HRCI Certification Testimonials

I’ve been in HR for over two decades but wanted to add the certification to not only further my career but to increase the confidence of our leadership team in my skills and knowledge. I am fortunate to work with a wonderful group of professionals but felt that even though I have over 20 years of experience, my lack of a bachelor’s degree was often an impediment. I understand now, after studying, that professionals rely heavily on education to set candidates and employees apart. It gives them the confidence that you have a basic understanding of the subject matter. I am happy to report that I passed the SPHR exam on the first try. Some of the theory was brand new but all was relevant and helped put the practical knowledge I already had into perspective.

I used the HRCP exam materials (five units) and Pocket Prep. I devoted about 16 weeks to preparation and studied an average of two hours each night after work and 6-8 hours on Saturday and Sunday. I also took several Friday’s off and devoted those days to reading and rereading the material I found difficult. I not only wanted to pass the test but wanted to understand the concepts and how they might apply to my workplace. I read through the material once with Ellen’s recording and then reread each book twice in its entirety. I found that I learned best when I read the test questions in pocket prep and reviewed the answers immediately after each question. Ellen was a wonderful mentor. If you are considering the PHR or SPHR exam, go for it! You can do it!

Obtaining the SPHR certification has been a goal of mine for many years and after 25 years in the HR field I finally made the decision to take the certification exam. Although my many years of experience in various HR roles gave me practical HR knowledge, I found that taking the practice exams multiple times was the most helpful in preparing for the certification exam. I took each practice exam using the study materials to help familiarize myself with the questions and answers. When I was able to pass a practice exam without the assistance of the study guides, I moved on to the next practice exam until I was able to pass them all. I spent approximately 6 months preparing for the exam. The exam was very challenging which makes obtaining it feel like such an accomplishment and gives me a great sense of pride. I encourage other HR professionals to do the same as it is now preferred or required by most companies for their Senior Level HR Roles.

I began my studies for the SPHR test in January 2020 using the HRCP materials suggested by WCI. Using the plan Ellen Steele sent me in an email, I started by taking both comprehensive practice tests. After each test, I would find the answers to the questions I missed in the books and highlight them. For each of the units, I took all of the practice tests for that unit and, again, highlighted the information in the book for the questions I missed on the tests.

After doing the pretests, I read the book while listening to Ellen read it, stopping the audio to read bullets not read aloud or take notes in the margin, sometimes taking notes of things to discuss with our HR department for clarification, etc. After completing each book, I would retake the practice tests for that unit. I kept a spreadsheet of my scores, so I could easily view how my scores compared throughout my study time. I also recorded myself on my smartphone’s voice memos app reading the Key Terms for each unit, so that I could listen to them as I drove to work, etc.

COVID-19 forced the office staff at my place of employment to work remotely. While others may have been able to take a little break from work, my job increased due to reports that I had to send to payroll and our corporate benefits group each week while employees were furloughed. I halted my studies towards the end of March and did not resume until the end of May. Sometimes, I would listen to the audio recordings while I walked around my neighborhood and other days while I worked.

I finished going through all six units at the end of July and then started going back through them. This time, I spent my time focusing on the self-assessments at the end of each chapter, finding and writing the answers in a notebook. After reviewing each book, I would take all the practice tests for that unit again. After finishing Unit 3, I retook the first comprehensive practice test. Once I finished Unit 6, I retook the second comprehensive test.

After this, I downloaded the app for PocketPrep and started with the free version. I signed up for the daily test question through the app, too. Once I had exhausted the trial, I purchased a monthly subscription. At this point, I had less than a month before my test date and prayed that one month would be enough. I was a bit discouraged when doing the quizzes on the app, because they seemed harder and sometimes asking things that I did not recall studying. I think some of this may be due to the fact that it uses a different study source from which to pull the questions. It was good practice, though, so I continued doing the test questions on a daily basis.

On the day before and the morning of my exam, I went through and reviewed the Union Acts and other areas where I had made extra notes for review. Exam Time: I said a little prayer before beginning my test, as I have never been a good test taker. I finished going through all of the questions with 11 seconds to spare and two questions marked to review. I knew I didn’t have time to really figure out the best answers, so I decided that I would quickly choose an answer for each. I randomly picked an answer for the first question and while waiting for the next question to come up on the screen, I was informed that my time had expired. My stomach was in knots.

It was the hardest test I have ever taken. I completed the survey and was told that my test results would be available in 24-48 hours. Now, the wait! I honestly felt like I had failed the test. In less than 15 minutes, I received an email notification that my results were ready. I logged into my account and found that I had passed the exam. I was amazed, gratified, and overjoyed to say the least! All of my time and efforts had paid off. I am 51 years old, and I’m happy to say, you’re never too old to learn something new! Now, let’s see what new challenges I can tackle in my workplace.