Enhancing Test-Taking Confidence and Anxiety Management for the Licensure Exam Among Black MSW Students: A Group Intervention Evaluation

Enhancing Test-Taking Confidence and Anxiety Management for the Licensure Exam Among Black MSW Students: A Group Intervention Evaluation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Enhancing Test-Taking Confidence and Anxiety Management for the Licensure Exam Among Black MSW Students: A Group Intervention Evaluation Kyaus Washington, Sandra R. Jeter, April C. Bowie-Viverette, Jessica Armstead This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9521208/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Recent data from The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) revealed racial disproportionality in first-time pass rates. These disparities are shaped by intersecting structural and educational inequities, including test anxiety, limited access to culturally responsive preparation, and systemic barriers. In this pilot study, a pretest-posttest design was used with a sample of Black MSW students to determine whether this mindfulness group-based intervention supported their readiness for the exam by decreasing anxiety and enhancing confidence and preparedness. Test-taking confidence, anxiety, and preparation were all measured using 5-item Likert scales. Paired-sample t-tests were conducted using SPSS to assess pre- and post-intervention changes. The study found that the intervention was successful at decreasing test-taking anxiety among the sample, and enhancing confidence and preparedness. The study findings emphasize the urgent need to diversify the clinical social work workforce and directly confront the structural and psychological barriers that disproportionately impact Black MSW students’ pathways to licensure, particularly in response to demographic changes in the U.S. and ongoing disparities in mental health care access among communities of color, especially Black individuals. Research, practice, and policy implications are shared to promote the importance of investing in culturally responsive exam preparation initiatives. cultural responsiveness licensure preparation test anxiety Black perspective mindfulness pilot intervention Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 27 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 27 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 24 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9521208","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":633708417,"identity":"61e164b6-2834-48db-942a-dd1c7a7d5557","order_by":0,"name":"Kyaus Washington","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABNUlEQVRIie3RsUrDQBjA8S8UkuWqjl+ImFfwCAQHJa+SI9AuQRGXDCIHhXSJunYQn8Gpc+TALsHZoUNqIVOHli6pdPCS6tRrZ8H8SS5wuV+OIwBNTX8wrMdo8wBf3gfVKC9i7yUZAgHQeEX0H3JM+R6ixbAh8Etk55CqiTkICnP1fHbpGfejPI/Gtm4EYp5/jYnGW5PPj21iYce12kO8IeSdcT8raEyKDrKHghigO064TU7QdxxtiCzBkHIWCy3G0AWWCLkL0S0l6S7p6kkSe1YTL8ar5bwikKqJJT+et3m1C6kJk7sA+uVuYiaz6yl5kyQL6cDPRCDP4iLjgtCe+iw46r68lrd3rN/PThdlJC4ejWC6KNfCs43eZKogcOQrJus/BS3VG9lhqpxe71je1NTU9B/7BkXBaoNKLNiCAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Princeton University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kyaus","middleName":"","lastName":"Washington","suffix":""},{"id":633708418,"identity":"de3e5d89-d952-428b-b4a1-7a3d28c0da70","order_by":1,"name":"Sandra R. 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