ASWB Masters Assessment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A social worker completes an eco-map with a client. What does this tool PRIMARILY assess?
- The client's intrapsychic conflicts and defense mechanisms
- The quality and nature of the client's relationships with their social environment (Correct answer)
- The client's timeline of significant life events
- The family's intergenerational patterns of behavior
Correct answer: The quality and nature of the client's relationships with their social environment
An eco-map visually depicts the client's relationships and connections to social systems in their environment.
Question 2: A client describes persistent low mood, sleep disturbance, and difficulty concentrating for the past three weeks following a job loss. Which is the MOST accurate initial clinical consideration?
- Bipolar I disorder
- Adjustment disorder with depressed mood (Correct answer)
- Major depressive disorder
- Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
Correct answer: Adjustment disorder with depressed mood
Adjustment disorder with depressed mood is characterized by emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor, lasting fewer than 6 months.
Question 3: When conducting an assessment of an elderly client, the social worker should FIRST consider:
- Whether the client can afford ongoing services
- How age-related physical and cognitive changes may influence the presentation (Correct answer)
- The client's insurance coverage and eligibility
- Whether the client's family agrees with the assessment findings
Correct answer: How age-related physical and cognitive changes may influence the presentation
Age-related changes in cognition, sensory function, and health can significantly affect assessment findings with elderly clients.
Question 4: A social worker notices inconsistencies between a child's reported history and physical findings during a school-based assessment. The MOST appropriate next step is to:
- Confront the child about lying
- Consult with a supervisor and make a mandated report to child protective services (Correct answer)
- Contact the child's parents to clarify the discrepancy
- Document the findings and schedule a follow-up appointment
Correct answer: Consult with a supervisor and make a mandated report to child protective services
When there are indicators of possible abuse, a social worker is legally obligated to file a mandated report with child protective services.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a collateral source in a comprehensive social work assessment?
- The client's self-report during intake
- Information obtained from the client's previous therapist (Correct answer)
- A standardized screening questionnaire completed by the client
- The social worker's clinical observations
Correct answer: Information obtained from the client's previous therapist
Collateral sources are third-party informants such as previous treatment providers, family members, or school personnel.
Question 6: A client with schizophrenia reports that their neighbor is controlling their thoughts through the television. This belief is BEST described as:
- An auditory hallucination
- A delusion of reference (Correct answer)
- Thought disorganization
- A grandiose delusion
Correct answer: A delusion of reference
A delusion of reference involves the false belief that neutral environmental stimuli have special personal significance.
Question 7: Which ASWB exam domain does assessment PRIMARILY fall under?
- Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment
- Assessment and Intervention Planning (Correct answer)
- Psychotherapy, Clinical Supervision, and Advanced Practice
- Professional Values and Ethics
Correct answer: Assessment and Intervention Planning
Assessment and intervention planning is a core domain on the ASWB Masters exam, covering data collection, diagnosis, and treatment planning.
ASWB Masters Assessment 3
A social worker completes an eco-map with a client.
What does this tool PRIMARILY assess?