An aswb waiver is permission to retake the ASWB licensing exam before the standard 90-day wait ends. ASWB allows the waiver only if your state or provincial board permits waivers and your last score fell within 10 correct answers of passing. ASWB does not waive the exam itself; your board decides.
| Fact | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exam format | 122 multiple-choice questions: 110 scored and 12 unscored pretest, split into two sections of 61 | ASWB Exam Guidebook |
| Exam fees | $230 for Associate, Bachelors or Masters; $260 for Advanced Generalist or Clinical | ASWB |
| Passing score | Pass/fail against one national standard; usually 66 to 78 correct out of 110 scored questions, depending on the form | ASWB Exam Scoring |
| Retake wait | 90 days between attempts; the wait can be waived if the board allows waivers and your last score was within 10 correct answers of passing | ASWB: If You Fail the Exam |
| Retake fee | Full exam fee again ($230 for Bachelors) | ASWB: If You Fail the Exam |
| Eligibility | Apply for a license and be approved by your state or provincial board before registering with ASWB | ASWB Getting Ready |
| Authorization to Test | Covers one exam, valid up to one year unless the board sets an earlier date; one extension of up to six months | ASWB Getting Ready |
| Delivery | Computer-based at Pearson test centers; online proctoring pilot suspended as of July 31, 2026 | ASWB |
The ASWB 90 day waiver lets a board shorten the mandatory wait between exam attempts. People use the term two ways, though. Most mean this retake waiver. Others mean skipping the aswb exam altogether, which ASWB does not offer. Licensing boards set their own rules, so any exemption from testing comes from your state or provincial board, never from ASWB, and even the retake waiver depends on board policy.
Before you worry about a waiver, find out where you stand. Working through aswb practice questions shows which content areas pull your score down, and that matters because the waiver rule depends on how close you came to passing. If your last result landed within 10 correct answers of the cut score, a request is realistic. If you missed by 25 or more, extra study time will help you more than an early seat.
Here is the sequence that comes first. You apply for a social work license with your board, the board approves you, and only then do you complete aswb exam registration through ASWB and pay the fee. Every waiver conversation therefore starts with your board. If you want structured help before booking, our guide to aswb examination prep courses compares the main study options so your first attempt gives you the best chance.
The exam itself changed this year. New Social Work Licensing Exams based on the 2026 blueprints launched on August 3, 2026, with three content areas instead of four, fewer scored and pretest questions, and more three-option questions. The four-hour time limit, fees and registration process stayed the same. ASWB's published retake policy still lists the 90-day wait and the waiver option. Always confirm the current wording on ASWB's retake page and with your board before you act.
Candidates who sit the aswb clinical examination or the Advanced Generalist exam pay $260 per attempt, while Bachelors, Associate and Masters candidates pay $230. A retake means paying the full fee again, so a waiver saves time but not money. Anyone weighing a quick second attempt should price it honestly: at $230 or $260, rushing back without fixing the weak areas that caused the first miss is an expensive gamble. Budget for scheduling too.
This guide walks through who qualifies, how a waiver request works, what evidence helps, and what to do if your board says no. It also covers the clinical aswb examination path, since clinical candidates ask about waivers more often than anyone else. Read the timeline first, then use the checklist near the end to prepare your request. Boards differ, and the board's written policy always overrides general advice. Use the key facts above as your reference point.
Download your unofficial score report from ASWBCentral about 24 hours after the exam. Work out how many correct answers short of passing you were. If the gap is more than 10, a waiver will not apply.
Search your state or provincial board's website for retake, reexamination or waiver language. If it is missing, contact the licensing office and ask whether waivers of the 90-day wait are allowed and how requests are handled.
Submit a short, factual request with your name, application number, exam level, last attempt date, score documentation and the retest date you want. Keep copies of everything you send to the board.
Do not pay for a new attempt until the board confirms in writing. Approval has to reach ASWB before you can book, so submit as early as possible and follow up politely if review runs long.
Register with ASWB, pay the full exam fee, and schedule a seat at a Pearson test center. Spend every remaining day on targeted review so the shortened wait actually improves your result.
Yes, in a narrow sense: a retake waiver exists, but a waiver that skips the exam does not come from ASWB. ASWB requires a 90-day wait between Social Work Licensing Exam attempts, and that wait can be waived only when your board permits waivers and your most recent score was within 10 correct answers of passing. Both conditions must be true at once, which is why many candidates who ask for a waiver are told no.
Consider a concrete example. The passing score on a given form usually falls between 66 and 78 correct answers out of 110 scored questions. If your form required 72 and you answered 64 correctly, you were eight answers short and sit inside the 10-answer window. If you answered 55 correctly, you were 17 short, and the waiver option is closed even in a state that otherwise allows it. Your score report is the document a board will normally want to see.
The second condition, board permission, varies. Some boards publish a clear waiver policy and process the request quickly. Others do not allow waivers at all, and a few cap total attempts, so a shortened wait does not help once you reach the limit. Never assume a neighboring state works the same way. Search your board's website for retake, reexamination or waiver language, and call the licensing office if the policy is not posted anywhere obvious.
What about candidates who hold a license elsewhere and want to avoid the exam? That is licensure by endorsement or reciprocity, and it is handled entirely by the new state's board. Depending on the state, a board may accept an existing license at the same level, ask for verified ASWB scores transferred from your original exam, or require extra years of practice. Ask the board which route applies before paying for another aswb exam registration you may not need.
Treat the waiver as a tool, not a plan. A shorter wait only helps if you use the days well. Build a targeted review around the content areas where you lost the most points, then run a timed practice test aswb session before you rebook. Our guide to ACE-approved courses explains how to verify study and CEU providers, which also matters later when you renew. Sometimes the smarter move is to skip the waiver and use the full 90 days.
Licensed social workers sometimes land on this topic while researching renewal rules, so a quick note helps. Waivers for exam retakes and continuing education are separate systems. If you are already licensed and need credits, our guide to free social work ceus aswb options explains how to find approved courses that count toward renewal. None of that affects exam retake eligibility, which stays with ASWB and your board.
Finally, document everything. Save your score report, your Authorization to Test, the date of your last attempt and any emails with the board. An Authorization to Test covers one exam and can be valid for up to a year, with at most one extension of up to six months, so a waiver request that drags on may collide with an expiring authorization. Organized records make approval faster and protect you from avoidable deadlines.
If you failed within the last 90 days and want to retest sooner, the retake waiver is your route. Confirm that your board permits waivers, then check your score report to verify that you finished within 10 correct answers of the passing score. Send the board a concise written request with your score documentation, and wait for written approval before attempting to register again with ASWB for the aswb exam. Keep copies of everything you send.
Expect to pay the full exam fee again, $230 for Bachelors, Associate, or Masters and $260 for Advanced Generalist or Clinical. Fee amounts come from ASWB's published schedule. Do not assume approval is automatic, and do not pay for a new attempt until your board confirms the date. If the board declines, you lose nothing except time, and you can still register once the standard 90 days pass. Use the gap for targeted review, not a repeat of the same study habits.
Candidates who already hold a license elsewhere usually are not asking for a retake waiver at all; they want an exemption from retesting. This is licensure by endorsement or reciprocity, and the receiving board makes the call. Some boards accept an active license at the same level, while others ask ASWB to transmit your verified exam history. Requirements often include supervised practice hours, a clean disciplinary record, and fees paid to the state. Processing can take weeks, so start early.
Before you spend money, call the new board and describe your license type, level, exam date, and years of practice. Ask for the endorsement checklist and the average processing time. Get answers by email so you have a record. If the answer is that you must pass the exam again, your next move is a normal application and aswb exam registration, and the 90-day waiver rules would apply only if you fail and your board allows them.
Clinical candidates pay the highest exam fee, so every retake hurts more. The aswb clinical examination costs $260 per attempt and typically requires a master's degree plus supervised experience under your board's rules. Because costs are higher, some boards look closely at waiver requests, and some prefer candidates to use the full waiting period unless the score was a genuine near miss. Ask about attempt caps too, and verify the board's position before you plan around early testing.
Preparation for the clinical aswb examination should center on case-based reasoning: diagnosis, treatment planning, and ethical judgment in complex situations. After a miss, write short case summaries for the topics you missed and explain your reasoning aloud. Map every study session to a published content area. Keep your supervisor in the loop, since they can often spot gaps in your clinical thinking and may be able to document readiness if your board asks for supporting evidence.
ASWB sets the 90-day rule, but your state or provincial board decides whether waivers are allowed. A near-miss score alone will not shorten your wait. Always get the board's answer in writing before you register or pay a fee.
The 90-day rule is a spacing policy. ASWB requires a wait of 90 days between attempts at a Social Work Licensing Exam, which gives candidates time to study the content areas they missed and protects the exam's security by limiting how often the same person sees live questions. The wait is measured between attempts, so note your last test date and confirm the earliest retest date in your ASWBCentral account.
Waiver eligibility is the exception to that spacing. Because the waiver only applies when your last score was within 10 correct answers of passing, the rule assumes a near-miss candidate may need a short review rather than a long one. A near miss is not a guarantee of passing next time, though. Scores near the line swing with exam form difficulty, so the same knowledge can land on either side.
Passing is pass/fail against one national standard, and the cut score changes by form. Out of 110 scored questions, the passing line usually falls between 66 and 78 correct. Another 12 pretest questions do not count, but you cannot tell which ones they are, so treat every question seriously. Pass/fail appears on the testing computer when you finish, and an unofficial score report appears on your ASWBCentral dashboard about 24 hours later.
Plan your 90 days like a mini study cycle. Spend the first week reviewing your score report and sorting missed topics into three buckets: concepts you did not know, questions you misread, and areas where you ran out of time. Spend weeks two through eight on the first bucket with targeted reading and daily question sets. Use the final weeks for full-length timed runs, building stamina for the four-hour sitting. Track hours in a simple spreadsheet.
Question volume matters more than rereading. Our collection of aswb exam practice tests free for BSW, MSW and clinical candidates lets you rehearse the 122-question format without paying. After each set, write a one-line reason for every miss. Patterns appear fast: many candidates discover they choose the technically correct answer instead of the best first step, a distinction the licensing exams reward heavily. That insight alone can move a score several points.
Attempt limits deserve attention. Some boards restrict how many times you may test, and some may require remediation, such as additional coursework or supervision, after repeated failures. A waiver does not change those limits; each attempt still counts against the cap. If you have already failed twice, ask your board how many attempts remain and whether a study plan or tutor documentation is required before approving the next Authorization to Test.
Finally, protect your mindset. A failed attempt feels personal, but the exam is a standardized measure of entry-level safe practice, not a verdict on your future as a social worker. Candidates who pass on a second or third try are licensed the same as everyone else. Give yourself a short break, then return with a plan, a calendar, and a clear picture of what the score report revealed. Rest is part of preparation, not a delay.
Start with your board, not ASWB. Locate the licensing board that approved your application and read its retake or reexamination policy. Some boards post a waiver form or describe a written request process. If nothing is posted, email the licensing coordinator and ask three questions: does the board allow waivers of the 90-day wait, what documents must accompany a request, and how long does review take before an updated Authorization to Test is issued?
Gather your evidence next. You will usually need your score report from the failed attempt, your Authorization to Test details, and any form the board requires. Write a short, factual request: state your name and application number, the exam level and date of your last attempt, how many correct answers short of passing you were, and the retest date you are asking for. Keep it to one page and skip emotional appeals.
Timing is the part candidates underestimate. Boards may review requests slowly, and your approval must reach ASWB before you can book a seat. Submit the request as soon as you receive your score report, not on day 80. After approval, register again with ASWB, pay the full fee, and schedule at a Pearson test center. Remember that ASWB suspended its online proctoring pilot as of July 31, 2026, so in-person testing is the only option.
Check which exam version you will face. The new blueprints that launched August 3, 2026 changed content areas and question mix, which affects how you should study after a failed attempt on an older form. Our explainer on aswb exam changes breaks down what moved. If your first attempt came before the switch, rebuild your study plan around the three current content areas rather than your old notes. Ask your board whether a pre-switch score still counts toward waiver eligibility.
Use the waiting period well with offline material. Our printable aswb exam practice PDF works on a commute or a lunch break, and handwriting your reasoning for each answer can build recall better than clicking quickly. Aim for 40 to 60 questions a day, then review every miss before moving on. If you work full time, split the load into two 25-question blocks, one in the morning and one after dinner.
What if the board says no? You still have options. Ask whether the denial is final or whether you may resubmit after improving your documentation, and ask for the policy in writing. Use the full 90 days for a thorough review rather than treating the denial as a setback. Candidates at the 90-day mark usually need only the board's normal authorization, then register again, pay the fee, and test.
Finally, keep expectations realistic about speed. Even with an approved waiver, seat availability at Pearson test centers can limit how soon you test, particularly during busy graduation seasons. Book as early as the system allows, and check alternate test centers within driving distance too. If a seat three weeks out is the best available, that is still faster than waiting the full 90 days and gives you a firm study deadline.
The best retake plan starts with diagnosis. Read your score report line by line and record how you performed in each content area, then compare it with the exam outline in the official guidebook. Candidates preparing for the aswb clinical examination should pay special attention to assessment, diagnosis, and intervention planning, which clinical questions test repeatedly. Write down the three weakest topics, and commit to fixing those before you touch anything else.
Build a weekly schedule you can actually keep. A reasonable pattern for a full 90-day gap is 8 to 10 hours per week: three 90-minute question sessions, one longer review block on the weekend, and one short session for flashcards or audio review. If you are working under a shorter waiver window of five or six weeks, raise that to 12 to 15 hours and drop low-yield topics you already score well on.
Practice under test conditions at least three times. The exam runs four hours for 122 questions, so schedule full sessions at the same time of day as your appointment, silence your phone, and take no more breaks than the real exam allows. Afterward, track pace as well as accuracy. If you reach question 61, the end of the first section, with more than 120 minutes gone, you need to speed up before test day.
Learn how to attack question wording. Many missed questions come from a few traps: answering what you would do in your own agency instead of what a competent generalist should do, ignoring words like first, best, or most appropriate, and skipping client safety. Practice underlining the qualifier in each stem. Then rank the answer choices by priority: safety, assessment, relationship building, intervention, evaluation. Ethical questions usually reward the NASW Code of Ethics approach.
Handle test-day logistics early. Confirm your Authorization to Test is active, check that the name on your ID exactly matches your registration, and visit the Pearson center website for arrival rules. Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Pack only what is permitted, because personal items go into a locker. Eat a protein-rich meal beforehand, and plan a short walk before check-in to calm nerves. These small steps remove avoidable stress that quietly lowers performance.
Use official sources for every rule. ASWB's exam pages, scoring pages, and the current Social Work Licensing Exam Guidebook are the authority on format, fees, and retake policy, and your board's website is the authority on waivers and attempt limits. Forum posts and old study blogs often describe outdated rules, including the former four-content-area structure. When two sources disagree, believe the official page with the most recent date, then verify with a phone call.
Keep perspective once the plan is set. A waiver is a convenience, not a qualification, and what carries you across the line is steady work on weak areas, enough question practice, and calm pacing. Whether you sit the Bachelors exam or the clinical aswb examination, and whether you retake in five weeks or thirteen, show up rested, read every stem carefully, and trust your training. After you pass, follow your board's instructions to finish licensure without delay.