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Free SHRM-SCP Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free SHRM-SCP practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

A 4,000-employee manufacturing company is implementing an enterprise-wide shift from annual performance reviews to a continuous feedback model. The CHRO has executive sponsorship, but mid-level managers are openly resisting the change, citing increased workload. Using Kotter's 8-Step model, the CHRO has already established urgency and built a guiding coalition. What should the CHRO do NEXT?

  1. Mandate the new system through a company-wide policy effective immediately to demonstrate leadership commitment
  2. Develop and communicate a clear strategic vision for the change that connects it to business outcomes managers care about
  3. Identify and publicly recognize early-adopting managers to generate short-term wins
  4. Conduct a training needs assessment to determine what skills managers lack for giving continuous feedback
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Develop and communicate a clear strategic vision for the change that connects it to business outcomes managers care about

Question 2

An office manager earns a salary of $950 per week. She spends 60% of her time managing two direct reports including hiring, scheduling, and evaluating their performance, and 40% of her time performing general administrative tasks such as ordering supplies and filing. Under the FLSA, this employee is MOST likely classified as:

  1. Non-exempt, because she spends significant time on non-managerial duties
  2. Exempt under the executive exemption, because her primary duty is management and she directs the work of two or more employees
  3. Exempt under the administrative exemption, because she exercises independent judgment on significant matters
  4. Non-exempt, because she does not meet the minimum salary threshold for exemption
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Exempt under the executive exemption, because her primary duty is management and she directs the work of two or more employees

Question 3

The CHRO of a regional healthcare system learns through a PESTLE analysis that new federal legislation will significantly increase compliance requirements for telehealth services, the local labor market for nurses has tightened by 30%, and the population over age 65 in the service area is projected to grow 18% over five years. When presenting to the board, which HR strategic recommendation BEST reflects advanced business acumen?

  1. Recommend increasing the recruitment advertising budget by 30% to address the nursing shortage immediately
  2. Propose a comprehensive workforce strategy that accelerates telehealth training, creates a build-buy-borrow talent pipeline for nursing, and redesigns care delivery roles to serve the aging demographic shift
  3. Advise the board to delay expansion until the regulatory environment stabilizes and labor conditions improve
  4. Recommend outsourcing telehealth compliance to a third-party vendor so HR can focus on the nursing shortage
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Propose a comprehensive workforce strategy that accelerates telehealth training, creates a build-buy-borrow talent pipeline for nursing, and redesigns care delivery roles to serve the aging demographic shift

Question 4

An organization uses a structured interview process for hiring software engineers. In the most recent hiring cycle, 80 out of 100 male applicants passed the interview (80% selection rate), while 30 out of 50 female applicants passed (60% selection rate). Applying the 4/5ths rule, what should the HR professional conclude?

  1. No adverse impact exists because more than half of the female applicants were selected
  2. Adverse impact exists because the female selection rate (60%) divided by the male selection rate (80%) equals 0.75, which is below the 0.80 threshold
  3. No adverse impact exists because the overall selection rate across all applicants exceeds 70%
  4. Adverse impact cannot be determined without analyzing the applicant pool demographics first
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Adverse impact exists because the female selection rate (60%) divided by the male selection rate (80%) equals 0.75, which is below the 0.80 threshold

Question 5

Two senior vice presidents are in a prolonged disagreement over how to allocate shared budget resources between their divisions. The conflict is damaging cross-functional collaboration, but both leaders have valid business justifications for their positions. The issue is complex and the long-term working relationship between these leaders is critical. According to the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, which approach should the CHRO recommend?

  1. Compromising - each VP concedes part of their budget request so both receive partial funding
  2. Avoiding - allow the VPs to resolve the issue themselves without HR intervention to preserve autonomy
  3. Collaborating - facilitate a joint session where both VPs explore underlying interests to find a solution that fully addresses both divisions' needs
  4. Competing - the CHRO should make the final allocation decision based on organizational priorities to end the dispute quickly
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Collaborating - facilitate a joint session where both VPs explore underlying interests to find a solution that fully addresses both divisions' needs

Question 6

A company invested $200,000 in a customer service training program. Post-training assessments show that participants scored 40% higher on knowledge tests than before training. However, six months later, customer satisfaction scores have not improved and complaint resolution times remain unchanged. Which level of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model reveals the ROOT CAUSE of this disconnect?

  1. Level 1 - Reaction: participants may not have valued the training content
  2. Level 2 - Learning: the knowledge tests may not have measured job-relevant skills
  3. Level 3 - Behavior: employees are not transferring what they learned into on-the-job performance
  4. Level 4 - Results: the business metrics used to measure impact are not aligned with the training objectives
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Level 3 - Behavior: employees are not transferring what they learned into on-the-job performance

Question 7

During an annual talent review, the VP of HR identifies that the company's Chief Technology Officer - a critical role - has no identified successor. Using the 9-box grid, one internal candidate is rated high performance / high potential, but she has only 18 months of leadership experience. A second candidate is rated high performance / moderate potential with 12 years in the organization. What is the MOST effective succession planning strategy?

  1. Designate the high-performance / high-potential candidate as the successor and immediately enroll her in an executive leadership program
  2. Designate the experienced candidate as the primary successor because organizational knowledge is more critical for a CTO role
  3. Develop both candidates through differentiated development plans - accelerated executive development for the high-potential candidate and targeted stretch assignments for the experienced candidate - while also building an external pipeline
  4. Begin an external executive search immediately because neither internal candidate is ready within an acceptable timeframe
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Develop both candidates through differentiated development plans - accelerated executive development for the high-potential candidate and targeted stretch assignments for the experienced candidate - while also building an external pipeline

Question 8

An employee who has worked for a company for 14 months and logged 1,300 hours in the past 12 months requests FMLA leave to care for a spouse with a serious health condition. The company has 75 employees at its headquarters and 30 employees at a satellite office 100 miles away. The employee works at the satellite office. Is this employee eligible for FMLA leave?

  1. Yes, because the company has more than 50 total employees and the employee meets the tenure and hours requirements
  2. No, because the employee has not worked the required 1,250 hours - the 1,300 hours logged include overtime which does not count toward FMLA eligibility
  3. No, because the employer does not have 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius of the employee's worksite
  4. Yes, because spousal care for a serious health condition is a qualifying reason regardless of employer size
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - No, because the employer does not have 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius of the employee's worksite

Question 9

A company has deployed an AI-powered resume screening tool that has reduced time-to-fill by 40% and cost-per-hire by 25%. After six months, an HR analyst discovers that the tool's selection rates for candidates over age 50 are significantly lower than for younger candidates, even when qualifications are equivalent. What is the MOST appropriate FIRST action for the advanced HR professional?

  1. Immediately discontinue use of the AI tool and revert to manual resume screening until the issue is fully resolved
  2. Conduct a formal adverse impact analysis using the 4/5ths rule, audit the AI tool's training data and algorithm for age-related bias, and document findings before determining next steps
  3. Notify the AI vendor of the bias and request that they resolve the issue in their next software update
  4. Add a disclaimer to all job postings stating that the company is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on age
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Conduct a formal adverse impact analysis using the 4/5ths rule, audit the AI tool's training data and algorithm for age-related bias, and document findings before determining next steps

Question 10

An HR director is reviewing the compensation structure for the marketing department. The salary range for Marketing Manager is $85,000 (minimum) to $115,000 (maximum), with a midpoint of $100,000. One Marketing Manager currently earns $92,000. What is this employee's compa-ratio, and what does it indicate?

  1. 92.0 - the employee is paid 8% below the range midpoint, which may indicate the employee is newer to the role or underpaid relative to market
  2. 80.0 - the employee is paid at the minimum of the range and should receive an immediate market adjustment
  3. 108.7 - the employee is paid above the midpoint, suggesting premium compensation for high performance or long tenure
  4. 92.0 - the employee is paid at the 92nd percentile of the market, indicating the position is competitively compensated
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - 92.0 - the employee is paid 8% below the range midpoint, which may indicate the employee is newer to the role or underpaid relative to market

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