With all you invest into earning your PHR or SPHR certification, you’ll want to make sure it’s worth it by doing all you can to pass the exam at the end. At HREN, our goal is to help you successfully pass your HR certification exams, and we boast a 95% pass rate with our students thanks to our online PHR certification prep and online SPHR certification prep courses.
If you’re ready to look into earning your PHR or SPHR, here are some of our best tips on how to be successful.
Plan Out Your Test Timeline
SPHR exams can be taken year-round, but PHR exams are usually only available in January, March, May, July, September, and November. And even though SPHR can be taken anytime, you only have 120 days between your application approval and the deadline to take your test. Plan when you will take the test, and then you can determine how aggressive your study plans need to be.
Set a Regular Study Time
Great study helps and access to teachers is only as good as your studying habits. Although flexibility with test prep is ideal for the working professional, this flexibility can lend itself to procrastination. Dedicating regular time to studying can help create the disciplined schedule you need to be able to adequately prepare.
Depending on your test timeline, identify a regular time that you can treat the same way you would clock into work. Put yourself in a space you can focus in, set aside distractions, and turn on a timer.
Identify Your Learning Methods
Every student learns differently, and it’s important to know what learning method is most effective for you. Do you need an instructor that you can interact with? Do you prefer to study by yourself? Do you like to hit your studying hard, or do you need to pace yourself? HREN offers online PHR certification prep and online SPHR certification prep through instructor-led courses, self-study courses, and 7 and 16-week course options for whatever works for your needs.
Take a Preparation Course
Taking the PHR or SPHR exams isn’t a cheap or easy thing to do. Make sure your money and effort is worth it by enrolling in a preparation course. After you’ve identified your learning methods, you can decide which course is the right one for you. Investing in a preparation course provides you with a structured study plan, the opportunity to take practice tests, and learn test-taking strategies specific to the PHR and SPHR exams so that you can know what to expect.
Plan Ahead for Your Test Day
Sometimes, passing or failing a test can all come down to nerves. To help alleviate any test anxiety, set yourself up for success by creating a calm environment the day of. This could include simple things like making sure you get plenty of sleep, eating a well-balanced breakfast, giving yourself plenty of time to get to your test location, and maybe even driving to your test location a couple of days beforehand so you know what to expect.
Take the day of the exam to focus on feeling calm and relaxed. Don’t try to cram studying in the morning or staying up late the night before. You’ve prepared well, and your brain will do its job of remembering if you don’t overwhelm yourself on test day.
How HREN Can Help You
While the current pass rates for the PHR and SPHR exams hover around the 60% mark, HREN students pass at a 95% rate. We feel so confident in preparing you for your exams, that if you do all the required work of our online PHR certification prep or online SPHR certification prep and don’t pass, we will pay for you to take the exam again.
We know that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all study plan for HR students, so we offer instructor-led, self-study, and 7 or 16-week course options so you can find the best fit for you. Not sure which exam is right for you? See what certification options are available and are the right fit for your career.
