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Some people have asked us how the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP certification examinations are scored, and how those scores are reported to examinees. The most frequently asked questions include:
* Why is 200 the passing score when the exam has 160 questions?
* Do I have to earn the maximum score to pass the exam?
* What is the number of questions I have to answer correctly to pass the exam?
* What is the number of questions I have to answer correctly in the SHRM Learning System to know if I will pass the exam?
First, we would like to describe how we set the passing scores for the SHRM certification exams. We employ best-practice procedures most commonly used for setting performance standards for certification and licensure exams. During a multiday evaluation process, a panel of experienced HR professionals evaluates the exam questions to determine how difficult they are for a candidate who is "just qualified" at the appropriate level—SHRM-CP (for early- to mid-career HR professionals) or SHRM-SCP (for senior HR professionals).
In order to keep the SHRM certification exams up to date and fair, during every testing window we add and remove questions. Before a new question is used, it is first pretested with real examinees. We do that by mixing 30 pretest questions (also known as field test items) into each exam. Examinees answer the pretest questions, but their answers to those questions are not used to determine whether they pass the exam. In other words, of the 160 questions on the exam that you answer, 130 are used to calculate your score; the 30 pretest items don't count. Because there is no...