PHR, SPHR, and GPHR Eligibility Requirements Changing
In April I wrote about proposed changes to the PHR and SPHR eligibility requirements. The HR Certification Institute announced today that those changes will take effect in 2011. Beginning with the May-June 2011 test window, the following eligibility requirements will apply:
For the PHR
- 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree
- 2 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
- 1 year of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
For the SPHR
- 7 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree
- 5 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
- 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
For the GPHR
- 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience (with 2 of the 4 being global HR experience) with less than a Bachelor’s degree
- 3 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience (with 2 of the 3 being global HR experience) with a Bachelor’s degree
- 2 years of demonstrated global exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
January 28th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Welcome back!
I just took the exam and passed, and Terri’s information from when she took the exam really helped me to develop a study plan.
I have missed reading your posts!
January 28th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Congratulations, Ben!
And thank you. My hiatus was longer than planned, but I’m glad the archives contained enough information to be helpful. I’ll be updating more frequently now…
January 28th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Ben, congratulations on passing the exam! I’m glad that the information I shared was helpful.
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:54 am
I took and failed the PHR on Saturday, Jan 31, 2009 and feel the SHRM Prep Course DID NOT reflect the exam at all. In my opinion, SHRM misrepresents the course and how to study for the exam. The test questions from the study course did not come close to the exam questions. I am very disappointed in SHRM and how they present the material. I spent money, time and energy preparing for the exam and feel blind sided with the test. After about 15 min into the exam, I got up and asked the administrator to check and make sure I was given the correct test. As the test questions were not at all what SHRM had in the Modules or study guides.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Tim, I’m sorry to hear about your PHR exam results. Many share your frustration. There is a persistent misconception that the SHRM Learning System is the official way to prepare for the PHR and SPHR exams. Truth is, there are not any study materials available that “teach to the test.” The HR Certification Institute does not share specific exam content with anyone, including their SHRM cousins over at the Learning System. Those who prepare study materials don’t have any inside information. They have access only to the information that is provided in the certification handbook–the Test Specifications.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:18 am
I used multiple study aids. I have heard of too many people relying on a single one and failing, and I didn’t want to join that crowd.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Well, Ben, could you suggest some materials? I try to participate in GPHR test in May, and I have not any relative materials besides SHRM issued
March 13th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Laura, Terri, Ben. I invested in SHRM. Please give me some suggestions!!
March 17th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Carrie, here are my suggestions:
- Create a study plan and stick to it.
- Allow for “make-up” days in case something comes up and you get behind.
- Assess how you are doing through practice exams. Review those questions you missed and figure out why you missed them.
- Find someone who can quiz you on concepts. This forces you to explain in your own words (out loud), which will help you (1) remember the concept, and (2) evaluate how well you know it.
- Don’t memorize! Internalize! You will have to apply these concepts not just regurgitate the information.
- Be confident and don’t let the anxiety get the better of you!
Good luck!
May 8th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I took and failed the exam today. I spent an abudnance of time and money on the SHRM course and it was a complete waste of both. The actual test questions were nothing like the practice questions. SHRM Learning System is a misrepresentation of proper preparation for the exam. I wouldn’t recommend it.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I’m taking the GPHR in about a week, wondering what I should read besides the 5 books from SHRM learning system.
May 12th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Cecilia,
Any feedback to your earlier post? I too am preparing to sit for the GPHR in two weeks.
I too am utilizing the revised SHRM Global Learning System.
Thanks.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Hi :
I took the GPHR exam today – 27th May 2009 & failed . Despite toiling for several weeks & test scores ranging between 80 – 90 % , the efforts have not translated into apositive outcome
The exam had very difficult & complicated questions . Some concepts are not covered in the syllabus – checked upon return from the exam …
Please suggest & recommend tips
May 27th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Hi,
I took the GPHR exam on 18th and passed. Overall, I don’t feel the exam is well structured or designed to reflect your true knowledge, but a test of exam taking skills.
I didn’t have the new SHRM learning system software but the new 5 books. That demonstrates that the test questions from the software would not be able to prepare you well for the exam. I read the books twice, which I think is really helpful at the second time. The point is to thoroughly understand and be able to apply the concepts, especially those concepts about the cultural differences.
Last but most importantly, use your instinct for the questions you’re not sure. I marked all the questions I’m not sure during the exam and reviewed them at the end but didn’t change any of them unless I really feel I know the right answer.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:33 am
Hi Cecilia :
You have summarized my dilemma in a succinct manner . I changed close to 15 responses which were marked for review . I guess I introspected too much & changed the responses towards the end – gut feel response is the secret .
The only consolation is that I thoroughly enjoyed the course & have conviction in my preparation & efforts . I am dejected with the end result but that has paved way for a fresh start . Thanks for your insight .
June 1st, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Took the PHR exam today 6/1/09 after teacher had encouraged me to take SPHR exam due to my excelling in the class and exams in the SHRM Prep Course. Quickly within the first bit of the exam, it was clear to me the question format was not simliar in any regard to the question format presented during the class.
Regarding subject matter, I would estimate only 60% was covered in the prep material/class. The remaining 40% was material not covered during the prep course or in the SHRM material.
Regarding question format, I often recognized the concept/application in the question, but when reviewing answer choices, I often felt I could only eliminate one or two max and words were used that are not commonly used to assist in choosing the correct answer.
My only expectation is to be tested solely on the knowledge set and for the certification test not to use question format to thwart a successful pass. I do beleive a true partnership should exist with Prep classes and question formats should be similar. How else could I answer 1,240 multiple choice questions over 60 some odd practice exams and consistely score in the 80% range. I dont get it and strongly feel a misrepresentation exists.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Took and passed the SPHR on Saturday. Like most others who have submitted comments, I studied the SHRM Learning Material that I borrowed from somone, although they were 4 years old. I also reviewed some other HR books/SPHR related books.
While I ABSOLUTELY agree that the exam was nothing like the practice exams (of which I took 4 or 5), I can’t say that the Learning System didn’t help. I teaches you the concepts, whereas the Exam really wants you to apply the concepts. I think I memorized too much and didn’t spend enough time thinking about application. Although I passed (I’m still waiting for my actual results) I wasn’t sure how I did when I hit the “Submit” button. Longest 20 seconds of my life.
For anyone considering taking the exam, make sure you spend some time on Mergers and Acquisitions and SOX. Try to think about how to apply the concepts that are reviewed in the Learning System to real life situations.
Finally, don’t get flustered. When the first question came up, I had NO IDEA what they were talking about. Not the way I had hoped to start.
Good Luck.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Like Michael, the 20 seconds or so after hitting the End Exam button were the longest ever! But I passed ans was extremely relieved. I studied, but could have studied much more than I did.
After reading everyone’s feedback about the SHRM learning system or SHRM courses, I can understand why some may feel a bit duped by the test format and/or content. I took an online PHR prep course offered by GMU which uses the SHRM Learning System and the learnHRM site. Most of the material on my exam was contained somewhere within the modules, but a few questions still seemed completely unfamiliar.
Something that I strongly advise would be to google the internet for test taking tips. I did this and foung many helpful hints. It was extremely important to go in there and be relaxed. Second, you MUST read every word of every question very carefully because the questions seem to be worded to potentially confuse you or point to multiple correct answers. Remember that they are looking for the BEST possible answer though. Strike through any answers that are blatantly incorrect to eliminate them immediately. “Mark” any questions that are stumping you or taking too long. You can return to them later and don’t want to waste too much time or become frustrated. I found that a good portion of the answers involved applying your practical knowledge or good judgment. This was an easy test to overanalyze or overthink, so I made it a point to not second guess myself on most answers. Thank goodness it worked! Best of luck to everyone.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I passed the SPHR exam today using the 2009 SHRM learing system. In my opinion, the question in the learing system were harder than the actual exam questions.
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:24 am
Hi,
Can you pls help me in below doubts?
- Is PHR, SPHR, GPHR world recognized certifications for a MBA HR personnel?
- If i do an MBA in HR from a B grade B school and then do one of these certifictions will my industry value increase and fetch me a good job?
- I’m an engineer with 2.8 years of technical exp in software/IT company, so am I eligible for these certifications?
Pls advise.
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:01 am
I took and passed (according to the preliminary results) on June 30th. Has anyone heard of a situation where someone’s preliminary results did NOT match their official results? I tend to worry about things and this got me thinking. Why have preliminary results when they could be wrong?
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:02 am
For clarification, I passed the PHR. Sorry for the omission in my first post.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:21 am
I took the PHR on June 30th and passed. I used the SHRM Learning System and found it very helpful. I used only the books and Learnhrm.com that came with the system. The webcasts and supplemental materials were very helpful. I printed the flashcards but I didn’t get around to using them. No one should expect any of the study material to be “worded” like the actual exam. That would make the exam extremely easy to pass and the focus would be on memorization of material and not application of material. Like Jay.lyn said before, I thought the Learning system questions were harder than the actual exam questions. Read, re-read, and read the exam question again and again until the answer jumps off the computer screen. It may not be obvious at 1st but the answer is there.
July 16th, 2009 at 11:29 am
With these changes could the work experience be exempt level, but one is not classified as an exempt employee due to part-time status and not meeting the salary requirements?
Or even now, should someone in that situation still apply to take the exam if years of experience exceed minimum requirements?
September 17th, 2009 at 11:48 am
This blog rocks! I gotta say, that I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks,
A definite great read…:)
-Bill-Bartmann
October 16th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Hi! I am now sitting at my son’s middle school homecoming dance, when I came across your blog. I thought I would try to surf the web for helpful hints while I am here and away from studying “those modules”for a night.
Thank you all for your comments and insight. I am sitting for the SPHR in December and don’t know if I should be afraid or excited.
If the SHRM system is not the way to go, which book(s) would you suggest I get to conquer this test? SHRM really pushes these modules as “the” key to passing this test.