LMSW Ready
This intensive, supportive course is designed to help you build core knowledge, test-taking strategy, and confidence. Perfect for MSW students, international grads, and career changers preparing for the ASWB LMSW exam.
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Chapter 1
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Understanding the Exam & Mindset for Success
In this section, we will discover some key information of what to expect for the exam, the sections and content covered on the exam, test-taking strategies, and how to handle test anxiety.
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Lesson 2: The ASWB & Exam Structure
Overview of the ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards)
Exam length, question types, scoring, and domains
Time management on test day
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Lesson 3: The 4 Exam Domains Explained
Human Development, Diversity & Behavior
Assessment & Intervention
Ethics, Values, & Relationships
Professional Practice, Supervision, and Policy
Includes domain weights & question expectations
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Lesson 4: How Questions Are Designed to Trick You
“Best” vs “Right” answer
Elimination method
Common traps: absolutes, vague terms, cultural assumptions
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Lesson 5: The FIRST/NEXT Framework
How to use prioritization logic
Practice questions with rationales
Printable cheat card included
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Lesson 6: Exam Registration 101
How to register with ASWB
Choosing your test center or online proctor
Understanding the cost, policies, and accommodations
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Lesson 7: Special Considerations for International Students
Testing as a non-native English speaker
Credentials evaluation (if needed)
Visa timing, OPT/CPT, and licensing advice
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Lesson 8: Mindset Shifts for Exam Success
From fear to confidence
How to manage test anxiety
What to expect emotionally during prep and on test day
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Lesson 9: Build Your Personalized Study Plan
Set a realistic prep timeline (4, 6, or 8 weeks)
Identify your study style
How to track progress + stay accountable
Study planner download included
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Chapter 2
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Lesson 1: Overview of Human Development & Diversity
What this section tests
Why it's important in real-world social work
Common question styles from this domain
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Lesson 2: Theories of Human Development
Freud: Psychosexual stages
Erikson: Psychosocial stages
Piaget: Cognitive development
Kohlberg: Moral development
📥 Chart Download: Theories at a Glance
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Lesson 3: Life Span Development
Key milestones across the life cycle (infancy to late adulthood)
Developmental delays vs. normal variation
Questions based on age/stage
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Lesson 4: Attachment & Bonding
Bowlby & Ainsworth
Secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized
Impact of trauma on attachment
Example: foster care/loss scenario questions
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Lesson 5: Defense Mechanisms
Person-in-environment (PIE) model
Systems theory & ecological perspective
How environment, culture, and identity intersect
Sample application questions
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Lesson 6: Cultural Competence & Identity
Race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, language
Culturally humble practice vs. cultural competence
How this shows up on the exam (coded language + best practices)
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Lesson 7: Systems and Justice
Oppression, marginalization, and privilege
Intersectionality
Structural barriers clients may face (housing, immigration, etc.)
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Lesson 8: Family, Group & Community Dynamics
Types of family systems (nuclear, extended, blended, chosen)
Group stages (forming, storming, norming, etc.)
Role of community supports
Application in macro-level questions
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Lesson 9: Impact of Trauma
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
How trauma can disrupt development
Trauma-informed lens for answering ethical/practice questions
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Lesson 9: PART 2 Crisis Intervention
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
How trauma can disrupt development
Trauma-informed lens for answering ethical/practice questions
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Lesson 10: Practice Questions + Review Session
10 practice questions with rationales
Reflection prompts: What do I understand best? What’s still fuzzy?
Review flashcards & "most tested" tips
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Chapter 3
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Lesson 1: Overview of Assessment and Intervention
Introduce your lesson with an optional, short summary. You can edit this excerpt in lesson settings.
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Lesson 2: The First Assessment: Biopsychosocial + Mental Status Exam (IIA)
Know for the test
Biopsychosocial components (bio/psych/social/spiritual/cultural) and responses to illness/disability across the lifespan
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Lesson 3: DSM-5 Overview for LMSW
Purpose of the DSM-5 (without needing diagnosis as LMSW)
Commonly tested disorders: Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, Substance Use
Recognizing red flags in vignettes
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Lesson 4: Risk Assessment & Safety Planning
Assessing for suicide, abuse, domestic violence
When to call for emergency services vs. report
Key terms: imminent danger, protective factors, duty to warn
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Lesson 5: Setting Goals & Treatment Planning
SMART goals
Collaboration with clients
Prioritizing needs in exam questions
Questions that ask: “What is the MOST appropriate goal?”
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Lesson 6: Intervention Planning
Clinical: CBT, DBT, solution-focused, narrative therapy
Systems: case management, advocacy, referrals
When to refer vs. intervene directly
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Lesson 7: Working with Special Populations
Youth, elderly, immigrants, LGBTQIA+, trauma survivors
Accommodations and culturally responsive care
Exam angle: Which intervention is MOST appropriate for this client?
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Lesson 8: Documentation & Research
SOAP notes overview
Key words to include
Confidentiality, storage, and legal risks
How documentation shows up in exam questions
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Lesson 9: Indicators
Indicators of Addiction & Substance Abuse
Problematic use causing impairment (work/school/home/legal/medical) with loss of control, cravings, continued use despite harm, and often tolerance/withdrawal. Don’t diagnose on the test; identify red flags and screen/refer.
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Lesson 9.1: Indicators
.Indicators of Somatization
Somatization is a psychological phenomenon where emotional distress manifests as physical symptoms, often without a clear medical cause.
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Lesson 10: Case Scenario Practice + Strategy Review
10 practice LMSW-style questions with rationales
Scenario: Intake through treatment planning
Study tip: How to choose the "BEST" or "FIRST" action
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Chapter 4
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Lesson 1: Introduction to Intervention, Interviewing & Communication Essentials
Covers: Active listening, observation, clarifying, focusing, validating, reflecting, feedback, confronting (supportive, nonjudgmental), redirecting; congruence; verbal/nonverbal; language differences & qualified interpreters.
Exam cues: Choose the least intrusive skill that advances rapport/clarity; speak to the client (not the interpreter); short sentences, teach-back, avoid jargon. -
Lesson 2: Engagement & Motivation (incl. Involuntary Clients)
Covers: Join/rapport; expectancy; readiness; MI micro-skills (OARS); rolling with resistance; aligning with client goals; incentives & harm reduction stance.
Exam cues: Ambivalence → MI. Involuntary clients → acknowledge mandate, identify client goals, offer choices within limits, emphasize autonomy. -
Lesson 3: Phases of Treatment & Contracting
Covers: Engagement → Assessment → Planning/Contracting → Intervention → Evaluation → Termination; SMART goals; partializing; task-centered & solution-focused structures; client self-monitoring.
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Lesson 4: Brief, Solution-Focused, Problem-Solving Approaches
Covers: SFBT (exceptions, scaling, miracle, next step), problem-solving steps (define, brainstorm, select, implement, review), role play & modeling.
Exam cues: “Quick wins,” exceptions present, future-focused → SFBT. Concrete barriers → problem-solving + task lists. -
Cognitive & Behavioral Interventions
Covers: CBT (thought monitoring, cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, exposure); DBT skills (distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness); anger/stress management; mindfulness.
Exam cues: Panic/avoidance → exposure/BA; emotion storms/self-harm urges → DBT skills; insomnia/rumination → CBT-I basics; stress → relaxation, breathing, scheduling. -
Lesson 6: Families & Couples: Core Models
Covers: Structural (boundaries, hierarchy), Strategic (directives), Bowen (differentiation/triangles/genograms), Emotion-Focused (attachment/primary emotions), Psychoeducation. Permanency planning basics.
Exam cues: Enmeshment/disengagement → structural (realign boundaries); coalitions & triangles → Bowen; high negativity/withdrawal → EFT. Child welfare → safety + permanency + well-being. -
Lesson 7: Group Work Techniques
Covers: Screening, composition, norms, cohesion, stages (forming → adjourning), here-and-now processing, managing monopolizers/scapegoating, confidentiality limits.
Exam cues: Early stage → set norms/roles/agreements; conflict stage → facilitate process, not advice-giving; safety/fit trumps size preferences. -
Lesson 8: Case Management & Service Coordination
Covers: Components (outreach, intake, assessment, planning, linkage, monitoring, advocacy, follow-up); accessing benefits; out-of-home displacement (disaster, homelessness, immigration) impacts.
Exam cues: Barriers block attendance → case management first (transport/childcare/insurance), then therapy. Immigration/language → interpreters, rights/eligibility info, community linkage -
Lesson 9: Practice Evaluation & Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)
Covers: Measurable objectives; progress measures (scales, frequency, duration); methods to evaluate practice (single-subject/ABAB, goal attainment scaling); case recording for supervision; evidence-based steps (ask, acquire, appraise, apply, assess).
Exam cues: Pick the least burdensome valid measure linked to goals; ABAB = demonstrate functional change in one client/system. -
Lesson 10: Macro: Programs, Policy, Community, and Advocacy
Covers: Establishing program objectives/outcomes; community resource assessment; service delivery models; community organizing/social planning; establish service networks; advocacy methods; policy development/analysis; quality assurance; governance; political environment impacts; techniques to inform policy.
Exam cues: New service gap → needs assessment FIRST; policy change → build coalition, stakeholder mapping, data + lived experience, public comment. -
Lesson 11: Organizations, Teams, Supervision, and Management
Covers: Interdisciplinary collaboration; consultation/referral; leadership & management (CQI, audits, fiscal basics); supervision models; supervisee role (learning needs, self-assessment, prioritizing); educational supervision; using findings to improve services.
Exam cues: Beyond competence or countertransference → seek supervision. Referral to specialists when outside scope; document rationale and follow-up.
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Chapter 5
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NASW Core Values → Ethical Priorities in Practice
Covers: Professional values (service, social justice, dignity/worth, importance of relationships, integrity, competence); duties to clients, colleagues, profession, society.
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Spotting & Resolving Ethical Dilemmas (Structured Approach)
Covers: Dilemma recognition; steps: identify stakeholders, codes/laws, options/risks, supervision/consultation, document reasoning, monitor outcomes.
Exam focus: Choose assess → consult → decide → document over quick actions; avoid abandoning clients; apply least harm and most benefit. -
Lesson 3: Self-Determination, Capacity & Right to Refuse
Covers: Assess decisional capacity; assent vs consent; minors (age of consent/emancipation/permanency), medical/medication refusals, financial decisions.
Exam focus: FIRST: assess capacity/risks; respect refusal unless substantial risk to self/others or legal mandate. Use supported decision-making; involve guardians only as required. -
Lesson 4: Professional Boundaries, Dual Relationships & Self-Disclosure
Covers: Power differentials, conflicts of interest, gifts, bartering, social media; when/if to self-disclose and how.
Exam focus: Avoid dual relationships when foreseeable risk; if unavoidable (rural), document safeguards. Self-disclosure only if clearly benefits client, brief, and documented. -
Lesson 5: Documentation, Termination, Death & Dying (Legal/Ethical)
Covers: What belongs in notes; minimum necessary detail; timely/accurate records; termination for treatment goals, nonpayment policies, appropriate referrals; end-of-life ethics.
Exam focus: Give notice, provide referrals, avoid abandonment; document rationale. With death/dying: autonomy, advance directives, cultural humility. -
Lesson 6: Confidentiality, Informed Consent & Releases (including E-records)
Covers: Elements of informed consent; ROI specifics; record use/ownership; HIPAA basics; electronic security (passwords, encryption, least necessary access).
Exam focus: Mandatory exceptions (danger to self/others, abuse/neglect of vulnerable persons, court order). Share minimum necessary, get specific signed ROI, and document. -
Lesson 7: Mandatory Reporting & Impaired Professionals
Covers: Duties to report child/elder/dependent adult abuse; Tarasoff-type duty to protect/warn when credible threat; reporting impaired colleagues.
Exam focus: “Reasonable suspicion” → report first; then safety planning and services. Consult supervisor/ethics; do not investigate like law enforcement. -
Lesson 8: Supervision & Research Ethics
Covers: Models (individual/peer/group), supervisee roles (learning needs, self-assessment, prep), ethical issues (boundaries, evaluation, gatekeeping); IRBs, informed consent, human subjects protections.
Exam focus: Supervisee seeks supervision, discloses errors, follows scope of practice. Research: informed consent, confidentiality, minimal risk, right to withdraw. -
Lesson 9: Professional Development, Licensure & Safe Practice
Covers: CE/licensure requirements; literature reviews/workshops; policies for worker safety (de-escalation, panic buttons, home-visit protocols); time management.
Exam focus: Choose actions that maintain competence and safety: training, policy use, incident reporting, supervision when beyond competence. -
Lesson 10: Use of Self, Relationship Dynamics & Self-Care
Covers: Engagement skills, acceptance/empathy; power/transparency; diversity & cultural humility; developmental fit; IPV impact on helping; transference/countertransference (including in supervision); burnout/secondary trauma/compassion fatigue.
Exam focus: Name and manage countertransference (seek supervision); adapt to culture/development; with IPV → no couples therapy, prioritize safety; apply self-care plans to sustain competence.
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Chapter 6
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Lesson 1: Countdown to Test Day – What to Expect
Testing center vs. online proctoring
What to bring, wear, and NOT bring
What happens before, during, and after your exam
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Lesson 2: Final Week Study Strategy
What to review vs. what to let go
Light review plan for your final 5–7 days
Do’s and don’ts for the night before the exam
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Lesson 3: Test Anxiety – Understanding the Cycle
What causes it & how it impacts performance
Myths about “bad test takers”
Reframing nervousness as readiness
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Lesson 4: Managing Stress In the Moment
Grounding techniques for the waiting room & exam seat
Breathing exercises + muscle relaxation
What to do if your mind goes blank
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Lesson 5: Mindset Reset – You Are Enough
Affirmations rooted in cultural inclusion and self-worth
Releasing perfectionism and comparison
Replacing fear with focus
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Lesson 6: Reading Questions Strategically
Pacing yourself (1–2 minutes per question)
“If two answers seem right…” strategy
When to guess and move on
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Lesson 7: Breaking Down a Question (LIVE DEMO)
Instructor walks through 3 tough practice questions
Using FIRST/NEXT and prioritization logic
Student self-practice worksheet included
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Lesson 8: Review of Key Concepts & Mnemonics(Live Demo)
Ethics, human development, risk, documentation
Mnemonics: RUSAFE, ABCDE, FIRST/NEXT, etc.
Flashcard set recap
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Lesson 9: Mock Exam (Final Practice)
50-question timed exam
Self-grading with rationales
How to analyze your results (content gaps vs. confidence issues)
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Lesson 10: Post-Exam Planning & What Comes Next
What happens after you pass (or if you don’t—recovery plan)
Applying for your license
Starting supervision, choosing a setting, and billing readiness
Encouragement for your next step 💛
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SUCCESS IS YOURS
🎯 By the End of This Course, You Will:
Understand every section of the LMSW exam
Feel confident approaching scenario-based questions
Know your study style and testing strengths
Be ready to walk into your exam knowing you’ve done the work