You have three browser tabs open. One forum thread says the assessment is mostly short factual questions. A video comment insists it is entirely roleplay. A blog post, undated and unsourced, gives a very confident question count. All three can’t be right, and you’re not sure any of them is. If you are searching for the C_THR86_2605 Exam Format, the most useful thing to learn first isn’t a number. It’s a method for telling published facts from folklore.
This guide shows that method for SAP SuccessFactors Compensation candidates, then connects it to the subject knowledge the assessment is built around, using a fictional example.
TL;DR
You’ll learn how to check the assessment format against SAP’s own pages, which details SAP currently publishes and which it doesn’t, and how to keep a simple verification log. You’ll also review the compensation concepts a candidate should recognize and try three original practice questions. The goal is a study plan built on confirmed facts, with unknowns clearly marked as unknown.
Why Compensation Knowledge Still Comes First
Format matters, but it’s only a container. What goes inside is an understanding of why organizations plan pay the way they do. They need to decide who is included in a pay review, how much money is available, what guidance managers follow and who approves exceptions. A compensation solution gives that process structure so decisions are consistent and explainable.
SAP’s certification page says the exam verifies fundamental knowledge of SAP SuccessFactors Compensation and shows a candidate can apply it in projects under an experienced consultant’s guidance. It also describes the qualification as entry level for SAP partner consultants. Whatever the format turns out to be, that’s the knowledge being assessed.
Terms Worth Recognizing
Two vocabularies matter here, and it helps to keep them apart.
Compensation terms (general concepts):
- Eligibility: who takes part in a pay cycle.
- Budget: the money available.
- Guidelines: guidance that shapes recommended amounts.
- Approval route: who reviews and confirms decisions.
- Base pay change versus one-time payment: ongoing versus single-instance money.
Assessment terms (exam facts):
- Scenario based assessment: an assessment built around described situations rather than isolated facts.
- Attempt: one use of your allowance to sit the exam.
- Pass score: the percentage you need.
- Version: the release of the exam you’ll be sitting.
Compensation terms help you reason. Assessment terms tell you how you’ll be asked to reason. Mixing them up is where guessing begins.
A Four-Step Routine for Verifying the Format
Step 1: Start at the official certification page
Open the SAP certification page and read it slowly. Treat it as the source of truth, and treat everything else as a lead to check against it.
Step 2: Follow the preparation resources SAP links
SAP’s page points to a technical readiness checklist, an introduction to scenario based assessments, a tool for practicing the assessment style and the learning journey “Configuring SAP SuccessFactors Compensation.” These are SAP-owned and worth more than any secondhand description.
Step 3: Note what is stated and what is silent
Write two lists: things SAP states plainly, and things it doesn’t. Silence isn’t permission to guess. It’s a prompt to look for an official answer or to leave the item marked unknown.
Step 4: Re-check before you book
Exams change. Re-read the page when you schedule your attempt, not just when you start studying.
What SAP’s Page Currently Publishes
At the time of writing, the page lists:
- The code C_THR86. Note that the page shows it without the “_2605” suffix, so check the exam booking details to see which version applies to your attempt.
- One activity, described as a scenario based assessment.
- A duration of 2 hours.
- A 60% pass score.
- A note that the next version of the exam should be available in mid-December 2026.
- A heading stating that available languages vary by format, listing formats such as roleplay with AI guidance and recorded video, with different language options.
- A need for a Learning Hub subscription that includes exam attempts, plus a valid SAP Universal ID. Subscription attempts and exam attempts are shown separately.
What the page doesn’t say in the text I reviewed is just as useful: it gives no question or task count, no per-task time limits and no breakdown of how topics are weighted. If another site presents these as fact, ask where it got them. If it can’t point to an SAP source, leave them blank in your log.
A Worked Example: Bluefin Marine Services (Fictional)
Bluefin Marine Services is an invented company with about 300 office staff and 200 seasonal crew. It runs one annual salary review for office staff and a separate summer payment for crew. This example is made up for teaching and doesn’t depict SAP screens or settings.
Bluefin’s finance team sets a 3.5% budget for the salary review. Seasonal crew aren’t included in it. Managers receive guidance linking recommendations to performance. Anything above the suggested range goes to a director. The summer payment follows its own rules and doesn’t change anyone’s base pay.
Reading it through compensation concepts: eligibility excludes crew from the salary review, the budget limits the total, guidelines steer the split, and approvals handle exceptions. The two plans differ in who is included and in what type of payment they make.
Now apply the verification mindset. Suppose a Bluefin consultant is told, “The system handles seasonal staff automatically.” A careful reader would ask: what does the requirement say, and where would we confirm how the product supports it? The answer is SAP’s documentation, not an assumption. Exam preparation follows the same pattern.
A sample verification log
Keep a short note like this for the format, in your own words:
- Format: scenario based assessment (source: SAP certification page, checked on the date you read it).
- Duration: 2 hours (same source).
- Pass score: 60% (same source).
- Number of tasks: not stated on the page I read, so to be confirmed.
- Version: check booking page, since a newer version is expected in mid-December 2026.
Each line has a source and a date, or an honest “unknown.” That’s all it takes to separate facts from rumors.
A Supporting Video
The video below was supplied as optional extra viewing. We haven’t reviewed its contents for this article, so please compare anything it says with SAP’s own pages, particularly anything about format.
Check Your Understanding: Three Original Practice Questions
These are original practice questions for learning. They’re not actual, recalled or official SAP exam questions, and practice results don’t predict or guarantee an outcome.
Question 1. A blog claims the assessment has exactly 40 questions. SAP’s page doesn’t state a number. What should you do?
Answer and reasoning: Treat the figure as unverified and mark it unknown in your log. Check SAP’s official preparation resources, and don’t build your timing plan on an unsourced number.
Question 2. Bluefin’s summer payment for crew doesn’t change base salary. Is that a base pay change or a one-time payment?
Answer and reasoning: A one-time payment. It’s paid once and leaves ongoing salary untouched, which is why Bluefin can manage it under separate rules.
Question 3. A manager can’t find a seasonal crew member in the salary-review planning list. What’s the first concept to check?
Answer and reasoning: Eligibility. Seasonal crew aren’t included in that plan under Bluefin’s rules, so absence from the list may be correct, not a fault.
Key Takeaways
- Treat SAP’s pages as the source of truth for format, and keep a dated log.
- Separate general compensation concepts from assessment facts.
- Mark unknowns as unknown. Don’t fill gaps with confident-sounding guesses.
- Confirm the version you’ll sit, because SAP notes a newer one is expected.
Short FAQ
Is the format fixed forever?
Not necessarily. SAP’s page mentions an upcoming version, so re-check before booking.
Can I rely on practice resources to predict the format?
Only SAP-owned descriptions can. Third-party material may help you practice reasoning, but it can’t confirm format.
Where do I start studying content?
With SAP’s learning journey for the certification, using the vocabulary above as scaffolding.
Conclusion
Knowing the format isn’t about collecting trivia. It’s about reducing uncertainty so your energy can go where it counts: understanding compensation concepts well enough to reason through unfamiliar scenarios. Start today by creating your verification log and filling in only what you can source. For more learner-focused resources to use alongside SAP’s own materials, The Exam Questions is a place you can continue.
