Certification Testing

Taking an exam is the final step to earning an ISA certification. Upon paying the exam fee, the application process is complete, and you have acknowledged that you meet the requirements listed below in numbers 1–3.

All ISA certification exams are closed book and have multiple choice questions. The CCST Specialist—Level 2 certification exam is three hours long and all other certification exams are four hours long. See the information below for the number of questions in each exam.

Submit payment to apply for the chosen certification when you can confirm that you meet the certification requirements to sit for the exam and can test within the deadline of the exam window of your choosing. You will be notified by email with the next steps to schedule your exam.

Register for one of the CCST review courses and apply for certification for no additional fee. The following courses qualify: Level I Review Course (TS00), Level II Review Course (TS02) or Level III Review Course (TS03). You will automatically receive an exam invitation once you start the course. By paying for the review course, you are confirming that you are aware of, have met and can document the requirements for the certification level for which you are applying.

ISA accepts payment for exam fees by check, certified check, money order, PayPal payment, wire transfer in US Dollars, or credit card. Make checks payable to ISA. For wire transfer account information, please contact ISA Customer Service. The following credit cards are accepted: AMEX, Discover card, Master Card, and VISA. Purchase orders are not accepted.

Fees are nonrefundable. It is your responsibility as the applicant to thoroughly review the requirements of the certification for which you are applying. No refunds will be made for applicants who do not appear for testing on the appropriate exam date. There are no group discounts for certification application fees.

After you pay your exam fee to complete the application process, you will receive an exam invitation (Notice to Schedule Exam) email from candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com 15 days before the beginning of your assigned exam window with steps to schedule the exam. Follow the instructions in the email to schedule your exam—online or at a test center—through the online exam scheduling system. You can get more information about your exam window deadline by accessing the “My Credentials” tab in your ISA account.

If you have not received your exam invitation within that time frame, please check your spam or junk folder for an email from candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com, as some server firewalls may block the receipt of the email. If you still are unable to find your exam invitation, please email certifications@isa.org for assistance.

See further related details on the exam Procedures page.

If you are applying for CAP or CCST certification, you have a twelve-month exam window. You may take the exam at a Test Center or online during one of three exam windows (see chart below). Each exam window will have a deadline for applications to be submitted. Eligible candidates will only be able to take the exam during the following exam windows.

Review Course Testing: If you have attended a review course (paid for by you or sponsored by a company), you will receive your exam invitation near the end of your review course and have a twelve (12) month exam eligibility period based on the date of your review course.

After passing the CAP or CCST certification exam, you will earn a digital badge. To access, manage, and/or share your secure digital badge, use your email address and password to enter your BadgeCert portfolio. If it is the first time accessing your portfolio, click “Request new password?” on their login page to create your password. More information about using your digital badge can be found here.

If you feel you were wrongly denied certification, either original or renewal, from the CAP or CCST programs, then you have the right to appeal. Review the Grievances Appeal Process.

Candidates who request special test accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (or a similar international standard) must submit their test scheduling requests at least 30 days prior to their preferred test dates. Note that some special test accommodations may not be available for online testing.

If you have a request, email certifications@isa.org.

You can contact Meazure Learning by phone at +1 919-572-6880 or email candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com.

Meazure Learning's business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding holidays. Voice mail will accept candidate questions outside of these business hours.

Note: Meazure Learning, Scantron, and ProctorU are all one-and-the-same organization.

Important update: Scantron is changing to Meazure Learning. The names Scantron, Examity, and ProctorU may be continue to be used in communications from Meazure Learning during the transition period.

How To Pass The ASWB exam To Become A Licensed Social Worker

Editorial Note: They earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect their editors' opinions or evaluations.

Social work licensing practices vary widely by state. Some states require entry-level and generalist social workers to pass an exam and earn licensure. In other states, you only need a license to become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and provide psychotherapy services.

In many states, social work licensure at any level requires you to pass an exam administered by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). The ASWB exam is a nationally recognized exam that evaluates your comprehension of human behavior and development.

If you’re a social work major or considering pivoting into the human services field, read on to discover how to prepare for, take and pass the ASWB licensure exam—with or without a social work degree.

ASWB is a nonprofit organization comprising all of the state social work regulatory boards in the United States and Canada. This body regulates the social work profession and administers the licensure exam that evaluates prospective social workers’ ethics and expertise. Passing the ASWB exam is the final step to earning a social work license in many states.

ASWB offers five exam categories—associate, bachelor’s, master’s, advanced generalist and clinical—each tailored to a specific education and experience level. A candidate’s exam category determines their title and scope of practice post-licensure.

Within a four-hour window, ASWB exam-takers must answer questions concerning:

All ASWB exam categories contain 170 questions on human development and behavior, but question types may vary among categories. For example, the associate and bachelor’s exams lean more heavily on recall questions than other exam categories, which feature larger proportions of reasoning questions.

Each exam category may lead to a different level of social work licensure depending on your state’s licensing processes. Not all states offer all five categories of the ASWB exam.

This category offers a licensure pathway for applicants who want to practice social work without earning a four-year degree in the field. In most cases, associate-level social workers can only practice under supervision.

A handful of states offer this licensing pathway: South Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Only South Dakota, New Hampshire and Massachusetts require associate-level social workers to pass the associate ASWB exam.

Registration for the associate ASWB exam category costs $230.

The ASWB bachelor’s exam, which also costs $230, evaluates your generalist understanding of social work practices and ethics. You must hold a bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited college to sit for this exam category.

The bachelor’s category features the same questions as the associate category.

Passing the bachelor’s exam qualifies you to become a non-clinical baccalaureate social worker. Exact titles vary among states; in Oregon, these professionals are called registered baccalaureate social workers, while North Carolina calls them certified social workers.

In most cases, social workers at this level interview clients, manage cases, conduct research and advocate for social justice. Depending on the state, they may only be able to practice autonomously after gaining supervised work experience post-licensure.

The ASWB master’s category requires a master of social work (MSW) and usually qualifies applicants for the licensed master social worker (LMSW) credential. Again, the exact title may vary by state—Indiana calls these professionals licensed social workers, for example.

The master’s-level exam tests your foundational understanding of the social work field and evaluates your application of specialized skills gained during their MSW program. Licensees know how to apply advanced practice skills and specialized knowledge in their roles.

LMSWs can drive social change and justice for various communities. In some states, they can provide clinical therapy with oversight from an LCSW. The registration fee for this ASWB exam category is $230.

The advanced generalist category is tailored to prospective LMSWs who aspire to work in macro-level roles. This means working with large populations, such as entire states and countries. The advanced generalist ASWB exam indicates a desire to work with public policy, state or national campaigns, or other government initiatives.

To sit for the advanced generalist ASWB exam, you must hold a master’s degree in social work plus two years of nonclinical professional experience.

With a fee of $260, test takers can prove their expertise in social justice, public policy and administration, and public welfare to their state licensing boards.

The minimum requirements for this ASWB category include an MSW and two years of clinical experience. The clinical ASWB test serves prospective social workers who want to provide mental health services in clinical settings.

LCSWs (who may work under different titles, depending on where they practice) provide psychotherapy services to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Through individual or group therapy, these professionals help people struggling with emotional distress.

Clinical social workers practice independently in various settings, including hospitals, schools, psychiatric facilities and social service agencies. Registering for the clinical ASWB exam category costs $260.

First, you must get your state board’s approval to register for the ASWB exam. Approval processes differ depending on the state where you want to practice.

Typical requirements vary by state and license level but may include college transcripts, a license application fee and proof of supervised experience, which you can send to the board via email or fax. Some states may also require you to provide fingerprints and undergo a background check.

Once you receive approval from your state social work board, you must register for the appropriate ASWB licensure exam, either online, via mail or by fax. Registration costs between $230 and $260, depending on your exam category.

If your registration is successful, you’ll receive an “authorization to test” email from ASWB.

Pearson VUE provides testing centers for licensure applicants nationwide. You can schedule, cancel and reschedule exam appointments with Pearson VUE through the testing authorization email.

The ASWB exam is a four-hour, computer-based test comprising 170 multiple-choice questions that test your expertise and decision-making skills as a social worker.

Exam questions cover various content areas and competencies you should have covered during your degree program. You may also find knowledge, skills and abilities statements resembling real-life situations that require critical thinking. To pass the licensure exam, you must answer about 100 out of the 150 questions correctly.

Although self-study is necessary to pass professional exams, practice questions can help you prepare better. By taking a mock test, you can identify loopholes in your study plan, learn the testing software, understand your strengths and areas for improvement, and prepare for complex questions.

After you register for your exam, ASWB offers a 30-day window to take a practice questions for an additional $85. Practice exams exist for all categories except the advanced generalist exam.

Other test prep resources offer free practice tests, but ASWB warns against those resources because their content may be misleading.

ASWB enforces several security measures on test day to ensure a reliable exam process. Prepare to present two photo IDs and sign a confidentiality agreement.

Pearson VUE test centers are fitted with surveillance tools to detect exam malpractice. Test Center personnel may also walk through the room at intervals.

You cannot enter the testing center with personal items, but you will receive erasable note boards, markers and other necessary materials from the Test Center personnel. You must return the items after the exam or risk invalidating your score.

The testing equipment should look like a typical computer setup. Test administrators may provide a short on-screen tutorial to help you navigate the software.

Upon completing the licensure exam, you’ll receive an unofficial score report at the Test Center indicating your performance. ASWB will then send the official score report to your state’s social work board two weeks after the exam.

Note that your scores cannot be altered at any point, so all you can do is wait for your state board to contact you or go ahead with other state-specific requirements. This may take anywhere from two weeks to a month.

If you fail the licensure exam, you can retake it after 90 days.

The ASWB exam stands for the Association of Social Work Boards examination. This test determines whether a candidate is fit to practice social work at their desired licensure level.

A recent ASWB report showed that 75.8% of first-time test takers passed the clinical exam category in 2021. The master’s and bachelor’s categories had pass rates of 73% and 68.7%, respectively.

Specific passing score thresholds on the ASWB exam may vary with each passing year. ASWB recommends that testers correctly answer 90 to 107 of the graded questions to pass the licensure exam.

Online Pharmacy Technician Certification Course

Requirements for pharmacy technicians vary by state, but most require certification, registration or licensure. Earning your certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) provides a valuable, industry-recognized credential that meets most states’ requirements.