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United States · Licensing exam

ASWB Masters exam: for master’s-level licenses

The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) offers the Masters exam for people with a master’s degree in social work (MSW). Unlike the Clinical exam, ASWB lists no work experience you need first. For the LMSW (licensed master social worker) in New York and Texas, for example, the ASWB Masters exam is the one to take, though your board has the final say on which exam you’re approved for.

  • MSWDegree the Masters exam is for
  • 10Competencies in the Masters outline
  • Your state boardWho approves you to take it
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who takes the ASWB Masters exam?

Social workers with an MSW who are applying for a master’s-level license. ASWB describes the category as the practice of master’s social work, including specialized knowledge and advanced practice skills. Your board decides you’re eligible and tells ASWB, and only then can you register.

Boards differ on timing. New York won’t admit you to the exam until you’ve received your MSW, while Texas lets you start exam registration in your last semester. The by-state page has more of these rules.

Social work licensure by state →

Is the LMSW exam the same as the ASWB Masters exam?

In New York, Texas and Maine, yes. New York’s Office of the Professions says no other ASWB exam is acceptable for the LMSW, and ASWB’s Texas and Maine pages list the Masters exam for it. Titles don’t travel well, though: Colorado’s LSW (licensed social worker) needs the Masters exam, but Maine’s LSW needs the Bachelors exam. Go by your board’s approval, not the title on the license.

Masters or Clinical: what’s the difference?

The Clinical exam needs an MSW plus two years of clinical experience, or what your board counts as equal, and it leads to licenses for clinical practice. The Masters exam has no experience requirement in ASWB’s category list.

Day to day the two exams look alike. Both have the same format and the same three content areas, and both use more reasoning questions than the Bachelors exam. The Clinical outline adds a few items of its own, such as research ethics and quality assurance.

The ASWB Clinical exam →

What the Masters exam outline covers

The Masters outline groups its 10 competencies under the three content areas:

  • Values and ethics: ethical principles and responsibilities, ethical service delivery, and diversity and social justice
  • Assessment and planning: assessment concepts, assessment methods and techniques, and assessment practices
  • Intervention and practice: practice concepts, intervention methods and techniques, practice evaluation and research, and supervision and administration

Each competency breaks down into applied knowledge statements, from informed consent and mandatory reporting to the mental status examination and group work. The full list is in ASWB’s Guidebook, and the study guide page shows how much each content area counts.

ASWB exam study guide and content weights →ASWB: Examination Guidebook, August 2026 (PDF) ↗

Practicing for the Masters exam

ASWB sells a Masters online practice test to candidates who have registered, and several prep companies make Masters products, from question banks to full courses. Their prices are on the study options page. ASWB’s first-time pass rate for the Masters exam is on the passing score page, with the other categories.

ASWB practice exams and prep courses →ASWB passing score and pass rates →
Sources: ASWB · New York State Office of the Professions · Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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