OMG that's so amazing, i also have my msw and actually just applied to take the lmsw exam, do you have advice for studying/how was it?? i'm v nervous about it >.<
i have lots of advice for studying actually so I'm glad you asked.
studying for the exam:
study for 120 hours. it doesn't matter how it's broken up; it can be a few hours a day or a lot on the weekend. i studied for 6 months around 2 hours a day.
when you study make sure you take a minimum of a 15 minute break at least every 90-120 minutes. studies have shown it is difficult to retain information after this time period without a break.
read dawn apgar's master guide exam front to back. take lots of notes. highlight things you aren't sure of; use these to make flash cards.
sign up for nasw and take their licensing workshops. they are once a month. they do practice questions, explain the answers in depth, and you can ask them questions.
use the app quizlet to make flash cards. i had over 400 flash cards. the good thing about using this app is you can check off cards you no longer need to study.
the app aswb social work exam is good for studying. it explains the reason behind the answers.
sign up for agents of change. utilize all aspects of the program. go through it 2x. i constantly listened to their podcasts until it was drilled into my head. you have to pay for the course but the podcast is free.
do practice questions.
set aside time to take at least 2 practice tests and simulate it so it's like you're taking the real test. you can do this through the aswb and dawn apgar.
learn how to eliminate questions by using acronyms.
don't cram, it won't help.
focus on things you can remember and you can understand. if you keep studying a topic and you are unable to grasp it, just move on.
sign up for the test so you can figure out how long you need to study for. you can always change the date if you feel you need more time. make sure it's a time that's good for you. for example, I'm not a morning person so i took it in the afternoon.
they say 2 weeks before the test you shouldn't study anymore but i don't really agree with that.
on exam day:
make sure you eat.
go to the bathroom.
arrive 30-60 minutes early in case you get lost and so you have time to settle in.
bring a snack and water with you. they won't let you bring it in with you but you can put it in your locker and step out to have it.
when you first arrive in the exam room dump everything you need to remember on paper/whiteboard. I studied the acronyms on my way to the exam and wrote all of them out right away.
set aside time for a break. i took a 10/15 minute break half way through the test.
don't get discouraged if there are a lot of questions you don't know the answer to. when i took the test there were a lot of community questions, which i am horrible at. i almost walked out because of this, but i told myself i came all this way, i studied so much, i already paid, and i don't want to wait another 90 days and go through all that anxiety again. and you know what? i passed.
if there are a lot of questions on one specific topic those are probably the none scored questions. each test has 20.
this is what worked for me. i know i used a lot of different things and i probably paid too much money, but i really didn't want to take the test again because of my anxiety and i needed to get my license for my job. i hope this helps!
