Free Advanced Generalist exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Advanced Generalist exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A social worker in an outpatient program concludes that confidential information about an adult client has to be shared with an outside party even though the client has not consented. Under the NASW Code of Ethics, which condition removes the general expectation that the social worker will keep the information confidential?

   1. A. Disclosure is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or others
   2. B. The client's third-party payer has submitted a written request for the information in order to complete a utilization review
   3. C. A colleague with relevant expertise has asked for the information so that she can provide case consultation on the matter
   4. D. The social worker intends to use the information to illustrate a practice point during an agency staff training session

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Standard 1.07(c) of the NASW Code of Ethics states that "The general expectation that social workers will keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or others." That is the only one of the four conditions that operates without the client's consent. Standard 1.07(h) provides that social workers "should not disclose confidential information to third-party payers unless clients have authorized such disclosure," so a payer's written request does not suffice. Standard 1.07(v) bars disclosing identifying information to consultants "unless the client has consented to disclosure of confidential information or there is a compelling need for such disclosure," and standard 1.07(u) bars disclosing identifying information "when discussing clients for teaching or training purposes unless the client has consented to disclosure of confidential information."

   Reference: Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to Clients — Standard 1.07 Privacy and Confidentiality, paragraphs (c), (h), (u), (v)

2. 2Two weeks after surviving a warehouse fire, a client reports anger, difficulty sleeping, and intrusive memories, and asks the social worker whether this means she has developed a mental illness. According to SAMHSA's trauma-informed care guidance, how should such reactions be understood?

   1. A. They are often normal responses to trauma that can still be distressing, and are not in themselves signs of mental illness
   2. B. They are early-stage symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that will meet full diagnostic criteria if they persist beyond one month
   3. C. They indicate that the client's usual coping strategies have failed, which is the threshold at which a disorder is considered present
   4. D. They are evidence of an acute stress reaction that requires immediate referral for psychiatric evaluation before any further work

   Answer: A

   Explanation: SAMHSA's TIP 57 states that “These reactions are often normal responses to trauma but can still be distressing to experience. Such responses are not signs of mental illness, nor do they indicate a mental disorder. Traumatic stress-related disorders comprise a specific constellation of symptoms and criteria.” It also reports the general course: “Most survivors exhibit immediate reactions, yet these typically resolve without severe long-term consequences. This is because most trauma survivors are highly resilient and develop appropriate coping strategies, including the use of social supports, to deal with the aftermath and effects of trauma.” Only “a small percentage of people with a history of trauma show impairment and symptoms that meet criteria for trauma-related stress disorders.”

   Reference: Samhsa Tip57 Ch3 Impact — Section 3, Understanding the Impact of Trauma (Part 1), Common Experiences and Responses to Trauma

3. 3A team is designing a psychoeducational group for people in a substance use programme who do not yet see their use as a problem. According to SAMHSA's guidance on group therapy, what is the major purpose of psychoeducational groups?

   1. A. Expansion of awareness about the behavioural, medical, and psychological consequences of substance abuse
   2. B. Resolution of the intrapsychic conflicts that maintain the behaviour, worked through in the presence of peers
   3. C. Rehearsal of refusal skills in situations the members identify as likely to prompt a return to substance use
   4. D. Development of group cohesion, which is what allows the later stages of the treatment programme to succeed

   Answer: A

   Explanation: SAMHSA's TIP on group therapy states that “The major purpose of psychoeducational groups is expansion of awareness about the behavioral, medical, and psychological consequences of substance abuse. Another prime goal is to motivate the client to enter the recovery-ready stage”. It is explicit that this is not depth work: “While psychoeducational groups may inform clients about psychological issues, they do not aim at intrapsychic change, though such individual changes in thinking and feeling often do occur.” The TIP names this population as a context where such groups are most useful, namely “Helping clients in the precontemplative or contemplative level of change to reframe the impact of drug use on their lives, develop an internal need to seek help, and discover avenues for change.”

   Reference: Samhsa Tip41 Group Full — Section 2, Types of Groups Commonly Used in Substance Abuse Treatment

4. 4A social worker is opening a case with a new client who has difficulty understanding the primary language used in the practice setting. The agency's standard consent form exists only in that language. Which step does the NASW Code of Ethics direct the social worker to take when obtaining informed consent?

   1. A. Take steps to ensure the client's comprehension, which may include a detailed verbal explanation or arranging for a qualified interpreter
   2. B. Ask the adult relative who accompanied the client to interpret the consent discussion and record that the relative confirmed the client understood
   3. C. Have the client sign the agency's standard form in its existing language and document in the record that the signature was given voluntarily
   4. D. Cover only the purpose and the cost of services now and postpone the remaining consent elements until an interpreter becomes available later

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Standard 1.03(b) of the NASW Code of Ethics addresses exactly this situation: "In instances when clients are not literate or have difficulty understanding the primary language used in the practice setting, social workers should take steps to ensure clients' comprehension. This may include providing clients with a detailed verbal explanation or arranging for a qualified interpreter or translator whenever possible." The standard makes comprehension, not the presence of a signature or the availability of a convenient interpreter, the test. A signed form the client cannot read does not establish valid consent, an untrained relative is not a qualified interpreter, and standard 1.03(a) requires that the client be informed of risks, alternatives, costs, and the right to refuse or withdraw consent before services begin rather than at a later date.

   Reference: Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to Clients — Standard 1.03 Informed Consent, paragraphs (a) and (b)

5. 5A programme director argues that because most people who experience a traumatic event recover, routine screening for trauma is not a good use of clinical time. According to SAMHSA's trauma-informed care guidance, what is the problem with reasoning that way in behavioural health settings?

   1. A. Underdiagnosis of trauma and PTSD has been more significant in the substance abuse field than overdiagnosis
   2. B. Recovery rates in behavioural health populations are lower than in the general population, so the premise does not hold
   3. C. Screening instruments are designed to detect resilience as well as impairment, so no clinical time is in fact lost
   4. D. Recovery cannot be established without a baseline measurement taken at the point of the client's admission

   Answer: A

   Explanation: SAMHSA's TIP 57 addresses this directly in its discussion of common assessment myths, noting that “Najavits (2004) and others note that underdiagnosis of trauma and PTSD has been more significant in the substance abuse field than overdiagnosis.” It also warns against treating identification as the endpoint: “Thorough assessment is the best way to identify the existence and extent of trauma-related problems. However, simply identifying trauma-related symptoms and disorders is just the first step. Also needed are individualized treatment protocols and action to implement these protocols.” The general resilience of survivors, which the TIP also reports, is therefore not a reason to forgo screening.

   Reference: Samhsa Tip57 Ch4 Screening — Section 4, Screening and Assessment (Part 1), Common Assessment Myths

6. 6A social worker sitting on an interdisciplinary team finds that the team's proposed plan raises an ethical concern she cannot accept. Under the NASW Code of Ethics, what should she do?

   1. A. Attempt to resolve the disagreement through appropriate channels, and if it cannot be resolved, pursue other avenues consistent with client well-being
   2. B. Record her dissent in the client's file and implement the team's decision, since the team as a body carries the responsibility for the plan that it adopts
   3. C. Withdraw from the team for this client so that her professional judgment is not associated with a plan she regards as ethically unsound
   4. D. Refer the disagreement to her supervisor, who represents the social work perspective in disputes between the disciplines on the team

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Standard 2.03(b) of the NASW Code of Ethics provides that social workers “for whom a team decision raises ethical concerns should attempt to resolve the disagreement through appropriate channels. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, social workers should pursue other avenues to address their concerns consistent with client well-being.” Standard 2.03(a) frames the participation duty: team members should “participate in and contribute to decisions that affect the well-being of clients by drawing on the perspectives, values, and experiences of the social work profession,” and “Professional and ethical obligations of the interdisciplinary team as a whole and of its individual members should be clearly established.” Individual responsibility therefore persists alongside the team's.

   Reference: Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues — Standard 2.03 Interdisciplinary Collaboration, paragraphs (a) and (b)

7. 7A social worker working through an ethical dilemma finds that the NASW Code of Ethics, the employing agency's policy manual, and the code of ethics of a specialty practice organization each point toward a different course of action. According to the Purpose section of the NASW Code of Ethics, what standing does the NASW Code have among the codes of ethics being consulted?

   1. A. Social workers should consider the NASW Code of Ethics as their primary source among codes of ethics
   2. B. Social workers should follow whichever code of ethics the employing organization has formally adopted in writing
   3. C. Social workers should rank the codes of ethics according to which one speaks most directly to the presenting situation
   4. D. Social workers should defer to the specialty organization's code of ethics whenever the case falls within that specialty

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The Purpose section of the NASW Code of Ethics directs that social workers "should consider ethical theory and principles generally, social work theory and research, laws, regulations, agency policies, and other relevant codes of ethics, recognizing that among codes of ethics social workers should consider the NASW Code of Ethics as their primary source." Agency policy and specialty codes are inputs to the decision, not tie-breakers that displace the NASW Code. The same section adds that where ethical obligations conflict with agency policy or law, "social workers must make a responsible effort to resolve the conflict in a manner that is consistent with the values, principles, and standards expressed in this Code."

   Reference: NASW Code of Ethics (2021) — Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics, paragraphs on additional sources of ethical guidance and on conflicts with agency policy

8. 8A new colleague asks why the agency's assessment form includes questions about transportation, grocery access, and neighbourhood safety. Using the federal Healthy People framework, how are social determinants of health defined?

   1. A. The conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks
   2. B. The health behaviours an individual adopts over the life course, such as diet, physical activity, tobacco use, and adherence to prescribed treatment regimens
   3. C. The clinical and genetic characteristics that predict which members of a population will develop chronic disease during a defined follow-up period
   4. D. The benefits and services for which a person is eligible under public programmes, which together determine that person's access to medical treatment

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The federal Healthy People framework defines the term as follows: “Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.” It groups them into five domains: “Economic Stability”, “Education Access and Quality”, “Health Care Access and Quality”, “Neighborhood and Built Environment” and “Social and Community Context”. Health care access is therefore one domain within the concept rather than the whole of it, and individual behaviour and clinical risk factors sit outside the definition.

   Reference: Social Determinants of Health - Healthy People 2030 | odphp.health.gov — Social Determinants of Health, definition and five domains

9. 9A school-based social worker is contributing to a pupil's individualized education program. Under the federal regulations implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, what must the statement of annual goals in an IEP include?

   1. A. Measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to meet needs resulting from the disability
   2. B. Long-range goals for the pupil's eventual post-school placement, reviewed at each subsequent annual meeting
   3. C. Goals selected from the state's approved catalogue of objectives for the pupil's grade level and category of disability
   4. D. Goals agreed between the special education teacher and the parent, with related services staff consulted afterwards

   Answer: A

   Explanation: 34 CFR § 300.320(a)(2)(i) requires the IEP to include “A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to— (A) Meet the child's needs that result from the child's disability to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum; and (B) Meet each of the child's other educational needs that result from the child's disability.” The regulation pairs the goals with a measurement plan, requiring “A description of— (i) How the child's progress toward meeting the annual goals described in paragraph (2) of this section will be measured; and (ii) When periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals ... will be provided.” The IEP is defined as “a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting,” so it is not produced by a subset of the team.

   Reference: Idea 34 CFR 300 — 34 CFR § 300.320(a)(1) through (a)(3)

10. 10An agency director asks a social work supervisor to explain why professional self-care now appears in the NASW Code of Ethics rather than being treated purely as a personal matter. Which rationale does the amended Purpose section of the Code give?

    1. A. Professional demands, challenging workplace climates, and exposure to trauma warrant that social workers maintain personal and professional health, safety, and integrity
    2. B. Self-care allows social workers to accumulate the continuing education contact hours that licensing boards require for renewal of an advanced practice licence
    3. C. Self-care reduces an agency's exposure to malpractice claims by giving it a documented defence when a client alleges that services were negligently delivered
    4. D. Self-care is the mechanism through which a social worker demonstrates the cultural humility the Code requires when working with marginalized communities

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The 2021 amendment added to the Purpose section the statement that "Professional self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work practice. Professional demands, challenging workplace climates, and exposure to trauma warrant that social workers maintain personal and professional health, safety, and integrity." The Code frames self-care as a condition of competent and ethical practice, and it places part of the responsibility on organizations, which "are encouraged to promote organizational policies, practices, and materials to support social workers' self-care." Continuing education, liability management, and cultural humility are addressed by separate provisions and are not the stated rationale for the self-care language.

    Reference: NASW Code of Ethics (2021) — Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics, self-care paragraph