Free SHRM-SCP exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the SHRM-SCP exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1An approved HR change spreads in one division but stalls in another, although their reporting charts look similar. Which organizational map should guide HR's engagement?

   1. A. Formal roles, informal influence, leader interests, and staff-executive ties.
   2. B. Formal roles, approval authority, budget ownership, and staffing ratios.
   3. C. Project roles, sponsor approvals, delivery dates, and vendor responsibilities.
   4. D. Team goals, unit performance measures, reporting lines, and job grades.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "Demonstrates an understanding of formal and informal work roles, leader goals and interests, and relationships among employees and executives." The informal leaders affect support for implementation, so both formal and informal relationships matter.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Leadership & Navigation, Navigating the Organization, p. 13

2. 2A CHRO deliberately recognizes and regulates personal emotions while handling a tense stakeholder conversation. Which trust-building capability is being used?

   1. A. Transparency
   2. B. Emotional intelligence
   3. C. Relatability
   4. D. Perspective taking

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "emotional intelligence Ability to be aware of, control and express one's emotions and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically." The emotional self-awareness and regulation in the scenario match emotional intelligence.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, emotional intelligence, p. 88

3. 3A CHRO documents a defined business problem, a proposed HR solution, and its expected costs and benefits for executive approval. What is the document?

   1. A. A business case
   2. B. A strategic plan
   3. C. A performance scorecard
   4. D. A financial balance sheet

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "business case Tool or document that defines a specific problem, proposes a solution and provides justifications for the proposal in terms of time, cost-efficiency and probability of success." The document justifies a proposed solution, which defines a business case.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, business case, p. 85

4. 4A CHRO compares HR process results with those of other employers to identify performance gaps and improvement targets. Which method is being used?

   1. A. Benchmarking
   2. B. Variance analysis
   3. C. Critical path analysis
   4. D. Scenario planning

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "benchmarking Process by which an organization identifies performance gaps and sets goals for performance improvement by comparing its data, performance levels and/or processes against those of other organizations." External comparison to find gaps is benchmarking.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, benchmarking, p. 85

5. 5An organization creates a specialist team that provides HR expertise, best practices, and knowledge transfer in one focused area. Which structure is this?

   1. A. Shared services
   2. B. HR business partner
   3. C. Center of excellence
   4. D. Decentralized generalist team

   Answer: C

   Explanation: "center of excellence Team or structure that provides expertise, best practices, support and/or knowledge transfer in a focused area." A focused expert team is a center of excellence.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, center of excellence, p. 86

6. 6A CHRO observes growing interdependence among countries, labor markets, people, and organizations. Which concept describes this trend?

   1. A. Offshoring
   2. B. Repatriation
   3. C. Globalization
   4. D. Outsourcing

   Answer: C

   Explanation: "globalization Status of growing interconnectedness and interdependency among countries, people, markets and organizations worldwide." Increasing worldwide interdependence is globalization.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, globalization, p. 90

7. 7The CHRO must define a long-term vision after a merger changes the organization's culture and operating model. Which analysis should anchor the first draft?

   1. A. Compare today's HR and organizational state with the intended future state.
   2. B. Compare today's HR spending with the budgets of similar organizations.
   3. C. Compare current project milestones with the approved delivery timetable.
   4. D. Compare current job structures with those used by market competitors.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "Envisions the current and ideal future states of the HR function, organization and culture to identify gaps and areas for improvement." The merger changes the target state; comparing present and ideal states identifies the gaps a new vision must address.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Leadership & Navigation, Vision, p. 14

8. 8Two parties agree to submit a workplace dispute to an impartial third party whose decision will bind them. Which dispute resolution method is this?

   1. A. Mediation
   2. B. Conciliation
   3. C. Negotiation
   4. D. Arbitration

   Answer: D

   Explanation: "arbitration Method of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) by which disputing parties agree to be bound by the decision of one or more impartial individuals to whom they submit their dispute for final determination." A binding third-party determination is arbitration.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, arbitration, p. 84

9. 9A CHRO needs a statement of assets, liabilities, and equity at a particular date to assess the employer's financial position. Which document is appropriate?

   1. A. Cash flow statement
   2. B. Income statement
   3. C. Balance sheet
   4. D. Budget variance report

   Answer: C

   Explanation: "balance sheet Statement of an organization’s financial position at a specific point in time, showing assets, liabilities and shareholder equity." A dated statement of assets, liabilities, and equity is a balance sheet.

   Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, balance sheet, p. 85

10. 10An HR planning team examines internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats. Which framework is it applying?

    1. A. PESTLE analysis
    2. B. SWOT analysis
    3. C. Critical path analysis
    4. D. Variance analysis

    Answer: B

    Explanation: "SWOT analysis Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats analysis; a method for assessing an organization’s strategic capabilities through the environmental scanning process, which identifies and considers the internal and external factors that affect the achievement of organizational goals and objectives." The four categories define SWOT analysis.

    Reference: SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge — Appendix A: Glossary, SWOT analysis, p. 97