HR Certification Path

Compare · HRCI entry and professional level, checked Oct 2026

aPHR vs PHR: the first two HRCI rungs

The aPHR is HRCI's entry exam (experience required: none); the PHR is its professional exam and needs 1–4 years of HR work. If you will qualify for the PHR soon, waiting saves an exam fee. If you are years away, the aPHR is the credential you can hold now.

Updated Oct 26, 2026 · Not affiliated with HRCI or SHRM.

  • 65 / 90scored questions, aPHR / PHR
  • 1 h 45 min / 2 hourstesting time
  • $400 / $495to sit, as of Oct 2026

The short answer

aPHR

Take the aPHR if

  • you are more than a year away from PHR eligibility;
  • you are moving into HR from another field or a support role;
  • you want a shorter first exam: 90 (65 scored) questions in 1 h 45 min;
  • you want the lower fee: $400.

aPHR practice testAbout the aPHR exam

PHR

Wait for the PHR if

  • your experience will reach its rule within months: 1–4 years of HR work;
  • you would rather pay one exam fee than two;
  • the jobs you target are past entry level;
  • you want the credential with more holders: 63,311.

PHR practice testAbout the PHR exam

aPHR vs PHR, fact by fact

Checked Oct 25, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. Every row is from HRCI's exam pages, outlines, statistics or handbooks; prices as of Oct 2026.
FeaturePHRaPHRSource
LevelProfessional (operational HR)Knowledge (entry level)[1][2][3]
Who it is forHR professionals who implement programs and support day-to-day operations; it tests technical and operational HR knowledge, including US laws and regulationsPeople starting out in HR or exploring a path into the field[1]
Eligibility1 year of professional-level HR experience with a master’s degree or higher, 2 years with a bachelor’s degree, or 4 years without a degreeThe degree does not have to be in HR, and the experience need not be current or consecutive.No HR experience required; the current page lists no education requirementUntil 2021 the page asked for a high school diploma or equivalent; it no longer does.[2][3][4][5]
Questions on the exam115 questions (90 scored + 25 pretest)90 questions (65 scored + 25 pretest)[2][3]
Testing time2 hours of testingPlus 30 minutes of administration time (tutorial and survey).1 hour 45 minutes of testingPlus 30 minutes of administration time (tutorial and survey).[2][3]
Passing scoreBoth bodies report scaled scores on different scales, so a 500 and a 200 do not compare.Scaled score of 500Set by the modified Angoff method and equated across exam forms. HRCI publishes the cut score only, not the top of the scale.Scaled score of 500Set by the modified Angoff method and equated across exam forms. HRCI publishes the cut score only, not the top of the scale.[4]
Content outline in force2024 exam content outline, in force since March 1, 20242021 exam content outline (5 functional areas), still current[6][7][8]
What changed recentlySince March 1, 2024 the PHR follows a new outline with 7 functional areas instead of 5; Employee Engagement and HR Information Management are new areas, and Employee and Labor Relations is now 20%Between December 2021 and May 2022 the exam went from 100 + 25 questions in 2 hours 15 minutes to 65 + 25 in 1 hour 45 minutes, on the 2021 outline that replaced the 6-area 2016 one[6][7][8][9][10]
Exam priceHRCI charges one price; the SHRM price depends on membership and on the application deadline. The bar shows the nonmember standard price.$495 ($395 exam fee + $100 application fee)$400 ($300 exam fee + $100 application fee)[2][3][11]
Pass rateHRCI publishes one pass rate per calendar year; SHRM publishes one per testing window.72% in 202569% in 2024, 60% in 2023 and 61% in 2022.71% in 202571% in 2024, 71% in 2023 and 74% in 2022.[12][13][14][15]
Credential holders63,311 PHR holders as of January 5, 202610,184 aPHR holders as of January 5, 2026[16]
Recertification credits60 HR credits in 3 years (1 of them ethics), or retake the exam45 credits in 3 years (1 of them ethics), or retake the exam[2][3][17][18]
Recertification fee$169 for one HRCI credential, plus $50 for each additional one (up to $369 for five or more)$169 for one HRCI credential, plus $50 for each additional one (up to $369 for five or more)[17][19]
AccreditationNCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies)Every HRCI exam except the aPHRi is NCCA-accredited.NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies)Every HRCI exam except the aPHRi is NCCA-accredited.[1][12]

What changes between the two outlines

aPHR: 2021 exam content outline (5 functional areas), still current, made of 27 “Knowledge of” statements across the 5 functional areas, and no responsibilities.

PHR: 2024 exam content outline, in force since March 1, 2024, with 27 responsibilities across the 7 functional areas on top of its knowledge statements.

So the aPHR asks what you know; the PHR also asks what you do with it on the job. Read by area name (our reading of the two outlines), the entry areas grow into the professional ones like this:

  • Talent Acquisition (19%) → Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition (14%)
  • Compensation and Benefits (17%) → Total Rewards (15%)
  • Learning and Development (15%) → Learning and Development (10%)
  • Employee Relations (24%) → Employee Engagement (17%) and Employee and Labor Relations (20%)

The aPHR's largest area, Compliance and Risk Management at 25%, has no PHR area of the same name: on the professional exam the law is spread across the areas and explained on the employee and labor relations page. The PHR also adds Business Management and HR Information Management, which have no entry-level counterpart.

Same rules, different size

Both are HRCI exams and share its rules. You book year-round and sit at a Pearson VUE test center, or online with OnVUE remote proctoring (for select exams and locations); the pass mark is 500 (scaled); and the retake rule is the same (90-day wait, pay again). What differs is size: 90 (65 scored) questions in 1 h 45 min against 115 (90 scored) in 2 hours.

Pass rates were almost level in 2025, 71% and 72%, but the PHR's has moved more: 60% in 2023, when the aPHR stood at 71%. More on the entry exam's format: aPHR exam info.

Skip the aPHR, or take it first?

Start from when the PHR opens for you. It takes 2 years of professional-level HR work with a bachelor's degree, 1 year with a master's and 4 years without a degree (what counts). Then:

  • Under a year away: wait. Taking both means paying $400 now and $495 later (the fee math).
  • Several years away: the aPHR is the credential you can use now, and its five areas cover most of the same ground at entry depth.
  • Applied for the aPHR and now qualify for the PHR? HRCI allows a switch before you schedule: $100 change fee plus any price difference, allowed only before an exam appointment is scheduled; the original fees are not refunded.

Whether the entry credential pays off for your job search is a separate question: is the aPHR worth it.

Myth: the aPHR needs a high school diploma

Until 2021 the page asked for a high school diploma or equivalent; it no longer does. The current requirement, checked on Oct 25, 2026: No HR experience required; the current page lists no education requirement.

Keeping it

Both renew every 3 years at the same fee, $169 as of Oct 2026. The aPHR asks for 45 credits, the PHR for 60 credits, and each counts one ethics credit inside the total (HR recertification).

Practice at the entry and professional level

PHR: practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with HRCI or SHRM.

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Practice on your phone

aPHR: practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with HRCI or SHRM.

Get the practice appDownload on theApp StoreAndroid: practice in the browser

Go deeper

Other comparisons

Sources

  1. HRCI: individual certifications hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  2. HRCI: PHR certification page hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  3. HRCI: aPHR certification page hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  4. HRCI Certification Policies and Procedures Handbook (PDF dated 2026-10-01) hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  5. HRCI: understanding professional-level experience hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  6. HRCI: PHR exam content outline (2024) hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  7. HRCI PHR page announcing the outline change effective 3/1/2024 (Wayback, 2024-02-25) web.archive.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  8. HRCI: aPHR exam content outline (2021) hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  9. HRCI aPHR page, December 2021: 100 + 25 questions, 2 h 15 min (Wayback) web.archive.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  10. HRCI aPHR page, May 2022: 65 + 25 questions, 1 h 45 min (Wayback) web.archive.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  11. HRCI: exam fees hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  12. HRCI: exam pass rates hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  13. HRCI pass rates as of Dec 31, 2024 (Wayback, 2025-02-08) web.archive.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  14. HRCI pass rates as of Dec 31, 2023 (Wayback, 2024-05-29) web.archive.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  15. HRCI pass rates as of Dec 31, 2022 (Wayback, 2023-11-30) web.archive.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  16. HRCI: exam statistics hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  17. HRCI Recertification Handbook (PDF dated 2026-10-01) hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  18. HRCI: ethics recertification requirement hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  19. HRCI: recertification fees and deadlines hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026

aPHR vs PHR, quick answers

What is the difference between the aPHR and the PHR?

Level and entry rule. The aPHR is HRCI's entry exam (HR experience required: none); the PHR is the professional exam and needs 1–4 years of HR work. The PHR is longer, 115 questions against 90, and costs $495 against $400 as of Oct 2026.

Should I get the aPHR or wait for the PHR?

Wait if you will qualify for the PHR within a year or so; you save an exam fee. If you are several years away, the aPHR is the credential you can hold in the meantime.

Do I need the aPHR before the PHR?

No. The PHR rule asks for experience, shortened by a degree; it does not ask for the aPHR.

Is the PHR harder than the aPHR?

It is longer and adds responsibilities to the knowledge the aPHR tests. The 2025 pass rates were almost the same, 72% and 71%, but the PHR's has swung more from year to year.