# SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP: decision and application checklist

Use this to choose between SHRM's two exams and plan your application. Every rule below is SHRM's, from
the 2026 SHRM Certification Handbook, read on 20 October 2026. Check SHRM's current pages before you
rely on any date or fee.

## Which exam fits

- [ ] My current or most recent work is operational: implementing policies, serving as an HR point
      person, supporting day-to-day HR functions. If yes: SHRM-CP
- [ ] I have at least three years of strategic-level HR work, with at least 1,000 hours in each calendar
      year (January to December). If yes: SHRM-SCP may fit
- [ ] Or I have held the SHRM-CP for at least three years and work in, or am moving into, a strategic role
- [ ] Note for the SHRM-CP: no HR title, degree or previous HR experience is required; SHRM recommends a
      basic working knowledge of HR practices and principles

## Booking

- [ ] Testing window chosen: May to mid-July, or December to mid-February: ____________
- [ ] Application deadline for that window: ____________
- [ ] Early-bird or standard rate, member or nonmember: ____________ (early-bird rates include a $50
      nonrefundable application fee; standard rates a $125 one)
- [ ] Prometric test center booked: ____________

## The exam

- [ ] Two sections, each up to 110 minutes, timed separately; you cannot go back to section 1
- [ ] 134 scored questions: 80 knowledge items and 54 situational judgment items, plus 24 unscored
      field-test items you cannot tell apart
- [ ] Study time split by weight: Leadership 19%, People 19%, Organization 18%, Business 17.5%,
      Interpersonal 13.5%, Workplace 13%

## After you pass

- [ ] 60 professional development credits (PDCs) over three years, or retake the exam
- [ ] Designation used in capitals, straight after your name or postgraduate degree