According to equity theory, what do employees compare with the inputs and outcomes of others?Wikipedia, "Equity theory", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Leadership & Navigation.
In Edward T. Hall's terms, how does communication in a high-context culture tend to work?Wikipedia, "High-context and low-context cultures", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Inclusive Mindset.
In expectancy theory, what does valence mean?Wikipedia, "Expectancy theory", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Leadership & Navigation.
In Herzberg's two-factor theory, what are salary, job security and work conditions called?Wikipedia, "Two-factor theory", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Leadership & Navigation.
In servant leadership, as Robert K. Greenleaf framed it, what is the goal of the leader?Wikipedia, "Servant leadership", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Leadership & Navigation.
What is a conflict of interest?Wikipedia, "Conflict of interest", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Ethical Practice.
What is the fundamental principle of the Situational Leadership Model?Wikipedia, "Situational leadership theory", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Leadership & Navigation.
Which leadership style inspires followers to perform beyond their perceived capabilities by putting a collective vision ahead of immediate self-interest?Wikipedia, "Transformational leadership", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Leadership & Navigation.
Which of Hofstede's cultural dimensions concerns the strength of social hierarchy?Wikipedia, "Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Leadership cluster, Inclusive Mindset.
Show all 50 questions (41 more)
Business cluster 9
A correlation coefficient of -1 between two variables shows what?Wikipedia, "Correlation", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Analytical Aptitude.
A wellness program costs $40,000 and returns $50,000 in savings. Taking ROI as net gain divided by cost, what is its ROI?Wikipedia, "Return on investment", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Business Acumen.
Kotter's model of successful change has how many stages, including creating a sense of urgency and using short-term wins?Wikipedia, "John Kotter", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Consultation.
What do the six letters of PESTLE stand for, as the SHRM BASK spells it out?SHRM, 2026 SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge, read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Business Acumen.
What does a SWOT analysis identify?Wikipedia, "SWOT analysis", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Business Acumen.
What is the first stage of Lewin's three-stage model of change?Wikipedia, "Kurt Lewin", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Consultation.
What is the validity of a measurement tool, such as a selection test?Wikipedia, "Validity (statistics)", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Analytical Aptitude.
Which basic financial statement applies to a single point in time?Wikipedia, "Balance sheet", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Business Acumen.
Which four perspectives did the balanced scorecard originally use?Wikipedia, "Balanced scorecard", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Business cluster, Business Acumen.
Interpersonal cluster 7
How is a distributive negotiation conducted?Wikipedia, "Negotiation", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Interpersonal cluster, Relationship Management.
On the two axes of the Thomas-Kilmann instrument, which conflict style is both assertive and cooperative?Wikipedia, "Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Interpersonal cluster, Relationship Management.
Under media richness theory, how is a detailed message about a person's work performance and expectations better communicated?Wikipedia, "Media richness theory", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Interpersonal cluster, Communication.
What is emotional intelligence?Wikipedia, "Emotional intelligence", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Interpersonal cluster, Relationship Management.
What is the goal of active listening?Wikipedia, "Active listening", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Interpersonal cluster, Communication.
Which element of nonverbal communication is the study of human use of space?Wikipedia, "Proxemics", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Interpersonal cluster, Communication.
Which of these is one of the four points of principled negotiation in Getting to Yes?Wikipedia, "Getting to Yes", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Interpersonal cluster, Relationship Management.
People knowledge domain 10
An employee earns $54,000 in a job whose market rate under the company's pay policy is $60,000. What is the compa-ratio?Wikipedia, "Compa-ratio", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, Total Rewards.
As the SHRM BASK spells out SMART goals, what do the letters stand for?SHRM, 2026 SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge, read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, Learning & Development.
In the 70-20-10 model, where does the 70 percent of learning come from?Wikipedia, "70/20/10 Model (Learning and Development)", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, Learning & Development.
In the growth-share matrix, what is a cash cow?Wikipedia, "Growth–share matrix", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, HR Strategy.
What are the five phases of the ADDIE model, in order?Wikipedia, "ADDIE Model", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, Learning & Development.
What does a realistic job preview communicate during hiring?Wikipedia, "Realistic job preview", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, Employee Engagement & Retention.
What does blue ocean strategy aim to create?Wikipedia, "Blue Ocean Strategy", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, HR Strategy.
What is an applicant tracking system?Wikipedia, "Applicant tracking system", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, Talent Acquisition.
What is an employee value proposition meant to do?Wikipedia, "Employee value proposition", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, HR Strategy.
What is gathered in 360-degree feedback?Wikipedia, "360-degree feedback", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, People domain, Learning & Development.
Organization knowledge domain 9
How does arbitration differ from mediation?Wikipedia, "Arbitration", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Employee & Labor Relations.
In a shared services model, who provides a service that was once found in several parts of the organization?Wikipedia, "Shared services", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Structure of the HR Function.
What do Weingarten rights give a union-represented employee?National Labor Relations Board, Weingarten Rights, read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Employee & Labor Relations.
What does a center of excellence provide for its focus area?Wikipedia, "Center of excellence", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Structure of the HR Function.
What does a mediator do in a dispute?Wikipedia, "Mediation", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Employee & Labor Relations.
What is a human resources information system (HRIS)?Wikipedia, "Human resource management system", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Technology Management.
What is succession planning used to do?Wikipedia, "Succession planning", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Workforce Management.
What marks a matrix organizational structure?Wikipedia, "Matrix management", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Structure of the HR Function.
Which of these does the NLRB give as an example of concerted activity?National Labor Relations Board, Concerted Activity, read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Organization domain, Employee & Labor Relations.
Workplace knowledge domain 6
Buying insurance against a loss is an example of which of the four major categories of risk treatment?Wikipedia, "Risk management", read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Workplace domain, Risk Management.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 defines an employer as a person in an industry affecting commerce with at least how many employees?EEOC, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Workplace domain, U.S. Employment Law & Regulations.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, what is the lowest rate at which covered overtime hours may be paid?29 U.S.C. 207, Maximum hours (Cornell Legal Information Institute copy), read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Workplace domain, U.S. Employment Law & Regulations.
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, how much leave is an eligible employee entitled to during any 12-month period for the birth of a child?29 U.S.C. 2612, Leave requirement (Cornell Legal Information Institute copy), read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Workplace domain, U.S. Employment Law & Regulations.
Under the WARN Act, how long after written notice must a covered employer wait before ordering a plant closing or mass layoff?29 U.S.C. 2102, Notice required before plant closings and mass layoffs (Cornell Legal Information Institute copy), read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Workplace domain, U.S. Employment Law & Regulations.
Within how many business days of the date of hire must an employer complete and sign Section 2 of Form I-9?USCIS, Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation, read 2026-10-14. Outline: 2026 SHRM BASK, Workplace domain, U.S. Employment Law & Regulations.
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the key concepts of the 2026 SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge (https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/credentials/shrm-certification/bask/shrm-bask.pdf) and to the exam composition in the 2026 SHRM Certification Handbook (https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/credentials/shrm-certification/2026_shrm_certification-handbook.pdf), both published by SHRM and read 2026-10-14: Leadership 19 percent, Business 17.5, Interpersonal 13.5, People 19, Organization 18, Workplace 13. This bank of 50 holds 9, 9, 7, 10, 9 and 6. Every fact was read on 2026-10-14 in the public text its question names: the BASK, the United States Code, the EEOC, the NLRB, USCIS and Wikipedia. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
These SHRM practice test questions are 50 SHRM-CP practice questions of our own, all knowledge questions, spread over the six content areas of the 2026 SHRM BASK. Unofficial: not affiliated with or endorsed by SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management.
Read the full guide
Six content areas and their weights
The 2026 SHRM Certification Handbook weights the exam as Leadership 19 percent, Business 17.5, Interpersonal 13.5, People 19, Organization 18 and Workplace 13. This bank holds 9, 9, 7, 10, 9 and 6 questions.
Knowledge questions only
The handbook makes about 40 percent of the real exam situational judgment items, which credit only the course of action SHRM keys as most effective. That key cannot be checked at a public source, so no situational item is written here.
A timed run
The timed test asks all 50 in 82 minutes, the real exam's pace of 220 minutes for 134 questions.
The real exam runs in two sections of up to 110 minutes each, and you cannot return to the first once you move on.
The real exam includes 24 unscored field-test items, mixed in so they cannot be told from scored ones.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the SHRM-CP exam?
134 multiple-choice questions: 80 stand-alone knowledge questions and 54 situational judgment items. The exam also includes 24 unscored field-test items. Testing time is two sections of up to 110 minutes each.
What is the passing score for the SHRM-CP?
Results are scaled scores from 120 to 200, and every candidate who passes receives the maximum, 200. So the number right on a free practice test for the SHRM-CP exam, this one included, does not convert to a real result.
Is there a free SHRM-CP study guide?
The SHRM BASK is a free download, and it is what SHRM tells candidates to review first, glossary and resource list included. Other SHRM exam study guides, such as its exam previews and prep system, are separate purchases.
Does SHRM publish sample questions?
Yes. SHRM provides sample questions for both exams, knowledge and situational judgment, and says performance on them is not indicative of performance on the exam. The SHRM certification HR practice test questions on this page are ours, not SHRM's.