SPHR Practice Questions
Prepare for SPHR with more than an answer.
- Exam fee
- $595 USD
- Level
- Senior Professional
- Valid for
- 3 years
Domains covered on the exam 5
- Leadership and Strategy33%
- Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition17%
- Talent Management23%
- Total Rewards17%
- HR Information Management, Safety, and Security10%
- 1
To determine the numbers and types of jobs necessary to realize business goals, HR must assess the KSAs available within the organization during a staffing needs analysis. What other factor is necessary to complete the assessment?
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Correct answer: B
Explanation:
Answer option B is correct.
A staffing needs analysis begins with an assessment of the KSAs needed to achieve future goals along with those that are currently available within the organization. Although the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (A) are used to determine what the KSAs are, it is possible for individuals with the same or similar KSAs to perform different jobs, so (A) is not used in a needs analysis. KSAs available in the local labor market (D) will be used to develop the recruiting strategy and plan but are not relevant to the staffing needs analysis. The organization's core competencies (C) are factors that make the organization unique but are not generally part of the staffing needs analysis.
Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment Objective: Review Questions - 2
As an HR Professional in your organization, you need to be familiar with designing interview questions that are valid. Which type of validity is demonstrated by the job requirement of the applicant being fluent in Spanish and English?
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Correct answer: A
Explanation:
Answer option A is correct.
The requirement for an application to be fluent in both English and Spanish is an example of the Criterion-Related validity.
Answer option D is incorrect. Content validity is a selection procedure that assesses a candidate's ability to perform a representation sample of the significant parts of the job.
Answer option B is incorrect. Construct validity is a selection procedure that assesses evidence of a certain psychological trait desired in the job.
Answer option C is incorrect. Predictive validity is a selection procedure that predicts a person's ability to perform well in a given job. -- Reference: Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide, Sybex, ISBN: 978-0-470-43096-5. Chapter Four: Workforce Planning. Official PHR and SPHR Certification Guide, HR Certification Institute, ISBN: 978-1-586-44149-4, Section III, The US Body of Knowledge.
Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment Objective: Staffing Programs - 3
Data integrity, employment practices liability insurance, OSHA, and workplace violence policies are all examples of which of the following HR functions?
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Correct answer: D
Explanation:
Answer option D is correct.
Risk management has influence that goes beyond the traditional safety role of HR, often influencing other HR functions such as EEO compliance (C), workforce planning (A) and employee relations (B). It revolves around removing or mitigating business risks, whether they are internal or external, or data- or employee-driven. See Chapters 4, 7, and 8 for more information.
Chapter: Risk Management Objective: Risk Management - 4
As an HR Professional you should be familiar with the terminology, practices, and rules governing unions and management in the bargaining process. What is the zipper clause in regard to negotiations?
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Correct answer: B
Explanation:
Answer option B is correct.
Once management and union are in agreement with the terms of the contract and they sign the agreement, new demands or negotiations are not allowed. The contract is zipped closed for its duration.
Answer option C, D, and A are incorrect. These are'nt valid definitions of the zipper clause.
Reference: PHR Exam Prep, Pearson Education, ISBN: 978-0-7897-3677-2. Chapter Seven: Employee and Labor Relations. Official PHR and SPHR Certification Guide, HR Certification Institute, ISBN: 978-1-586-44149-4, Section 111, The US HR Body of Knowledge.
Chapter: Employee and Labor Relations Objective: Union Organization - 5
When presenting HR metrics to the executive leadership team, the SPHR must ensure the data tells a strategic story. Which of the following represents the most effective way to present data on employee turnover?
graph TD A[High Turnover in Sales] --> B{Analyze Root Cause}; B --> C[Exit Interview Data: 'Lack of Growth']; B --> D[Performance Data: 'Top Performers Leaving']; C & D --> E[Strategic Recommendation: 'Revamp Career Pathing & Leadership Training']; E --> F[Projected ROI: 'Reduce Turnover by 15% & Save $1.2M'];Show answer details
Correct answer: D
Strategic HR leaders do not just present data; they provide insights and solutions. This option demonstrates true strategic value by moving beyond simply reporting a number (the turnover rate). It identifies a specific, high-impact problem (losing top performers), diagnoses the root cause (lack of development), proposes a concrete strategic action (career pathing), and, most importantly, ties it to a financial outcome (ROI). This is the language that executive leadership understands and values.
- 6
Your organization will be using the point factor technique in their evaluations of job performance. You need to communicate what the point factor technique accomplishes as you're the HR Professional for your organization. Which one of the following best describes the point factor technique?
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Correct answer: C
Explanation:
Answer option C is correct.
The point factor technique identifies point of performance based on importance to the organization. Within each point, levels of performance are created. Both levels and points are then weighted based on most important to least important, to determine overall performance of each employee.
Answer options B, D, and A are incorrect. These are not valid definitions of the point factor technique. -- Reference: PHR Exam Prep, Pearson Education, ISBN: 978-0-7897-3677-2. Chapter Six: Total Rewards. Official PHR and SPHR Certification Guide, HR Certification Institute, ISBN: 978-1-586-44149-4, Section III, The US HR Body of Knowledge.
Chapter: Compensation and Benefits Objective: Compensation - 7
An emphasis on bilingual safety communication represents which of the following OSH objectives?
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Correct answer: D
Explanation:
Answer option D is correct.
Raising awareness about safety and health is the responsibility of employers covered by all standards. Providing safety and health information in a language all employees can understand is part of the Diverse Workforce Limited Proficiency Outreach strategy. It is not specifically required by its own standard, nor is it an element of creating a model program (B) or enrolling in a VPP. Employers are however required to effectively communicate the safety rules to all employees.
Chapter: Risk Management Objective: Review Questions - 8
Safety in the workplace is directly linked to security of the workplace. When completing a risk assessment of the workplace and its security, there are four general categories of organizational assets that are measured for impact of identified risks. Which of the following is not one of the four asset categories that are analyzed for impact in the workplace security?
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Correct answer: C
Explanation:
Answer option C is correct.
Media is not one of the four categories of workplace safety that is assessed. The four categories are financial, physical, human, and information.
Answer options B, A, and D are incorrect. Financial, physical, and human are among the four assessed categories of risk. -- Reference: Professional in Human Resources Certification Guide, Sybex, ISBN: 978-0-470-43096-5. Chapter 5: Human Resource Development. Official PHR and SPHR Certification Guide, HR Certification Institute, ISBN: 978-1-586-44149-4, Section III, The US Body of Knowledge.
Chapter: Risk Management Objective: Risk Identification - 9
Your organization has employed a temporary worker for a position in your company. During employment the individual has been called to military duty. Under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 are you obligated to reinstate the individual upon his return from duty?
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Correct answer: A
Explanation:
Answer option A is correct.
Temporary employees do not have reinstatement rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.
Answer option B is incorrect. Temporary employees do not have reinstatement rights, but non-temporary employees do have reinstatement rights.
Answer option C is incorrect. The 90-day notice is not a valid measurement for reinstatement of temporary personnel.
Answer option D is incorrect. This isn't a valid statement as the act doesn't require an employer to reinstate temporary workers. -- Reference: Professional in Human Resources Certification Guide, Sybex, ISBN: 978-0-470-43096-5. Chapter 7: Employee and Labor Relations. Official PHR and SPHR Certification Guide, HR Certification Institute, ISBN: 978-1-586-44149-4, Section III, The US Body of Knowledge.
Chapter: Employee and Labor Relations Objective: Federal Employment Legislation - 10
As an HR Professional you should be familiar with OSHA forms for maintaining employee records. Which OSHA form is used to cover the what, how, when, where, and who or work-related injuries?
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Correct answer: B
Explanation:
Answer option B is correct.
Form 300 is OSHA's form that employers can use as a log book to document the how, what, when, where, and who of work-related injuries. The employer is obligated to complete this form within seven days of learning of a work-related injury.
Answer option C is incorrect. OSHA form 301 is a form for work-related injuries or illnesses incidents. This form is to be kept by the employer for a minimum of five years following the year in which the incident occurred.
Answer option D is incorrect. OSHA form 300A is used to record a numeric summary of all work-related injuries that have occurred in a work environment over the past year. The worksheet defines the incident, the number of employees affected, and the type of injuries and illness.
Answer option A is incorrect. There's isn't a Form 3165, but there is 3165 Poster that defines employees' rights under OSHA. -- Reference: PHR Exam prep, Pearson Education, ISBN: 978-0-7897-3677-2. Chapters: Risk Management. Official PHR and SPHR Certification Guide, HR Certification Institute, ISBN: 978-1-586-44149-4, Section III, The US HR Body of Knowledge.
Chapter: Risk Management Objective: Risk Assessment
