SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
$300-$475
Provider
SHRM
Validity
3 years
Available
USA/Global
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
1-3 years of hands-on experience recommended
Specific Requirements
- For the SHRM-CP: none. SHRM states that candidates are not required to hold an HR title and do not need a degree or previous HR experience to apply, though it recommends a basic working knowledge of HR practices or a degree from an Academically Aligned programme.
- For the SHRM-SCP: a work history of at least three years performing strategic-level HR or HR-related duties, or three years holding the SHRM-CP while working in or moving into a strategic role. No degree and no HR job title are required.
- For the SHRM-SCP, proof that you devoted at least 1,000 hours per calendar year to strategic HR work. Exceeding 1,000 hours in a year does not count as more than one year, part-time work qualifies if it meets the threshold, and salaried, hourly and contracted consulting hours all count.
- An application submitted within the correct period for your chosen testing window, paid in full. SHRM's 2026 fees ran 350 dollars member and 450 non-member at early bird, 399 and 499 at standard.
- Willingness to survive an audit. SHRM randomly reviews a percentage of applications each window, gives selected candidates 10 business days to supply documentation of experience and any degree, and will not contact your employer on your behalf. Non-compliance forfeits all fees.
- An unexpired, original government-issued photo ID with a signature, in a name matching your Authorization to Test letter.
- For students applying at student pricing, current enrolment in an HR degree programme. Students seeking the SHRM-SCP must still meet the SCP experience criteria.
Number of Questions
134 multiple-choice questions: 80 stand-alone knowledge items and 54 situational judgment items, including 24 unscored field-test items mixed in at random, which leaves 110 scored items.
Duration
3 hours 40 minutes of testing time, split into two independently timed sections of up to 1 hour 50 minutes each, inside a four-hour appointment. The appointment also contains a 2-minute confidentiality reminder, an introduction and tutorial, and a closing survey. Unused minutes in Section 1 are not added to Section 2, and once you move on you cannot go back.
Question Format
HR-specific knowledge items, 50 percent of the exam, covering key concepts in the 14 HR functional areas, Situational judgment items, 40 percent of the exam, presenting a realistic work scenario and asking for the single best course of action as determined by a panel of experienced HR professionals, Foundational knowledge items, 10 percent of the exam, covering key concepts underlying the behavioral competencies, Field-test items, 24 of the 134, unscored and indistinguishable from scored items
Passing Requirement
200. Every candidate who passes receives the maximum score of 200, so the scale reports a pass or did not pass rather than a degree of success. A failing candidate receives a scaled score somewhere below 200 plus a diagnostic breakdown.
How It Is Delivered
In person at an authorised Prometric test centre, on a PC, with trained proctors. SHRM states that the exam must be taken in person and offers no remote-proctored option, which is a difference from HRCI, whose PHR can be taken at a Pearson VUE centre or at home through OnVUE. Candidates are wanded or pass through a metal detector at check-in.
Languages Offered
English, Arabic, available only at a Prometric test centre and only to residents of a specified list of countries including Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the UAE, Korean, available only at a Prometric test centre. SHRM has translated the BASK into Arabic and Korean to support these candidates, and residents assigned a translated form may request the English version in writing instead.
Visit the official SHRM certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
120 to 200 scaled score, the same for both the SHRM-CP and the SHRM-SCP.
Score You Need
200. Every candidate who passes receives the maximum score of 200, so the scale reports a pass or did not pass rather than a degree of success. A failing candidate receives a scaled score somewhere below 200 plus a diagnostic breakdown.
How It Is Calculated
SHRM sets the passing standard with the Modified Angoff method, in which subject-matter experts judge how a minimally competent candidate would perform on each item. Performance is criterion-referenced, not norm-referenced: SHRM states that a candidate's performance is not compared with other candidates' and that if everyone meets the standard, everyone passes. Credit is awarded only for the correct answer on knowledge items and only for the single best action on situational judgment items, with no deduction for a wrong answer and no partial credit. The 24 field-test items do not count.
When You Get Results
A preliminary pass or did not pass decision appears on screen at the test centre immediately after you finish. Official results follow roughly two to three weeks later, when SHRM emails you to collect the Candidate Score and Feedback Report from the My Resources tab of your certification portal. SHRM releases results only through the portal, never by email, phone or fax.
In raw terms: SHRM does not publish a raw-to-scaled conversion or the number of the 110 scored items required to pass, and because the standard is set by Modified Angoff it varies with form difficulty rather than sitting at a fixed percentage.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP?
For the SHRM-CP: none. SHRM states that candidates are not required to hold an HR title and do not need a degree or previous HR experience to apply, though it recommends a basic working knowledge of HR practices or a degree from an Academically Aligned programme.. For the SHRM-SCP: a work history of at least three years performing strategic-level HR or HR-related duties, or three years holding the SHRM-CP while working in or moving into a strategic role. No degree and no HR job title are required.. For the SHRM-SCP, proof that you devoted at least 1,000 hours per calendar year to strategic HR work. Exceeding 1,000 hours in a year does not count as more than one year, part-time work qualifies if it meets the threshold, and salaried, hourly and contracted consulting hours all count.. An application submitted within the correct period for your chosen testing window, paid in full. SHRM's 2026 fees ran 350 dollars member and 450 non-member at early bird, 399 and 499 at standard.. Willingness to survive an audit. SHRM randomly reviews a percentage of applications each window, gives selected candidates 10 business days to supply documentation of experience and any degree, and will not contact your employer on your behalf. Non-compliance forfeits all fees.. An unexpired, original government-issued photo ID with a signature, in a name matching your Authorization to Test letter.. For students applying at student pricing, current enrolment in an HR degree programme. Students seeking the SHRM-SCP must still meet the SCP experience criteria..
How much does the SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP cost?
The SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP exam costs $300-$475. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP?
Visit the official SHRM certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
Ready to prepare for SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP?
Get the complete exam guide with study plan, tips, and practice questions.
View SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Guide