DCAS 2023 Caseworker Exam Practice Tests

What Is the Caseworker Exam?

To become a caseworker, you must take a civil service exam. As a caseworker, you are responsible for providing social work services to various individuals, including children, families, and/or caregivers. As a caseworker, you also need to assess risk and safety factors impacting individuals, children, and families, as well as to formulate and carry out plans to meet the individual and/or family problems of the cases assigned.

What Do Those Who Score High Receive?

The results of the civil service caseworker test determine which applicants proceed to the next phase. In some cases, a high test score produces written notice of the date, time, and place for an interview. In others, high test scores result in immediate placement into a position. In all instances, it is essential to do well on the caseworker written exam if you are seriously seeking employment as a civil service caseworker.

What Are the Challenges to Passing?

The caseworker exam consists of multiple sections, each assessing different skills required for the job. Each state provides a different exam. Becoming familiar with the various sections found on the exam can help you prepare for it.

Caseworker Exam Sections

There is a variety of caseworker exams that your state may choose from. While the sections of the test may differ, the types of questions, format, and subject matter remain fairly consistent from state to state. Below are detailed explanations of sections that can be found on a caseworker exam.

  • Establishing and Maintaining Effective Helping Relationships in a Social Casework Setting – These questions test for an understanding of the factors contributing to the development and maintenance of positive and productive client-worker relationships. You are provided with descriptions of specific client-worker interactions and asked to select the appropriate responses.
  • Interviewing – These questions test your knowledge, abilities, and skills in the realm of caseworker interviewing. Presented are on-the-job interviewing scenarios. Your task is to select the best alternative that addresses the issues in each situation. Some questions require a response selection based on specific interviewing techniques.
  • Preparing Written Material – These questions test your ability to present information clearly and accurately. They also assess your ability to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly.

Other sections that may be found on a caseworker exam are Casework Principles, Effective Expression, and Individual and Group Behavior.

 

Caseworker Sample Questions

Written Expression Sample Questions

1. Choose the one restatement which best expresses the meaning of the original sentence.

While rituals are common specifically among athletes, they can also help other people reduce anxiety and boost performance.

A. Rituals, which are widespread among athletes, have been found to raise productivity and lower anxiety in other people as well.
B. Common rituals among athletes are also performed by specific people in order to reduce stress and boost performance.
C. Athletes, unlike other people, specifically use rituals to boost performance and reduce anxiety.
D. Rituals, which are commonly used in sports, can specifically help people cope with reduced anxiety and productivity.
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is A.
Answer B states that these rituals are already being performed by specific people, instead of being able to help them.
Answer C says only athletes use rituals.
Answer D changes the use of the word "specifically" to refer to rituals.

 

2. Select the sentence that best expresses the ideas contained in the sentences above it.

  • David was a high school teacher
  • David was 35 years old.
  • David had been working at University High School for seven years.
A. David was a 35-year-old teacher who had been working at University High School for seven years.
B. A 35-year-old high school teacher at University High School, David had been working for seven years.
C. For seven years, David was a 35-year-old at University High School as a teacher.
D. Working at University High School for seven years, David was a 35-year-old teacher.
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

Answer A is correct because it best expresses the ideas in the sentences above.

Answer B is incorrect because it says that David had been working, but doesn't specify that he worked at University High School for seven years.

Answer C is incorrect because it says that David was 35 years old for seven years.

Answer D is incorrect because it is vague; is David now 35 after working for seven years?

 

 Written Comprehension Sample Questions

Read the paragraph and answer the following question.

GENERATION WITHOUT FRONTIERS

The current generation of young Europeans is the first to have grown up in a largely borderless and peaceful Europe, with all that implies in terms of mobility, multilingualism, and new cultural and economic opportunities. Whereas their parents and grandparents defined themselves along national lines, many young people today have added a European dimension to that description.

The EU’s Youth in Action program aims to inspire a sense of active European citizenship, solidarity and tolerance, as there is still a certain measure of political disengagement among young Europeans. The program promotes non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue among European youth, as well as the inclusion of all young people, particularly those from less-privileged backgrounds. Its main goal is to bring young Europeans closer to the EU decision-shaping process by backing activities that encourage a sense of active European citizenship amongst them. Another important goal is promoting mutual understanding, by giving young people from different countries the opportunity to meet and learn from one another through intercultural youth exchanges. In addition, The Youth in Action program encourages young people’s mobility within and beyond the EU borders, thus giving them the opportunity to expand their horizons and gain valuable life and work experiences.

Which ONE of the following does the passage suggest about the older generation?

A. They lived in turbulent times
B. They were intolerant towards others
C. They were politically disengaged
D. They were multilingual
E. They received only a formal education
F. They never left their country
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is A.

The question deals with the older generation. It is based on the introductory section in the passage. Notice that the question is phrased: ’what does the passage suggest…?’ In other words, we can use the information in the passage to make inferences regarding the older generation. Now that we understand the question and have identified the corresponding section in the passage, let us eliminate distractors:

  • A.‘The current generation of young Europeans is the first to have grown up in a largely borderless and peaceful Europe’- we can infer that if the younger generation are the first to have lived in a peaceful Europe, then the older generation lived in times of turbulence and war. 
  • B.Cannot be inferred from the passage. The Youth in Action program might promote tolerance but this does not imply that the older generation was intolerant.
  • C.Cannot be inferred from the passage. The Youth in Action program might promote political engagement but that has nothing to do with the older generation. 
  • D.The text implies that today's generations live in a multilingual environment, so the opposite can be inferred from the text. 
  • E.Cannot be inferred from the passage. The Youth in Action program might promote informal learning among youth, but says nothing about the older generation. 
  • F.Cannot be inferred from the passage. The Youth in Action program might promote mobility within and beyond EU borders but it doesn't imply that the older generation didn't leave their countries.


The only statement that is suggested by the passage regarding the older generation is: statement A.

 

NYC DCAS 2023 Caseworker Exam No. 1804 Sections

The multiple-choice test for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services in New York City contains 6 test topics:

  • Written Comprehension: The ability to fully understand written material. This is necessary for a caseworker, as it is a very big part of the work - reading records, notes, and general information about patients/clients. 
  • Written Expression: The ability to express yourself in writing in the clearest and most understandable way. Again, this is part of the day-to-day work of a caseworker.
  • Problem Sensitivity: This part of the test is designed to assess your ability to recognize problems. When working as a caseworker you will need the ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
  • Deductive Reasoning: This is the ability to understand the general rules and apply them to specific problems.
  • Inductive Reasoning: The opposite of deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning is the ability to gather pieces of information and create a general rule that explains them.
  • Information Ordering: This section will show you a number of sentences ordered in the wrong way. Your task is to sort them out in the right order. This ability to arrange information can be very important for caseworkers, especially in administrative tasks.

Caseworker Hiring Process

The basic requirements are first looked at, such as being a U.S. citizen, having a college degree, and a valid driver's license along with the use of a private car. You may also be required to take a medical exam. If you meet your state/agency requirements, you can submit an application. Once your application has been approved, you will be able required to take a written exam. Only after you pass all the exams will you be considered for a position.

The Benefits of Being Ready

By practicing with sample tests, reviewing study guides, and absorbing helpful exam tips, you can achieve a better testing attitude, which will inevitably lead to a more successful exam experience. With the correct preparation, you have the opportunity to increase your testing speed, gain a better understanding of the underlying focus of test questions, and become familiar with the types of questions you will encounter on the caseworker exam.

While JobTestPrep does not currently have a Civil Service Case Worker PrepPack™, our all-inclusive civil service exam PrepPack™ provides thorough preparation for any general aptitude questions that may appear on the test.

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