PHR / SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification Deluxe Study Guide

I used this as my primary study book in preparing for the PHR, and I passed the test this weekend on the first try. I have several years of experience, but I don't have a formal education in HR, and I work for a small business, so I don't have much experience with many of the strategy/risk management areas; I focus mostly on workforce planning and development. Based on my experience this book was very helpful to understand the six functional areas. The book is organized based on the HRCI outline, and there are study questions at the end of each chapter. The items seem to flow in the same order as the outline, but there aren't many test tips scattered throughout the book, just in one of the introductory chapters. The book doesn't necessarily prepare you well for taking the test, but serves as a wealth of knowledge to get to understand what you need to know going into the test. I used a few other sources, including the practice tests from HRCI to prepare for how the questions are asked on the Prometric test.Overall, I would purchase this item again and recommend it for anyone studying for the PHR. It was the single best source of information I found.

This was really the only resource I used and it works if you use it. I used this for my test in November 2016 and the information was still viable.The book is well written. Most of the extra links inside were no longer valid, but the website for the book has updates and links to additional resources.For those of you wondering if an older book can work, it definitely can. I realize multiple versions of tests exist, but both of mine contained a lot of questions on HR theory and unions, etc.. That information hasn't changed a lot in the past 4 years.I wish there were more flashcards. I feel like if you are advertising flashcards, there should be a lot. I used a previous edition of this book when I took the test in 2005 and also passed. It seemed like there were more flashcards then. The practice test was very helpful, but I felt that was too short also. I think it was 50 questions? the test has 175, so lots more questions would have been great.

If you are preparing for the SPHR, this book is not enough. I used this book (self-study) and bought the SPHR 150-question practice test from HRCI two weeks prior to the test and passed. This book is great to gain most of the knowledge needed to pass the exam, but it won't prepare you for the SPHR exam questions. The reason for this is that its practice tests are more like what you'd see on the PHR and not the SPHR. SPHR questions are more analytical and real life scenarios as opposed to just knowledge-based. The questions are MUCH harder and many times 2 answers look correct (from my experience). If I didn't purchase the HRCI practice tests, I'm not sure I would have passed as I wouldn't have been prepared for the question format (please also note that many resources that claim to provide free SPHR practice tests are in reality PHR ones). Some of the questions on these HRCI practice tests actually appeared on the exam but were worded differently. Finally, some of the subjects weren't covered in this book to the extent that they should have been. For example, the SPHR had many questions on the mergers/acquisitions process, which wasn't in the book at all. So if you're looking for a good resource for SPHR, this would be a start but I would strongly recommend looking at HRCI tools as although they are pricey, they will prepare you well.

4th time taking exam to renew my SPHR: finished 2.5 hours ago and passed! This is second time I used these authors and while I can't tell on the face of it any differences from the earlier (p2012) version, I didn't want to use a $500 SPHR exam to risk it: bought this later published version. Reading is not my preferred learning style so purchased it along w/an audio prep book (audio my learning style) and the HRCI SPHR online $50 practice exam. Don't discount this book's online links for practice sessions; very helpful in getting used to tricky wording & using double negatives in questions ("what would be the least efficient...") All worth every penny!

I used this in conjunction with a much smaller book and audio book but found this to be most helpful. The test is very application based and wish I would of worked through some of the case studies but didn't have time. I took the pre-test, all chapter quizzes, final practice test and used the flash cards. Well worth the money! I went the self study route and successfully passed the exam with 8-10 weeks prepping time. However, I only had this book for half the time. I spent too much time on legal cases and acts to only have SOX come up.

New and original book in perfect quality.Best references, easy to ready and friendly user with supported system and book PDF version.