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Aiming to pass the ASWB exam? Here's a free practice question to help get you ready:

A  mother tells a social worker that her six-year-old daughter panics--hyperventilating and breaking into a sweat-- whenever she sees a spider. The child insists her parents check her room for spiders before she goes to sleep at night, and is refusing to go camping with her family because she doesn't want to sleep in a tent where there might be spiders. What is the MOST likely diagnosis for this child?

A. Specific phobia.   

B. Unspecified anxiety disorder.   

C. Panic disorder.   

D. Adjustment disorder with anxiety.

What do you think?

Let's take the answers one at a time.

Adjustment disorder is diagnosed when a client is having difficulty adjusting to change. There's no mention of change here. Just a profound dislike of spiders.

Panic disorder requires panic that comes out of the blue. This child's panic has a trigger (spiders).

Unspecified anxiety disorder would be a good fit if the client didn't meet criteria for any of the other offered answers, but…

Specific phobia is a very good fit. The child's panic is directly related to a fear of spiders, and is interfering with her daily activities. The proper diagnosis (not just the best of the offered answers) is specific phobia.

If you knew the criteria for specific phobia, this one was probably easy. The presence of panic in the stem may have drawn some to a panic disorder diagnosis. Now, if a choice like this appears on the licensing exam, you'll be ready.

Get ready for lots of different types of questions (not just DSM ones) by taking SWTP's full-length practice tests. Sign up to get started.

Happy studying and good luck on the exam!

Here's a new video walk-through all about the criteria for NPD. Follow along and see how you do. Stick around for a quick bonus question at the end of the video.

For more DSM-focused practice, try our DSM Booster, available here. Happy studying and good luck on the exam!

Here's a video walk-through for a question that appeared on the SWTP blog a while back. How well do you know the Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders chapter of the DSM? Test you knowledge.

Take five minutes to dive into this question drawn from the anxiety disorders chapter of the DSM.

A woman tells a social worker that she no longer goes to the movies. "Sitting on the aisle isn't enough," she says. "I keep thinking about trying to get out of there through the crowd." When she was younger, the woman used to go to movies and concerts regularly. "It's been years," she reports. "I wouldn't be able do it. Standing on line? Sitting in a crowd inside? I'll binge watch shows at home, thanks very much." What is the MOST likely diagnosis for this client?

Most DSM questions-most ASWB exam questions-involve a process of elimination, and this one's no different. See how you do. Then sign up at SWTP for full-length exams to really get you ready to pass the social work licensing exam. Good luck!

Here's a quick walk-through of a question that appeared on the blog once upon a time. A kindergartener is making life miserable for his mother and sister. How best to diagnose?

Watch the video here and be sure to subscribe to SWTP videos on YouTube or like SWTP on Facebook for the premiere (these start as Facebook Live videos).

Remember, the real exam doesn't read itself out loud to you-and it doesn't provide answers. Sign up to get started with full, 170-question ASWB exam practice tests here on SWTP.