PHR certification: cost, requirements and exam format
The PHR — Professional in Human Resources — is HRCI’s HR certification for professionals who run HR operations under US law. You need one to four years of professional-level HR experience depending on your degree. The exam costs US$395 plus a US$100 application fee and has 115 questions (90 scored, 25 pretest) in two hours; a scaled score of 500 passes. HRCI tests year-round at Pearson VUE centres and online in the US and Canada.
- Certification
- Professional in Human Resources (PHR), issued by HRCIHRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026
- Cost
- US$395 exam fee + US$100 non-refundable application feeHRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026
- Questions
- 115 — 90 scored, 25 unscored pretestHRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026
- Duration
- 2 hours, plus 30 minutes administration timeHRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026
- Passing score
- Scaled score of 500HRCI Certification Policies and Procedures, revised October 2026, checked 10 October 2026
- Delivery
- Year-round at Pearson VUE test centres, or online via OnVUE for residents of the US and CanadaHRCI handbook and exam availability page, checked 10 October 2026
- Eligibility
- Professional-level HR experience: 1 year with a master’s, 2 with a bachelor’s, 4 without a degreeHRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026
- Renewal
- 60 recertification credits every three years, or retake the examHRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026
- Pass rate
- 72% (HRCI figure as of 31 December 2025)HRCI pass rates page, checked 10 October 2026
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What is the PHR certification?
PHR stands for Professional in Human Resources. It is issued by HRCI, the HR Certification Institute, and it certifies that you can handle the operational and technical side of HR — hiring, pay and benefits, employee relations, HR data — within US federal law. The exam content outline makes that US focus explicit: tasks such as applying “US federal laws and organizational policies” in hiring run through it.
So what is a PHR certification in practice? It is an experience-gated credential: HRCI checks that you have worked in a professional-level HR role before you may sit the exam, and the exam then tests whether you can apply HR knowledge to realistic situations. The HRCI PHR certification is not an entry-level course certificate.
If you searched for the PHR certification meaning in a job advert, it usually signals an HR generalist or specialist with a few years in the role. HRCI reports 63,311 PHR holders as of 5 January 2026, and 4,920 people sat the PHR exam during 2025.
Source: HRCI — PHR certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
How much does PHR certification cost?
HRCI publishes the PHR certification cost in two parts: an exam fee of US$395 and an application fee of US$100. The application fee is non-refundable, and once your application is approved HRCI makes no refunds if you withdraw or decide not to take the exam.
That makes the cost of PHR certification US$495 for a first attempt. So how much is the PHR exam if you fail? The handbook says a candidate without insurance applies again and pays all the related exam fees. HRCI sells an optional PHR Second Chance Test Insurance for US$250, which covers a retake without new fees.
Preparation is a separate line in the budget. HRCI’s own practice exams start at US$85, and its PHR Cert Prep packages start at US$499, or less when bundled with the exam application. None of these is required; they are listed in the study materials section below.
- Application fee: US$100 (non-refundable)
- PHR exam cost: US$395
- Optional Second Chance Test Insurance: US$250
Source: HRCI — PHR certification preparation. Checked 10 October 2026.
PHR certification requirements and qualifications
The PHR certification requirements — and with them the PHR exam requirements, since you cannot book the exam without meeting them — are about experience, with a shorter route if you have a degree. HRCI accepts any one of three combinations, and the experience must be in a professional-level (exempt) HR position.
Those are the only PHR certification qualifications HRCI sets. The handbook adds that a college degree in HR is not required, so a degree in any field shortens the experience you need, and there is no separate training-hours requirement. HRCI checks these PHR exam qualifications when you apply: the handbook lists a processing time of one business day when no extra documents or audit are needed, and ten business days for audited applications once all documents arrive.
In short, the requirements for PHR certification start at the professional level: administrative HR work alone does not meet them.
- At least 1 year of professional-level HR experience with a master’s degree or higher
- At least 2 years of professional-level HR experience with a bachelor’s degree
- At least 4 years of professional-level HR experience without a degree
Source: HRCI — PHR certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
How to get PHR certification — including online
How do you get a PHR certification? HRCI’s process has five steps, and the clock starts when your application is approved. HRCI tests year-round, and appointments are first come, first served, so it recommends scheduling as soon as you are approved rather than near the end of the 180-day eligibility period.
Online PHR certification is possible in one specific sense: the exam itself can be taken online. HRCI offers online-proctored testing through Pearson VUE’s OnVUE platform, and its exam availability page states that online delivery is currently available for residents of the United States and Canada, with the PHR among the exams offered that way. Everyone else sits the exam at a Pearson VUE test centre. Preparation can be done entirely online, but the credential still requires passing the proctored exam.
- Check that your experience matches one of the three combinations above.
- Apply to HRCI and pay the US$100 application fee and US$395 exam fee.
- Once approved, schedule within your 180-day eligibility period — at a Pearson VUE test centre or online.
- Pass the exam with a scaled score of 500 or more.
- Keep the credential with 60 recertification credits every three years.
Source: HRCI — Exam availability and locations. Checked 10 October 2026.
PHR exam format and passing score
The PHR exam has 115 questions: 90 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions, mixed through the exam so you cannot tell them apart. You get 2 hours of testing time plus 30 minutes for administration, which works out to just over a minute per question.
HRCI publishes the pass mark. Results are reported as scaled scores, and the handbook states that the passing score for each exam type is set at 500, regardless of which version of the exam you take. A scaled score is not a percentage, so 500 does not mean you need half the questions right.
HRCI also publishes a PHR pass rate: 72% as of 31 December 2025. Accredited programmes have to publish such figures annually; it describes past candidates, not your own odds.
Source: HRCI — Certification Policies and Procedures (revised October 2026). Checked 10 October 2026.
What is on the PHR exam?
HRCI’s PHR exam content outline, in effect since 2024, splits the exam into seven functional areas. Employee and labour relations is the largest at 20%, and no area falls below 10%, so you cannot skip any of them.
- Employee and Labor Relations — 20%
- Employee Engagement — 17%
- Total Rewards — 15%
- Business Management — 14%
- Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition — 14%
- Learning and Development — 10%
- HR Information Management — 10%
Source: HRCI — PHR Exam Content Outline (effective 2024). Checked 10 October 2026.
PHR certification courses and exam prep
You do not need a course to qualify for the PHR, so PHR certification courses are a study choice, not a requirement. HRCI sells its own: the HRCI PHR Cert Prep (US$499, or US$449 when bundled with your exam application), a version with video (US$699, or US$649 bundled), and one with a companion textbook. Access runs for 180 days from purchase.
Any PHR exam prep course or PHR certification prep course, from HRCI or anyone else, should be checked against the exam content outline: seven functional areas, weighted as above, and grounded in US federal law. If a PHR certification class or set of PHR certification classes uses an older outline, the weights will not match the current exam.
HRCI also sells timed and untimed PHR practice exams. Study plans and practice tests are covered on the PHR study guide page.
Source: HRCI — PHR certification preparation. Checked 10 October 2026.
SHRM vs PHR certification, and the SPHR
SHRM and HRCI are separate organisations with separate credentials, and comparing SHRM vs PHR certification usually means comparing the SHRM-CP with the PHR. The biggest difference is the entry bar. SHRM states that the SHRM-CP needs no degree or experience, while the PHR requires one to four years of professional-level HR experience.
The exams differ too. The SHRM-CP has 134 questions in a four-hour appointment and is taken in person at Prometric test centres during fixed testing windows. The PHR has 115 questions in two hours plus administration time, at Pearson VUE centres year-round or online in the US and Canada.
Is a PHR certification worth it for you? That question, like choosing SHRM or PHR certification, often comes down to which credential employers in your field ask for; neither organisation’s exam counts towards the other. Some HR professionals hold SHRM and PHR certification together, which means passing both exams and meeting both renewal schemes.
Within HRCI, the SPHR is the senior level above the PHR: four years of professional-level HR experience with a master’s degree, five with a bachelor’s or seven without a degree, and an exam of 115 scored and 25 pretest questions in 2 hours 30 minutes for US$495 plus the US$100 application fee. If you are weighing SPHR and PHR certification, your experience and role decide — the PHR covers operational HR, the SPHR strategic leadership, and you do not need the PHR first.
Source: SHRM — SHRM certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
PHR renewal and how to verify PHR certification
The PHR is valid for three years. To keep it, you earn 60 HR recertification credits within the three-year cycle or retake the exam.
For PHR certification verification, HRCI’s handbook names three ways: the Directory of Certified HR Professionals, a written request by an employer with the holder’s permission, or an active digital badge. If you need to verify PHR certification for a candidate, the directory or the badge is the quickest route, provided the holder is listed.
Source: HRCI — Certification Policies and Procedures (revised October 2026). Checked 10 October 2026.
PHR practice questions
Certsqill’s PHR practice questions are expert-developed: every question explains each answer option, and a readiness score for each functional area shows whether employee and labour relations, at 20% of the exam, is ready before you pay US$395 for an attempt.
PHR questions people ask
What is PHR certification?
The Professional in Human Resources from HRCI, an HR certification for professionals with one to four years of professional-level HR experience. Source: HRCI, checked 10 October 2026.
How much does PHR certification cost?
US$395 for the exam plus a US$100 non-refundable application fee, so US$495 for a first attempt. Source: HRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026.
How do I get a PHR certification?
Meet the experience requirement, apply to HRCI, schedule within the 180-day eligibility period and pass with a scaled score of 500. Source: HRCI handbook, checked 10 October 2026.
How many questions are on the PHR exam, and what is the passing score?
115 questions — 90 scored, 25 pretest — in two hours plus 30 minutes administration time. The passing scaled score is 500. Source: HRCI, checked 10 October 2026.
Can I get PHR certification free?
No. HRCI charges the US$395 exam fee and US$100 application fee, and the credential requires passing its proctored exam. Free study material exists; a free PHR certification does not.
What is the PHR certification salary?
HRCI does not publish salary figures for PHR holders on its PHR or exam statistics pages, checked 10 October 2026, so no number is given here.
Is the PHR certification worth it?
It depends on your market: the PHR is built around US federal law and needs one to four years of HR experience. Check whether employers you target ask for it; HRCI reports 63,311 active holders as of January 2026.
Can I take the PHR exam online?
Yes, if you live in the US or Canada: HRCI offers it online through Pearson VUE’s OnVUE. Elsewhere you test at a Pearson VUE centre. Source: HRCI, checked 10 October 2026.
How do I renew the PHR?
Earn 60 HR recertification credits every three years, or retake the exam. Source: HRCI PHR page, checked 10 October 2026.
