SHRM Certified Professional
Validate your HR expertise with the global standard certification for HR professionals functioning at the operational level.
What Can A SHRM-CP Do For Your Career?
The SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) credential is for individuals who perform general HR and HR-related duties at work; or for those pursuing a career in Human Resource Management. SHRM certification is the only HR certification offered by the world's largest HR membership organization.
Eligibility Criteria
A SHRM-CP is for individuals performing HR or HR-related duties or pursuing a career in Human Resources (basic working knowledge in HR is recommended).
Your current or most recent work in HR is operational in nature (i.e., implements policy, serves as HR day-to-day point person, etc.)
Your duties tend to be specialized versus general.
Please review the eligibility criteria for a complete list of requirements for earning a SHRM-CP credential.
Exam Composition
The SHRM-CP exam contains two types of multiple-choice questions: stand-alone knowledge-based items that assess your knowledge and understanding of factual information, and scenario-based situational judgment items that assess your judgment and decision-making skills.
Approximately half of the items on each exam are allocated across the three behavioral competency clusters, and the other half are allocated across the three HR knowledge domains. For more information, please review the SHRM BASK®.
- Topic Areas
- Question Types
There are also 24 field-test items that are used to gather data on a question's effectiveness and don't count as part of a candidate’s score. Field test items are randomly mixed with scored exam items.
There are also 24 field-test items that are used to gather data on a question's effectiveness and don't count as part of a candidate’s score. Field test items are randomly mixed with scored exam items.
Exam Format & Length
- Four hours in length (including 3 hours and 40 minutes of testing time).
- 134 questions (80 knowledge items and 54 situational-judgment items, of which 24 are field-test items).
- Computer-based testing experience.
You can take the SHRM-CP exam in person at an authorized testing center or from home through live remote proctoring.