50 PHR SPHR SHRM-CP SHRM-SCP Study Practice Questions For Free!!!

Hi guys, as I mentioned on LinkedIn, I have been working on PHR/SPHR/SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP practice questions for study purposes.

Give or take, the study questions (I prefer to call my questions "study questions" because these are not simulation tests, the answers are clearly visible on each question and the aim is to help the candidate register correct answers over time) will be 500 or more.
We will see how that goes : ).

I decided to share 50 study questions for FREE in this post to give you guys a feel of how I structured the questions and also provide a free resource for PHR candidates.

I would love to hear if these questions helped you in your preparation, even if it was a teeny bit :). Remember, the answer to each question is underlined. Good luck!

50 PHR Study/Practice Questions.

1. Disparate impact means?

a. when a women is required to take tests that men are not required to.

b. When an Asian is assumed to be smarter than an Hispanic.

c. Seemingly fair practices that have an adverse effect on a protected class.

d. The legal right to ask an employee to resign, with or without reason.

2. All of these are true about an HR audit except;

1. It determines the HR practices to continue or discontinue.
2. It is a key means of measuring HR effectiveness.
3. It positions HR as a business partner.
4. It is not effective when outsourced.

3. Discriminatory hiring actions can be justified under Title VII in which of these;

1. Legitimate peer analysis
2. Discriminatory hiring actions are not allowed under Title VII
3. Influence on corporate leadership
4. Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (BFOQ)

4. An example of lobbying is;

1. A member of congress sponsors a bill
2. A nonprofit personnel finds a sponsor for a bill.
3. A congress committee conducts an approval for a bill.
4. A senator seeks presidential backing on a bill.

5. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is all these except;

1. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs run by state agencies only.
2. Covers federal contractors with contracts of $10,000+.
3. Requires federal information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities.
4. Prohibits federal employers from discriminating against qualified people with disabilities.

6. The RTT corporation is being investigated for discriminatory recruitment practices. The company HRIS will be helpful to;

1. Provide trends and ratio analyses of the company’s promotion processes.
2. Provide data related to the corporation’s affirmative action processes.
3. Provide summary comparison of promotion forecast.
4. Publish data on the EEO-1 and OFCCP compliance forms.

7. The ADAAA defined disability as an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The following are correct under the ADAAA except;

1. Specified that disability includes any impairment that is in remission if it will substantially limit a life activity when active.
2. Reasonable accommodation must be provided for individuals who have substance abuse issues.
3. Prohibits consideration of ameliorative effects of mitigating measures when assessing an impairment.
4. Major life activities is expanded to include major bodily functions.

8. Company TIC has embarked on a survey on customer satisfaction with their detergent range. This survey was sent to 3,000 of the current estimate of 5,000 customers. Company TIC is using;

1. A sample.
2. A distribution.
3. A prerequisite population
4. The top customers.

9. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) stipulates the following except;

1. The ADEA overrides the procedures of hiring of firefighters and police officers.
2. Prohibits discrimination against persons 40 years of age or older.
3. The ADEA applies to businesses with more than 20 employees.
4. Waiver of rights must include a period of 21 days to review the waiver.

10. The following will be assessed in an HR audit except;

1. Strategic planning.
2. Benefits and compensation
3. FLSA compliance.
4. HRIS system.

11. The following are incorrect under the ADEA except;

1. Waivers of rights and waivers involving exits have the same considerations
2. The ADEA protects against discharge or discipline for just cause
3. Waivers on exits or termination require 45 days to consider the agreement
4. ADEA does not provide for BFOQs to the business operations

12. A senior manager informs his mum that a top product will be introduced by his company and based on this information, his mum buys stock in the company. What ethical violation has occurred?

1. Fiduciary mismanagement.
2. Conflict of interest.
3. Position abuse.
4. Insider trading.

13.  A type of budgeting where executives begin with a clear slate and must justify expenses is called;

1. Historical budgeting.
2. Zero-based budgeting.
3. Formula-based budgeting.
4. Correlation budgeting.

14.Title VII of 1964 identified five protected classes, these are

1. Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Tribe
2. Color, Gender, Religion, Race, National origin
3. Religion, Sexuality, Gender, Religion, Country
4. National Origin, Sex, Color, Class, Religion

15. The information technology department in organisations are seen as strategic partners majorly due to;

1. Outsourcing technology has prohibitive costs.
2. Technology employees can train the entire organisation.
3. Technology employees can enrich the organisation by developing softwares.
4. Technology can serve as a competitive advantage for an organisation.

16. This are all true about FEPA except;

1. FEPA means Fair Employment Practices Agencies.
2. FEPA are agencies of the states to enforce EEO legislation
3. FEPA decisions override EEOC decisions
4. Individuals may file with either FEPA or EEOC.

17. What is the preferred method for a HR Professional to protect a company against HR-related risks?

1. Obtain employment practices liability insurance.
2. Request for an OFCCP inspection.
3. Educate staff about risk avoidance.
4. Create an environment of accountability.

18. Reasonable accommodation requires that;

1. Provision of accessible facilities to persons with disabilities
2. Job requirements be adjusted to accommodate qualified persons with disabilities
3. Provide vision enabling technology for employees
4. A & B

19. Which of these structures will be appropriate for a company whose sales come from 4 key commodities?

1. Floorboard structure.
2. Hierarchical structure.
3. Product-based structure.
4. Functional structure.

20. The Surge Company has declared that accommodation for an electronic wheelchair with laser technology for a disabled employee constitutes an “undue hardship”. What is an undue hardship?

1. An accommodation that is of huge cost.
2. An accommodation that places an excessive burden on the employer.
3. An accommodation that due to size is impossible to provide.
4. An accommodation that impacts the financial resources of the organization.

21. The most frequent OSHA violation citation is in;

1. Construction.
2. Maritime.
3. Textile.
4. Whistleblower.

22. The EEOC primarily regulates compliance of the following except;

1. Age
2. Genetic Information
3. Pregnancy
4. Affirmative Action

23. Employee pension rights are protected by which of the following acts or regulations?

1. OFCCP.
2. USERRA.
3. Sherman Antitrust Act.
4. ADEA.

24. Rita participated in an employment discrimination proceeding which ended in a $10,000 fine for the company Rita works with. After 2 months, Rita was fired for insubordination. Under which of the following can Rita file a charge to the EEOC?

1. Discrimination
2. Harassment
3. Whistleblower protection
4. Retaliation

25. An inventory management system which states “purchase smaller amounts of supplies frequently” is called;

1. SMART inventory.
2. Just-in-time inventory.
3. Restrictive inventory.
4. Blanket inventory.

26. Which of these is an example of “Reverse Discrimination”?

1. When a staff uses the EEOC to discriminate against an employer
2. When the EEOC is found culpable in a discrimination charge.
3. When staff without disability use the ADA to file claims because disabled individuals receive favourable employment actions
4. When individuals can demonstrate that their employers have ignored the mitigating measure doctrine.

27.  Determining the job requirements of a position for the purpose of defining exemption status is known as;

1. Job exposition.
2. Duties test.
3. Criterion validity.
4. Constructive validity.

28. ADA compliance includes;

1. Engaging in an interactive process with disabled individuals on treatment of ailments.
2. Engaging with other employees on accommodating the excesses of disabled individuals.
3. Engaging and interacting with disabled individuals on requests of reasonable accommodation.
4. Pampering disabled individuals to enable ameliorate issues with major life activities.

29. Some employees have been acting disgruntled and having private conversations in the break room. What is likely happening?

1. An upcoming strike.
2. Union organizing.
3. Yellow dog contracts.
4. Union pre-election activities.

30. When some employees on the 3rd shift are paid $0.50 more than employees on other shift, this is known as;

1. Hazard pay.
2. Pay differential.
3. Shift pay.
4. Duration pay.

31. The Griggs vs Duke Power case in 1971 applies to the following except;

1. The case established that the black employees in the USA always earned the least.
2. Job requirement must be shown to be job-related in order to be lawful.
3. Discrimination doesn’t need to be intentional to exist.
4. The white employees who didn’t have high-school diplomas performed well on the job.

32. All these are environmental hazards except?

1. Pesticious hazards.
2. Workplace hazards.
3. Electrical explosions.
4. Gas breakages.

33. All these are true about employment test validity except;

1. Tests that have an adverse impact on a protected class are lawful if they are valid predictors of success on the job.
2. Tests must be job-related and valid predictors of job performance.
3. Subjective supervisor rankings are not sufficient for criterion validation.
4. Tests that have racist implications have been expunged by law.

34. Wages are to base pay as incentives are to?

1. Bonuses.
2. Variable pay.
3. Direct funding.
4. Indirect compensation.

35. These legislations are enforced by these agencies except;

1. Civil Rights - EEOC
2. Polygraph - Department of Labour (DOL)
3. Privacy - Department of Justice (DOJ)
4. Mass Layoffs - EEOC

36. There is a mildly injured employee that seems qualified to complete some job functions, which of the following Return-To-Work (RTW) strategies should HR recommend?

1. An independent medical exam.
2. Modified duty.
3. Quality Management.
4. Clerical tasks.

37. The EEOC is to Equal Employment as the FLSA is to

1. 12 weeks leave.
2. Minimum wage.
3. Affirmative Action.
4. Age discrimination.

38.  What is asynchronous training?

1. Website information training.
2. Boardroom computer training.
3. Self-paced training requiring computer control timing protocol.
4. Rated training.

39. The EEOA (Equal Employment Opportunity Act) of 1972 established the following except;

1. Created an Affirmative Action Plan for FEPA agencies..
2. Provides litigation authority to the EEOC.
3. Extended coverage of Title VII to educational institutions, federal, state & local government.
4. Reduced the employer coverage of the EEOC from 25 to 15 required employees.

40. The SEC requires public companies to disclose the compensation of how many executives?

1. 7.
2. 5.
3. All board executives.
4. The top 3 executives.

41. Rita has taken her employers to court on the basis that the Company doesn’t provide a retirement plan. Based on which legislation does Rita have a case?

1. EEOC.
2. COBRA.
3. ERISA.
4. Retirement benefits are not required by federal law.

42. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) stipulates the following except;

1. The act prohibits genetic information discrimination in employment.
2. Strictly limits the disclosure of genetic information
3. The act penalizes employers for inadvertently obtaining genetic information.
4. Genetic information may be disclosed to employers if it doesn’t identify specific employees.

43. Which court case established that union members have a right to representation at meetings where discipline may occur?

1. Griggs v. Duke Company.
2. NLRB v. J.Weingarten, Inc.
3. NLRB v. Davis.
4. NLRB v. Nissan Inc.

44. Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA) applies to the following except;

1. Applies to federal contractors or subcontractors with contracts of $25,000 or more.
2. Requires federal contractors to list certain job openings with state employment agencies
3. VEVRAA has exceptions of senior-level management positions, positions filled from within and positions lasting 3 days or less.
4. All VEVRAA positions must be published in the Federal Register of Veterans.

45. Decertification means;

1. When employees call for an election for a change in management.
2. When employees call for an election so the union can represent them.
3. When employees call for an election so the union no longer represents them.
4. When a contract bar is deauthorized.

46. Executive orders are best defined as;

1. Presidential proclamations through the Congress which become law after 20 days.
2. Presidential proclamations that ensure equal employment opportunities.
3. Presidential proclamations published in the Federal Register.
4. Presidential proclamations published in the Federal Register which become law after 30 days.

47. A legislative committee is set up to do which of the following;

1. To sponsor a bill.
2. To study and determine if a bill will get a pass vote by Congress.
3. To engage lobbyists before bills are submitted to Congress.
4. To support the passage of a bill.

48. Executive orders relating to equal employment issues are enforced by the;

1. EEOC
2. OFCCP
3. DOL
4. DOJ

49. Total Quality Management is an intervention that focuses on;

1. Employee needs.
2. Reduce waste.
3. Revenue generation.
4. Customer needs.

50. The Executive Orders below relates to the following issues except;

1. Executive Order 11246 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color or national origin.
2. Executive Order 11375 - Expanded coverage for protected classes to include discrimination based on sex.
3. Executive Order 12138 - added the “status of parent” to the list of protected classes.
4. Executive Order 13087 - Expanded coverage to include sexual orientation

That's it guys. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. 
I wish you success!

PHR SPHR HR Certification Exam Success Secrets.

Hi guys :) Long time no see! Anyway :) I want to share the following PHR SPHR Success Secrets for the candidate who intends to pass on the first try:

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.

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;

1. Age
2. Genetic Information
3. Pregnancy
4. 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%.

 

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?"

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 :)

PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP Real-Time Practice Test - Over 100 Questions. Cost = $5

Hello All!

Hello All!


Below is the paid version of the Real-Time PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP Practice Test.

There are over 100 questions currently and the test costs $5.

Payment is made via PayPal so you can be sure your payment information is secure.

All the best!

PHR, SPHR, GPHR Recertification Guide.

Congratulations!!! You are now a certified HR Professional! 

However, if your certification is from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) you are required to renew your certification every 3 years.

So for me, I passed the PHR in 2015 and I am required to go through the recertification process by 2018 which is then valid for the next 3 years and on and on. My PHR certification is valid for 3 years after my test date. If I intend to remain certified, I must earn 60 recertification credits over the 3 years cycle or retake the exam.

How then do you recertify?

- Complete HR professional development / achievement activities that relate to the HR Body of Knowledge.  These HR-related activities include;

1. Seminars, webinars, courses (online or in-house), online materials, conferences etc.
2. Work programs, presentations, HR volunteering, HR research or maintaining an HR membership.

- Retake the HRCI certification exam (obviously this is the least preferred!)

HRCI links that will provide more information on the recertification process are listed below;

What Is Recertification?
Recertification Resources
Reporting Your Recertification Credits
Submitting Your Recertification Application

My recertification process was pretty smooth. I decided to take pre-approved courses from www.study.com. I took about 3 or 4 courses (and answered all quizzes) which added up to 60 credits. If you want to go this route, you will have to register for their premium account which costs $59.99. please check this link for more information on Study.com HRCI Recertification Courses and Credits. 

A cheaper alternative is to make a list of HR-related activities you have engaged in after testing and submit. Remember, you will be required to provide evidence by an upload or an activity ID as I did with the study.com courses.

One last information, HRCI charges $150 for recertification fees as at early 2017 when I completed the process so do keep that in mind as well.

I hope this helps and congratulations again!

Disclaimer: all images belong to HRCI.