A nice email from Laurie, newly licensed in
California:
The Calif LCSW exams were definitely a source of anxiety!!! I
studied sometimes with other MSWs, which was helpful because we
would talk things through to make sense of them but most of my
studying was done solo. The first exam was actually easier to study
for because the content seemed more fact driven. I found the second
exam, which was based on client scenarios, to be far more difficult
to study for. This is the one that relies more on your clinical
experience and judgment to really know how to answer the questions.
What I focused on when I studied for the second exam was more on
clinical issues that I wasn't seeing much in my practice at that
point in time. I needed to refresh myself on those.
A trick that worked for me was to think about the cases of
specific clients I had worked with when studying about certain
diagnoses. This helped because I could relate more to the
subtleties of the disorders by connecting them to specific clients.
It helped me with treatment planning, assessing, and so on.
I didn't attend any test prep classes, used SWTP materials (and
materials from another company just to mix it up a little). I
like the way you structured your materials....simple, but
effective.
I am so thankful that I was able to pass both exams the first
time because I was not thrilled at the idea of sitting through them
more than once. It got to a point when I was studying where I felt
like I just couldn't study anymore and it was time to just get it
done!
--Laurie Orr, LCSW, PPSC
***
Congratulations, Laurie! Thanks for writing!
Don't worry, if you're not in California, there's only the
one ASWB exam. Wherever you are, to get started with SWTP practice
exams, sign up! And don't forget to write us to
share your social work exam prep story!
