PASS THE SHRM-CP and the SHRM-SCP Certification Exams (Tips From REAL Candidates That PASSED!)

Hey guys! I often get questions about tips on passing the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP Certification Exams. What I have done with this post is to serve you with helpful nuggets from several candidates who have passed the exam. Here you go!

'I passed the CP! The SHRM Learning System and the Instructor Led 3- Day class were resources that I used."

"I will advise that you focus on and learn the proficiencies for the 8 competencies because they are crucial for the situational judgment questions. Once you understand those proficiencies, it really helps with answering the questions."

"I used Flash cards from the LMS ( I memorized all of the flash cards to where I knew them like the back of my hand. It helped me because then I knew all of the terms and was able to break apart some of the knowledge questions)"

"I used the LMS, Quizlet, and YouTube videos"

"I studied from the SHRM books and LMS only.  I also joined a study group for about two months which helped having discussions. That’s it. On the day of the exam I made sure I had a good breakfast. I took the test from home so I prepped my station the night before"


"The exam itself is draining. Once you get to the situational questions your mind is just tired from reading but it’s all worth it! Make sure you read the question carefully and understand what they’re asking."


"Make sure you stick to one study material and don’t go crazy buying all these different books and classes that you do not need. If you’re confident studying from one source, stick to that (in my case it was the actual SHRM books/LMS)."

"My test day approach was not to get hung up and waste time on any answer - so I used the strikeout feature if I knew an option wasn’t best, then flagged the question and moved on."

"My takeaway is that I was looking for the RIGHT answer, but I had to choose the BEST SHRM answer even if it seemed flawed or incomplete to me."

I used the study guide SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification All in one, and went through thousands of Practice Questions - including from Youtube - I use a channel name Human Resource Prep, questions from Exam Edge and Quizlet. Finally, Practice!!!

"For the past 6 weeks I have dedicated 3-4 hours everyday to studying! I participated in several study groups! I read every page of the Learning System Books, finished the LMS program and I have taken every practice test I could get my hands on!"

"My method of study was reviewing each behavioral competency & HR Functional area in the SHRM LMS book, reviewing Quizlet flashcards, and THEN taking the practice quizzes in the SHRM LMS. I put down my scores to see my progress."

"If you feel like you are failing, don’t be discouraged! Taking practice test and quizzes on the SHRM learning system will definitely help you!"

"I started preparing in January - re-read all the books, re-passed all practice tests. I printed out flashcards and studied them all. Went through several available Quizlet cards. Prepare for lots of questions like "what will be your FIRST action?". For me, it was all self study!"

 "I think you should be prepared for a lot of leadership, workplace and globalization questions. Kotter's model, Feidler's Theory and simple math questions."

"I started studying 6 months ago. I studied 1-2 hours each day until the past two weeks when I started studying 3-6 hours each day."


"I started using Quizlet very early on. I just searched for SHRM SCP sets and saved them in a folder. I just kept going through the different sets people had created to quiz myself.'

"Over the past two weeks I went through every module of the SHRM LMS and took every quiz over and over. I think this prepared me for the test. I created a spreadsheet to track my scores and took every one of the section quizzes over until I scored at least a 70%."


"The LMS quizzes were a great simulation for the actual test."

" I did not change any answers and always stuck with my first instinct (I learned that from taking the practice quizzes and tests). I took the full time allowed with just one break between sections to run to the bathroom. I know everyone’s test is different but I didn’t have any math or union questions."

"I focused on these test topics: communication styles for different situations, Diversity&Inclusion, Lily Ledbetter Act, big data, HR functions (no union stuff, no other court cases) and Global questions"

"I did a lot of practice exam questions. It can be very exhausting but it helped me a lot. I found myself understanding the material very well and reading helped me a lot but taking practice exams really made the difference for me."

"I realize studying is like 40%, in a successful strategy, the other 60% is practice tests" .

There you have it! For sure, this is a key to success in these exams - Practice As Many Questions As You Can!

All the very best!