PHR Practice Exam Questions with Answers Professional in Human Resources Certification

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects an employee’s right to engage in concerted activity, including complaining about labor rights violations and union representation issues, even on social media. Terminating an employee for asserting Weingarten rights can be a direct violation.

Official Extract:

"The NLRA protects employees' rights to discuss terms and conditions of employment and to assert union representation rights without fear of retaliation."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Labor Law Compliance)

Training users and obtaining executive buy-in are essential for successful ERP system adoption. Without leadership commitment and adequate user preparation, implementations often fail.

Official Extract:

"Successful HR technology implementations rely on securing senior leadership support and ensuring thorough training to drive user adoption and operational integration."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, HR Technology Implementation)

Central tendency error occurs when a manager rates most or all employees as "average" or "meets expectations" to avoid making extreme judgments. It distorts true performance appraisals and hinders meaningful feedback and talent development.

Official Extract:

"Central tendency is a common evaluation bias where supervisors rate all employees near the midpoint of the scale to avoid confrontation or favoritism."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Performance Appraisal Errors)

A laissez-faire leadership style is characterized by minimal intervention. Leaders allow employees to self-manage, including handling conflicts independently, which can lead to unresolved tensions if overused.

Official Extract:

"Laissez-faire leadership is defined by the leader’s hands-off approach, offering little guidance or support and often leading to poor team cohesion and unmanaged conflicts."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Leadership Styles and Impact)

An internal scan evaluates the organization's current resources — such as financial, human, and operational assets — to assess strengths and weaknesses as part of strategic planning.

Official Extract:

"An internal scan assesses existing organizational resources, workforce competencies, and operational capabilities to inform strategic goal setting."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Organizational Assessment)

Wage garnishments and other personal financial/legal documents must be stored separately from general personnel files to protect confidentiality and comply with data privacy regulations.

Official Extract:

"Confidential records, including wage garnishments, medical records, and background checks, must be maintained separately from personnel files to ensure privacy and legal compliance."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Recordkeeping and Confidentiality Standards)

Here’s how to calculate:First 40 hours = 40 × $20 = $800Overtime (8 hours at 1.5×) = 8 × $30 = $240Bonus = $200Total Gross Pay = $800 + $240 + $200 = $1,240Official Extract:"Overtime pay must be calculated at one and one-half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, plus any bonuses, to determine total gross pay."(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Total Rewards Section, Wage and Hour Compliance)

The best employment brands cover the entire employment life cycle, from recruitment through onboarding, development, engagement, and retention — reinforcing a consistent organizational image throughout an employee's journey.

Official Extract:

"Strong employment brands address all stages of the employee lifecycle to enhance attraction, engagement, development, and retention."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Employment Branding)

In a tight labor market, where there are fewer available candidates, organizations focus heavily on succession planning to fill key roles internally and ensure leadership continuity without relying solely on external hiring.

Official Extract:

"Organizations facing tight labor markets prioritize succession planning to maintain business continuity and leadership pipelines."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Workforce Planning and Succession)

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), travel time that occurs during an employee’s normal working hours, including weekends, must be counted as compensable work time. Travel as part of an employee’s principal activity (like to a job site) is considered working time.

Official Extract:

"Time spent traveling during normal work hours is considered compensable work time under the Fair Labor Standards Act, even if it falls on a non-regular workday such as Saturday or Sunday."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Total Rewards Section, FLSA Compliance)

An HRIS system stores and analyzes HR data. One critical use is analyzing labor turnover — discovering patterns, root causes, and developing retention strategies.

Official Extract:

"HRIS tools enable organizations to identify turnover trends, predict future separations, and link turnover to strategic workforce planning."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, HR Metrics and Analytics)

Password complexity ensures strong passwords that are harder to guess or hack. Multi-factor authentication adds a second layer of security, verifying user identity beyond just passwords — both are best practices for HRIS protection.

Official Extract:

"Best practices for HRIS security include enforcing strong password policies, implementing multi-factor authentication, and limiting access to authorized users only."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Data Privacy and Security)

The first proactive step in reducing cyber liability is to develop an acceptable use policy. This policy clearly outlines what constitutes acceptable and prohibited behavior regarding company networks, systems, and data, helping to prevent security breaches before they happen.

Official Extract:

"Implementing an acceptable use policy is essential to mitigate cyber risks by informing employees about appropriate use of company systems and safeguarding sensitive information."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Cybersecurity Risk Management)

Under USERRA, employers must continue offering health coverage at the same cost as active employees for up to 24 months during military service.

Official Extract:

"Employers must maintain health coverage for employees on military leave at the same contribution rates as if the employee had remained actively employed."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, USERRA Compliance)

Inadequate orientation at the start of employment often leads to early disengagement and turnover because employees feel confused, unsupported, and disconnected from the organization’s culture.

Official Extract:

"Effective onboarding and orientation programs reduce early turnover by helping new hires understand their roles, expectations, and organizational culture."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Onboarding and Retention)

Including a neutral option allows respondents to honestly indicate when they have no experience or opinion about a survey item, improving the accuracy of survey data.

Official Extract:

"Effective survey design includes neutral or ‘no opinion’ options to allow respondents without direct experience to avoid skewing results."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Survey Development and Feedback Mechanisms)

Official Extract:

"Self-service platforms reduce HR’s administrative workload by empowering employees to manage their own personal and employment data."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Total Rewards Section, HR Technology and Efficiency)

Vesting means that an employee has earned the non-forfeitable right to employer-provided benefits (such as retirement contributions) after fulfilling certain conditions like years of service.

Official Extract:

"Vesting is the process by which employees earn rights to employer-contributed benefits over time, according to a defined schedule, as governed by ERISA requirements."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Total Rewards Section, Retirement Plan Fundamentals)

Employers must allow, but cannot require, the employee to use available paid leave (like sick time) during military leave. It must be voluntary on the part of the employee.

Official Extract:

"Employees on military leave may elect, but cannot be required, to use accrued vacation, annual, or similar paid leave during their service."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, USERRA Benefits)

Modeling behavior is most effectively accomplished through role-play or simulation activities, which demonstrate proper responses and actions, especially in critical incidents like safety scenarios.

Official Extract:

"Simulation and role-play exercises model appropriate behaviors and reinforce learning by providing experiential practice opportunities."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Instructional Methods)

Clearly clarifying work expectations is fundamental for new supervisors to set the tone for performance, accountability, and trust-building with their teams. Employees are more engaged when they understand their roles and how they contribute to organizational goals.

Official Extract:

"Effective performance management begins with clear communication of performance standards and job expectations, creating transparency and strengthening employee-supervisor relationships."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Performance Management Principles)

If an HR audit reveals noncompliance or gaps but management fails to act, it increases liability because it demonstrates knowledge of the issue without corrective action — a legal risk under employment laws like Title VII, FLSA, etc.

Official Extract:

"An HR audit identifies risks. Failure to remedy findings may lead to claims of negligent employment practices, compounding liability."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, Risk and Compliance Management)

Including at-will employment language in offer letters limits legal liability by clearly stating that employment can be terminated by either party at any time, with or without cause, preventing misunderstandings about job security.

Official Extract:

"Including at-will disclaimers in employment communications limits liability by clarifying that no implied promises of continued employment exist."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Employee and Labor Relations Section, Employment-at-Will Doctrine)

The success of an outplacement program is best measured by the number of displaced employees successfully re-employed. This demonstrates the program’s effectiveness in helping employees transition to new opportunities.

Official Extract:

"The effectiveness of outplacement programs is assessed by measuring the reemployment rates of separated employees."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Separation and Transition Programs)

An HRIS consolidates HR data and reporting functions, providing managers with accurate, timely information to support better decision-making about talent, performance, compensation, and more.

Official Extract:

"HRIS systems enhance decision-making by providing real-time access to accurate employee data, enabling strategic HR management."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Business Management Section, HR Technology Benefits)

Multirater (360-degree) feedback is a comprehensive assessment technique gathering performance information from a variety of sources: supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes customers. It provides a holistic view of an employee’s skills, competencies, and behaviors critical for succession planning.

Official Extract:

"Succession planning relies on multiple feedback mechanisms to assess employee readiness, including 360-degree feedback, competency models, and individual development plans."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Succession Planning Strategies)

Effective goal setting in performance management ensures that individual objectives are directly aligned with the organization’s overall mission and strategic priorities. This ensures employees are contributing toward business success.

Official Extract:

"Performance management systems must link individual goals with broader organizational objectives to ensure alignment and engagement."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Goal Setting Techniques)

Direct turnover costs include recruitment expenses like hiring additional recruiters, advertising job openings, and conducting interviews. Indirect costs include productivity loss, delays, and morale impact.

Official Extract:

"Direct costs of turnover involve tangible expenses such as recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training new employees."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Talent Planning and Acquisition Section, Turnover Costs)

A strong performance management policy emphasizes continuous feedback, both formal and informal, throughout the year — not just during annual reviews. This strengthens communication and helps with employee development.

Official Extract:

"Effective performance management practices include continuous feedback loops between employees and supervisors, supporting real-time coaching and growth."

(Source: HRCI PHR Content Outline 2024–2025, Learning and Development Section, Performance Management Systems)