SHRM Practice Questions

SHRM Exam Questions Guide Practice Questions

SHRM-CP & SHRM-SCP Exam Structure, Question Types & Passing Score — So how many questions are on the SHRM-CP exam? You're looking at 134 total - but here's the thing, only 110 of those actually count toward your score. The other 24 are unscored pretest items that SHRM mixes in for research purposes, and you won't know which are which. The exam gives you 4 hours to work through a mix of knowledge-based items and situational judgment questions that cover everything from employment law to leadership competencies. Whether you're prepping for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP, understanding the exam structure helps you walk in with a real game plan instead of just hoping for the best.

134

Total Questions

4 hours (3 hrs 40 min testing + 20 min intro/survey)

Time Limit

200 (on 120-200 scaled score)

Passing Score

$300-$475 (member vs non-member)

Registration Fee

Free Sample Questions

Here are 5 free sample questions from our full bank of 300+ SHRM Exam Questions Guide practice questions. Try them out below — click "Show Answer" to reveal the correct response and explanation.

A newly promoted HR manager discovers that their team is resistant to a recently announced organizational restructuring. Several team members have expressed frustration openly, and productivity has dropped noticeably. Which of the following actions BEST demonstrates the Leadership & Navigation competency?

AA) Immediately escalate the concerns to senior leadership and request they address the team directly

BB) Acknowledge the team's concerns, facilitate an open discussion about the changes, and collaborate on an adaptation plan

CC) Ignore the resistance and enforce the new structure through strict performance management

DD) Delay the restructuring timeline until the team is no longer frustrated

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which of the following employees would MOST LIKELY be classified as non-exempt?

AA) A salaried marketing director earning $95,000 annually who manages a team of six

BB) An hourly administrative assistant earning $18 per hour who performs routine clerical duties

CC) A salaried software engineer earning $120,000 annually who independently designs system architecture

DD) A salaried HR manager earning $85,000 annually who has hiring and firing authority

An employee approaches HR to report that their supervisor has been making inappropriate comments about their religious practices during team meetings. The employee hasn't filed a formal complaint but is visibly upset. What is the BEST initial course of action for the HR professional?

AA) Tell the employee to document future incidents and come back if it continues

BB) Immediately terminate the supervisor to prevent further incidents

CC) Listen to the employee's concerns, explain the investigation process, and initiate a prompt inquiry regardless of whether a formal complaint is filed

DD) Arrange a mediation session between the employee and the supervisor to resolve the matter informally

A mid-size company is experiencing rapid growth and needs to restructure its HR department. Currently, all HR functions report to a single HR generalist. Which organizational structure would BEST support the company's scaling needs?

AA) Maintain the current structure but hire an additional HR generalist

BB) Implement a shared services model with centers of expertise for recruitment, compensation, and employee relations

CC) Outsource all HR functions to a professional employer organization (PEO)

DD) Assign HR responsibilities to each department's managers and eliminate the centralized HR role

An HR director discovers that the CEO has instructed the payroll department to classify certain full-time employees as independent contractors to reduce benefit costs. The HR director knows this misclassification violates federal employment law. What should the HR director do FIRST?

AA) Comply with the CEO's directive since it comes from the highest authority in the organization

BB) Privately discuss the legal and ethical implications with the CEO, presenting the risks of worker misclassification

CC) Immediately report the issue to the Department of Labor without informing the CEO

DD) Resign from the position to avoid personal liability

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About the SHRM Exam Questions Guide

Format & Structure

Total Questions: 134
Time Limit: 4 hours (3 hrs 40 min testing + 20 min intro/survey)
Format: Knowledge items & Situational Judgment items

Scoring & Cost

Passing Score: 200 (on 120-200 scaled score)
Registration Fee: $300-$475 (member vs non-member)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the SHRM-CP exam?

The SHRM-CP exam contains 134 total questions. Of those, 110 are scored items that count toward your final result, and 24 are unscored pretest items that SHRM uses for research and future exam development. You won't know which questions are scored and which aren't, so treat every single one like it matters.

How many questions do you need to get right to pass the SHRM-CP?

SHRM doesn't publish a specific number of correct answers needed to pass. The exam uses a scaled scoring model ranging from 120 to 200, with 200 being the passing score. Because different exam forms vary slightly in difficulty, the scaling adjusts so that passing always represents the same level of competency - regardless of which version you get.

Are SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams the same length?

Yes, both the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams have the same structure - 134 questions with a 4-hour time limit. The difference isn't in format or length but in content depth. The SHRM-SCP focuses more heavily on strategic and policy-level HR concepts, while the SHRM-CP emphasizes operational and tactical HR knowledge.

What types of questions are on the SHRM exam?

The SHRM exam features two main question types: knowledge items and situational judgment items (SJIs). Knowledge items are straightforward questions that assess your understanding of HR concepts and facts. SJIs present workplace scenarios and ask you to choose the best course of action - these tend to be trickier because multiple answers can seem reasonable, but only one represents the best HR practice.

How is the SHRM exam scored?

The SHRM exam uses a scaled scoring system from 120 to 200. A score of 200 is needed to pass. Only 110 of the 134 questions are actually scored - the remaining 24 are unscored pretest items mixed throughout. Your raw score gets converted to the scaled score through a statistical process called equating, which accounts for slight variations in difficulty across different exam forms.

Are there unscored questions on the SHRM exam?

Yes, 24 of the 134 questions on the SHRM exam are unscored pretest items. SHRM includes these to evaluate potential questions for future exams. The catch? They're indistinguishable from scored questions - they look and feel exactly the same. So you can't afford to skip or rush through any question, because you simply don't know which ones count.

What's the passing score for the SHRM-CP exam?

The passing score for the SHRM-CP exam is 200 on a scaled score range of 120 to 200. This might sound like you need a perfect score, but that's not the case - 200 is the minimum competency threshold on SHRM's scale, not a percentage. The scaled score accounts for question difficulty, so it's not a simple ratio of correct answers to total questions.

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