One of the questions that comes up again and again regarding the LCSW exam is also a very basic one: what score do you need to pass? The answer is...no one can say for sure. There are multiple exams being given at the same level, at the same time around the country. The ASWB spells it all out here.
Generally, pass points range from 90 to 107 correct answers of the 150 scored questions.
Okay, 90/150 to 107/150. That's [opens calculator] between 60 and 71%. Meaning that on some versions of the exam, you can miss nearly half the questions and still arrive at a pass sheet after your four-hour sit. If you're checking the math, remember, it's 90 out of 150, not 170. Twenty questions are being tested for future exam use and aren't counted for scoring.
Another tidbit from the ASWB to keep in mind:
ASWB has multiple forms of each exam for exam security and to ensure that candidates who retake the exam do not get the same set of questions.
So asking around about what's on the latest version of the exam isn't just unethical, it's going to be unproductive. No one can say exactly what you're going to encounter on the version of the test that you're given. But, they can say--if they read you the ASWB's published content outlines to you--what topics you should reasonably expect to appear on the test. (Note: you don't have to ask someone to read it to you, exam outlines are available, free of charge, at ASWB.org.) That's the same information that a reputable test prep company uses to weight practice tests by topic area.
Not only can you miss a bunch of questions on the LCSW exam and still pass. Twenty questions that you face won't count at all. So, as you encounter perplexing and confounding questions, remain calm. It's no big deal. Keep focused, keep at it, and pass that exam. Good luck!
