Assurance of Learning
Goals and Purpose of Assurance of Learning. The goals of the Assurance of Learning exam are fourfold: 1) to help universities meet their accrediting body’s assurance of learning requirements by showing that the HR degree program teaches its students what it says it will teach them; 2) to show that the student has acquired the knowledge required to enter the HR profession at the entry level; 3) to provide HR students with an achievement, by passing an exit exam, to help them differentiate themselves in the job marketplace; and, 4) to replace a student’s eligibility to take the Professional in HR (PHR) certification offered by the HR Certification Institute.
Content Areas covered on the Exam.
- Employee and Labor Relations;
- Employment Law;
- HR and Organizational Strategy;
- Managing a Diverse Workforce;
- Performance Management;
- Staffing: Recruitment and Selection;
- Total Rewards;
- Training and Development;
- Workforce Planning and Talent Management; and
- Leadership.
- Career Planning;
- Employee Benefits;
- HR Mergers and Acquisitions;
- Measuring HR Outcomes: Metrics and the Bottom Line;
- Risk Management: Occupational Health, Safety, and Security; and
- Negotiation Skills.
- HR and Globalization, and
- HR Information Systems.
Registration Website. Site includes student-specific information, faculty/administrator-specific information and general information. Between now and January 2011, direct questions to assessment@shrm.org.
2011 test windows. May 15 – June 15, 2011 July 15 – August 15, 2011 October 15 – November 15, 2011
2012 test windows. Three(3) 30-day test windows annually.
March 15 – April 15, 2012 July 15 – August 15, 2012 October 15 – November 15, 2012
Eligibility requirements. Undergraduate students and graduate students in HR degrees or HR-related degrees are eligible to take the exam beginning 1 year before graduation and ending 1 year after graduation. The registration website will also require the applicant to provide information on a variety of areas including but not limited to the degree program sought, the university the student attends, and the number of HR-specific courses in the major area of study or concentration. Any applicant who meets the eligibility requirements will be given a registration number and will be given information about selecting a test-taking site.
Reports available to examinees and universities. Students will receive a score report. Universities will receive pass/fail information and scores for all students who attend their university. Universities will also have the option to purchase customized reports to address the requirements of accrediting bodies’ assurance of learning standards.
How should students prepare for the exam? The content of the exam reflects HR content areas in SHRM’s HR Curriculum guidelines under both required and integrated content areas defined in the guidelines. Although completing coursework toward an HR or HR-related degree program is the primary method of preparation, SHRM will be creating preparation materials that will help students acquaint themselves with the style of questions they can expect to see on the exam. Sources used as the basis for individual items on the assessment, as well as the rationales for correct and incorrect answers on the assessment, will be included in the preparation materials. This is so a student can supplement texts, research and web sites studied as part of his or her degree program with additional sources used by item writers.
PHR (Professional in Human Resource Management) and SPHR (Senior in Human Resource Management)
Professional Certification in human resource management is done through the Human Resource Certification Institute.
The PHR and SPHR exams contain 225 multiple choice questions and consists of the following sections:
Strategic Management
Workforce Planning and Employment
Human Resource Development
Compensation and Benefits
Employee and Labor Relations
Occupational Health, Safety, and Security
Eligibility
The new eligibility requirements are as follows:
PHR Eligibility
-4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree
-2 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
-1 year of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
SPHR Eligibility
-7 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with lessthan a Bachelor’s degree
-5 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
-4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
Students will no longer be eligible to sit for the exams unless they have the required level of experience. Students must meet the same requirements as non-students and have the required years of demonstrated experience for their level of education.
How to Get Information and Application Materials
Contact the Human Resource Certification Institute
606 North Washington Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-548-3440
Fax: 703-836-0367
E-Mail: hrci@shrm.org
http://www.shrm.org/hrci
When and Where are the Closest Exams?
The closest exams are held in Boise, Salt Lake City, and Spokane. The Boise location is typically at New Horizons on Glenwood.
Exams are December through January and May through June.
Study Helps for the Exams
1. Get a Human Resource Management major at BSU or take some of the classes
2. Take the Certification Institute courses through the BSU Center for Management Development
3. Grab a bunch of HRM textbooks.
4. Grab the Bureau of National Affairs Employment Guide.
5. Buy the Learning System from the Society for Human Resource Management.
6. Form a study group.
Why Take the Exam?
Improves chances of getting a job. For example, Microsoft Corporation requires their HR employees to have certification or be studying for certification.