Since Spring 2017, HRAGC has partnered with Dr. Maria Manus Painchaud to offer a course to prepare HR professionals to sit for the SHRM® Certification Exam. Dr. Painchaud has been a long-time member of HRAGC and has been integral in assisting many HR professionals throughout New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts in preparing and successfully passing the SHRM certification.
HRAGC has been recognized with the SHRM Learning System Champion Award numerous times because of Dr. Painchaud's course.
The SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams contain two types of multiple-choice questions: stand-alone knowledge-based items that assess a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of factual information, and scenario-based situational judgment items that assess a candidate’s judgment and decision-making skills.
Unlike memorization-based certification credentials, SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP measure an HR professional's ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations. These are competency-based HR certifications based upon the core set of competencies and knowledge outlined in the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge ™ (SHRM BASK™).
Following each administration of the SHRM certification exams, in accordance with guidance from the SHRM Certification Commission, SHRM publishes the global exam pass rates for the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP. These scores reflect the percentage of examinees across the world who have successfully earned their credentials by passing the relevant exams.
Exam Period | SHRM-CP Pass Rate | SHRM-SCP Pass Rate |
May - July 2022 | 65% | 46% |
Dec. 2021 - Feb 2022 | 64% | 44% |
May - July 2021 | 67% | 47% |
Participant pass rates from Dr. Painchaud's course far exceeded the SHRM global pass rate average.
For prep courses offered through HRAGC since Spring 2017, Dr. Painchaud has facilitated average pass rates of over 90% for the SHRM-CP and 92% for the SHRM-SCP. This is credited to the approach, additional content specifically developed in conjunction with the SHRM Learning System® , and test taking techniques Maria shares with her participants.
The study group meets virtually via GoToMeeting. This seminar is comprised of live sessions; this is NOT considered an online course. The schedule for the study prep seminar will be comprised of 10 sessions in an executive format to maximize the learning experience. Dates of the seminar are purposefully scheduled to allow for maximum preparation for participants. The seminar sessions will end ahead of the beginning of a testing window. SHRM Testing windows occur twice per year: May-July and December-February.
Examples of seminar schedule:
Session |
Day |
Time |
Session I |
Friday |
3:30-6:45 pm |
Sessions II & III |
Saturday |
8:45am – 12 noon |
Session IV |
Friday |
3:30-6:45 pm |
Sessions V & VI |
Saturday |
8:45am – 12 noon |
Session VII |
Friday |
3:30-6:45 pm |
Sessions VIII & IX |
Saturday |
8:45 am – 12 noon |
Session X |
Friday |
3:30-6:45 pm |
Session | Day | Time |
Session I & II | Friday |
8:45am – 12 noon |
Session III & IV | Monday |
8:45am – 12 noon |
Session V & VI | Friday |
8:45am – 12 noon |
Session VII &VIII |
Monday |
8:45am – 12 noon |
Session X | Friday |
8:45am – 12 noon |
I first took this prep course with Maria early in my career in 2017 to obtain my SHRM-CP, which was not too long after graduating from SNHU, where I was lucky to learn from Maria in her organizational leadership and HR-related courses on campus. This prep course was integral to providing me with the necessary information to navigate the SHRM exam while also learning applicable concepts for my role as an HR administrator at the time. Now I’m an HR manager and decided it was time to utilize this prep course again to prepare for my SHRM-SCP and re-learn the content in a more strategic way. Thanks to Maria’s expertise and knowledge, I feel accomplished in what I know and how to apply it in my career moving forward!
- Sarah R, SHRM-SCP, December 2022
I took the SHRM prep course with Maria. She was a fantastic teacher. She went above and beyond time and time again. I successfully passed the SHRM exam, and I know Maria played an integral part in that. I’d highly recommend her.
-Shelby W, SHRM-CP April 2018