Finding Inner Peace Before Your SHRM Certification Exam

In July, we began a series of five feature articles focusing on the benefits of belonging to a local SHRM chapter and becoming involved with the state council in the state where you live. The benefits are innumerable in the varied ways they support your individual professional development. This series focuses on SHRM certification test preparation and test-taking tips from chapter and state council members. 

Articles in this series:

• The Importance of Connecting with Your Local SHRM Chapter and State Council to Prepare for Certification
• Lean on SHRM Chapters and State Councils for Certification Prep
• Test-Taking Tips from SHRM Chapters and State Councils
• The Importance of Practice Tests

This month's final feature article focuses on the days immediately preceding your testing appointment and test day itself - so you can center yourself, put aside negative thinking, and be ready when test day arrives. As you prepare to take the SHRM-CP or the SHRM-SCP exam, we hope this series of articles has inspired you to complete your plans, take the exam, and become SHRM-certified.

Remember: SHRM Certification is completely achievable. We hope this series of tips from SHRM chapters and state councils will aid you on your own certification journey. These tips come directly from chapter or state council members who teach a chapter-based or state council-based preparation course or who have been part of a local study group.

Practice Positive Thinking

You are prepared. You are ready to test and become SHRM-certified.

In the weeks before test day, it is important to center yourself, eliminate unnecessary extracurricular activities, and embrace the power of positive thinking. Just say no to additional activities. Don't miss an important event, of course, but maybe skip the concert or happy hour, especially if you need a few days the week before the exam to wrap up and complete your study plan. These pieces of advice from SHRM local chapter and state council members may be helpful for you; they have been used by many test-takers to support a successful journey to complete SHRM certification. Let's talk about framing your mindset before the test and how to navigate the test itself.

Mindset

• Before taking the test, visualize yourself going in with confidence that you know all the information and see yourself passing.
• Before starting the test, take a moment and a deep breath, center yourself, pray (if you are spiritual), and let go of any stress. The moment of letting go is worth your time! Stress is not helpful.
• A test assesses your knowledge, not your worth. Do your best. Be good to yourself!
• At the start of your final two weeks of preparing, figure out your natural pace of answering questions: 134 questions across 3 hours and 40 minutes equals about 110 seconds (slightly more than 1-1/2 minutes) to answer each question on average. Use your timer to figure out how many questions you can answer in 110 seconds. That's your natural pace. Remain calm. Carry on.
• Plan to use the noise-canceling headphones provided if taking the exam at a Prometric test center. Practice wearing a headset at home when you take practice exams. Any ambient noise in the room is extremely distracting when you're trying to concentrate!
• Make sure your photo ID hasn't expired; check it well in advance. And make sure your name and address on your ID match the name and address on your test record. Change your exam record with SHRM customer experience before the exam day if the name or address is different than your ID.
• Schedule your exam for the time of day when you are the most energized.
• If you have studied thoroughly, then go into the test with confidence that you have seen the right answer and it is in your head. You know the right answer.
• After months of studying, take off the day before the test. Relax. Go to the beach. Take a hike. Spend time clearing your head and focusing on your well-being. You aren't going to learn anything more in the final 24 hours, and you may do more harm than good if you try to cram. Breathe in. Breathe out. You've got this.
• One question at a time. Don't anticipate - participate! Don't worry about the next question, but instead pace yourself and be completely focused on the question in front of you.
• Begin the test with confidence, knowing you prepared, attended classes, studied, and are an experienced HR professional. Push away negative thoughts.
• Get a good night's sleep before your exam; complete your studying two days before the exam. Do minor reviews only on the day before; this helps your brain better retain information.
• If you have a long drive to the testing site, consider spending the night close to the site so you won't feel rushed and can take your time. In fact, if you are not sure where the test center is or what the parking situation is, take a test-drive there a week before your exam to figure it all out. This reduces the stress of "Where am I going?" or "Where am I supposed to park?" on test day.
• During the exam, always select an answer and then move forward. You can flag the questions you are unsure about, but the last thing you want is to have 30 minutes left in the exam and need to go back through and answer 100 questions.
• Relax! The SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams are not easy. Go into your exam well studied, well prepared, and well rested, and just do your best. Don't be discouraged if you don't pass the first time ... not everyone does, and it's OK!
• Wear comfortable clothing and eat a healthy breakfast the day of the test. 

Navigating the Exam Itself

• When it comes to the situational judgment questions, always remember that you should answer according to the best-practice proficiency indicators in the SHRM BASK - not your specific way of doing HR, your company's way of doing HR, or the way organizations in your state or country do HR.
• Truly read what you are being asked. Sometimes the question clearly asks "What should you do first or next?"; do not automatically assume you are being asked for the final step.
• Do not read into the question. The question is worded that way on purpose, not for you to read into or argue with what's on the screen.
• Avoid thinking, "What are they really asking?" Believe the words on the screen, and answer the question being asked after reading every word of the question and all response options.
• If you are not sure of the best answer, mark that question and come back to it later. Do not spend too much time on the ones you are not sure how to answer. You will have time at the end to come back to the question if you knock out the ones you are confident about first.
• If you are confused about an answer, look for a keyword in the question.
• Believe in yourself and have confidence! Trust your first impression and go with your gut. You have studied and you know the material; do not go back and change an answer unless you are 100 percent sure you were wrong in the first place (e.g., "I missed that keyword the first time I read the question.")
• Choose the best answer to the question by using the process of elimination. Use educated guessing to eliminate the obviously wrong answers and reason it out. There is no penalty for guessing and no points deducted for guessing wrong - only points added for guessing correctly.
• Already tried an educated guess and you still can't decide? Select one response anyway. Do not leave anything blank. Your score is based on the number of correct answers, and if you guess right, you get a point. Even if it's a wild guess.
• Use the strike-through feature to narrow down your options. Eliminate the obviously incorrect answer. Select the best answer given the context of the question.
• Don't look for patterns; there are no patterns in lengths of questions, responses or stories. The length of the answer, for example, is not a clue to the correctness of the answer.
• Try to determine the answer before you read the choices. This may help the correct answer to stand out when you see it.
• Review your answers for skipped questions. Confirm you answered all the questions.
• Use the provided computer-based calculator if a math problem or calculation pops up in a question.
• Answer questions you are sure of first.
• Be aware of time, but do not obsess about the clock ticking. If you know what your natural pace of answering questions is, stay true to that, and the clock will become your friend.
• Use remaining time in a session to review your answers - especially for flagged or marked items. You will not have time to review all your answers; this is why you need to focus only on those that you skipped on the first pass. 
• If the test requires you to read passages and then answer questions about what you read, read the questions first. By doing this, you will know what you are looking for as you read. This also helps you navigate these passage-related sets more efficiently.
• Remember it's OK not to know everything; some questions may challenge the limits of your knowledge. But remember that your experience has also taught you a lot, and do not overlook the power of your experience.
• Plan on how/where you will celebrate once you've passed!
• Take your test first thing in the morning when your brain is wide awake and the only thing on your mind is your exam.
• Remember the clock keeps ticking if you opt to take a break. If you need to refuel, do so but remember the clock is ticking. Pack a banana with peanut butter, applesauce squeeze pouch, or cheese and grapes - something that will boost your sugar, fill your tummy, fuel your brain but not put you to sleep!
• Two answers may look similar. Go with your gut and make sure you're answering the question you are being asked. Don't pick an answer that doesn't answer the question, even if it is like another answer option.
• If taking the SHRM-SCP, remember that the test questions were written by other SHRM-certified professionals already working at the strategic or executive levels; questions and answers will align with strategic-level thinking.
• Embrace and take advantage of the full time offered to take the test. You are not in a race to beat others or break a time record.
• Don't give up. Your journey is not the same as someone else's. If one method of learning that appears to work well for someone else does not work for you, be willing to explore another method with the help of others in your network. This also applies to those who don't pass the first time. Keep going until you reach your goal. 

SHRM is committed to your success! These tried-and-true tips will help you enter the test center with positivity and then navigate your way through the exam. Envision success and after you pass, you will begin your recertification journey. More on that next year.