HR Certification Path

Directory · grows as exams are added

Every exam on this site, by certifying body

Five exams have full sections today: three from HRCI and two from SHRM. Each section has the same core pages, an overview, a practice test, the exam facts and a study guide, plus one page per functional area of the institute’s outline, or per BASK competency cluster and knowledge domain for the CP and SCP. The GPHR is listed below with checked facts; it has no practice set yet.

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

HRCI exams

Checked Oct 25, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. Online testing means OnVUE remote proctoring through Pearson VUE.
CertificationLevelContent outline in forceQuestions on the examTesting timeWhere you testPracticeSourceChecked
PHRProfessional2024 (7 areas)115 (90 scored)2 hoursTest center, or online for select exams and locationsPractice test
Exam facts 		[1][2][3][4][5][6]
SPHRSenior2024 (5 areas)140 (115 scored)2 h 30 minTest center, or online for select exams and locationsPractice test
Exam facts 		[1][5][6][7][8]
aPHREntry2021 (5 areas)90 (65 scored)1 h 45 minTest center, or online for select exams and locationsPractice test
Exam facts 		[1][5][6][9][10]

SHRM exams

Checked Oct 25, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. Both levels share one body of knowledge, the BASK, and one set of testing rules.
CertificationLevelContent outline in forceQuestions on the examTesting timeWhere you testPracticeSourceChecked
SHRM-CPProfessionalBASK 2026134 (110 scored)3 h 40 minPrometric center onlyPractice test
Exam facts 		[11][12][13][14]
SHRM-SCPSeniorBASK 2026134 (110 scored)3 h 40 minPrometric center onlyPractice test
Exam facts 		[11][12][14][15]

The pages in each section

Topics are explained once, on the exam that owns them: US employment law on employee and labor relations, the behavioral competencies on the BASK page. Other exams link there.

Coming next, facts only for now

Checked Oct 25, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. No practice test for the GPHR yet. HRCI’s international PHRi and SPHRi are listed on HRCI certifications.
CertificationLevelEligibilityQuestions on the examTesting timeExam priceSourceChecked
GPHRSenior, global2–4 years of HR work125 (100 scored)2 h 15 min$595[1][16][17][18]

Choosing between them

Sources

  1. HRCI: individual certifications hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  2. HRCI: PHR certification page hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  3. HRCI: PHR exam content outline (2024) hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  4. HRCI PHR page announcing the outline change effective 3/1/2024 (Wayback, 2024-02-25) web.archive.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  5. HRCI Certification Policies and Procedures Handbook (PDF dated 2026-10-01) hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  6. HRCI: online testing hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  7. HRCI: SPHR certification page hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  8. HRCI: SPHR exam content outline (2024) hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  9. HRCI: aPHR certification page hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  10. HRCI: aPHR exam content outline (2021) hrci.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  11. 2026 SHRM Certification Handbook (PDF) shrm.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  12. SHRM BASK, 2026 edition (PDF) shrm.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  13. SHRM: SHRM-CP certification page shrm.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  14. SHRM: exam options and fees (fees, windows, format, pass rates) shrm.org · checked Oct 25, 2026
  15. SHRM: SHRM-SCP certification page shrm.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  16. HRCI: GPHR certification page hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  17. HRCI: understanding professional-level experience hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026
  18. HRCI: exam fees hrci.org · checked Oct 26, 2026