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SCFHS Classification Exam – Social Service Specialist: free practice test

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Practice test questions with answers and explanations

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01Abdullah, 72, is an inpatient in the oncology ward. In his session with the social worker he reviewed his life, said he is satisfied with what he gave his family and community, and accepts the rest of his life calmly. How does Erikson's theory explain his stance?

Practice question Unit: Human development, diversity and behaviour in the environment

  1. AA positive resolution of generativity versus stagnation

    Generativity is the midlife crisis about nurturing the next generation, not evaluating a whole life in old age.

  2. BA positive resolution of intimacy versus isolation

    Intimacy is the early-adulthood crisis about close relationships and fits neither his age nor what he said.

  3. CA positive resolution of integrity versus despair ✓ Correct answer

    Life review, satisfaction with one's life and acceptance of its end mark integrity in the final stage.

  4. DA return to identity versus role confusion

    He shows no search for self or role diffusion, only settled satisfaction with a completed life.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 1: Human development, diversity and behaviour in the environment, p. 2; Encyclopedia of Social Work (NASW Press); Suleiman et al., Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families (2014)

02A child with a learning difficulty cannot finish a task alone but succeeds when the therapist gives graded prompts. The social worker advised the parents to give similar help and withdraw it gradually. Which concept underlies this advice?

Practice question Unit: Human development, diversity and behaviour in the environment

  1. AReinforcement and punishment schedules in Skinner's operant conditioning

    Reinforcement schedules govern when rewards follow behaviour, not prompting during a task.

  2. BAssimilation and accommodation in Piaget's theory

    Assimilation and accommodation are internal processes for adjusting schemas and do not describe graded adult support.

  3. CVygotsky's zone of proximal development and scaffolding ✓ Correct answer

    The gap between what a child does alone and with help is the ZPD, and graded help that is withdrawn is scaffolding.

  4. DThe critical period in developmental theories

    A critical period is a fixed window for acquiring a capacity and does not explain graded help.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 1: Human development, diversity and behaviour in the environment, p. 2; Encyclopedia of Social Work (NASW Press)

03A social worker was deeply moved while listening to a mother who had lost her child, but she kept calm and focused on helping the mother arrange what she needed. Which of Biestek's principles does she embody?

Practice question Unit: Professional relationship, values and ethics

  1. APurposeful expression of feelings

    Purposeful expression is about letting the client voice feelings, not the worker controlling his own.

  2. BControlled emotional involvement ✓ Correct answer

    Feeling with the client and responding sensitively, while controlling it to serve the helping purpose, is controlled emotional involvement.

  3. CIndividualisation

    Individualisation is about uniqueness, not emotions.

  4. DNon-judgemental attitude toward the client

    Being non-judgemental means not assigning guilt; it does not describe handling one's emotions.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 2: Professional relationship, values and ethics, p. 2; Suleiman et al., Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families (2014); Barker, The Social Work Dictionary (NASW Press)

04A worker designed a patient satisfaction questionnaire; each item has five choices from 'very satisfied' to 'not at all satisfied'. What type and level is this scale?

Practice question Unit: Social measurement

  1. AA nominal scale of named categories

    The choices are ordered, so not nominal even as words.

  2. BA sociometric scale of patient–team ties

    Sociometry measures choices among group members.

  3. CA ratio scale anchored at a true zero

    'Not at all' is an end of a scale, not an absolute zero.

  4. DA Likert scale, each item is ordinal ✓ Correct answer

    A Likert scale grades agreement or satisfaction; a single item is ordinal.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 3: Social measurement, p. 2; Encyclopedia of Social Work (NASW Press)

05A worker gave an anxiety scale to patients, then re-administered it two weeks later with no intervention and found a high correlation. What does this indicate?

Practice question Unit: Social measurement

  1. ATest-retest reliability of the scale ✓ Correct answer

    Correlation between two administrations shows stability over time.

  2. BContent validity of the scale's items

    Content validity is judged by reviewing items, not retesting.

  3. CConcurrent validity, shown by stable scores

    No other scale was used for comparison.

  4. DAn effective intervention over two weeks

    There was no intervention.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 3: Social measurement, p. 2; Encyclopedia of Social Work (NASW Press)

06A 3-year-old has symmetric 'stocking' burns on both feet with sharp straight edges and no splash marks. What does this pattern suggest?

Practice question Unit: Family violence

  1. ADeliberate immersion burn ✓ Correct answer

    Sharp edges, symmetry and no splashes mark deliberate immersion in hot liquid.

  2. BAccidental hot-liquid spill

    Accidental spills usually leave irregular splash marks.

  3. CChemical burn from household cleaners

    The pattern does not fit chemical exposure.

  4. DAllergic dermatitis

    Allergy does not produce such burns.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 4: Family violence, p. 2; Encyclopedia of Social Work (NASW Press)

07A doctor referred a patient to social work. At the first meeting the worker explained his role, checked that her problem fits the department's services, then opened a file. Which stage is this?

Practice question Unit: Patient and family problems

  1. ASocial diagnosis

    Diagnosis comes after fact-gathering, not at the first meeting.

  2. BEnvironmental treatment

    No intervention has started yet.

  3. CInitial assessment

    Initial assessment gathers and analyses the problem in more detail; the emphasis here is introduction, eligibility and opening the case at intake.

  4. DIntake ✓ Correct answer

    Intake covers introductions, checking fit with agency services and opening the file.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 5: Patient and family problems, p. 2; Suleiman et al., Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families (2014)

08A patient has excessive, hard-to-control worry about many things such as her work and her children's health, with muscle tension and insomnia, for eight months. What is the closest diagnosis?

Practice question Unit: Mental health and addiction

  1. APanic disorder

    Panic involves sudden attacks, not continuous generalised worry.

  2. BSocial phobia

    Her worry is not centred on social situations.

  3. CObsessive-compulsive disorder

    No obsessions or compulsions.

  4. DGeneralised anxiety disorder ✓ Correct answer

    Pervasive worry for six months or more with physical symptoms fits.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 6: Mental health and addiction, p. 2; American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5-TR (2022)

09At the end of a long interview the worker said: 'Today we agreed on three things: you'll contact your son, I'll check with the charity, and we'll meet on Thursday.' Which skill is this?

Practice question Unit: Social work skills

  1. AClarification

    Clarification seeks to clear up a vague statement.

  2. BSummarising ✓ Correct answer

    It pulls together key points and confirms agreements.

  3. CReflection

    He did not address feelings.

  4. DProbing

    He sought no further information.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 7: Social work skills, p. 2; Suleiman et al., Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families (2014)

10Whenever the couple argue, the mother tells her teenage son about the father's faults, and the son sides with her against him. Which Bowen concept describes this?

Practice question Unit: Marital and family therapy

  1. AEmotional cutoff

    Emotional cutoff involves distancing from relationships rather than recruiting a child into conflict.

  2. BTriangulation ✓ Correct answer

    Triangulation draws a third person into tension within a two-person relationship.

  3. CHigh differentiation

    High differentiation supports independent functioning rather than forming a parent–child coalition.

  4. DSibling position

    Sibling position concerns birth-order-related roles, not this three-person conflict pattern.

Reference: SCFHS Social Service Specialist Exam Content Guide (2024), Section 8: Marital and family therapy, p. 2; Rashwan & Al-Qarni, Contemporary Therapeutic Approaches for Work with Individuals and Families; Payne, Modern Social Work Theory

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