SHRM certification

SHRM-CP — SHRM Certified Professional

The global standard for HR professionals working at the operational level.

Who it's for: HR professionals implementing policy and handling day-to-day HR functions, or those pursuing a career in HR.

Eligibility

No degree required, no HR experience required, and no HR job title required. A basic working knowledge of HR practices is recommended but not mandatory.

Founding-member price$89

Planned standard price$139

Lifetime access, no subscription. Planned pricing — nothing is billed until early access opens.

Exam format

Questions

134 total: 80 scored knowledge-based + 54 scored situational-judgment, plus 24 unscored field-test items

Time allowed

3 hours 40 minutes (within a 4-hour appointment)

Delivery

Computer-based testing at Prometric test centers

Scoring

Scaled score range of 120–200; SHRM does not publicly disclose the exact passing cut score

Exam content outline

The knowledge domains this exam draws from, and how heavily each is weighted.

People knowledge		19%
Leadership cluster		19%
Organization knowledge		18%
Business cluster		17.5%
Interpersonal cluster		13.5%
Workplace knowledge		13%

Reflects the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge (SHRM BASK) — three behavioral competency clusters and three HR knowledge domains, evaluated at the operational proficiency level for SHRM-CP.

Sample questions

A preview of the style and difficulty you can expect from the SHRM-CP question bank.

A team member comes to you frustrated about a conflict with a coworker. Using the SHRM Relationship Management competency, what's the most appropriate first step?

Immediately escalate to the coworker's manager
Listen to understand both perspectives before recommending a resolution path ✓
Tell the employee to work it out privately with no HR involvement
Document it and take no further action

Relationship Management under the SHRM BASK emphasizes building trust and understanding all sides before acting.

Which best reflects the SHRM Business Acumen competency in practice?

Understanding HR policy only
Understanding how HR decisions affect the organization's financial and operational performance ✓
Focusing solely on compliance paperwork
Avoiding involvement in business strategy discussions

Business Acumen means understanding the organization's operations and finances well enough to connect HR decisions to business outcomes.

Recertification

3-year cycle; 60 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), or retake the exam in the final 12 months of the cycle.

Other credentials

Get in before SHRM-CP prep launches.

Founding members lock in $89 pricing before it moves to $139.

You're on the list — we'll email you when early access opens.