ASWB Masters exam · 2026 blueprint · Original practice content · Last reviewed October 15, 2026
Free LMSW Values and Ethics Practice Questions
The Values and Ethics content area is 35% of the ASWB Masters exam and covers informed consent, confidentiality, ethical dilemmas, boundaries, mandated reporting, documentation, billing, termination, and diversity and social justice. Review each answer and explanation as you practice.
The ASWB Masters exam has 122 questions (110 scored and 12 unscored pretest questions) in 4 hours: two sections of 61 questions with an optional 10-minute break. Results are pass or fail.
What Values and Ethics covers on the ASWB Masters exam
This content area is 35% of the ASWB Masters exam. ASWB's 2026 content outline includes:
Informed consent, confidentiality and its limits (including HIPAA and protected health information), and identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas
Professional values, burnout, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, self-care, and professional development
Professional boundaries, dual relationships, conflicts of interest, and client self-determination
Mandatory reporting and duty to warn, documentation, responsible billing, electronic practice, and termination
Ethics in supervision and management, death and dying, and the effect of government policy on services
Anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice, intersectionality, privilege and bias, accessibility, exploitation of marginalized communities, restorative practices, and immigration and refugee status
How to study Values and Ethics
Know the NASW Code of Ethics standards on confidentiality (1.07), conflicts of interest (1.06), informed consent (1.03), and termination (1.17) well enough to apply them to a vignette.
When safety is at stake, the duty to protect outweighs confidentiality; otherwise, talk with the client first and disclose the least information necessary.
Diversity and Social Justice is new to the blueprint: practice cultural humility, interpreter use, and repairing a microaggression, not just definitions.
LMSW Values and Ethics sample questions with answers
Values and Ethics
Sample question 1
Which condition must be met for a client's informed consent to services to be valid?
The client signs the consent form in the presence of a witness
The client understands the purpose, risks, and limits of the services
The social worker's supervisor approves the service plan
The client's family agrees that the services are needed
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. The client understands the purpose, risks, and limits of the services
B is correct because NASW 1.03(a) requires clear, understandable information about purpose, risks, limits, costs, alternatives, and the right to refuse, so valid consent rests on the client's understanding. A is incorrect because a witnessed signature does not show that the client understood what they agreed to, and the Code does not require a witness. C is incorrect because supervisory approval is an agency process and has no bearing on whether the client's consent is informed. D is incorrect because a competent adult client consents for themselves; family agreement is not part of valid consent.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 2
A hospice social worker has had several clients die in the past month. The social worker now dreads home visits, has become short-tempered with families, and has trouble concentrating during sessions. What should the social worker do FIRST?
Keep seeing clients and watch whether the feelings pass
Ask to be moved to a unit with fewer end-of-life cases
Discuss these reactions with a supervisor right away
Tell families that visits will be shorter for a while
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Discuss these reactions with a supervisor right away
C is correct because the signs point to compassion fatigue that is starting to affect practice, and NASW 4.05(b) directs social workers to seek consultation promptly and take remedial action to protect clients. A is incorrect because the reactions are already affecting families and concentration, so waiting leaves clients exposed to impaired practice. B is incorrect because a transfer may eventually help, but deciding on it before consulting skips the step of assessing the problem and the options with a supervisor. D is incorrect because cutting services shifts the cost of the social worker's distress onto clients without addressing its cause.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 3
Under the NASW Code of Ethics, when should a social worker who provides services through technology obtain the client's informed consent?
Only if the client asks about privacy risks
After the first session, once rapport is built
At the end of services, when reviewing results
During the initial screening, before services begin
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. During the initial screening, before services begin
D is correct because NASW 1.03(f) directs social workers who use technology to obtain informed consent during the initial screening or interview and before services start. A is incorrect because informed consent is the social worker's duty for every client, not a response to client questions. B is incorrect because consent must come before services begin, not after the client has already received them. C is incorrect because consent obtained at termination cannot inform the client's decision to start services.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 4
An adult with a moderate intellectual disability has a court-appointed guardian who signed consent for day program services. At the first meeting, the client seems confused about why they are meeting the social worker. What should the social worker do NEXT?
Stop services until the client can sign for themselves
Explain the services in words the client can understand
Ask the guardian to explain the services to the client
Proceed, since the guardian's consent is sufficient
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Explain the services in words the client can understand
B is correct because NASW 1.03(c) directs social workers to inform clients who lack capacity in a manner consistent with their level of understanding and to take steps to enhance their ability to consent, even when a third party has given permission. A is incorrect because a moderate intellectual disability is lasting, so waiting would deny services that the guardian has validly approved. C is incorrect because explaining the services is the social worker's responsibility, and the guardian may not describe them accurately. D is incorrect because the guardian's permission is necessary but does not replace informing the client at their own level.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 5
A parent is required by a court order to complete a parenting program after a child welfare investigation. At intake, the parent asks whether they are allowed to refuse. What is the BEST response?
Say that the program is voluntary like other services
Say that refusal is not possible under a court order
Advise the parent to ask the judge before deciding
Explain the right to refuse and what refusal could mean
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Explain the right to refuse and what refusal could mean
D is correct because NASW 1.03(d) requires that clients receiving services involuntarily be told about the nature and extent of services and the extent of their right to refuse, which includes the likely consequences of refusing. A is incorrect because it hides the court's role and the real consequences of refusing, so any consent would not be informed. B is incorrect because involuntary clients keep the right to refuse; they may face legal consequences, but saying they have no choice is inaccurate. C is incorrect because the social worker can and should explain the parent's rights now rather than sending the parent away without information.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 6
A client agreed to let the social worker send monthly progress updates to the client's employee assistance program. The client now calls to say they no longer want any information shared. An update is due tomorrow. What is the BEST action?
Ask the program whether the client may withdraw
Send this update, since a signed consent is on file
Stop sending updates, since consent was withdrawn
Send one final summary to close the arrangement
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Stop sending updates, since consent was withdrawn
C is correct because NASW 1.03(a) recognizes the client's right to withdraw consent, and without valid consent under NASW 1.07(b) the social worker has no basis to keep disclosing information. A is incorrect because the right to withdraw belongs to the client, and contacting the program discloses information the client asked to keep private. B is incorrect because a signed form does not override the client's later decision to withdraw consent. D is incorrect because any disclosure after consent is withdrawn, even a closing summary, breaches confidentiality.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 7
A clinic supervisor tells a social worker to video record all sessions for supervision. The social worker's next client completed intake last week, and the session begins in ten minutes. What should the social worker do FIRST?
Record the session and tell the client afterward
Explain the recording and ask for the client's consent
Have the supervisor watch through a one-way mirror
Record the session, since agency policy requires it
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Explain the recording and ask for the client's consent
B is correct because NASW 1.03(h) requires the client's informed consent before any audio or video recording or third-party observation, so the social worker must explain the purpose and let the client decide. A is incorrect because consent must be obtained before recording, and telling the client afterward violates their right to decide. C is incorrect because observation by a third party also requires the client's informed consent under NASW 1.03(h). D is incorrect because agency policy does not replace the client's consent to being recorded.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 8
A housing agency is inviting clients to join a study of its programs, and agency policy states that services do not depend on taking part. A client tells the social worker they will sign the form because they fear that saying no could cost them their apartment. What should the social worker do NEXT?
Accept the form, since the client agreed to take part
Tell the client that refusing will not affect their housing
Encourage the client to join to help future tenants
Let the research team decide how to handle it
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Tell the client that refusing will not affect their housing
B is correct because NASW 5.02(e) requires that research consent be voluntary, without any implied or actual penalty for refusing, so the social worker must correct the client's belief before the client decides. A is incorrect because consent given out of fear of losing housing is coerced and therefore not voluntary. C is incorrect because added pressure from a trusted worker is undue influence and makes the client's choice even less free. D is incorrect because the social worker knows the client's fear now and can correct it directly; passing it on delays the protection the client needs.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 9
A new client's insurance plan covers only eight sessions, and the social worker's assessment suggests the client will need longer treatment. The client has not asked about coverage. What should the social worker do FIRST?
Explain the session limit and options for added care
Use a shorter model without telling the client why
Refer the client to a provider who does not take insurance
Start treatment and seek more sessions near the limit
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Explain the session limit and options for added care
A is correct because NASW 1.03(a) lists limits to services because of third-party payer requirements, costs, and reasonable alternatives as part of informed consent, so the client needs this information before treatment begins. B is incorrect because changing the treatment for payer reasons without telling the client withholds information the client needs to decide. C is incorrect because a referral based only on coverage, without discussing it, removes the client's choice and may add costs the client cannot afford. D is incorrect because requesting more sessions later may be appropriate, but the client must first know the limit in order to give informed consent.
Values and Ethics
Sample question 10
Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, the minimum necessary standard requires that:
Providers keep records for at least the shortest period allowed
Only a minimum number of staff complete privacy training
Clients receive at least one copy of their records each year
Uses and disclosures of PHI be limited to what the purpose needs
Show correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Uses and disclosures of PHI be limited to what the purpose needs
D is correct because the minimum necessary standard limits uses, disclosures, and requests of protected health information to the least amount needed for the intended purpose, which matches NASW 1.07(c). A is incorrect because record retention periods are set by state law and agency policy, not by the minimum necessary standard. B is incorrect because HIPAA requires privacy training for the workforce, not a limit on how many staff are trained. C is incorrect because HIPAA gives clients a right to access their records on request, not a yearly minimum copy.