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Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
The Professional in Human Resources (PHR) is HRCI's experience-based certification exam for HR professionals focused on implementing programs and supporting day-to-day operations, validating technical and operational HR knowledge including U.S. laws and regulations; it is owned by HR Certification Institute (HRCI) and delivered through Pearson VUE.
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Questions115 questions total: 90 scored questions plus 25 pretest questions; pretest questions are randomly distributed throughout the exam and are not counted in the final results
Testing time2 hours of exam time plus 30 minutes administration time
ScoringPassing requires a scaled score of at least 500; the passing score for each exam type is set at 500 regardless of exam version, using the modified Angoff method with equating across exam forms
Exam feeUSD 395.00 exam fee plus USD 100.00 application fee (USD 495.00 total); once an exam application is approved, no refunds are made
Prep options
Study resources for PHR
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Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- HRCI
- Category
- Human Resources & Payroll
- Current version
- PHR exam content outline that took effect in 2024 (Certification Policies and Procedures Handbook revised January 2025)
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE
- Format
- Computer-based; taken at a Pearson VUE test center or remotely from home or office using OnVUE online proctoring
- Availability
- Year-round testing; after the application is approved the candidate must schedule within a 180-day eligibility period, on a first-come, first-served basis
- Results
- Test center: printed results report at the testing center, with official results online within 1-2 business days. Online proctored: no printed report; email within 24-48 hours when the web-based results report is available, and the result is viewable in the HRCI account within one hour after the session ends
- Credential validity
- Passing the exam earns certification valid for three years; holders must earn 60 HR recertification credits over the three-year span or retake the exam
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
One 115-question computer-based exam (90 scored) built on the PHR exam content outline with seven functional areas: Business Management (14%), Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition (14%), Learning and Development (10%), Total Rewards (15%), Employee Engagement (17%), Employee and Labor Relations (20%), and HR Information Management (10%). Item types include traditional multiple choice, multiple-response, fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop, and scenario-based items (per the handbook's About the Exams section).
Where rules vary
United States-focused HR certification exam covering U.S. laws and regulations; HRCI offers the separate PHRi (Professional in Human Resources International) for practitioners outside the United States
Eligibility
Must meet one of: at least 1 year of professional-level HR experience plus a master's degree or higher; at least 2 years plus a bachelor's degree; or at least 4 years of professional-level HR experience — plus an approved HRCI exam application (eligibility ID) before an appointment can be scheduled
Retake policy
90-day cooling-off period after an unsuccessful attempt before a retake appointment may be scheduled; without Second Chance Insurance the candidate must re-apply, re-qualify, and pay all related exam fees again, with 180 days to schedule and take the exam