ASWB Masters Ethical Principles & Responsibilities Practice Questions
Ethical Principles & Responsibilities makes up 6 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest ASWB Masters practice test. Here are 10 of the 24 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Based on the ASWB Masters content outline (2026 Examination Guidebook). Original questions; 50 per test, weighted like the real exam. Not affiliated with ASWB.
1. Which of the following is one of the six core values in the NASW Code of Ethics?
- A.Loyalty
- B.Integrity
- C.Neutrality
- D.Efficiency
Answer: B. The six core values are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. Neutrality and loyalty sound professional but are not listed.
2. A client signs a consent form for counseling services. For the consent to be informed, the social worker must FIRST make sure the client:
- A.Agrees with the treatment plan
- B.Has paid the full intake fee up front
- C.Has read the agency's brochure
- D.Understands the services and risks
Answer: D. Informed consent rests on understanding: the purpose, risks, limits of confidentiality, costs and the right to refuse, explained in clear language. A signature alone does not prove understanding.
3. A client who speaks limited English is asked to sign a consent form written in English. What should the social worker do?
- A.Explain it with a qualified interpreter
- B.Summarize it briefly in English
- C.Ask a family member to sign on her behalf
- D.Have her sign and initial each page
Answer: A. Consent must be given in language the client understands, so the social worker uses a qualified interpreter or translated form. Relatives make poor interpreters for consent because of bias and privacy concerns.
4. During the first session, when should a social worker discuss the limits of confidentiality?
- A.After trust is established
- B.At the time of discharge
- C.At the start of services
- D.Only when a limit arises
Answer: C. Clients need to know the limits, such as mandated reporting and threats of harm, before they disclose. Waiting until a limit arises means the client disclosed without informed consent.
5. Under HIPAA, which disclosure of protected health information may a provider make WITHOUT the client's written authorization?
- A.Releasing records to a lawyer
- B.Giving details to a landlord
- C.Sharing with a treating provider
- D.Sending notes to the client's employer
Answer: C. HIPAA permits disclosure for treatment, payment and health care operations without a separate authorization. Employers, lawyers and landlords need the client's written authorization or a court order.
6. Under the HIPAA minimum necessary standard, a social worker responding to an insurer's request should send:
- A.Only what is needed for the purpose
- B.Psychotherapy notes as well as the record
- C.A summary of family history
- D.The full client record
Answer: A. The minimum necessary standard limits a disclosure to what the requester actually needs for its purpose. Psychotherapy notes have extra protection and are not part of routine payment disclosures.
7. Records a school social worker keeps as part of a student's education record are governed MAINLY by which federal law?
- A.COBRA
- B.42 CFR Part 2
- C.The Stark Law
- D.FERPA
Answer: D. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act covers education records, and those records are excluded from the HIPAA Privacy Rule. 42 CFR Part 2 protects substance use disorder program records.
8. A social worker receives a subpoena for a client's records. What should the social worker do FIRST?
- A.Destroy her own process notes
- B.Tell the client and seek legal advice
- C.Send the full record at once
- D.Ignore it until the date of the court hearing
Answer: B. A subpoena is not a court order to disclose. The social worker protects confidentiality by informing the client, consulting legal counsel and asking the court to limit or withhold disclosure if needed.
9. Privileged communication belongs to which party?
- A.The court
- B.The client
- C.The social worker
- D.The agency
Answer: B. Privilege is the client's legal right to keep communications out of court, so the client holds it and may waive it. The social worker asserts it on the client's behalf.
10. A social worker faces a conflict between two ethical duties. According to common ethical decision-making models, what should the social worker do FIRST?
- A.Follow personal beliefs
- B.Refer the client elsewhere
- C.Choose whatever the agency prefers
- D.Identify the values in conflict
Answer: D. Decision-making models begin by naming the ethical issue and the values and duties in conflict, then weigh options, consult and document. Referral avoids the dilemma rather than resolving it.
Practice all 24 ethical principles & responsibilities questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free ASWB Masters training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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