SHRM-CP Passing Score Explained: What a Pass Actually Takes
Scaled scores, unscored pretest items and a passing standard that is not a percentage — here is how the SHRM-CP is actually marked.
- 110Scored items
- 24Unscored
- 69%Pass rate
- 220Minutes
Table of Contents
What the passing standard actually is
SHRM sets the passing standard through a formal cut-score study rather than by picking a round percentage. The consequence for you is the same either way: there is no published “get 70% and you pass” rule to aim at, and a raw percentage from a practice test does not translate directly into a verdict on the real exam.
The score maths
| Items presented | 134 |
| Items that count | 110 |
| Items that do not count | 24 |
| Average time per item | 1.6 minutes |
Scaled scoring exists so that a candidate who sits a slightly harder form is not punished for it. Raw answers are converted onto a fixed scale, and the conversion moves a little between forms. That is why the certifying body publishes a scale point rather than a question count: the number of items you can afford to miss genuinely is not a constant.
Why some questions do not count
Of the 134 items in front of you, 110 are scored and 24 are pretest items being trialled for future forms. They are not flagged. You cannot tell which is which, and the sensible response is to stop trying — treating a strange question as a possible pretest item is a good way to talk yourself out of answering a scored one properly.
The practical effect is that your effective margin is narrower than the raw item count suggests. Every point has to come from the 110 that count.
What the pass rate tells you
Published figures: 69% globally, against 52% for the SHRM-SCP.
Read that as a description of the candidate pool rather than of the exam. Cohorts for credentials with hard eligibility gates are already filtered — everyone sitting has the licence, the degree and the hours. A pass rate in that range does not mean the exam is easy for the general public; it means most people who were allowed to sit it had done the work.
What this means for your study plan
Three things follow from how this exam is marked.
Stop chasing a percentage. A practice score of 72% is not a prediction, because the conversion between raw answers and the reported scale is not published and moves between forms. What a practice score is good for is finding the domains where you are weak.
Answer everything. There is no negative marking on this style of exam, so an unanswered item is a guaranteed zero where a guess is not. Candidates lose real points to the clock, not to the content.
Work in volume, not in re-reading. Recognition feels like knowledge and is not. The only reliable signal that you are ready is a large number of unfamiliar questions answered correctly under time pressure.
That last part is what a question bank is for. Practise SHRM-CP questions free, then work the domains your results expose.
FAQ
What is the passing score for the SHRM-CP?
SHRM sets the standard through a cut-score study rather than publishing a fixed percentage, so there is no official pass mark to aim at. Confirm the current standard in the candidate handbook.
How many questions can I get wrong on the SHRM-CP?
Only the 110 scored items count, and the raw-to-scaled conversion is not published, so no fixed number of misses can be quoted honestly.
What is the SHRM-CP pass rate?
69% globally, against 52% for the SHRM-SCP
Do unanswered questions count against me on the SHRM-CP?
An unanswered item scores zero, and there is no penalty for a wrong guess, so there is never a reason to leave one blank. Watch the clock and make sure every item has an answer before time expires.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the certifying body, not from a third-party summary:
- https://www.shrm.org/credentials/certification/eligibility-criteria
- https://www.shrm.org/credentials/certification/shrm-cp
Checked September 2, 2026. Fees and eligibility rules change; confirm against SHRM before you pay anything.