90/110. Three months. A lot of studying, very little socializing, and more than a few moments of questioning whether I had completely lost my mind. 😂
This blog is partly dedicated to my fellow social workers who are studying for licensure, and partly a little celebration for me.
Because after the last three months I’ve had…
I think I’ve earned this one.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, and there is a very good reason for that: I was studying for my ASWB Clinical Exam.
For three months.
Three very long months.
During that time, my social life basically disappeared. From what I can remember, I socialized maybe six days out of those entire three months. I even had to cut back on Pilates and my workout classes—which, if you know me, means I was really committed to this exam because those are some of the things that keep me sane.
I sacrificed a lot of the things that normally help me feel like myself.
And, truthfully, I broke a little.
I was drained and overstimulated at the same time. I had so much information in my head that sometimes I felt like there was no room left for anything else.
So I quieted the extra noise.
For my own sake.
And then my body decided to get involved.
I developed severe neck pain that traveled down into my upper arm, and the pain became excruciating. Apparently, spending hours upon hours hunched over studying and cramming information into my brain wasn’t exactly what my body had in mind for me.
Who knew?
By the time exam day came around, I had logged 43 hours and 58 minutes of studying, completed 188 quizzes, and answered 93 Questions of the Day thanks to Pocket Prep.
And that doesn’t even include all the studying I did outside of those numbers.
Since it had been a while since I was last in school, I started with Agents of Change so I could refresh everything I had learned.
And when I say everything, I mean…
Imagine trying to cram essentially two years of master’s-level social work education into three months.
That was my life.
There were difficult practice exams.
There was second-guessing.
There were days when I wondered if I was actually ready.
There were plenty of moments when I thought, “What if I don’t know enough?”
But I kept going.
Even while life outside of studying continued happening.
There were some really difficult and upsetting days during those three months. Some things I don’t even want to talk about here because revisiting them—and even putting them into words again—can take me right back to a place I’m working hard to move forward from.
So I studied.
I worked.
I showed up.
I cried when I needed to.
I rested when I could.
And then I went into that exam.
And…
I PASSED.
90/110 on my ASWB Clinical Exam.
NINETY.
OUT OF.
ONE HUNDRED AND TEN.
I don’t think I’ve fully processed it yet.
Looking back, maybe I could have been gentler with myself. Maybe giving myself six months instead of three would have made the process a little less intense.
But if you know me, you already know…
I’m a woman with a plan.
And once I make a plan, I tend to stick to it.
Was three months aggressive?
Absolutely.
Would I recommend everyone give themselves only three months?
Absolutely not 😂
But it was the timeline I gave myself, and I worked with it.
And now I get to say something I’ve been waiting a very long time to say:
“I passed my ASWB Clinical Exam!”
That feels really good.
Really, really good.
And I celebrated by coming home to my father’s home in Nicaragua.
I’ve been here since. ❤️
There’s something incredibly special about being here.
My father has always been my angel, and I truly believe he gave me the strength to keep pushing through this season. During those difficult days, I could almost hear him in my mind telling me to keep going.
And just to clarify before anyone starts making clinical observations…
I mean that in the very non-schizophrenic way 😂
Sometimes we carry the voices of the people we love in our memories—their encouragement, their words, their strength—and for me, his has always been one of those voices.
So here I am.
Licensed.
Exhausted.
Very happy.
And currently enjoying Nicaragua before I get back to real life.
To my fellow social workers who are studying for the ASWB:
If you’re in the middle of it right now, I know how consuming it can feel. There were moments when I questioned myself too. Keep going, but also remember that you are still a person while you’re preparing to become a licensed professional.
Take care of your body.
Take breaks.
Eat.
Sleep.
Go outside.
See your people when you can.
And if you need to scale some things back temporarily, that’s okay too.
Your life does not have to completely disappear because you’re studying for an exam.
Mine kind of did…
But we don’t have to talk about that 😂
For now, I’m going to enjoy this vacation, soak up some time with my family, and let myself celebrate this accomplishment.
The blogs will be back very soon.
But right now?
I’m going to enjoy being able to say:
I DID IT.
90/110.
And honestly…
I’m pretty damn proud of myself.
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