Institutional Factors Affecting Social Work Masters Licensure Exam Pass Rates

Background and Purpose:

Licensure examinations are pivotal in regulating social work practice across the United States, with all states adopting the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) examination. Recent critiques have raised concerns about the exam's validity and its potential role in perpetuating racial and demographic disparities within the profession. While disparities in exam outcomes among various demographic groups have been acknowledged, there has been a lack of empirical research examining how institutional characteristics of Master of Social Work (MSW) programs influence ASWB exam performance. This study utilizes the latest ASWB institutional data to systematically assess the impact of these institutional factors on exam pass rates.

Methods:

The study analyzed institutional-level data from the 2022 ASWB Exam Report, encompassing 294 MSW programs across the U.S. Six variables were considered, with the average pass rates over a four-year span (2018–2021) serving as the dependent variable. Independent variables included institutional race diversity, age diversity, gender ratio, proportion of native English speakers, and program size. The Index of Qualitative Variation (IQV) was applied to measure diversity in race and age. Recognizing that MSW programs within the same state are influenced by specific contextual factors, a mixed-effects modeling approach was employed to account for unobserved state-level variables reflected in pass rates. Five institutional-level variables were considered as fixed effects at level one, while state-level variance was regarded as random effects at level two. We used the Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) method for parameter estimation.

Results:

The analysis revealed substantial variability in ASWB exam pass rates, with differences of up to 47% across states and up to 72% across MSW programs. An unconditional random effects model indicated significant variation at the state level, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.283, suggesting that approximately 28.3% of the variance in pass rates can be attributed to differences between states. This finding implies that state-specific factors, such as policies, educational standards, or support systems, may significantly influence exam outcomes. At the institutional level, mixed-effects modeling identified age diversity and program size as significant predictors of pass rates. Specifically, institutions with greater age diversity—indicative of a higher proportion of older students—tended to have lower pass rates, even after controlling for other variables and state-level effects. Additionally, smaller institutions were associated with significantly lower pass rates compared to larger ones, suggesting that institutional resources or support mechanisms may play a role in exam preparedness. Conversely, racial diversity did not emerge as a statistically significant predictor of pass rates, indicating the racial diversity of institutions does not affect pass rates.

Conclusions and Implications:

The findings suggest that targeted support for older students, such as specialized test preparation focusing on test-taking strategies, may enhance pass rates, particularly in institutions with a substantial non-traditional student population. Furthermore, the consistent underperformance of smaller institutions indicates a need for systemic support from the ASWB to ensure equitable preparation resources across all program sizes. Addressing these disparities is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and competent social work workforce.