Just for kicks: number six
Two years ago today I began the HRCP blog. In my first blog entry, I mentioned that I have taken the HR certification exam five times. Soon it will be six. That’s right, I’ll be taking the SPHR exam again during the May-June 2009 test window. I’m among the tiny one-percent of certified HR professionals who choose to re-certify by examination every three years. It’s crazy, I know, but how better could I assess the adequacy of our materials in preparing people for the PHR and SPHR exams?
I haven’t started studying yet. I always say to myself, “This time I’m not going to study; I’ll just walk in there and see how it goes.” But ultimately I decide that I don’t want to take any chances. What if I didn’t pass? How embarrassing would that be? And now that I’ve mentioned it here, it increases the pressure by a factor of ten. Yep, I’ll study. And I’ll let you know how it’s going. I’ll share any ideas and insights that hit me along the way.
If you’re contemplating human resource certification, please come and join me in the journey.
March 13th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Going for PHR. Taking the university study course on Saturdays. Any suggestions?
March 16th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I have sunk SO much money into this SPHR certification. I get SO close, but no cigar. I’ve taken it twice. Looking for someone who’s recently taken the test and passed and willing to sell me their used lot of books. I simply can’t keep spending the money. I already took a college course, spent money on the SPHR books, etc. Hey, if HRCP would be willing to use ME as a guinea pig, the testing window is again this May 1-June 30th.
I NEED to pass this test! This will be my third time taking it! Please help me! If I passed using these books, I’d be the biggest EVER supporter of HRCP. Anyone have books from this year they’d be willing to sell?
March 16th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Diversify your study material AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!
And if anyone out there has the HRCP books that are recent, I used SHRM and have failed it twice. I’d LOVE to buy these off of you at a discounted rate. I’ve spent so much money on this it’s ridiculous.
March 16th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Carrie, My suggestion is to consider the university course as a supplement to your personal study. Most courses only manage to cover the basics in the classroom. Your success will depend more on the effort you put in between class sessions than on the quality of the course or instructor. Best of luck!
Tacota and Tracey, If you already own the SHRM Learning System, I’m not sure you need to throw any more money at certification prep materials. Many people preparing for the PHR and SPHR exams assume that more is better. If one set of prep materials is good, wouldn’t two be twice as good? Nope. Not necessarily. Of course you need to have quality study aids that cover the necessary content, but I advocate depth in your study rather than breadth. Take what you have and learn it inside out and backwards. That will serve you much better than acquiring an overwhelming pile of information that you’d be hard pressed to read before the exam, much less study, absorb, and learn.
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Hi Tacota,
I had the same problem as you … sinking money, time and effort, into taking the SPHR test. If there was one thing that I took away from each failure was this: you need to understand why you are not testing well. I would suggest going to your local library (and this is a free option) and checking out the book: Test Wiseness: Test Taking Skills, by American College – or ANY test taking book for that matter.
While it doesn’t unlock any big secrets about taking tests, it helps you understand the methods behind multiple choice tests, your personal study style, and how to use your time wisely during the test.
Also, your local library may have other SPHR guides that you can use – and they are all for free.
Good luck!
March 31st, 2009 at 8:11 am
Hi- I am taking the PHR the first week of May and am starting to get nervous. I still have 2 more modules to read and lots more to learn. I have been getting 75-86 on the HRCP online practice exams but got a 50 on the compensation part. It’s hard to gauge how well prepared I am.
I’m not going to spend 1K on the SHRM material so hopefully the HRCP modules will be enough. I’m also participating in a weekly PHR/SPHR class our local HR association offers to members.
Up until this week, I’ve felt confident but my studying has dropped a little due to job stress. I’m feel like I’m at borderline point and need to know what to do to get mid 90’s.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:06 am
Brandy, I know how you are feeling! I felt the same way while studying for my exam. A few weeks prior to my scheduled exam I wanted to change the date. I was certain I’d need an additional month to prepare! I used the HRCP Program and was scoring around 80% on the practice exams. A couple of weeks prior to my exam I took the HRCI assessment exams and scored around 80% on those too. The consistency of my practice exam scores actually gave me confidence that I could pass. With encouragement from others, I took my exam as scheduled and passed with 82% (though I would have loved to be in the 90’s)
You may want to evaluate how much you still have to cover. If you feel you don’t have enough time to cover it, you might want to change your exam date. Otherwise, figure out what you need to accomplish each day to be prepared for your scheduled date. As for the compensation part, figure out why you didn’t do as well on that section. I think this is a great post on evaluating how you are doing: http://www.hrcpblog.com/2007/05/21/does-practice-make-perfect/
I wish you the best of luck! If you’d like to talk over the exam and your preparation, you are welcome to call us here at HRCP, 801-343-3699. We are happy to do all we can to help!