Knowledge vs. Situational Judgment Exam Questions

​As you prepare for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification exam, it is important to understand how the exams are created and how the questions are formatted.

All of the exam content is based on the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge (SHRM BASK), which is itself based on a comprehensive look at the HR field. This document is revised and refreshed every few years.

The SHRM BASK covers two broad areas of competencies, behavioral and technical. Nine behavioral competencies describe the general behaviors and characteristics that an HR professional needs to perform in the workplace. One technical competency describes the specific knowledge required to perform in 14 HR functional areas. Every competency lists subcompetencies and proficiency indicators that reflect HR best practice.

Mastery of knowledge, skills and abilities facilitates and enhances one's performance in an HR role. To test a candidate's mastery of the information necessary to indicate proficiency in the competencies, the SHRM certification exams use three distinct types of multiple-choice questions: SHRM knowledge items, foundational knowledge items and situational judgment items.

Testing Knowledge

Knowledge questions test understanding of the SHRM BASK. Each SHRM knowledge item covers an important piece of information from the technical competency's 14 functional areas. Each foundational knowledge item covers a key piece of information shown as a key concept from the nine behavioral competencies defined in the SHRM BASK.

Both kinds of knowledge questions will have one correct answer, supported by a rationale explaining why that response is correct and why the others are clearly incorrect. Each rationale is tied to a documented, credible source.

In developing knowledge items for the exam, SHRM takes great care to make sure the incorrect answers are plausible.  But the right answer is the only irrefutably correct choice based on the source and rationale.

Testing Judgment and Decision-Making

Situational judgment questions present scenarios based on real situations experienced by practicing SHRM-certified HR professionals—situations that most HR professionals are likely to experience during their own careers. These items test the examinee's ability to choose the most effective course of action in the given scenario to solve a problem or make a decision using judgment.

Each scenario features two to three questions that highlight different aspects of the situation presented. Like foundational knowledge items, situational judgment items focus on the SHRM BASK's behavioral competencies. Unlike knowledge items, all of the response options for situational judgment items could be correct (as actions to take to address the situation). The correct choice, however, is the action that is the most effective—what one should do based on the subcompetencies and proficiency indicators that provide examples of best-practice HR in action.

A panel of SHRM-certified subject matter experts determine the correct response option—what is the most effective action—by consulting the subcompetencies and proficiency indicators in the SHRM BASK. The alternative response options describe actions of varying degrees of effectiveness; some are ineffective or only marginally effective. The panelists reach consensus on which response is the best or most effective course of action.

Therefore, examinees should approach situational judgment items not in terms of how HR in their own organizations would act. Rather, examinees should answer based on general HR best practice, as reflected in the SHRM BASK's subcompetencies and proficiency indicators for each of the nine behavioral competencies.

What's the Difference?

To demonstrate the difference between a knowledge item and a situational judgment item, let's use the behavioral competency of "Communication" to create an example.

A knowledge item covering this area might ask about different types of communications media, such as e-mail or town hall meetings. A situational judgment item might present a specific scenario involving communication, then ask how to effectively respond to leaders to solve a problem given the circumstances presented.

Familiarize yourself with the SHRM BASK's different competencies, subcompetencies and proficiency indicators to become more confident in your holistic understanding of HR. Understand how the questions are developed and formatted to ensure you are well-equipped to demonstrate both knowledge and behavioral aspects of HR on the SHRM certification exam.