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Using CSWE-accredited program data from CSWE and ASWB, results show no significant pass-rate differences between AG and CDP completers on both the ASWB Master’s Exam and the Clinical Exam. Findings suggest specialization may be less influential for exam preparation than expected.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/comparing-social-work-program-specialization-and-board-exam-pass-rates-preparing-social-workers-for-success/329136/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/comparing-social-work-program-specialization-and-board-exam-pass-rates-preparing-social-workers-for-success/329136.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Nguyễn Văn Học","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",12,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What does the study investigate about MSW specializations and board exams?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"It evaluates the relationship between MSW programs with Advanced Generalist (AG) and/or Clinical and Direct Practice (CDP) specializations and 2022 board exam pass rates.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What are the main results regarding AG and CDP program pass rates?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"No significant difference in exam pass rates was found between social workers who complete an AG program and those who complete a CDP program, for both the Master’s Exam and the Clinical Exam.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"How does the article explain disparities in board exam pass rates?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"It reviews explanations such as perceived exam bias and debates about reliability and validity, and also highlights systemic and institutional factors discussed in later analyses of ASWB 2022 data.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},329136,1790377700,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":145,"read_time":146,"preview_page_count":4},1374402739827,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/14000c97e7351f1a627?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1787885694763230660","Comparing Social Work Program Specialization and Board Exam Pass Rates: Preparing Social Workers for Success  \nChristopher J. Heckert  \nErica K. Pence  \nAbstract: A critical yet contemporary step towards establishing one’s identity as a social worker is through licensure. Professional licensure is a culminating result of education, practice experience, supervision, and a board exam. When evaluating board exam pass rates, we must consider the role that education has in preparing social workers for exam success. This study evaluates the relationship between MSW programs with an Advanced Generalist (AG) and/or Clinical and Direct Practice (CDP) specialization and 2022 board exam pass rates. Using data from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), 2022 exam pass rates were compared between a random sample of CSWE-accredited AG and CDP programs. Results indicate no significant difference in exam pass rates across social workers who complete an AG program and those who complete a CDP program. This applies to both the ASWB Master s’ Exam and the Clinical Exam. Study findings suggest that specialized programs based on a specific social work function may not be as impactful on exam preparation as might be assumed. Recommendations include re-merging micro- and macro-based social work education programming, streamlining exam options, and shifting educator discourse when discussing and promoting specializations.  \nKeywords: Social work licensure, social work education, professional board examination  \nThe release of the social work board exam pass rates analysis from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) in 2022 spurred considerable interest, evaluation, and conflicting opinions on how to move forward with the use of licensure within the profession of social work. This is not an entirely new phenomenon; social work licensure has been debated, for multiple reasons, for over three decades (e.g., Apgar, 2022b; Cherry et al., 1989; Thyer, 2011) . Despite an increase in exam attempts by Persons of Color between 2011 and 2021, ASWB’s (2022) analysis revealed disproportional exam pass rates between White individuals and individuals from “historically marginalized communities”(p. 11), with Black individuals receiving the lowest exam pass rates. Additionally, the analysis highlighted age-related disparities, as individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 typically have higher pass rates than those who are older, particularly those older than 50 (ASWB, 2022) .  \nHistorically, these disparities have often been attributed to a racially biased exam and questioning of the reliability and validity of the exam (Albright & Thyer, 2010; Castex et al., 2019; Woodcock, 2016) . More recently, a three-part series of reports further analyzing the 2022 ASWB data by Kim and Joo (2024a, 2024b, 2024c) convey a multitude of individual, community, and institutional factors that may influence how one performs on the social work licensure exam. These reports suggest focusing beyond that of the reliability, validity, and bias of the exam itself to a systems-based approach to address these  \ndisparities. Hesitation of these findings is warranted, however, given that these reports were developed in collaboration with ASWB, de-emphasize the inherent disparities within the exam structure and its content, consider first-time pass rates only, and exclude data related to Native American/Indigenous Peoples. Concurrently, nonetheless, others have also considered systemic forces impacting exam success as critical to the conversation and solution (Apgar & Nienow, 2024; Bloxom & Anderson, 2023) .  \nOne key finding by Kim and Joo (2024c) is that the first-time Clinical Exam pass rate was associated with characteristics of the educational institution where test-takers received their Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Test-takers who attended smaller MSW programs had lower exam pass rates than those who attended larger MSW pro","cbCaidUmuSQBjhDT","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidUmuSQBjhDT","pdf",311237,14,"English","# Abstract\n# Background and Rationale\n# Disparities in Exam Pass Rates\n# Program Characteristics and Research Question\n# Literature Review\n## Professional Regulation and Licensure Credentials","[{\"question\":\"What does the study investigate about MSW specializations and board exams?\",\"answer\":\"It evaluates the relationship between MSW programs with Advanced Generalist (AG) and/or Clinical and Direct Practice (CDP) specializations and 2022 board exam pass rates.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main results regarding AG and CDP program pass rates?\",\"answer\":\"No significant difference in exam pass rates was found between social workers who complete an AG program and those who complete a CDP program, for both the Master’s Exam and the Clinical Exam.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the article explain disparities in board exam pass rates?\",\"answer\":\"It reviews explanations such as perceived exam bias and debates about reliability and validity, and also highlights systemic and institutional factors discussed in later analyses of ASWB 2022 data.\"}]","Comparing Social Work Program Specialization and Board Exam Pass Rates - Preparing Social Workers for Success | PDF",1789982705,35]