PHR guides
Direct answers for PHR format, studying, exam day, scores, and what to do next.
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The PHR is HRCI's professional-level HR certification for people who run day-to-day HR programs under U.S. law. Here is who qualifies, how it compares with the aPHR, SPHR, PHRca and PHRi, and what holding it involves.
Read the guideHRCI's PHR rule is one, two or four years of professional-level HR experience depending on your degree. Here is what counts as professional-level, what an audit asks for, and how the application, the 180-day window, rescheduling and the one-time extension work.
Read the guideThe PHR has 115 questions, 90 scored and 25 unscored pretest items, in 2 hours plus 30 minutes of administration time. Here is how each HRCI item type works, the pace that implies, and what changes between OnVUE and a Pearson VUE test center.
Read the guideHRCI doesn't prescribe a study time for the PHR. Here is how to size yours from your own experience, what the seven 2024 weights mean in scored questions, a 12-week plan you can shrink to 8 or stretch to 16, and how to use old books and practice exams safely.
Read the guideHRCI reports a 72% PHR pass rate for 2025, among candidates who already have professional-level HR experience. Here is how that compares with HRCI's other exams, what the figure can't tell you, and the specific things that make PHR questions hard.
Read the guideThe PHR costs $100 to apply plus $395 for the exam. Here is what can push the total up (a retake, rescheduling, an extension), what Second Chance Insurance at $250 really buys, HRCI's optional prep prices, and the first recertification fee.
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How the PHR exam is structured, timed and scored.
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