A Skeptic’s Guide to HR Certification, Part 4: Accommodations and Exam Day

coauthored by AnnE Diemer

As of February 2024, the SPHR exam is 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) with 115 exam questions (described as “mostly multiple choice”) and 25 pre-test questions. This feels intimidating, especially the first time you look at the exam questions; sometimes a question is a paragraph long and requires you to do math.

Also, there’s not a lot of information about what you can expect from the testing location or the process of taking the test. Hopefully this blog post will help fill in some gaps for you!

AnnE: The last standardized test I took was the ACT, and that was a miserable experience that happened more than 14 years ago. Needless to say, I was absolutely dreading actually taking this test. When I read about the amount of time and the number of questions, all I could think was: “That’s just over a minute to answer every question — and that’s without a break. HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS?!” So, for me, Priority #1 was to apply for extra time.

Accommodations process

TLDR: these instructions were not clearly written anywhere, and I wish they had been. So, I’ve put them here in hopes that it helps you.

- download the accommodations form as you fill out the application

- fill out the accommodations form and then send it to your physician to fill out the rest

- once completed, email the form to “certdirector [at] hrci.org”

HRCI told me that you’ll hear back on the accommodations decision 10 business days after sending it in (In my case, I heard back on the 10th business day exactly.)

If you want to request accommodations for the test, you can indicate that when you apply and download a document that you’ll send to your physician. Because your physician has to sign it, you’ll finish the application without submitting the accommodations request.

However, HRCI does not make the process of submitting the physician-signed accommodations request easy. Eventually, I called them and was told to email a copy of the signed request to “certdirector [at] hrci.org”.

Once submitted, I heard back after 10 business days that my accommodations were approved. As a heads up, if you requested accommodations, you cannot sign up for an exam date until your accommodations are approved. For me, that meant, though I applied for the exam on 1/11/24, I did not receive approval to sign up for a test until 2/2/24. This was longer than I expected to wait and gave me a bit of anxiety, so I wanted to share in case it provides a comparison timeline for others.

Timeline:

• 1/11/24: Applied for the exam
• 1/11/24: Accommodations form sent to my physician
• 1/15/24: Accommodations form returned from my physician
• 1/16/24–1/22/24: Dates spent trying to figure out how to submit accommodations
• 1/22/24: Accommodations sent to HRCI
• 2/2/24: Accommodations approved by HRCI
• 2/2/24: Signed up for my exam date
• 2/27/24: Exam date

Was it necessary?

I ended up completing the test within the original timeframe, including taking a break. So, the work I put into request extra time wasn’t strictly necessary, though I do think it helped my anxiety to know that I had plenty of time.

My original concern was that I would only have ~1 minute to answer every question. However, once I started studying, I quickly learned that there would be many questions I could answer in less than 10 seconds, giving me plenty of time to read through the longer scenario questions. So, as you’re deciding, remember that answering the questions will get much easier and faster as you familiarize yourself with the material and the phrasing of the questions.

Mindset preparation

TLDR: here are the steps that we took to ensure we had a clear mindset going into the exam on the testing day:

- Started having a few early morning study sessions several weeks in advance of the exam

- Went to bed early and woke up early starting 4 days before the exam to set our routine

- Took practice tests without breaks, snacks, water, or the bathroom — just in case that was not allowed during our exam (this turned out to be unnecessary)

We shared in Part 3 about our study habits, and we think one of the best choices we made was to start Early Morning Studying several weeks before the test. This was particularly important for us because we are not morning people. However, practicing in the morning helped train our brains to focus on the test material in the morning which made for an easier transition on the test day itself.

Then, starting about 4 days before the test, we tried to go to bed early and get up early, that way the test day would be less of a shock to us — sort of like prepping for a vacation and trying to avoid jetlag… except without the reward of a vacation on the other side 🙃

AnnE’s morning-of pro tips: a hearty breakfast with protein and carbs, comfortable clothing with layers, pump-up music for traveling there, and packing snacks for possible breaks.

Krista’s pro tips: I followed a similar important-day hygiene routine as AnnE, but also explicitly imagined the meal I’d be eating afterward and the way my day would look after the exam was over.

Testing center and logistics

To our surprise, the testing center itself was fantastic. We took our test at Pearson Professional Centers in Daly City, CA. They sent helpful instructions in advance that are worth reading thoroughly! AnnE missed the part about earplugs and noise canceling headphones completely when she read it (Krista did see it, but found the options provided were each more uncomfortable than helpful — disposable foam or those super-tight over-ear muffs used for heavy equipment). It’s unclear whether these were only offered because of nearby construction noise, or if they are always available.

We arrived about 30 minutes before our testing time and followed the check-in process at the testing center. Many people were there checking in for different tests, but the process was organized and clear for each of us. Once we completed the check-in, we put everything we couldn’t bring inside the testing room in small lockers in the lobby.

Test takers were each escorted individually into the testing area. The staff provided earplugs and a small white board and dry-erase pen to use for notes. They also checked to make sure we did not have anything in our pockets or socks. Before we entered the testing room, we were instructed to raise our hand if we needed anything and a staff member would come in to assist us. Other than that, we should plan to not speak or look around while in the testing room.

The desks had a computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse, as well as additional over-ear noise reducing headphones. There were dividers between each desk. The chairs were simple rolling office chairs that had some padding on the seat and back, and they had armrests that could be adjusted (Krista’s chair could not be adjusted in any dimension and was lower than she would have preferred, so she spent the test reliving a childhood of chest-high tables — your mileage may vary).

The staff logged us into the computer and we could then begin the test.

AnnE: I took one bathroom/snack break during the test because I knew I had plenty of time. I took the break when I had finished all of the questions, but had not gone back through to review questions I had flagged yet. This was a good time for me to reset and ensure I gave an appropriate amount of focus to reviewing the flagged questions.

About the test

We will not be sharing any specific questions that were on the test because

1) that is not allowed,

2) we don’t really remember to be honest, it was a blur, and

3) the test has changed since we took it so any tips on questions would not be helpful anyway.

That said, there were definitely some things we wondered in advance of the test that we want to tell you in case it helps you prepare.

There is a way to flag questions to revisit. When you’re taking the test, there is an option on the computer to mark questions you want to come back to. It was particularly helpful because at the end of the test, there was an option to review all the flagged questions at once. You could also see any questions you hadn’t answered (or hadn’t answered completely).

There is a calculator available on the computer. We tried to practice doing the math in our heads because no HRCI resources clearly communicated if we would have access to a calculator or pen/paper for notes. Ultimately for our test, the computer did have a calculator and we had a small dry-erase board for notes. We don’t know if that’s true for all tests, but it was for ours.

Every question was multiple choice. Many test preparation resources say that questions are mostly multiple choice, but there may be some fill-in-the-blank. For our test, if there was a “fill-in-the-blank” question, the choices for the blank were available as multiple choice. We did not have to type in an answer.

The scenario questions were very similar to each other and required us to read very carefully. We noticed that the scenario questions were basically the same, with usually just one difference. That difference did change the answer, so make sure you’re reading the scenario questions carefully!

The UI for the test is old school. This will probably not surprise anyone, but the user interface for the test is not new, innovative, or attractive. But it works and is mostly clear.

After the test

After completing the test, we were escorted out of the testing room to complete the “check-out” process. We finished at different times, but our process was the same: turn in the dry-erase board, and stop at the reception desk, who gave us our printed results right away. (Based on HRCI’s instructions, it wasn’t clear if that would happen.) You don’t receive a specific score — instead, you find out if you passed overall, and roughly how you did in each specific section relative to the other sections.

AnnE: BIG shout out to the staff at the Pearson center who checked us in, answered our questions, made us laugh, and generally created a great experience. When the person at the front desk gave me my printed results, she asked excitedly, “How’d you do?!” and gave me an enthusiastic high five when I told her I passed. Small human moments like this make a huge difference on stressful days!

Knowing immediately after the test that we passed was a HUGE relief. We immediately went to celebrate by eating burritos in the sunshine in the park together. We blocked off the rest of the day and were happy we did, because between the preparation process and the test itself we were TIRED and grateful to have the afternoon to rest and relax.

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About Krista:

Krista Lane, SPHR (she/her/hers) is a People Consultant, Job Search Coach and Founder at Headwaters HR with over a decade of experience in HR. She thinks in systems — seeing interconnections and collaborating both deeply and cross-functionally to build better workplaces. Her experience in technical recruiting and HR/People Operations, paired with several experiences of burnout, inspired her to fix hiring. That means working with jobseekers and employers in a variety of ways, shaping workplaces so that employees and businesses can thrive.

About AnnE:

AnnE Diemer, SPHR (she/her/hers) is an HR Consultant at aedHR who prioritizes the human in HR. With eight years of recruiting, DEI, and HR generalist experience across tech startups and non-profits, AnnE supports organizations who are ready to take a people-centered approach to HR. She spent the last 3 years supporting progressive Democratic organizations such as NARAL Pro-Choice America and The Hub Project. She approaches her work holding contradictions: How do we build great places to work while also questioning capitalist systems? How can we work efficiently and move quickly while also prioritizing ourselves and each other as humans?