Free Practice Test
Free PHR Practice Test
Take our free 10-question HRCI PHR practice test — covering U.S. employment law, FLSA recordkeeping, agency-to-statute matching, comp strategy, and employee relations. No signup required. See your score instantly.
10 Free PHR (Professional in Human Resources) Practice Questions
Q1. PHR hr as strategic partner item 1: Which answer best describes SWOT analysis in professional HR practice?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
SWOT analysis helps HR align workforce initiatives to internal capabilities and external conditions. This topic appears in the HRCI PHR body of knowledge and related SHRM-CP competencies. HR should apply the concept consistently, document decisions, and avoid state-specific assumptions for national exam questions.
Q2. PHR metric item 101: Recruiting spent $3,250 internally and $8,300 externally for 9 hires. What is cost per hire?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: $1,283
Cost per hire = (internal recruiting costs + external recruiting costs) / number of hires. (3,250 + 8,300) / 9 = $1,283. This metric supports HR budgeting and recruiting efficiency analysis.
Q3. PHR workforce planning item 201: Which answer best describes supply analysis in professional HR practice?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: evaluates current talent availability, skills inventory, and succession pipeline
Supply analysis examines internal and external labor availability for needed skills. This topic appears in the HRCI PHR body of knowledge and related SHRM-CP competencies. HR should apply the concept consistently, document decisions, and avoid state-specific assumptions for national exam questions.
Q4. PHR selection and interviewing item 301: Which answer best describes behavioral interview in professional HR practice?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: uses past behavior to predict future performance
Behavioral interviewing often follows the STAR framework: situation, task, action, result. This topic appears in the HRCI PHR body of knowledge and related SHRM-CP competencies. HR should apply the concept consistently, document decisions, and avoid state-specific assumptions for national exam questions.
Q5. PHR training design and delivery item 401: Which answer best describes Kirkpatrick Level 2 in professional HR practice?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: measures whether learning occurred
Level 2 uses tests, demonstrations, or assessments to determine learning. This topic appears in the HRCI PHR body of knowledge and related SHRM-CP competencies. HR should apply the concept consistently, document decisions, and avoid state-specific assumptions for national exam questions.
Q6. PHR compensation strategy item 501: Which answer best describes lag-the-market pay strategy in professional HR practice?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: sets pay below market while competing through other rewards
A lag strategy may control cost but can increase turnover if not offset by other value. This topic appears in the HRCI PHR body of knowledge and related SHRM-CP competencies. HR should apply the concept consistently, document decisions, and avoid state-specific assumptions for national exam questions.
Q7. PHR FLSA item 601: How long must employers generally retain payroll records under federal FLSA recordkeeping rules?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: Three years
The FLSA of 1938 requires employers to keep payroll records generally for three years. Some supporting wage computation records have different retention periods. PHR questions commonly test the three-year payroll recordkeeping rule.
Q8. PHR law item 701: Which agency primarily enforces the IRCA of 1986 for private-sector employment discrimination issues?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: DOJ and DHS
The IRCA of 1986 is primarily enforced by DOJ and DHS for the covered employment issue. OSHA enforces workplace safety under the OSHA Act of 1970, while the NLRB enforces the NLRA of 1935. Matching agencies to statutes is a core PHR competency.
Q9. PHR employee relations practices item 801: Which answer best describes open-door policy in professional HR practice?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: encourages employees to raise concerns through management or HR
Open-door policies can surface issues early but still require documented, consistent follow-up. This topic appears in the HRCI PHR body of knowledge and related SHRM-CP competencies. HR should apply the concept consistently, document decisions, and avoid state-specific assumptions for national exam questions.
Q10. PHR OSHA item 901: Which statement best explains OSHA 300 log for workplace safety compliance?Show answer
✓ Correct Answer: records work-related injuries and illnesses meeting recordability criteria
OSHA recordkeeping rules under the OSHA Act of 1970 use the OSHA 300 log for recordable injuries and illnesses. OSHA enforces federal workplace safety requirements and may issue serious, willful, repeat, or other-than-serious citations. PHR items often distinguish safety recordkeeping from EEO or benefits compliance.
What Does the PHR Exam Cover?
The HRCI PHR (Professional in Human Resources) exam tests the operational and tactical side of HR across five functional areas: Business Management, Talent Planning and Acquisition, Learning and Development, Total Rewards, and Employee and Labor Relations. U.S. employment law threads through every area — FLSA (wages, overtime, recordkeeping), FMLA (leave), ADA (accommodation), Title VII (discrimination), ERISA, IRCA, and the NLRA — and the exam leans heavily on Employee and Labor Relations and Talent Planning. Many items are situational, asking you to apply the correct statute or HR practice to a workplace scenario rather than simply recall a definition.
How Hard Is the PHR Exam?
The PHR is considered difficult, with a first-attempt pass rate around 56 percent. The most common reason candidates fail is the sheer breadth of U.S. employment law and situational questions that require applying the law, not just reciting it — knowing which statute (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII) governs a given fact pattern. You must also meet HRCI education-and-experience eligibility before you can sit for the exam. Most candidates study 6 to 10 weeks.
How to Study for the PHR Exam
- 1.Master U.S. employment law first — Learn which statute governs which situation: FLSA for wages, overtime, and payroll recordkeeping; FMLA for leave; ADA for accommodation; Title VII for discrimination. Law threads through all five functional areas and drives the situational questions.
- 2.Match agencies to statutes — Know that the EEOC enforces Title VII/ADA, the DOL and Wage and Hour Division enforce FLSA/FMLA, the NLRB enforces the NLRA, OSHA enforces workplace safety, and DOJ/DHS handle IRCA. Agency-to-statute items are common PHR points.
- 3.Drill the tactical HR content — The PHR emphasizes operational HR: recruiting and selection, behavioral interviewing (STAR), compensation basics (lead, match, and lag strategies), benefits, and employee relations. Learn common HR metrics like cost per hire and turnover.
- 4.Memorize key numbers and retention rules — Federal recordkeeping periods (FLSA payroll records are generally kept three years), OSHA 300 log recordability, and I-9 requirements show up regularly. Precise numbers are testable.
- 5.Practice situational questions under timed conditions — PHR items are scenario-based and require applying rules. Use practice tests to find your weakest functional area, then drill scenarios there until you consistently clear 75 to 80 percent.
Keep studying — free, no signup
Drill the five functional areas or review employment-law essentials — no signup.
Ready for the full PHR path?
Keep practicing in your browser
You just tested the question style. Next, drill employment law, FLSA and FMLA, compensation, and employee relations across all five functional areas in web practice.
Web access unlocks browser study only. Native apps are separate for offline mobile study.