texas or Utah, and wait for approval.
- If you need nonstandard testing arrangements, request them in ASWBCentral and wait for ASWB’s decision before you register.
- Register and pay in ASWBCentral. You answer questions about your background and education and sign the Candidate Rules Agreement. Use the first and last name on your IDs.
- Watch for your Authorization to Test email, which ASWB sends within two business days. It has your candidate ID and the window you must test in.
- Book with Pearson from ASWBCentral or by phone. Pearson emails a confirmation within 24 hours, and if none arrives, the booking didn’t go through.
If you have approved arrangements, you book by phone instead of online. Your exam registration covers one attempt.
Are there set ASWB exam dates?
Any day a Pearson test center has a seat. ASWB says most centers open on weekdays during business hours, and many on Saturdays.
Book early, because the centers also run other professions’ exams. ASWB suggests four to six weeks before the day you want. Your Authorization to Test can last up to a year, or less if your board sets an earlier date, and if you haven’t tested by the expiration date you lose the fee.
If something stops you testing in time, you can ask for one extension of up to six months per registration, within 30 days of the expiration date. Your board’s approval can decide whether you get one and how long it is.
Rescheduling, missed appointments and bad weather
- Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours before your appointment, in ASWBCentral or by phone with Pearson, and you pay nothing extra.
- For a Monday or Tuesday appointment, call to change it before 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Friday before.
- If your arrangements include a reader, scribe or American Sign Language interpreter, ASWB asks for two business days’ notice.
- Arrive late or miss the appointment and you’re a no-show: you lose the fee and must register and pay again, unless ASWB excuses the absence.
- You can ask ASWB to excuse a missed appointment, starting 24 hours after it. Within 14 days and with documents for a family death, illness, a car accident, weather or a similar event, the fee may be waived. A late arrival, a request made after 14 days but within 30, or one without enough documents may be charged the reduced fee instead, or denied.
- If a test center closes for weather, you can reschedule at no cost.
ASWB grants no more than two excused absences for one exam registration. Wait for its decision before you pay for another exam.
Sources: ASWB and 6 more. Checked October 2026.
- ASWB: Getting ready for the exam ↗
- ASWB: Exam appointments ↗
- ASWB: Authorization to Test expiration date extension ↗
- ASWB: Excused absences ↗
- ASWB: Examination Guidebook, August 2026 (PDF) ↗
- ASWB: Sending your exam results to another state or province ↗
- ASWB: Examination preapproval for Texas ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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