I’m taking the SPHR in less than 2 months and haven’t started studying for it. How difficult is it? I’ve been in HR for 20 years and have experienced ALOT in that time, although there are always employee relations scenarios that surprise me! How much do I really need to study for this? I just can’t seem to motivate myself to do it, I’m so mentally burnt out at the end of the day from a high stress HR job, the last thing I feel like doing is studying HR!

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You have to study. The test is not an easy test. I have been in hr for over 20 years and have to take the exam again. Although, I was sick the night before snd didn’t sleep well, was very close to passing but I did not study as much as I should’ve. Take the practice exams through shrm. The pre test will show you where you need to concentrate.

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The SPHR exam is much more strategic application than the PHR that you need to know how legislation connects to policy. From that perspective you should be okay - but definitely do practice exams to get used to the way questions are asked.

You probably need to fill in the gaps of situations you don’t work with - union organizing, succession plans, 403bs, 401k testing, OSHA, stock option plans, etc. The HRCI study books offer a fantastic overview, chapter by chapter, that you can learn just what you need.

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You should plan to study even though you are experienced. If I remember correctly the first time failure rate is quite high.

I attended a prep course & found it really useful as they’re experts in telling you which areas to focus on over others.

Do as many practice exams as you can find.

Use the Pocket Prep. App

If you aren’t ‘all in’ for preparation at this time, you should postpone until a later time.

It’s good to remember that the HRCI is a money making organization & its in their interests for you to pay to retake the exam.

Even though you have lots of hands on experience. Question are purposely phrased to trip you to encourage retakes.

Good luck, you can do it 🍀

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I highly recommend signing up for Victoria Purser’s Boot Camp course. This is a one day course and it was a life saver. I also downloaded the PHR pocket prep app. This helps give you insight on the areas you need to focus on. Good luck!

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Are you a good test taker? If so, you will be fine, in my humble and non-census opinion. I prepared minimally. I took it bc my work paid for it - I was 10 years into HR at the time and I passed on the first try. It can be done. That said, yes it was hard and yes it was stressful, but I did it!

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We are currently using LinkedIn learning for training. Our contract is coming up for renewal so looking to evaluate other learning platforms. Has anyone had experience with Udemy for Business that’s also used LinkedIn learning?

What about the quality of content, video? I hear that anybody can upload training to Udemy so I have concerns in that area.

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Update: I took the test and passed! I studied 2 units worth of flash cards 2 nights prior and that’s it. The test was brutal, 140 questions and 2.5 hours. After the 2nd question I started cursing myself for not studying. I went through it all and flagged about 7 or 8 questions to return to at the end. I had about an hour when I went back to those questions and I started going through all the questions again. I did something they say to never do, that is changed the answers to about 25 questions. Once I read through them again it seemed more obvious what the answer was. I think a course or practice would certainly help because a lot of it has to do with knowing what answers to eliminate, which all comes down to knowing how to take a multiple choice test. I happen to be a decent test taker so I was able to pare down most of the questions without being 100% confident in the answer. They are tough questions though, good luck to anyone who decides to go for it!

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