The passing standard

Similar to other professional licensing exams, the Social Work Licensing Exams are pass/fail, with the determination based on a clearly defined passing standard. The passing standard for each exam category reflects the level of competence an entry level social worker must demonstrate at that practice category. Candidates who meet or exceed this standard pass the exam; candidates who do not meet the standard do not pass. All jurisdictions that use the exams recognize the same passing standard.

Exam forms

The Social Work Licensing Exam has multiple exam forms (versions) published at any one time. The reason for having more than one form is to maintain exam security; test-takers who retake an exam typically receive a different form with different questions.

Because each exam has multiple forms, there is no single correct number of questions that must be answered correctly to pass.

Psychometricians (experts in testing science) evaluate the difficulty of each form to determine how many correct answers are required to meet the passing standard. The passing score varies depending on the difficulty of the questions the form contains. This process ensures that every candidate’s score reflects the same standard of competence, regardless of the form.

No candidate receives an advantage or disadvantage based on the exam form administered.

For the exams based on the 2018 blueprint taken by candidates who test before August 3, 2026, the passing score generally ranges from 90 to 107 correct answers out of 150 scored questions.

For the exams based on the 2026 blueprints taken by candidates who test on August 3, 2026, and later, the passing score generally ranges from 66 to 78 correct answers out of 110 scored questions.

Reminder: Only scored questions count toward the result. Each exam also includes unscored pretest questions that do not affect the final score.