The SHRM-CP certification is an entry level certification. You are not required to hold an HR title and do not need a degree or previous HR experience to apply. In order to take the exam, you should have:
– A basic working knowledge of HR practices and principles OR
– A degree from an academically aligned program
The SHRM-CP exam covers a broad knowledge base that includes HR, business, compliance, and employment law. This is discussed in the Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge (BaSK). Access the BaSK here. To learn more specifics on what is covered in the SHRM-CP exam, you can view our free Insider Secrets webinar series.
We offer a SHRM webinar that discusses many of the exam foundations in more detail. Click the link to sign up below.
Workology offers a free certification prep webinar that discusses many of the exam foundations in more detail. Click the link to sign up below.
Each exam requires that HR professionals apply for the exam and pay a fee. The application will ask about your work history, including experience working in HR and your educational background.
For SHRM, the testing windows are Spring and Fall.
2023-2024 Winter Testing Window: Dec. 1, 2023 – Feb. 15, 2024
Applications are accepted beginning May 13, 2023. The early bird application deadline is October 16, 2023 and the standard application deadline is November 6, 2023.
2024 Spring Testing Window: May 1 – July 15, 2024
Applications are accepted beginning January 6, 2042. The early bird application deadline is March 20, 2024 and the standard application deadline is April 10, 2024.
Exam Fees
Early Bird Exam Fee
Exam Fee (SHRM-CP & SHRM-SCP)
Student Exam Fee
Transfer Fee
Retest Fee
Rescore Fee
SHRM Member Price
$335 USD
$410 USD
$149 USD
$100 USD
Full exam fee
$50 USD
Non member Price
$445 USD
$510 USD
$209 USD
$100 USD
Full exam fee
$50 USD
First, assess your strengths and weaknesses by taking a self-assessment. This will help you understand what areas should be your primary focus for study. We recommend at least 12 weeks of studying 3-7 hours a week. In our signature HR review program, we offer a 12-week study schedule along with a self-assessment designed to help you organize and focus your study efforts on the areas where you need to shore up your knowledge.
With the SHRM-CP, you can first assess your strengths and weaknesses by taking a self-assessment. This will help you understand what areas should be your primary focus. We recommend at least 12 weeks of studying 3-7 hours a week. In our signature HR review program, we offer a 12-week study schedule along with a comprehensive self-assessment designed to help you organize and focus your study efforts o the areas where you might be weakest.
Having a plan (as opposed to a single deadline) can help keep you on schedule, especially when your time to study is limited to nights, weekends or your lunch hour. Programs like Workology’s study prep break your studying down into manageable bites with multiple deadlines, setting up a series of accomplishment milestones as opposed to a singular finish date. This helps to ensure you have absorbed each section of exam prep as an item you can check off of a list, and holds you accountable for the deadline for each section.
Your job, especially if you’re already working in human resources at any level, tends to consume a large percentage of your time. If you’re looking into SHRM Certification, it means you’re also looking for ways to be more efficient with your time and better at your job. Like any type of training, in order to accomplish the goal, sometimes you have to prioritize tasks differently so you have time to study. Setting aside blocks of time and treating them as appointments you must keep can help move you forward in the learning process.
Consistency is key to retaining the information you learn. Following a regular study schedule and having a roadmap to follow, can help you retain the information you studied in the first week as well as you do that last. A learning roadmap, which is part of Workology’s certification prep programs, gives you a solid foundation and each block of new information builds on what you previously learned, with real-world examples and solutions to situational questions. We offer this in every part of our SHRM certification prep programs.
Having a method of communicating with like-minded people who are at a similar stage in their human resources career and can commiserate or share information about their study process can help keep you motivated. You’re not out there on your own and you’re not the only person who is struggling to keep up with a study workload along with a full-time job and family. An online community of people who are also studying for their SHRM Certification can be the support you need to keep up with your study schedule and a cheering section when it comes time to take your exam.
There are seven types of learning styles, and you may fall under more than one. It’s important to know how you learn best in order to absorb information in the most efficient way. For example, visual learners have had great results with flashcards and aural learners study more effectively by listening to audio courses.
Visual Learning Using Pictures and Spacial Understanding
Aural Learning Means You Prefer Sound and Music
Physical Learners Prefer Using Their Body and Hands to Touch
Social Learners Prefer to Learn in Groups or with People
Verbal Learners Learn with Words Using Writing & Speech
Solitary Learners Prefer to Work Alone or Use Self-Study
Logical Leaners Rely on Logic, Reasons and Systems
HR Knowledge Questions
DOWNLOAD 25 QUESTION HR PRACTICE TEST
Access 25 FREE Sample Test Questions for your SHRM-CP exam
Easy access on learning portal or mobile app
Interactive training that improves memory
Affordable course options that work
SHRM-SCP
SHRM-CP
Click on each course to be directed to a new page with more about Workology’s HR Certification prep program(s).
Because this is an instant download, you can get started right away!
Here’s how to get started…
– Click the “Get Access” buttons to purchase
– Enter your details
– Access your HR Certification course(s) immediately.
You can start preparing for your HR Certification and increasing your HR knowledge and earning potential today! Click the buy button below RIGHT NOW to get started.
Let’s grow together.
PS – I’ve put together some of the most frequently asked questions about our program below.
Once your application is complete, you will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter via email. This letter will include your Eligibility ID that you will need when you contact Prometric to schedule your exam appointment. Go to prometric.com/shrm to schedule your exam.
The SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams are offered during two windows each year. Applications must be received by the standard deadline for each window. You can see the dates for scheduling your exam here.
Exam appointments may be changed as long as you are keeping your appointment within the same exam window and do so five or more business days before your scheduled exam appointment.
The passing scores for the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams are reported as scaled scores. The range of possible scores is 120 to 200. All candidates who pass one of the exams receive a maximum score of 200.
The pass rate for the SHRM-CP is 68%
For both SHRM exams, you will need to complete 60 recertification credits in a 3-year period or retake the exam. Once certified, your recertification cycle begins the day you pass the exam and ends three years later, on the last day of your birth month. The recertification processing fee is $100 USD for SHRM members and $150 USD for nonmembers.
You do have a 60-day grace period after the last day of your birth month, but the fees to recertify increase to $150 USD for SHRM members and $200 USD for nonmembers.
FEE | MEMBER PRICE | NONMEMBER PRICE |
Early-Bird Exam Fee | $335 | $435 |
Standard Exam Fee | $410 | $510 |
Student Exam Fee | $149 | $209 |
Corporate Exam Fee | $270 | $270 |
Military Exam Fee | $270 | $270 |
Transfer Exam Fee | $100 Subject to an additional $53 exam cancellation fee when applicable. | $100 Subject to an additional $53 exam cancellation fee when applicable. |
Reset fee | $66 | $66 |
Retest Exam Fee | Full exam fee | Full exam fee |
Rescore Exam Fee | $50 | $50 |
Obtaining your HR certification will help you in increasing your income in your current role and in obtaining promotions in as little as 6 months. HR certification with SHRM or HRCI offers benefits for HR leaders. According to a study from PayScale.com, those who earn HR certification make $10,000 or more per year every year and get promoted 14% faster than their non-certified HR peers.
Jessica Miller-Merrell is the founder of Workology, an online resource and community for HR professionals. Through Workology, she shares insights, best practices, and resources to help HR practitioners stay up-to-date with the latest trends and strategies in the industry. Jessica’s latest book is Digitizing Talent: Creative Strategies for the Digital Recruiting Age published by SHRM in 2023.
Jessica earned a SPHR designation in 2008, SHRM-SCP in 2015, and a Master Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) certification in 2021. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Business from Kansas State University and a Masters in Business Administration from Webster University.
Jessica has over two decades of experience in HR leadership and education, and has worked with organizations to develop effective employer branding campaigns, improve candidate experiences, and leverage technology for talent acquisition. She created Ace the HR Exam to offer easy and affordable study methods for HR professionals who want to pass their HR Certification with SHRM and HRCI.
Check out our Ace HR Audio Courses for Global Or International Certification here!
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