TheoryPHR SHRM HR
Practice Test
Practice for the PHR SHRM HR with realistic exam questions, full explanations, timed mock exams and progress tracking — fully offline.
Heads up: the app and the web exam use separate accounts — a web unlock and an in-app purchase do not carry over. Buy on the web to practice on the web.
PHR SHRM HR exam — full Q&A walkthrough
Every question read aloud with the answer explained. Play it on your commute, then test yourself.
30 free PHR SHRM HR questions
Sampled across every topic area — not just the first page. Try them as a quiz or flip them as flashcards.
-
Talent Acquisition
Which sourcing channel typically produces hires with the highest retention and lowest cost-per-hire?
Correct — B. Employee referrals consistently show higher retention and lower cost because referred candidates arrive with realistic job previews and a built-in social connection. -
Talent Acquisition
A job analysis is conducted primarily to produce which foundational HR document?
Correct — C. Job analysis systematically identifies the tasks, duties, and required KSAs of a role, which are then documented in the job description. -
Talent Acquisition
An employer's cognitive ability test predicts job performance accurately but disproportionately screens out a protected group and a less-discriminatory equally valid alternative exists. Under EEOC guidance the employer should:
Correct — A. When a selection procedure has adverse impact, Title VII requires using an available alternative that is equally valid but less discriminatory; ignoring it can establish liability. -
Talent Acquisition
Under the EEOC's 'four-fifths' (80%) rule, adverse impact is generally indicated when the selection rate for a protected group is:
Correct — B. The four-fifths rule flags potential adverse impact when a group's selection rate is below 80% of the rate of the most-selected group. -
Talent Acquisition
Which interview format asks candidates to describe how they handled real past situations to predict future behavior?
Correct — D. Behavioral interviewing rests on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior, often elicited with the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. -
Talent Acquisition
A company received 400 applications and made 20 hires. What is the selection ratio?
Correct — B. Selection ratio = hires divided by applicants = 20/400 = 0.05; a lower ratio means greater selectivity. -
Talent Acquisition
If 1,000 applicants yield 250 interviews, and 50 of those interviewees receive offers, the yield ratio from interview to offer is:
Correct — C. Yield ratio for that stage = offers/interviews = 50/250 = 20%. -
Talent Acquisition
An employer value proposition (EVP) is best described as:
Correct — A. The EVP is the unique mix of tangible and intangible rewards (pay, growth, culture, purpose) that attracts and retains talent. -
Talent Acquisition
Effective onboarding is most strongly associated with which outcome?
Correct — C. Structured onboarding accelerates role clarity and social integration, improving early retention and time-to-productivity. -
Talent Acquisition
A realistic job preview (RJP) primarily reduces turnover by:
Correct — B. RJPs share both positive and negative job realities, allowing candidates to opt out before hire and improving fit of those who join. -
Talent Acquisition
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), before taking adverse action based on a third-party background report, an employer must first provide the applicant:
Correct — A. FCRA requires a pre-adverse-action notice (with the report and the CFPB summary of rights) so the applicant can dispute inaccuracies before a final decision. -
Talent Acquisition
Form I-9 is used by U.S. employers to:
Correct — B. Form I-9 documents verification of identity and employment authorization; tax withholding is handled by Form W-4. -
Talent Acquisition
Federal law requires employers to report newly hired employees to a state directory primarily to:
Correct — C. New-hire reporting feeds the State Directory of New Hires, used chiefly to locate parents for child-support order enforcement. -
Talent Acquisition
Workforce planning that forecasts future talent supply and demand to close gaps is part of:
Correct — D. Workforce planning aligns talent supply and demand with business strategy, identifying gaps to address through hiring, development, or restructuring. -
Talent Acquisition
Which practice most directly broadens a diverse applicant pool without resorting to unlawful quotas?
Correct — A. Widening sourcing plus structured, job-related criteria expands diversity lawfully; rigid quotas can constitute illegal discrimination. -
Talent Acquisition
If total internal recruiting costs are $30,000 and external costs are $20,000 for 25 hires, the cost-per-hire is:
Correct — B. Cost-per-hire = (internal + external costs) / number of hires = $50,000 / 25 = $2,000. -
Talent Acquisition
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) primarily helps recruiters by:
Correct — C. An ATS centralizes requisitions, resumes, screening, and pipeline status to streamline recruiting workflow. -
Talent Acquisition
Negligent hiring liability is most likely when an employer:
Correct — A. Negligent hiring arises when an employer knew or should have known of a risk (e.g., relevant violent history for a sensitive role) and failed to act, leading to foreseeable harm. -
Talent Acquisition
Content validity of a selection test is best demonstrated when:
Correct — C. Content validity exists when test content is a representative sample of the actual tasks/knowledge required on the job. -
Talent Acquisition
Many former employers limit reference disclosures to dates of employment and title primarily to:
Correct — B. Limiting references reduces exposure to defamation claims, though qualified-privilege protections exist for good-faith truthful statements. -
Talent Acquisition
A contingent job offer means employment is conditioned on:
Correct — D. A contingent offer is binding only if the candidate satisfies specified lawful conditions (e.g., reference, background, or medical screen permitted post-offer). -
Talent Acquisition
Posting open roles internally before external advertising chiefly supports:
Correct — B. Internal job posting promotes career growth and retention by giving current employees first access to opportunities. -
Talent Acquisition
Time-to-fill is best defined as the number of days between:
Correct — C. Time-to-fill measures the full requisition cycle—from opening the job to offer acceptance—while time-to-hire measures from candidate entry to acceptance. -
Talent Acquisition
A key compliance risk when heavily using independent contractors is:
Correct — A. Misclassifying employees as contractors can lead to unpaid overtime, back payroll taxes, and penalties under the FLSA and IRS rules. -
Talent Acquisition
Which factor most improves candidate experience during recruiting?
Correct — B. Clear, timely communication is repeatedly cited as the strongest driver of positive candidate experience and offer acceptance. -
Talent Acquisition
Using a 'compensatory' selection model means that:
Correct — C. In a compensatory model, predictor scores are combined so strength in one area can compensate for weakness in another, unlike a multiple-hurdle approach. -
Talent Acquisition
The '4 Cs' framework for onboarding includes Compliance, Clarification, Culture, and:
Correct — D. The four Cs of onboarding are Compliance, Clarification, Culture, and Connection—building relationships that speed integration. -
Talent Acquisition
A 'passive candidate' is best described as someone who:
Correct — B. Passive candidates are currently employed and not actively searching; reaching them requires proactive sourcing and a compelling EVP. -
Talent Acquisition
Listing the 'essential functions' in a job description is especially important for compliance with:
Correct — A. Identifying essential functions supports ADA compliance by clarifying which duties a qualified individual must perform with or without reasonable accommodation. -
Talent Acquisition
A selection test gives very different scores when the same person takes it twice under identical conditions. The test most clearly lacks:
Correct — B. Reliability is consistency of measurement; inconsistent results on retest indicate poor reliability, which also undermines validity.
PHR SHRM HR sample questions
Tap any question below to reveal the answer and a plain-English explanation.
Talent Acquisition An 'applicant' for OFCCP recordkeeping under the Internet Applicant rule must generally have:
A. Only viewed the job posting
B. Been interviewed twice
C. Expressed interest, met basic qualifications, and not withdrawn ✓
D. Accepted an offer
Correct — C. The Internet Applicant rule defines an applicant as one who expressed interest via the Internet, was considered, met the advertised basic qualifications, and did not remove themselves.
Employee & Labor Relations Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Section 7 protects which activity even in a non-union workplace?
A. Two employees discussing their wages together to improve conditions ✓
B. An individual griping with no group aim
C. Disclosing trade secrets to a competitor
D. Refusing a lawful safety rule
Correct — A. Section 7 protects 'concerted activity' for mutual aid—such as employees jointly discussing pay—regardless of whether a union is present.
Total Rewards Under the federal FLSA, a non-exempt employee who works 46 hours in a workweek is entitled to overtime for:
A. All 46 hours
B. 6 hours at 1.5x the regular rate ✓
C. 0 hours
D. 46 hours at 2x
Correct — B. The FLSA requires overtime at 1.5x the regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek; here 6 overtime hours apply.
Learning & Development The ADDIE instructional design model stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and:
A. Evaluation ✓
B. Education
C. Engagement
D. Examination
Correct — A. ADDIE's five phases are Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation, a systematic framework for building training.
HR Operations & Technology An HRIS (Human Resource Information System) is primarily used to:
A. Manufacture products
B. Centralize and manage employee data and HR processes ✓
C. Replace the CEO
D. Audit tax returns
Correct — B. An HRIS stores and manages core employee data and automates HR processes such as records, payroll interfaces, and benefits.
U.S. Employment Law Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on all EXCEPT:
A. Race
B. Age over 40 ✓
C. Sex
D. Religion
Correct — B. Title VII covers race, color, religion, sex, and national origin; age discrimination (40+) is covered separately by the ADEA.
Business & HR Strategy In a SWOT analysis, 'Opportunities' and 'Threats' refer to factors that are:
A. Internal to the organization
B. External to the organization ✓
C. Always financial
D. Only about competitors
Correct — B. SWOT classifies Strengths and Weaknesses as internal factors and Opportunities and Threats as external environmental factors.
Ethics & Professionalism An HR manager hiring her own sibling without disclosure presents:
A. No issue at all
B. A conflict of interest ✓
C. A required best practice
D. A compliance audit
Correct — B. Hiring a relative without disclosure is a conflict of interest; ethical practice requires disclosure and recusal to preserve fairness and trust.
About the PHR SHRM HR test
The PHR SHRM HR measures the Finance & Accounting knowledge you'll actually rely on — tested the way the real exam asks it, not with trick questions. Practising real PHR SHRM HR-style questions, then sitting a full timed mock exam, is the fastest way to walk in knowing you'll pass.
You will be tested on
- The core topics and terminology you'll be tested on
- Rules, standards and best-practice procedures
- Real-world scenarios and how to respond
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
How TheoryPractice helps you pass
- Real exam-style questions with instant, detailed explanations
- Full timed mock exams that mirror the real test format
- Flashcards & quiz modes from the same question bank
- Progress tracking so you know exactly when you're ready
Topics in this question bank
The core topics and terminology you'll be tested on
Rules, standards and best-practice procedures
Real-world scenarios and how to respond
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Full PHR SHRM HR bank + unlimited mocks
Try 30 questions free. Unlock the complete PHR SHRM HR question bank, every explanation, and unlimited timed mock exams. Practice on any device.
Unlock PHR SHRM HR →