Examination program
As part of the association's ongoing effort to help exam candidates understand the registration process, ASWB developed a brief video explaining the steps required to take the social work licensing exams.
Because Examination Administration continues to test increasing numbers of social work licensing candidates, the Examination Development department has accepted the challenge to continue to make the ASWB item banks stronger in terms of quality and quantity. By adding an ad hoc committee to assist with approving items for pretest and establishing other efficiencies in the regular committee processes, ASWB realized a substantial increase in productivity.
Exam Development highlights:
- Added 25 item writers to the diverse writing network that now numbers 92 social workers. The new item writers gathered in August in Alexandria, Virginia, for a two-day training led by ASWB staff and item development consultants
- Increased the number of items approved for pretest by 43% over 2018
- Increased number of problem items resolved by 37% over 2018
- A total of 92 item writers wrote 2,349 new items for the exams
The Examination Administration department focused on customer service throughout the year, launching a candidate experience survey to help candidate services representatives improve phone performance.
Q4 candidate experience survey highlights:
- 31 percent of callers agreed to take the survey
- 100 percent of those surveyed said they received friendly service
- Average rating for customer service: 4.89/5
- Average rating for how easy it was to solve a problem: 4.79/5

2019 Examination Committee
Front row: Ruben Mina (NY), co-chair Adolpha Bassett (NC), Jil Meadows (NC), Marcy Shaarda (CA), Joseph Harper (IL), Trish Smith (AB), Amanda Eagle (FL), co-chair Carl Hokanson (MN), Vanna Thuston (TX). Back row: Vicki Coy (NB), Julia López (MO), Tammy Dyson (BC), Rae Marsh (NC), co-chair Sharon Cutts (CT), Rikki Davlin (ID), Steven Parks (TX), Lauren Henríquez-Bentiné (NY), Jessica Chatman (IL).