California is the ONLY state which continues to require passage of an oral exam for social work licensure. The BBS has yet to provide examinees with this information despite repeated requests. The oral exam sample vignette contains only 7 sentences. Applicants are given 5 minutes to review these 7 sentences and take notes. In content area II of the oral applicants are evaluated on 12 different associated knowledges within that one content area.
Applicants receive one single numerical score for each content area.
The score will not provide you with any information regarding why the response was determined deficient or which of the different associated knowledges was not covered sufficiently. The oral examination process is unnecessary. At the time of testing, applicants have already obtained and MSW degree, attained 3200 hours of supervised post-graduate clinical experience, and passed a national written exam. The BBS has been unable to provide the public with evidence of the oral exam's validity and reliability . The oral exam appeals process is rife with abuse.