?Becoming SHRM-certified is a major career milestone for many HR professionals and company leaders with HR duties. As you go through the certification process to earn your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP, you undoubtedly envision the day when you pass the exam, celebrate your success and add a new abbreviation after your name.
That process, however, can be a long one. Candidates need to put in significant work prior to exam day. Everyone is starting from different points in terms of knowledge and experience, so some require more preparation before they can take the exam and some require less.
What is often overlooked is that the act of preparing for the exam can result in unique benefits regardless of the final outcome on the exam. As a candidate for SHRM certification, both you and your organization can potentially benefit from the whole process in and of itself.
How Candidates Prepare for the Exams
The SHRM certification exams are based on the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge (SHRM BASK), which is the result of a careful analysis of the HR profession and what all HR professionals need to know to be competent in the field. Because the SHRM BASK ensures that the exam is based on current and accurate information, studying and preparing for the exam should be directed toward the most relevant aspects of HR today.
SHRM research shows that most candidates spend a lot of time—41 to 120 hours—preparing for their exams. The amount of time spent on preparation is related to increased pass rates, but only to a certain point.
A different SHRM study shows that, of the many study and preparation resource options available, candidates who prepare using a combination of the SHRM BASK and the SHRM Learning System get the best results on their exams. This combination is most useful because it ensures that candidates are focused on the key HR areas included on the SHRM exams.
Improved Performance and Connection
In addition to improving your performance on the certification exam, proper study and preparation also have the potential for improving your job performance as an HR professional. Further, the process can give you more familiarity with the field, making you feel more connected to your chosen profession.
To illuminate these potential benefits, we conducted a survey in May 2022 of 1,844 individuals who took the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP exams in the past three years. We wanted to know if their exam preparation experience increased their knowledge of HR, if they used that knowledge to improve their performance on the job, and if they felt more engaged with HR.
As shown in the chart below, the vast majority of examinees agreed with the statements presented—regardless of whether they passed or failed the exam they had prepared for.
These findings show that exam preparation indeed offers benefits useful to HR professionals beyond improving their exam performance.
Benefits for the Organization
Obviously, you want to pass the exam and earn your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification. But even if you don’t pass, there are positive results to be had from the time and effort you put into exam preparation.
Those positive results can extend to your employer. Organizations that support their employees’ pursuit of SHRM certification, especially in terms of funding (for candidates’ exam fees, study materials, preparation courses, etc.), will likely see strong benefits as a result, even if these team members do not pass the exam.
When you focus on employee development and knowledge improvement, everyone wins.
Mark Smith, Ph.D., is director of HR Thought Leadership for the SHRM Research Institute.