The SHRM Learning System and My SHRM-CP Exam

By Olivia Liu

August 27, 2020

portrait of Olivia Liu
Olivia Liu

Last week, I took—and passed!—the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) – Certified Professional (CP) exam. The SHRM Learning System is the material I relied on to prepare. I consider it as a “must” to help prepare others for the exam, and especially for people who have never systematically studied HR. I would like to introduce the Learning System to people who are interested in it. The Learning System includes:

  1. A set of four books: e-version in the Learning System and optional print books. The content of the e-version books and print books are the same, so print books might not be necessary for people who prefer online reading. 60% of the exam questions are knowledge questions, and the other 40% are situational judgment questions. The books could help lay a solid foundation for knowledge questions; however, it does not teach how to respond to situational questions.
  2. Practice questions following each chapter, including both knowledge questions and situational judgment questions. The software shows whether your proficiency in a certain field has hit 80%, which is the required percentage of number of correct responses in order to get the certificate. Situational judgment practice questions helped me a lot in understanding best practices in the workplace. The System’s practice questions were the only resource I used when preparing for the exam’s situational questions.
  3. Diagnostic mock exams. These tests help identify your strength and weakness and recommend a study path for you. They were valuable.
  4. Glossary (a summary of HR terminology).

There are exam guides for sale on Amazon but I think the Learning System is enough. I passed using only the Learning System, and I believe my classmates will definitely also perform excellently in the exam! Here are two study habits that I developed for this process, in case they may help you.

  • Take notes while reading, and map the knowledge so that you have a clear and whole picture of HR. Things will not be messed up in your mind.
  • Set a notebook/e-notebook to record the questions you answered wrong, especially situational questions. Summarize the underlying principles of best actions in the notebook and study them.

Good luck to all who embark on this journey. If I can do it, so can you!

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