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Free SHRM-CP Practice Questions

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

Question 1

An employee reports sexual harassment by their manager. However, the employee asks HR not to take any action and says they just wanted someone to listen. The HR professional should:

  1. Tell the employee they cannot help without a formal written complaint
  2. Respect the employee's wish and take no further action
  3. Explain the organization's legal obligation to investigate and initiate the process
  4. Fire the manager immediately based on the employee's report alone
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Explain the organization's legal obligation to investigate and initiate the process

Question 2

An organization hires 50% of male applicants and 35% of female applicants. Using the 4/5ths rule: 35% ÷ 50% = 0.70 = 70%. This indicates:

  1. No adverse impact exists because both groups are being hired
  2. Adverse impact may exist because 70% is below the 80% threshold
  3. The organization demonstrates fair hiring practices across gender groups
  4. The calculation method is inappropriate for determining adverse impact
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Adverse impact may exist because 70% is below the 80% threshold

Question 3

A group of non-union employees discusses their pay rates during a lunch break. A manager tells them to stop talking about compensation. This manager has:

  1. Followed proper management protocol
  2. Only violated policy if the conversation occurred during work hours
  3. Acted appropriately to maintain salary confidentiality
  4. Likely violated NLRA Section 7 protecting wage discussions
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Likely violated NLRA Section 7 protecting wage discussions

Question 4

An organization offers competitive pay but has below-average engagement scores. This is consistent with:

  1. Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory - pay prevents dissatisfaction but doesn't drive engagement
  2. Maslow's hierarchy indicating employees have unmet self-actualization needs
  3. Equity theory showing internal pay compression issues
  4. Expectancy theory reflecting weak performance-reward linkages
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory - pay prevents dissatisfaction but doesn't drive engagement

Question 5

An HR manager is negotiating a salary offer with a top candidate. The candidate asks for $120,000. HR's range is $100,000-$115,000. The MOST effective negotiation approach is:

  1. Immediately offer the maximum of $115,000 to show good faith
  2. Accept $120,000 to avoid losing this qualified candidate
  3. Explore the candidate's underlying interests and alternative compensation options
  4. Counter with $110,000 and explain the budget constraints
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Explore the candidate's underlying interests and alternative compensation options

Question 6

A company is transitioning from annual performance reviews to continuous feedback. Managers are anxious about the change. Which change management model would BEST help address individual managers' readiness?

  1. Balanced Scorecard
  2. Porter's Five Forces
  3. ADKAR
  4. PESTLE Analysis
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - ADKAR

Question 7

An employee completes a customer service training and scores perfectly on the post-training assessment but continues to provide poor service on the job. The training was successful at which Kirkpatrick level but failed at which level?

  1. Successful at Level 3 (Behavior), failed at Level 4 (Results) - the behavior changed but organizational outcomes were not achieved
  2. Successful at Level 2 (Learning), failed at Level 3 (Behavior) - the knowledge was acquired but not transferred to the job
  3. Successful at Level 1 (Reaction), failed at Level 2 (Learning) - the employee enjoyed the training but did not retain the content
  4. Successful at Level 4 (Results), failed at Level 1 (Reaction) - business metrics improved but employee satisfaction with training was low
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Successful at Level 2 (Learning), failed at Level 3 (Behavior) - the knowledge was acquired but not transferred to the job

Question 8

An employer has 45 employees at the employee's work location and 30 employees at another location 50 miles away. Does this employer meet the FMLA threshold?

  1. Yes - there are 75 total employees within 75 miles, meeting the 50-employee threshold
  2. No - the locations are too far apart to count employees together for FMLA purposes
  3. Yes - but only employees at the larger location are eligible for FMLA benefits
  4. No - FMLA requires at least 100 employees when spread across multiple locations
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Yes - there are 75 total employees within 75 miles, meeting the 50-employee threshold

Question 9

An employee earns $600 per week on salary and primarily performs data entry with no independent decision-making authority. Under the FLSA, this employee is:

  1. Exempt under the administrative exemption
  2. Exempt because they are paid on a salary basis
  3. Exempt under the computer exemption
  4. Non-exempt because they do not meet the duties test
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Non-exempt because they do not meet the duties test

Question 10

An employee works 45 hours in one week and 35 hours the following week. The employee is non-exempt. The overtime owed is:

  1. Zero - the hours average to 40 per week
  2. 10 hours of overtime for both weeks combined
  3. Overtime is not applicable because total hours are only 80
  4. 5 hours of overtime pay for the first week
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - 5 hours of overtime pay for the first week

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