What has happened to the Advanced Generalist examination?
What is a content outline?
Why has the examination changed?
What’s different about the new examination?
Why has the number of content areas been reduced?
Has test content changed?
Is the new test harder/easier?
Has the passing score changed?
Are the questions different?
What if I have been studying for the 2011 outline?
What are KSAs?
Will every KSA be tested on every exam?
Can I choose which version of the exam I want to take?
Have any jurisdictions changed their eligibility requirements for the Advanced Generalist exam?
Are new study materials available?
What has happened to the ASWB examinations?
Beginning January 1, 2012, the ASWB Advanced Generalist examination will reflect changes resulting from a recent practice analysis. These studies are conducted periodically in order to ensure that test content reflects current practice. For exam candidates, the main changes have to do with how test content is organized. This is reflected in the examination content outlines.
What is a content outline?
The content outline is the basic framework for how the ASWB examination is organized, and includes the percentage of questions in various content areas.
Why has the examination changed?
Regular updates in content and organization are necessary to ensure that the ASWB examinations reflect current practice, and are organized in ways that are clear to test-takers.
What’s different about the new examination?
The most notable differences between the 2011 and 2012 examinations have to do with the way test content is organized. Currently, the Advanced Generalist examination uses 150 test questions to measure competency across 11 different content areas. Beginning in 2012, the Advanced Generalist examination will use 150 questions to measure competency across 5 content areas.
Why has the number of content areas been reduced?
Social work content experts and examination experts agreed that many of the content areas listed separately in the current examination could be combined under more broad headings. The reduced number of content areas does NOT mean the examination is testing a more narrow range of knowledge—it just means that the knowledge being tested has been reorganized.
Has test content changed?
Not significantly. It is typical for examination content to change somewhat as a result of a practice analysis, and some minor changes and adjustments did occur on the ASWB examinations. Overall, however, the magnitude of these changes is not great, although the Advanced Generalist examination set to be administered in 2012 will have more items focusing on macro and administrative practice issues, and fewer items focusing on direct clinical practice issues. A brief summary of content changes can be found in the Practice Analysis summary publication, here.
Is the new test harder/easier?
Because of shifts in content, and depending on the individual strengths and preparation of test-takers, it is possible that some candidates may find the 2012 Advanced Generalist examination more or less challenging than the 2011 version. Like all ASWB examinations, the Advanced Generalist examinations administered in 2012 will be designed and scored as minimum competency examinations. The overall difficulty of the new exam is established through a passing score process that estimates the abilities of minimally-competent test-takers.
Has the passing score changed?
Even though there will be many similarities between the 2011 and 2012 tests, the examination administered in 2012 is considered to be a different examination than its 2010 counterpart. Part of the creation of these different examinations involves the establishment of passing score standards specific to the new examination. The number of questions required to be answered correctly in order to pass may or may not reflect the same numbers used in 2011. States and provinces will require a “70”, a “75” or a “pass” just as they do now. These numbers reflect a mathematical conversion of your “raw” score to the “scaled score” used by your state or province (see a more detailed explanation of exam scoring in the general examination FAQs).
Are the questions different?
No. The tests use the same four-option multiple choice format used in previous versions. All other stylistic features remain unchanged.
What if I have been studying for the 2010 outline?
Candidates for the Advanced Generalist examination who have begun their preparation based on the current outline and who plan on taking the test after December 31, 2011 should compare content outlines. As stated earlier, candidates are likely to find that most of the changes have to do with how the content is organized, and less to do with significant changes to actual test content.
What are KSAs?
A KSA is a “Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities” statement. These statements describe the discrete knowledge components that may be tested in each part of the examination, and are the basis for individual test questions. These KSAs are publicly available.
Will every KSA be tested on every exam?
No. The KSAs listed under each competency statement represent a range of knowledge that may be tested.
Can I choose which version of the exam I want to take?
No. Only tests reflecting the new content outline are available for the Advanced Generalist test.
Have any jurisdictions changed their eligibility requirements for the Advanced Generalist exam
Yes. The new content outline has a more macro focus. A number of jurisdictions no longer accept the Advanced Generalist exam for clinical practice. Candidates should communicate directly with the relevant social work board about the appropriate exam category before registering with ASWB.
Are there new study materials available?
The printed Study Guide for the Advanced Generalist Exam reflects the content changes. There is currently no online practice test offered for the Advanced Generalist examination. Candidates may also find the KSAs to be a valuable new resource in test preparation. |
