Sorry, no tips...but I sympathize and think this is an excellent question! I plan to take mine this winter and have some books that were highly referred to while googling and researching for sources to study. I've pushed back taking the exam a couple of times...very nervous, as I hardly hear very many success stories...(at least for first time around). Hope you get some good feedback and answers...I'll be watching for them as well. Best of luck to you!

Hi Chris, I have been through the PHR & SPHR and am the Certification Chairperson of the Morris County chapter in NJ. I suggest purchasing the HR Certification guidebook and also taking one of the practice exams on the HRCI website://www.hrci.org/assessmentexam/phrsphr/.
Try to memorize key words with terms. There is a lot of material to cover, but you can do it. Also, you need a strategy for the exam because it is very long (4 hours if I remember right). Go through each question and only answer what you know. Absolutely do not spend extensive amount of time on a question. If you spend more than a minute or two, skip it. Then go back more than once through the exam answering the ones you are most sure about. The round of reviewing questions should be the ones you are least sure about. Feel free to contact me directly at my e-mail. Good luck.

I sat for my PHR exam in May 2005. I had not taken a lengthy test in years and was very nervous! The questions have 4 multiple choice answers. Truthfully, some questions I had never heard of, so had to guess at the answers (tried to use common sense). I took the SHRM Learning Course at a local college with about 8 other people to prepare for the exam. I finished it in December and took the exam in May. I did pass on the first try. I just renewed my certification and it was very simple. I found it easy to acquire 60 credits over the past 3 years. I actually had over the amount, but submitted only 60 credits. I submitted it all on-line and was prepared for the 6-8 week response as noted in the recertification material. In less than a week, I receied an e-mail saying I had been recertified!

There is no replacement for experience no matter how hard you study. There is a reason that the minimum requirements are in place. HR is not black and white as textbooks tend to be except perhaps regarding specific laws. The PHR is not a history exam. It deals with day-to-day HR practice. That said, you may wish to sign up for a preparation course. Many of those "graduates" have been successful when sitting for the exam.

I took the prep class and found it to be very beneficial. I was EXTREMELY lucky and passed on the first try! I like Judy Triebman's answer. Don't over-think the questions; don't spend too much time on any one answer; better to skip and come back. Pace yourself - you have 4 hours but it goes by pretty quickly and you don't want to be caught with a bunch of unanswered questions at the end. Good luck.