Customer Reviews

PHR/SPHR: Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just passed the PHR a few days ago, and I owe it all to this study guide. My HR experience is somewhat limited in scope, and this book filled in all the gaps. I plan to keep this book and continue to use it as a reference guide for things that come up in the workplace.

I read and studied from this book for about 2 weeks. The great thing is that this edition of the book has a CD with a full pdf version of the entire book, as well as electronic flashcards. When it was not convenient to read the book, I could read it on the computer or my PDA. Each section has practice tests and review sections, and the author knows her stuff - all of the material and special highlights are very relevant to the exam.

If you're limited on time, I don't recommend skimming. Rather, I suggest a focus on reading the one or two sections where you need the most work.

I recently read that the pass rate for the PHR is something like 2/3 or 66%. I think that if everyone used this guide, that number would go up dramatically.

I passed the exam 1st time with this book as my only study guide.

I bought this book several months before taking the PHR. I took the placement exam in the book right away. This gave me a good idea what areas I was weak in. I work in CA and support company's in several states. I think this gave me an advantage because of the strict compliance and regulations in CA. I started studying about 2-3 weeks before the exam. I would spend a few hours each night reading the book, highlighting and answering the review questions at the end of each chapter. I finished reading the whole book a day before taking the exam and spent the last day taking the placement exam again and reviewing my weak areas in more detail.

The exam was long and hard. The whole time I was taking it, I thought I was failing miserably. The questions are hard and there are always two answers that are reasonably right but only one that is more right. I don't know my scores yet but I found out I passed at the end of the test!

I would highly recommend this book as a study guide if you are an experienced HR professional. I have a BS in Business and a concentration in HR. I obtained my degree 4 years ago. I have worked in several industries over the last 4 years and worked my way up the HR ladder. I'm involved in all aspects of HR for a non-union company.

I used this book and I passed the SPHR. But, I feel like it was dumb luck that I passed. The book provided a good foundational base of information, but had I to do it over again, I would have supplemented it with something else. The format of the example questions here were pretty close to what I saw on the exam, but I feel like at least 30% of the content on the exam was not covered here. I also suspect that this book is a better guide for the PHR.

If you buy the book, I recommend getting the legal and the union stuff down cold. Also, be able to reproduce HR processes step by step (e.g., needs assessment, recruiting plan, etc.). If nothing else, memorize the first few steps involved, a lot of questions asked about the first steps. Also, test yourself on the practice questions at the end of each chapter. They're helpful for identifying gaps in knowledge. The example questions on the computer disk are also helpful.

This guide is the only thing I used to study for the PHR. I passed the test today (I don't know my score yet though) I also have a degree in HR and a couple years of experience.

I suggest reading each chapter multiple times and spending at least 3 months studying. Study a chapter, make sure you understand it, then go over it again a week or two later. It worked well for me at least.

Much of the test involved applying the concepts. There were a lot of things on the test that I don't recall going over in the study guide but felt that a majority of the time I could make a very educated guess based on what I studied in the guide. Also, a majority of the questions seemed to have more than one good answer. Its a matter of choosing the best one.

If you already have a decent understanding of HR, this book will do the job, but study hard and read each chapter over and over a couple times.

I used this guide plus a borrowed 2005 SHRM Learning System to study for my PHR exam, which I successfully passed this morning. This book contains a LOT of information, so my suggestion would be to pace yourself and study a little at a time to avoid information overload. The employment law cases were explained thoroughly and the objectives at the beginning of each section plus the study questions at the end of each section were very helpful in understanding the specific concepts that would be covered on the exam. The bonus practice exams included on the CD were invaluable because they helped me determine which areas I needed to study more than others. I would highly recommend this guide, especially if you had to choose only one (and at less than $40 compared to hundreds for a new Learning System, it's a bargain)!

I purchased this book to prepare for the exam and found it a bit boring, especially in the beginning. After reading a couple of chapters I purchased another book the Exam Prep by Cathy Lee Gibson and this book really put the material in perspetive. I now use the two books to study and believe I have gained a better understanding of the material (Although the Exam Prep is my primary resource.) The exam alerts in the Exam Prep really force the reader to think sbout how to use the information and this is key if you lack experience in a specific functional area. I also found the information about SPHR to be a bit distracting in the PHR/SPHR book.

I just took the PHR exam on Thursday, May 3rd and passed. I purchased the SHRM Learning System Course but am very thankful I purchased this book. The SHRM Learning System was good but, as recommended by HRCI, they encourage you to reference other materials when preparing. So I selected this book. It provided real-life situations and was, overall, an easy and quick read. It all comes down to understanding the core knowledge of HR. This book was a wonderful preparation tool.

This book does have a lot of information, but it is poorly written. Several times, the book refers to an abbreviation before telling what it means. This makes the book very confusing at times. There were also several grammarical and typographical errors that can be very distracting, if you notice such things. Another disappointment was that the book promises "150 PHR and 150 SPHR" flashcards, when it only really offers 75 of each. The bonus exams were another let down as they only offer 55 questions in each. How is one supposed to effectively prepare for an exam when the practice exams aren't the same length as the real exam?

Overall, I don't believe this book is worth the price.

The layout and information given in this book provided an excellent venue for studying for the PHR/SPHR exam. I was studying for the SPHR exam (and passed) and this book helped to add to my knowledge where I had limited experience (such as Labor Relations). The testing tools provided also provide good practice for the real thing. I was financially limited in what I could buy before this exam and this purchase was well worth it.

This was the text I used exclusively to study for the PHR. I read it cover to cover and studied it like mad, and I passed 2 days ago. I also took a prep class, but I hated the text book that was assigned for the class and never used it. I definitely think this is a very valid study tool, you just have to put the time & effort into studying it! Someone with less experience in HR or experience in one specialized area is going to have to work a little harder to remember all the terminology than those with more years under their belt or with generalist experience.

A coworker used the SHRM Modules exclusively to study, and I used this, and we both passed. If you can't afford $700 for the SHRM books, try this one instead.