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Social Workers Licensure Examination
The SWLE is the Philippines' national licensure examination for the social work profession, created under Republic Act No. 4373 (1965) and administered by the Professional Regulation Commission through the Professional Regulatory Board of Social Work; it is a three-day pencil-and-paper examination of five subjects (100 items each) taken by social work graduates who have completed 1,000 supervised case hours.
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Questions500 items: five subjects of 100 items each; within each subject the item mix is 30% easy, 40% moderate, and 30% difficult across Bloom's taxonomy levels
Testing timeFive subjects in 4-hour sessions (8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-5:00 p.m.) across three consecutive days; day one opens with a 45-minute general-instructions and form-filling period at 7:00 a.m.
ScoringPass requires a general rating of at least 70% in the written test with no rating below 50% in any subject
Exam feePHP 900 examination fee (paid in full; the PRC list of requirements states "Payment: 900 - complete", matching the standard baccalaureate licensure-examination application fee in PRC's 2026 Citizen's Charter)
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- PRC
- Category
- Social Work
- Current version
- Enhanced Tables of Specifications adopted by Board Resolution No. 04, s. 2022 (September 13, 2022), applicable starting with the September 2022 examination
- Where it applies
- PH — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- Percentage ratings by subject and a general average rating (passing general rating 70%, minimum 50% per subject)
- Testing provider
- Administered directly by the Professional Regulation Commission at its testing centers nationwide (no commercial testing vendor)
- Format
- Pencil-and-paper written test taken in person at assigned schools/testing centers (examinees bring No. 2 pencils and black-ink ballpens; all calculators and electronic gadgets are prohibited)
- Availability
- Fixed national administration dates: September 9-11, 2026 at 18 testing centers nationwide, with online application open June 11 through August 12, 2026; overseas Filipino workers may sit the same exam through SPLE editions abroad (May 29-31, 2026 in Hong Kong)
- Results
- Target release of results: September 16, 2026, per PRC's official 2026 schedule of examinations
- Remote testing
- Not available
Exam structure
Five subjects, each weighted 20% (100 items each): Human Behavior and Social Environment; Social Welfare Policies, Programs, and Services; Social Work Practice I with Field Instruction I; Social Work Methods II (Working with Groups); and Social Work Practice III with Field Instruction III (Communities)
Where rules vary
One uniform national licensure examination required to practice social work in the Philippines under R.A. No. 4373, administered on the same dates at PRC testing centers nationwide (18 centers listed for September 2026); the same examination is also administered abroad to overseas Filipino workers through Special Professional Licensure Examinations (SPLE), e.g., Hong Kong in May 2026.
Eligibility
Filipino citizen, at least 21 years of age, in good health and of good moral character, holder of a bachelor's or master's degree (or equivalent) in social work from a duly accredited institution, with a minimum of 1,000 case hours of supervised practical training in an established social work agency
Retake policy
Repeaters may reapply for the same examination; both first-timers and repeaters must submit an NBI clearance and the certificate of 1,000 supervised case hours, and pay the examination fee again