Detailed guide: Prepare for the NAAS assessment

How candidates can prepare for the knowledge assessment and simulated practice assessment.

Guidance about what to expect on your NAAS assessment day is available.

Assessment components

The assessment is made up of a:

• knowledge assessment
• simulated practice assessment

There are different assessments for practitioners and practice supervisors.

Further information is available in the knowledge assessment and simulated practice assessment sections.

Knowledge assessment (1 hour)

There are separate knowledge assessments for child and family:

• practitioners
• practice supervisors

Duration

The knowledge assessment will last 1 hour.

Practitioner knowledge assessment

This part of the assessment has 2 sections, including:

• 18 short general knowledge questions based on the knowledge and skills statements (KSS) at practitioner level
• 12 applied knowledge questions based on a scenario and the KSS at practitioner level

Details about the social work post-qualifying standards: knowledge and skills statements (KSS) for practitioners and practice supervisors are available.

Example questions, including the KSS areas, are available.

Types of question

Questions are presented in 2 formats, listed below.

Single correct answers

For single answer questions, you must select 1 correct answer out of a choice of 4.

Multiple correct answers

For multiple correct answers, you must select 3 correct answer out of a choice of 8.

Practice supervisor knowledge assessment

This part of the assessment has 2 sections, including:

• 18 short general knowledge questions based on the KSS at practitioner level
• 12 applied knowledge questions based on a short passage and the KSS at practice supervisor level

Details about the social work post-qualifying standards: knowledge and skills statements (KSS) for practitioners and practice supervisors are available.

Example questions, including the KSS areas, are available.

Types of question

Questions are presented in 2 formats, listed below.

Single correct answers

For single answer questions, you must select 1 correct answer out of a choice of 4.

Multiple correct answers

For multiple correct answers, you must select 3 correct answer out of a choice of 8.

Marking

All questions in the knowledge assessment carry 1 mark. This also applies to multiple correct answer questions.

Multiple correct answer questions

You will not get any marks for partially correct answers.

For example, you must select all 3 correct answers to get 1 mark.

How you’ll be assessed

At the assessment centre, you’ll:

• get full instructions to help you
• use a computer to answer knowledge questions based on the KSS
• be allowed practice time on the computer
• be able to review answer before you submit them

Although the questions are not designed to confuse or mislead you, you should read the wording of the question carefully before you answer.

Guidance about what to expect on your NAAS assessment day is available.

Met standard

You do not need to answer every question correctly to achieve the met standard.

You can still meet the assessment standard if you only answer a sub-set of questions correctly. This sub-set was determined by social workers who’ve been involved in the standard setting process.

Simulated practice assessment (2 hours)

The simulated practice assessment includes:

• 2 separate simulated practice scenarios
• a reflective assessment on the simulated practice scenarios
• a written assessment based on one simulated practice scenario

All NAAS simulated practice assessments have been created by social workers.

Purpose

A simulated practice assessment gives social workers the chance to demonstrate their skills in a realistic, situational setting.

Duration

The simulated practice assessment takes about 2 hours in total.

This table below includes details on how long the simulated practice assessment will take.

You’ll be given short breaks during the simulated practice assessment, including a longer break, usually before you take the written assessment.

Scenarios for the simulated practice assessment (50 minutes)

You must complete 2 scenarios during the assessment. The scenarios are separate and not linked to each other.

A scenario is like a role play and may include a simulated meeting between you and a:

• family member
• young person
• professional

What it involves

You’ll get different reading materials for each of the 2 scenarios which will include:

• information on the situation
• the people involved
• the KSS you’ll be assessed against

You’ll get 10 minutes to prepare for each scenario.

Actors will be used for scenarios and a practice assessor will observe. Both scenarios will be video recorded.

Marking

You’ll be scored by an assessor using a 5 point scale.

There are no marks for the preparation part of the assessment.

KSS areas

The KSS you’ll be assessed against will be marked on your reading materials.

Reflective assessment (30 minutes)

You’ll be asked to reflect verbally on the 2 scenarios you took part in with an assessor.

What it involves

You’ll be given the reflective questions and prompts 15 minutes before to help you prepare.

You will then have 15 minutes reflective discussion with an assessor who may direct you to the questions.

The assessor will not enter into a dialogue with you because this activity is designed to assess your reflective capabilities. The assessor may indicate how much time you have left.

Marking

You’ll be scored by an assessor using a 5 point scale.

There are no marks for the preparation part of the assessment.

Written assessment (30 minutes)

You’ll be asked to complete a written assessment based on one of your simulated practice scenarios.A computer will be provided for you.

What it involves

You’ll be assessed on the quality of your written work – not the format you use or how much you write – so you should choose a style that you think fits the task and the time allowed.

You should read the guidance carefully before you begin the written assessment.

The questions you’ll be asked will vary, but may include:

• an overview of the scenario
• an analysis of the scenario
• any recommendations or actions you want to make

Marking

You’ll be scored by an assessor using a 5 point scale.

The written assessment will be scored separately from the simulated and reflective assessment.

This means that what you did or said will not contribute to the score you’ll get in the written assessment.

Published 19 June 2019 Contents