Free aPHR Exam Flashcards

The aPHR is positioned as an entry-level HRCI credential and does not require prior professional HR experience.

The aPHR has 90 total questions: 65 scored questions and 25 pretest questions.

The aPHR testing time is 1 hour 45 minutes, so pacing matters on scenario questions.

Compliance and Risk Management is the largest local outline domain at 25%, followed closely by Employee Relations at 24%.

HRM attracts, develops, supports, and retains the workforce needed for organizational success.

Strategic HR aligns people practices with business goals, workforce needs, culture, and legal obligations.

Job analysis identifies duties, responsibilities, required skills, working conditions, and job context.

A job description summarizes the role's duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and work expectations.

A job specification lists the knowledge, skills, abilities, education, and experience needed to perform the job.

Workforce planning estimates future staffing needs and gaps based on organizational goals and labor supply.

Recruitment is the process of attracting a qualified pool of candidates for current or future openings.

Selection is choosing the candidate who best fits job requirements using valid, job-related criteria.

A structured interview asks consistent, job-related questions and uses standard scoring to improve fairness and validity.

Behavioral questions ask candidates to describe past actions as evidence of likely future behavior.

Onboarding helps new employees understand the organization, role expectations, policies, tools, and culture.

Orientation is the initial introduction to workplace basics; onboarding is broader and continues longer.

A training needs analysis identifies gaps between current performance and required knowledge, skills, or behaviors.

ADDIE stands for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate, a common training design model.

Kirkpatrick evaluation reviews training at levels such as reaction, learning, behavior, and results.

Mentoring is often relationship and career focused; coaching is usually performance or skill focused.

Performance management is the ongoing process of setting expectations, giving feedback, measuring results, and supporting improvement.

A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Progressive discipline uses escalating steps to correct behavior while documenting expectations and opportunities to improve.

Engagement reflects employees' commitment, motivation, and connection to the organization and their work.

A grievance is a formal complaint about workplace treatment, policy application, or contract interpretation.

Total rewards include direct pay, benefits, recognition, development opportunities, work environment, and other value offered to employees.

Base pay is fixed compensation such as hourly wages or salary, before variable incentives or benefits.

Variable pay changes based on performance, results, sales, profit, or other defined measures.

Pay equity means compensation decisions are fair, job-related, and not based on protected characteristics.

An exempt employee is not entitled to overtime under FLSA rules when salary basis and duties tests are met.

A nonexempt employee is covered by overtime and minimum wage protections and must have work time tracked.

Benefits are indirect compensation such as health coverage, retirement plans, paid leave, and wellness programs.

COBRA gives eligible employees and dependents the option to continue group health coverage after certain qualifying events.

FMLA provides eligible employees job-protected leave for qualifying family and medical reasons.

Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

The ADA prohibits disability discrimination and requires reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals unless undue hardship applies.

A reasonable accommodation is a workplace change that enables a qualified individual to perform essential job functions.

Undue hardship means significant difficulty or expense for the employer when evaluating an accommodation request.

Harassment is unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic that creates a hostile environment or affects employment decisions.

Retaliation is adverse action against someone for engaging in protected activity, such as reporting discrimination or participating in an investigation.

OSHA focuses on workplace safety and health standards, hazard prevention, recordkeeping, and employee safety rights.

Form I-9 verifies identity and employment authorization for employees hired in the United States.

At-will employment generally allows either employer or employee to end employment at any time for a lawful reason.

Constructive discharge occurs when working conditions become so intolerable that a reasonable employee feels forced to resign.

An HR policy sets expected rules and consistent procedures for workplace decisions and employee conduct.

A handbook communicates key policies, expectations, benefits, conduct standards, and employee resources.

HR metrics measure workforce trends such as turnover, time to fill, absenteeism, training completion, and engagement.

Turnover is employee separation from the organization. HR analyzes voluntary and involuntary turnover for root causes.

HR should protect sensitive employee information and share it only with those who have a legitimate business need.

Study compliance/risk and employee relations first, then reinforce talent acquisition, compensation/benefits, and learning concepts.