Underestimating Exam Preparation

Time
Test takers often misjudge how much time they need to prepare for taking the
test. Unfortunately, there is no way to pinpoint exactly how much or how
little prep time you may need. I can only offer you an educated perspective
based on my own exam preparation experience, the reports of other exam
survivors, and industry best practices:
My own experience: I sincerely wish that I had my own For Dummies
resource when I sat for the PHR and the SPHR exams. Understanding the
50,000-foot view would have helped me drill down into the boots-on-theground
exam prep and better understand what I was up against. Here is a
short list of what I did to prepare:
The first textbook I used was the PHR/SPHR Professional in
Human Resources Study Guide by Anne Bogardus (Sybex/John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.), mainly because the $30 or so price tag was
just about what I had to spend in my prep budget. I had the
privilege of updating this same book for the last review period.
Bogardus covered many of the main points covered in the exam
objectives, and in most cases, she helped illuminate concepts for
which I needed more resources.
The second textbook resource was Human Resource Management
by Robert L. Mathis and John H. Jackson (Southwestern Cengage
Learning). I credit their work with teaching me about business
management and strategy. Here is where I first discovered the life
cycle of the employee and Michael Porter’s five forces, concepts I
use still today in my work as a consultant and author. If you want
baseline knowledge similar to what you would find in an MBA
course, start here. For those individuals on a budget, consider the
previous edition rather than current, but don’t go back more than
one edition.
When I sat for the PHR in the days of the dinosaur, the Internet
wasn’t the viable resource that it is today. For the SPHR, I
accessed government websites and printed fact sheets on labor
laws. I researched strategy and the concept of HR as business
partners.
I reviewed flashcards while eating breakfast. I recorded myself
reading exam prep material and listened to it while driving. I made
myself worksheets and matching games and worked them while
waiting for dinner to cook. In all, I spent between 12 to 14 hours
studying per week, but I spent many more hours immersing myself
in the subject material. For both exams, I finished well under the
time limit and passed on the first try. Regardless of the outcome, I
recognized that this accelerated-immersion approach taught me
more than I ever thought there was to know about the field of
human resources, and I’m a better professional as a result of the
dedicated study time.
Reports of exam survivors: Several different online forums are available
of people sharing their prep experience. I also have first-hand reports
from individuals who have taken my prep classes. Their time commitment
varied from the superstars of 20-plus hours to those who came at it when
they had a chance. The average seemed to be about 12 to 14 hours per
week over a four-to-six-month period. In addition, all of the successful
exam takers couldn’t emphasize enough the importance of taking practice
exam after practice exam. They shared in frustration that none of their
study materials covered all of the material on the exams, which is why
practice exams from multiple resources can help increase your chances of
seeing familiar material on the tests.
Industry practices: As a general guideline, most exam preparation
programs run about 14 weeks. With six functional areas and the core
knowledge requirements, it equates to about two weeks per topic. Chapter
2 also gives you pointers on how to build a custom study plan designed
around your strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the HR Certification
Institute (HRCI) sells a booklet titled The Official PHR and SPHR
Certification Guide, which I highly recommend that you put it into your
budget. It not only has sample test questions, but it also gives you
excellent samples of an eight-, ten-, and 12-week study schedule for both
exams.
How much time each week to dedicate to your studies is largely dependent on
your comfort level and initial assessment scores. Understanding your
time/assessment score data and applying it to your study plan is critical
because no single resource is customized to your existing knowledge levels;
you must be the captain of your ship. Remember, authors of exam prep
material aren’t granted special access to exam content. We build the material
from years of experience, thought leader interviews, industry best practices,
and most importantly, the exam bodies of knowledge.