1. The Study Guide I recommend for the PHR exam is PHR SPHR Study Guide by Sandra Reed. I used the 2012 edition which was authored with Anne Bogardus but the 2018 edition is also a great guide. There are several study guides on the market but IMO, this is the best so far. It is also the most affordable option.
(Practice Questions are just as important as any study guide, if not more. Be sure to practice thousands of questions, review, and retake several times. I aimed to hit 90% because I intended to pass on the first try. I think you should do the same :) )
2. There are several Apps for the PHR exam. The most widely known is called Pocket Prep. However, I used an app on Google play by Upward Mobility, I believe it is called SPHR/PHR Exam Prep or something like that. I bought it for $6. It has over 200 practice questions and explanations which was an affordable resource for my preparation.
For every federal legislation, there are requirements.
Do you know the EEOC applies to companies with 15 employees and above but this was previously 25 employees and above in 1964?
Can E-Verify save your company from the fear of not abiding by the legal requirements that back the Form I-9?
This is so important, (I feel like I say this in every sentence, lol). Apply the knowledge you gain (even if its by making up case studies in your head or googling them). By all means, memorize the important stuff but more importantly, understand the rationale behind the HR policies, practices and procedures.
I am an online PHR Tutor.
This blog is a free resource to help PHR candidates pass the exam AT ONCE. I can be contacted by mail at phrcertify@gmail.com. I wish you success!
3. For those that tilt towards Online Courses, I will recommend the David Siler Exam Prep. I did not use this resource myself but I have heard good things about it. It is the most pricey option at $425 but has the advantage of a course that prepares you for the HRCI exams and SHRM exams. Check it out if you can afford it.
4. I tried to avoid information paralysis while studying so I advise that you pick the study guide by Sandra Reed/Bogardus and purchase the practice exam books, then START studying. Don't buy like 4 or 5 study guides and end up reading/studying none intensively.
5. The PHR exam requires practical knowledge, so always think of how the EEOC affects recruitment; how COBRA and HIPAA affects Health Insurance; what OSHA regulation is relevant to your workplace etc. Seriously, your PHR study actually becomes interesting when you seek out how each law can be applied in the corporate world.
6. I know it seems too simple but Youtube Videos were essential to my knowledge of the exam material and its application. I had all my HR experience outside the USA and a week after arriving here, I registered for the PHR exams, so I understand the culture shock of how HR is practiced here compared to other countries but any diligent HR practitioner can pass the PHR, trust me.
(I began a Youtube Channel on resources to pass the PHR SPHR SHRM-CP, and SHRM-SCP Exams. Tons and tons of free resources are on there. You should also consider joining the membership which has exclusive resourceful content. Remember to Like and Subscribe!)
7. Stop believing that the PHR is a difficult exam. It only requires intensive study and practical understanding of HR as practiced in the USA. If I can pass it, you can.
8. Know your labor laws and HR regulatory bodies and their requirements. When you see EEOC, OFCCP, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, HIPAA, COBRA and OSHA or Weingarten, it should ring a clear bell to you. You don't need to cram but you need to understand these laws. So do what works, repetition breeds expertise; read and speak these laws again and again.
9. Get a tutor if you need one. I am a PHR SPHR tutor and I will recommend a tutor for busy individuals, HR practitioners outside the USA, and candidates that need the discipline to stick to a study process that a tutor offers. If its all getting too much for you, get a tutor.
10. Get a maximum of 2 really good study guides (book and audio) and then hundreds (if possible, thousands) of practice questions that explain the alternatives, not just the answers. I truly believe that the extra effort I put in to understand the alternatives (a. b. c. d.) of each practice question helped boost my chances of success. This is an example of what I am talking about. Below is a sample practice question;
a. The EEOC regulates compliance of the following except;
- Age
- Genetic Information
- Pregnancy
- Affirmative Action
So the idea is to understand what the EEOC is, then understand the law that relates to Age (ADAAA), to Genetic information (GINA), Pregnancy (Pregnancy Discrimination Act) and Affirmative Action (OFCCP) not just knowing the answer is D.
This made each practice question a study session for me and it is kinda tedious but studying this way significantly increased my understanding of the 6 exam areas. I encourage you to try it as well.
11. Be diligent and disciplined with your study plan. Have a study plan that spans across 4 months. Be tough on yourself and get up to study, set a shrill alarm tone that will wake you up to study. You need to earn the PHR and there is no other way than diligence, sacrifice and discipline.
12. Get a study partner or form/join a study group. Even if you can't find someone taking the exam, convert a friend to your accountability partner. Let their job be to ask if you have followed your study plan, let them ask you practice questions (doesn't matter if they don't understand, you do!). My point is, don't isolate your PHR study. Actually, you can and should actively form a virtual study group. Someone, somewhere around the world is taking the PHR. LinkedIn/Facebook groups are a great resource for determining potential virtual study partners.
13. Understand that not all PHR SPHR functional areas are created equal. So the 5 PHR functional areas have weightings. This is important, stay with me here. So look at the list below;
Functional Area Weights By Percentage PHR || SPHR.
a. Business Management || Leadership & Strategy - 20% || 40%
b. Talent Planning and Acquisition - 16% || 16%
c. Learning & Development - 10% || 12%
d. Total Rewards - 15% || 12%
e. Employee & Labor Relations || Employee Relations & Engagement - 39% || 20%
Now, if I like a functional area with a low weight that will profit me nothing! Understand that after a general study of all the functional areas, take your time to intensively study the functional areas with weights from 18% and above. This is critical, let the percentage weights determine how much study you put in. Study strategically.
14. Simulate the exam as often as you can.
For the PHR, you will be taking 115 questions in 2 hours (For the SPHR, it is 140 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes). Get PHR practice questions that can imitate the test, timing and all. Don't wait to do this at the last minute. I made sure that for every 3 days that I studied, I took the test simulation. Obviously, my test scores initially were really low, but words and patterns began to register in my brain of what will be required and how much more I had to prepare. This fired me up to study as I was intent on getting to my pass percentage of 90%.
13. Understand that not all PHR SPHR functional areas are created equal. So the 5 PHR functional areas have weightings. This is important, stay with me here. So look at the list below;
Functional Area Weights By Percentage PHR || SPHR.
a. Business Management || Leadership & Strategy - 20% || 40%
b. Talent Planning and Acquisition - 16% || 16%
c. Learning & Development - 10% || 12%
d. Total Rewards - 15% || 12%
e. Employee & Labor Relations || Employee Relations & Engagement - 39% || 20%
Now, if I like a functional area with a low weight that will profit me nothing! Understand that after a general study of all the functional areas, take your time to intensively study the functional areas with weights from 18% and above. This is critical, let the percentage weights determine how much study you put in. Study strategically.
14. Simulate the exam as often as you can.
For the PHR, you will be taking 115 questions in 2 hours (For the SPHR, it is 140 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes). Get PHR practice questions that can imitate the test, timing and all. Don't wait to do this at the last minute. I made sure that for every 3 days that I studied, I took the test simulation. Obviously, my test scores initially were really low, but words and patterns began to register in my brain of what will be required and how much more I had to prepare. This fired me up to study as I was intent on getting to my pass percentage of 90%.
15. This exam tests your experiential knowledge - not necessarily your memory. It is based on Federal labor laws not state legislation.
How do you apply knowledge? this is why its important to create scenarios in your brain.
Use a lot of case studies and imagine you are a HR professional and your boss is asking you about the relevance of all these HR procedures, e.g. "why should we post jobs with VEVRAA and are we required to?"
How do you apply knowledge? this is why its important to create scenarios in your brain.
Use a lot of case studies and imagine you are a HR professional and your boss is asking you about the relevance of all these HR procedures, e.g. "why should we post jobs with VEVRAA and are we required to?"
For every federal legislation, there are requirements.
Do you know the EEOC applies to companies with 15 employees and above but this was previously 25 employees and above in 1964?
Can E-Verify save your company from the fear of not abiding by the legal requirements that back the Form I-9?
This is so important, (I feel like I say this in every sentence, lol). Apply the knowledge you gain (even if its by making up case studies in your head or googling them). By all means, memorize the important stuff but more importantly, understand the rationale behind the HR policies, practices and procedures.
Guys, I wish you all the very best but wishes won't help much without intensive study and discipline. Pray as well because God hears and answers prayers :)
I am an online PHR Tutor.
This blog is a free resource to help PHR candidates pass the exam AT ONCE. I can be contacted by mail at phrcertify@gmail.com. I wish you success!