Tips & Tricks to Pass the SHRM-CP/SCP Exam

In this article, we've compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you pass the SHRM-CP/SCP Exam. These tips come from students, instructors, and test-takers based on their experiences. Remember that while these tips can help, success is not guaranteed. Nonetheless, we hope that these tips will be valuable to you as you work towards passing the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP exam.

1. Make a Time Commitment. 

First, it's essential to make a time commitment for exam preparation. Plan on investing between 40 and 120 hours preparing for the exam, depending on the amount and variety of your work experience and formal HR education. Studying for more than 120 hours generally brings diminishing returns, so make sure your time is well-spent.
 

2. Answer Practice Questions.

Answering practice questions is crucial for exam preparation. The more practice questions you answer, the better you'll be prepared for the exam questions. My program, "HR Exam Prep with Angela: Complete Edition," provides a realistic exam preview because its notes, lessons, and questions are items retired from prior exams. You can also use flashcards, Quizlet, Kahoot, and other study aids and apps to help with knowledge items.

3. Read Explanations of Correct Answers.

Reading the explanations of answers is essential to refine your thinking. Learning WHY something is true will help you remember when you take your exam. Therefore, after answering given online SHRM practice questions in each section, read why the correct answers are correct and why the other answers are wrong.

4. Put In Real Effort.

Don't take shortcuts, even if your practice exam scores improve. There's no replacement for studying. You've got to do the reading, attend the classes, take notes, learn the content, and remember what you've learned on the job.

5. Breakdown Big Ideas.

Flashcards, while not enough on their own, help you remember and understand concepts and definitions—especially helpful for studying knowledge items. So, take them with you everywhere and use any unexpected time to review them.

6. Learn Through Stories.

Stories improve knowledge retention, so search online and read the histories of common workplace problems. Talk with other HR professionals about situations they have encountered in the workplace to expand your knowledge and prepare for situational judgment questions. We host a Facebook group dedicated to networking with other HR specialists who have already passed or are looking to schedule their test in the future! You can find the group here through the following link. (link)
 

7. Learn Your Surroundings.

Boost your confidence by becoming familiar with the test-taking system before exam day. Try out the functions for highlights, strikethroughs, flags, and the calculator. A tutorial is available in our full-length course.

Before exam day:

• Become familiar with your testing site.
• Travel to your testing center beforehand to know exactly where it is, where to park, and how to pay for a parking space.
• Figure these things out right before you take your exam!

8. Read All Answers Thoroughly.

When answering questions, read all four answer options before making a choice. Look closely at long queries and look out for multipart questions. Use the strikethrough function to help you focus on the remaining options, and use the flag function if you're unsure of an answer. Don't second-guess yourself. Your first answer is usually correct, so only change it if you have an excellent reason.

Remember to choose answers that reflect intelligent behavior in action, based on HR best practices provided in my program "HR Exam Prep with Angela: Complete Edition." To learn more about how you can pass your exam easily, just like my 900+ happy students, click the following link! (link)