LCSW clinical exam · updated for August 2026
Study for the exam you will actually sit.
Ask Abby is an iPhone study app for the clinical social work licensing exam. Practice that explains every answer, full-length mock exams timed the way the real one is, and a clear read on where you stand, built around the exam as ASWB has given it since August 3, 2026.
iPhone · free to start · works offline
The exam, as it is given now
ASWB changed the clinical exam. So did we.
Since August 3, 2026 the clinical exam has three content areas instead of four, and a new shape. Study material written for the old exam teaches the wrong proportions and the wrong clock. Every question in Ask Abby is filed against the current outline.
Content areas and their weight on the exam
Source: ASWB Examination Guidebook, August 2026. ASWB sets the number of correct answers needed to pass separately for each form of the exam and reports it with your score, so Ask Abby does not quote a passing score.
An 84-year-old hospital patient with intact decision-making capacity tells the social worker, while her son is in the room, that she wants him to make all her treatment decisions from now on.
What should the social worker do FIRST?
Self-determination includes the right to hand decisions to someone the client trusts. Because the request was made in front of the son, the social worker first confirms privately that it is voluntary and free of pressure, then helps her put it into effect, for example by naming him in an advance directive and signing a release. Option A treats autonomy as a duty to decide alone and overrides a capacitated choice. Option B presumes impairment from a preference; adults are presumed to have capacity. Option C acts before ruling out coercion and shares her information without her confirmed consent.
Rule: A capacitated client may delegate; confirm privately that it is her choice, then honor it
Try one
Every answer comes with its reasons.
This is a real question from the app. Pick an answer and you get what the app gives you: why the best answer is best, why each of the others falls short, and a rule to carry to the next question.
The highlighted phrase is the detail the question turns on. Learning to spot it is half of passing a vignette exam.
What is in the app
Practice, mock exams, and an honest read on your progress.
Practice
1,866 original practice questions
Written for this app across all three content areas and every competency in the current outline, from ethics and assessment to supervision, administration, research and program evaluation.
- Each answer explained, including why every wrong option is wrong.
- Sessions lean toward the areas you are weakest in while keeping the exam's proportions.
Mock exams
Six full-length mock exams
Each is 122 questions, sat the way the real exam is: two timed sections of 61, two hours each, an optional ten-minute break, and no going back once a section is submitted. Scored out of 110, with 12 unscored questions mixed in.
- Six different papers, so a second sitting is not a repeat of the first.
- A breakdown by content area when you finish.
Progress
Know where you stand
Mastery for each content area, set against its weight on the exam, and a projected score once you have answered enough questions for it to mean something. Not before.
- A countdown to your exam date and a daily streak.
- The concepts you keep missing, so you know what to review.
Flashcards
427 flashcards in 12 decks
Defense mechanisms, development, treatment models, medications, DSM-5-TR changes, ethics, diversity, research, and supervision and administration. Each card gives the definition, how it shows up in a vignette, and what it is easily confused with.
- Spaced repetition brings back the cards you miss sooner.
- Every card is free.
Pricing
Free to start. One plan when you are ready.
Free
$0
- Ten practice questions a day, with full explanations
- Every flashcard
- Your streak and your readiness by content area
Ask Abby Pro
$19.99per month
- Unlimited practice across all 1,866 questions
- Six full-length timed mock exams
- Your six-week accuracy trend
Ask Abby Pro is an auto-renewing monthly subscription, bought through the App Store. The price shown is in US dollars; the App Store shows the price in your country. Cancel at least 24 hours before it renews, in your Apple Account settings.
Questions
Before you download
Is this for the new exam?
Yes. Ask Abby follows the clinical exam ASWB introduced on August 3, 2026: three content areas, 122 questions with 110 scored, and two sections of 61 with two hours each.
Are these real exam questions?
No. Every question and flashcard is original practice material written for Ask Abby. Real exam questions are confidential, and anyone offering them is offering something they should not have.
Is Ask Abby connected to ASWB?
No. Ask Abby is an independent study aid, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Association of Social Work Boards.
Does it work without a connection?
Yes. The questions, flashcards and your progress are all on your iPhone, so you can study on a train or in a waiting room.
Can more than one person use it?
Yes. Each person gets a profile with their own progress on the same iPhone, and one subscription covers every profile on the device.
What happens to my data?
It stays on your iPhone. There is no account and no sign-in, and Ask Abby has no analytics, advertising or tracking. The Privacy Policy has the details.
Is there an iPad or Android version?
Not yet. Ask Abby is for iPhone.
How do I cancel?
Subscriptions are managed by Apple: Settings, then your name, then Subscriptions. The Support page covers restoring a purchase, refunds and getting in touch.