More Specs about your exam

In part one, we talked about the test eligibility, the cost and the format. In this section, we will talk about the make up of the exam. The reason why the makeup of the exam is important is because it will help you to understand where you should be spending your time.

You will not be able to memorize your way through this exam.

Business Management and Strategy: For SPHR candidates, this is 40% of your exam. If you are not successful in this section, you will not be successful on the exam. PHR candidates, this is your second heaviest weighted section coming in at 20% of your exam. SHRM candidates, this is worth 50% of your exam. 40% of the questions will be situational and 10% will be core knowledge. What you can expect to see in this section are questions around:

• HR Operations and Behavioral Competencies

• HR and Business Alignment

• Organizational Structure

• Metrics and Accounting

• Research and Evaluation

For SHRM Candidates, the remaining 50% of your exam will come the following sections. They will be heavily focused on specific HR knowledge.

Talent Planning and Acquisition is equally weighted for both PHR and SPHR candidates at 16%. What you can expect to see in this section are questions around:

• Employment Laws

• HR Planning and Succession

• Recruitment and Selection

Learning and Development is the lowest weighted section for PHR/SPHR candidates. For SPHR candidates, it is weighted at 12% and 10% for PHR candidates. You can expect to see questions around:

• Adult Learning Theories

• Training and Education

• Performance Management

• Managing Change

Total Rewards is all about the package! It's coming in at 12% for SPHR and 15% for PHR.

Last but not least is Employee Engagement and Labor Relations. For PHR candidates, this is your heaviest weighted section coming in at 39%. If you are not successful on this section, you will not be successful on this exam. SPHR candidates, it is your second heaviest weighted section. You can expect to see questions around:

• Employee Satisfaction

• Labor Relations

• Health Safety and Security

You will not be able to memorize your way through this exam. The test will target the following:

• HR knowledge and comprehension. These questions test your ability to recall factual material such as definitions.

• HR application and problem solving. These questions test your ability to apply familiar principles or generalizations to solve problems.

• Synthesis and evaluation. These questions combine different elements and require you to use your critical and higher-order thinking skills to solve complex HR problems.

Note: I’m sure you’re wondering how these exams differ. There is very little difference in their content. The primary differences are how you apply the concepts and the question format. There are a lot of situational questions in the SHRM exam, so you want to ensure that you condition yourself to reading cases and not being overwhelmed by the amount of information. Many people believe that the PHR is focused on technical and operational aspects of HR. Others argue that SHRM focuses on more strategic planning aspects. There is no evidence for either of these arguments, nor is there any data that employers prefer.

The way the SHRM material is organized may seem scary. Don’t be alarmed. The material is almost identical to what you would see on your PHR/SPHR exams. Both of these exams are challenging. Don’t underestimate them. You are capable of success. Now let’s go after those letters.