PLEASE HELP SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO BE A SPHR
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Okay, I did it -- signed up to take the certification exam this December. Now, of course, I am wondering if perhaps I was a bit hasty. I am one course shy of receiving my HR Certificate from UM/College Park, and have a 4.0 GPA. I have worked in HR for over three years, as a Generalist in a not-for-profit. For a small company we have numerous HR related issues. I constantly attend seminars and trainings. I have encountered many many difficult situations and have made lots of decisions that proved beneficial to the company and workforce. I subscribe fully to the "Running With the Big Dogs" concept for strategic HR.
Question: How many of you current PHR/SPHR (S) took courses specifically to prepare for the exam? Is it likely that one can pass the exam without that kind of preparation? Those who may have taken the exam without qualifying (yet)what would you have done differently? Just want opinions/thoughts from you all.
Okay, I did it -- signed up to take the certification exam this December. Now, of course, I am wondering if perhaps I was a bit hasty. I am one course shy of receiving my HR Certificate from UM/College Park, and have a 4.0 GPA. I have worked in HR for over three years, as a Generalist in a not-for-profit. For a small company we have numerous HR related issues. I constantly attend seminars and trainings. I have encountered many many difficult situations and have made lots of decisions that proved beneficial to the company and workforce. I subscribe fully to the "Running With the Big Dogs" concept for strategic HR.
Question: How many of you current PHR/SPHR (S) took courses specifically to prepare for the exam? Is it likely that one can pass the exam without that kind of preparation? Those who may have taken the exam without qualifying (yet)what would you have done differently? Just want opinions/thoughts from you all.
Comments
I think whatever "study" habits you are most comfortable with, will work best. I have colleagues who took classes for $800 and participated in study groups as this is what worked best for THEIR style of learning.
Good luck!!!
While I agree that supplemental materials are a real asset, SHRM's Learning Guides proved to be most benefical for me. They provided a solid outline as well as offered specific information that proved importatn during the exam.
Remember, if you understand the concepts rather than just memorizing details, you will do much better.
I am taking the class version. I won't know until after the test if it was the right thing to do. But, I know that I need to have some external motivation and a class does that.
We have a woman in our class that did the self study and did not pass so now she is in class with us. She says she likes it much better and feels better prepared.
I wish you good luck!!!
You most definitely should purchase the study materials. You might want to network with some of your fellow HR people in your area to help share the cost
which is approx. $600. Not only are they excellent study materials, but you
will use them as references. The PHR is more detailed/practice oriented, and the SPHR is more theory. Both are challenging. I took the SPHR and missed by 6points, so I'm retaking the test. It's 2.5 hours. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me. [email]cwood@tcpud.org[/email]
The best advice I can give is to slow down and really read every word of the questions. I speed read and missing one little word can change the entire question.