HR Certification  ›  PHR
PHR Exam Prep

PHR prep that gets you to certified.

The PHR is the classic HR credential, and it is a knowledge exam with teeth: employment law, total rewards, talent acquisition, and everything in between. David Siler's system gets students through at 90%+.

Enroll now, $219Preview the course free

The PHR, at a glance

The stuff you actually want to know before you commit.
Eligibility
Experience-based: 1 year in an HR role with a Master's, 2 with a Bachelor's, or 4 with a high school diploma.
Format
115 questions (90 scored) in about 2 hours. Knowledge and application items across the functional areas.
Scheduling
HRCI tests year round. Apply, get approved, and schedule at a Pearson VUE center or via remote proctoring.
Cost & recert
Exam fee around $395 plus a $100 application fee. Recertify with 60 credits every 3 years.
Exam details set by HRCI and refreshed here each cycle. Last reviewed for the current exam content outline.

Built for how the PHR thinks

The PHR rewards depth across the functional areas and punishes fuzzy recall of employment law. The course tracks the current HRCI exam content outline module by module, and the sample-test library is deepest exactly where the PHR hits hardest: employee and labor relations, total rewards, and talent planning.

120 lessons, 100+ hours, 40+ sample tests, and a full-length PHR final exam so test day is a rerun, not a premiere.

Employee & Labor RelationsModule 6, the PHR's biggest functional area, with six dedicated sample tests
Talent Planning & AcquisitionModule 5: workforce planning, recruiting, selection, onboarding
Total RewardsModule 4: comp structures, benefits, payroll fundamentals
Learning & DevelopmentModule 3: adult learning, training design, evaluation
Business ManagementModule 7, plus accounting-terms and M&A drill quizzes

Preview the course free

Sign up free and start with the first lessons of the course, a sample from the Seven Princes, and a short knowledge check. Get a feel for the teaching style before you spend anything. The full course adds 40+ sample tests and a full-length PHR final exam.

Start the free preview
David Siler

Taught by David Siler

40 years in HR, 30 years prepping candidates, and holder of every major credential from both bodies. He retakes the exams himself to keep them current.

SPHRSHRM-SCPGPHRSPHRiPHRi90%+ student pass rate

Weighing your options?

Considering the SPHR instead?

If you set policy rather than implement it, the senior credential may be your exam. Here is how to tell.

See SPHR prep →
Why not both SHRM and HRCI?

One course preps you for all four exams. Plenty of students walk away with two credentials for one enrollment.

Compare SHRM and HRCI →
$219 $895
Full PHR prep, plus every other exam's materials included. 12 months of access.
Enroll now

PHR questions, answered straight

How hard is the PHR exam?

National pass rates sit near the coin-flip range, mostly because the exam covers more ground than any one HR job does. Students who complete this course pass at 90%+, because the gaps get found and drilled before exam day instead of on it.

PHR or SHRM-CP: which should I take?

They serve the same career stage from two certifying bodies. Employers in some industries lean HRCI, others lean SHRM, and many respect both. Our SHRM vs HRCI guide covers it honestly, and since this course preps you for both exams, you can decide late or take both.

How long should I study?

Most students land between 8 and 12 weeks at roughly an hour a day. The course includes a study plan you can adapt around a full-time job.

Do I meet the experience requirement?

HRCI counts professional-level HR experience, and the bar shifts with your education: 1 year with a Master's, 2 with a Bachelor's, 4 without. Module 0 walks through the application so you get it right the first time.