The PHR & SPHR Exams

As you prepare to take your PHR/SPHR exam, it's important to understand how many questions you will have to answer, what the allotted time will be, what format the questions will be in, and what content the exam covers. Here are some facts about the exam that might be helpful.

The PHR & SPHR exams are:

• Based on U.S. federal laws, regulations and practices.
• Generalist in nature (i.e., they assess all the functional areas of the HR field).

They differ, however, in terms of focus and the cognitive level of questions.

• PHR questions tend to be at an operational/technical level.
• SPHR questions tend to be more at the strategic and/or policy level.

Exam questions on both exams reflect the most recently published body of knowledge.


PHR/SPHR Exam Format:

• 225 multiple-choice questions from six functional areas
• 200 of the questions are scored; 25 are being evaluated
• Scaled score of 500/700 required to pass
• Four hour time limit

Functional Area	PHR	SPHR
Strategic Management	12%	29%
Workforce Planning & Employment	26%	17%
Human Resource Development	17%	17%
Total Rewards	16%	12%
Employee & Labor Relations	22%	18%
Risk Management	7%	7%

Question Format:

• Each item has a stem and four alternatives
• Three alternatives are called distractors (plausible, but incorrect)
• You are to choose the BEST of the four alternatives

As you study, pay attention to words or phrases like BEST, MOST LIKELY, PRIMARY, and FIRST. These words will help you identify best practices and improve your chances of picking the most correct answers on the exam.