HRCP Blog

I think it’s pretty safe to call it a trend. Pass rates on the HR certification exams have continued to decline, with both the PHR and SPHR exams hitting all-time lows in 2009. Here is what the results look like since 2005:

I’m not sure what to make of it. I don’t think human resource professionals are getting dumber. Or studying less. So, why the lower pass rates? Having taken the SPHR exam five times since 1997 (once every three years to recertify), I have some historical perspective on the matter. And here’s my conclusion:

The exam is getting harder.

And it’s not that the field of human resources is getting trickier. It’s that the exam questions are. See my reaction to taking the exam a couple of months ago.

I’m not sure my decompression is complete, but I’m ready to begin sharing my thoughts regarding my recent experience taking the SPHR exam.

Have you ever watched or participated in a sporting event where the teams were so evenly matched it seemed the final outcome was determined not by the players in the game, but due to a call made by the officials? It’s absolutely unfair. But unfortunately, it’s part of the game. Referees and umpires are (for the most part) human and are subject to the limitations of human perception and, sadly, even to bias. That is why in order to win a game, a team must play well enough to beat their opponent and well enough to overcome any potentially adverse decisions by the officials.

I think there is a similar situation with the PHR and SPHR exams. The HR certification exam item writers are (for the most part) human and are subject to all manner of weaknesses and bias. The questions on the exams are imperfect. Some are more imperfect that others. Many of the questions are straightforward and easy to answer if you know the HR body of knowledge. Some questions are ambiguous and confusing, even if you know HR inside out and backward. You could make a valid argument in favor of all four of the alternatives, or you could make a case that none of them is true. It was frustrating for me as a test-taker, but it’s even more perplexing to me as one who is trying to help other HR professionals pass the exam. I can teach how to accurately calculate overtime, and I can describe the systems model of training and development, but how do I help people prepare for the bewildering ambiguity?

I don’t know. Yet.

But what I can say right now is that those taking the PHR and SPHR exams must know the HR body of knowledge well enough to nail the straightforward questions and not leave the outcome of the exam to be determined by how well they fair on the more imperfect questions.

Whew! I passed the SPHR exam today. Again. As I’ve previously mentioned, I take the HR certification exam every three years to re-certify.

And I’m never taking it again. Ever.*

That exam is a ridiculously frustrating, stress-inducing monster. A man exiting the testing center told the center supervisor, “You should have a decompression chamber here for people finishing their tests.” I agreed. This was my sixth time taking (and sixth time passing, I might add) the HR certification exam, and the experience does not become more pleasant with the repetition.

I’m planning to go knock the stuffing out of a few softballs tonight. That should help relieve some stress.

And after I’ve decompressed a bit, I’ll provide more thoughts on my experience.

——
*I really will be taking the exam again in three years. But right now, I’m not going to let myself think about it.

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

In contemplating the reasons for the steady decline in HR certification exam pass rates, I’ve gone back to my analysis from a year ago. I think that my observations still hold. One or more of these must be true:

• The PHR and SPHR exams are getting more difficult.
• The cutoff for passing the PHR and SPHR exams is being set higher each year.
• People are going into the PHR and SPHR exams less prepared.
• Less-qualified individuals are taking the PHR and SPHR exams.

Whatever the reason for the falling pass rates, there is only one solution for those preparing to take the HR certification exams: Be better prepared.

More on that next time.

I recently received an invitation from HRCI to provide feedback on their proposed changes for PHR and SPHR certification.

The proposed new eligibility requirements for the PHR examination are:

• 4 years demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree
• 2 years demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
• 1 year demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree

The proposed new eligibility requirements for the SPHR credential are:

• 7 years demonstrated exempt-level HR experience without a Bachelor’s degree
• 5 years demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
• 4 years demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with Master’s degree

My feedback to them was a resounding “YES!” I strongly favor these proposed changes. They address several issues I have had with the current eligibility requirements since they changed them some years ago. The two designations should not have the same eligibility requirements. That has never made any sense. I like that they value education, something the current requirements ignore. I believe that if these changes are implemented, it will strongly enhance the value of human resource certification, and I support the proposed changes, even though they could negatively impact my business, at least in the short run.

This week’s question of the week on the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) website examines the significance of the “PHR Only” and “SPHR Only” designations in the HRCI body of knowledge. The information is worth repeating here:

Q. I am preparing to take the PHR exam in May, and I noticed that some areas covered in the HRCI body of knowledge are marked either “PHR Only” or “SPHR Only.” Why is this, and does it mean that I don’t need to know anything about the items marked “SPHR Only?”

A. When HRCI conducted its most recent practice analysis in 2005, the HR professionals who responded to our survey indicated that a few responsibility areas were performed chiefly by those at the PHR level and some others chiefly by those at the SPHR level. Therefore, exam questions that relate specifically to those job responsibilities were moved to the appropriate level exam.

This does not mean, however, that you may not need to know something about the related knowledge level or underlying concept. For example, in the Employee and Labor Relations functional area, responsibility #11 “Participate in collective bargaining activities, including contract negotiation and administration” is now marked SPHR ONLY. Therefore a question dealing with specific contract negotiation strategies or activities would appear on the SPHR exam. However, in the US, the National Labor Relations Act covers most collective bargaining agreements in the private sector. Therefore, the PHR exam might appropriately ask a question about the NLRA and its impact on the collective bargaining process, since it appears in Knowledge Area #48 of the body of knowledge.

I spent a good part of the day yesterday reading and writing about employment branding. Here’s a bit of what I added to Unit 2: Workforce Planning and Employment of the HRCP Program:

As the labor market becomes increasingly competitive, employers apply strategies from marketing to help them compete for job applicants. Just as companies develop a recognizable brand to help position their products or services in the market, they attempt to “brand” themselves as an outstanding employer. Employment branding consists of projecting an image that makes people want to work for the company. This image is created through the company’s employment value proposition, another concept borrowed from marketing, which describes what the company has to offer its employees relative to the rewards offered by other places of employment.

When you think about it, getting your PHR or SPHR is a good step toward branding yourself as and outstanding employee. Being a certified human resource professional can strengthen your employee value proposition (yeah, I just made that up). It sets you apart as an individual with sufficient experience and knowledge to pass a comprehensive certification exam based on the vast body of knowledge that comprises the human resource field. So, if there is such a thing as employee branding, you’re on the right track.

I’ve given up on making sense of the Harry Potter/horcrux thing, but I believe I’ve made some headway into understanding the PHR and SPHR pass rates. The pass rate on the PHR exam has declined over the past number of years, with an especially precipitous decline over the past two years (from 67% in May-June 2005 to 62% in 2007). One or more of the following must be true:

• The PHR exam is getting more difficult.
• The cutoff for passing the PHR exam is being set higher each year.
• Less-qualified individuals are taking the PHR exam.
• People are going into the PHR exam less prepared.

The pass rates on the SPHR exam have bounced around over the years, with a low of 53% in May 2002 and a high of 60% in November-December 2004. The most recent administration of the exam produced results (58%) that are slightly above the average (57%). Looking at the data since 2005, the only conclusion I can draw is that you’ve got a better chance of passing the SPHR exam in the spring. I don’t know why. Maybe the fact that the winter exam window straddles the holiday season increases stress and provides less time for study. (Why SPHR candidates seem to be more negatively impacted by this, I couldn’t say. Perhaps it’s the eggnog.)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, whatever the reason for the plummeting and bouncing pass rates, the only thing you can control is your personal preparation. Study hard. Your result on the exam is not determined by national pass rates or trends. Your success is determined by you.

Today HRCI released the pass rates for the May–June 2007 administration of the PHR and SPHR exams. The SPHR pass rate was 58%, three points higher than the last exam window, while the pass rate for the PHR exam slipped a point to 62%. I created a graphic of the pass rates for the past five exam windows:

What conclusions can we draw from this data? That it is advantageous to take the SPHR exam in the spring, perhaps? Maybe that if you’re considering taking the PHR exam, the sooner the better?

I’m going to have to mull this over for a bit. That and the whole Harry Potter/horcrux thing. I’ve got thinking to do. I’ll get back to you.