Early Career HR? Demonstrate Your HR Knowledge with aPHR Certification
The aPHR certification is given through the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), which is also the certifying body for PHR and SPHR. Rather than being designed for experienced HR professionals who already have numerous years of experience, the aPHR is specially designed for individuals in the early stages of their HR career.
HRCI aPHR Certification
With the aPHR program, early-career HR practitioners can get a recognized HRCI certification suitable for their current career level. With so many employers needing the certification for even entry-level HR positions, the aPHR is an excellent solution for those who want a credential that backs up their level of HR knowledge but does not yet have sufficient experience to sit for the SHRM-CP or PHR exam.
You can advance your career to become a human resource manager with the Associate Professional in Human Resources addition course. The aPHR is the first-ever HR certification for professionals who are just beginning their HR career journey.
HRCI is a credentialing organization that has been for over 40 years to test HR knowledge and giving designations to candidates. It is best recognized for the PHR and SPHR certifications, and it continued the aPHR to its offerings early in 2016. The organization designed the aPHR to concentrate on the key topics that HR Generalists are most likely to encounter early in their careers.
Read: PHR Exam and SPHR Exam: Why HR Certification Should You Take?
The only basis for the aPHR is a high school diploma or its equivalent for international applicants. The exam is knowledge-based, which means that unlike HRCI’s other exams, candidates are not expected to draw on their experiences or use situational judgment to answer any of the questions. This makes it perfect for students who have not been able to obtain any industry experience while in school, protected service members transitioning to the civilian workforce, and people looking to make a career change.
You have to practice on the HRCI website and get support before being ready to register your exam. The aPHR has a rolling application deadline so that you can take the exam at any time throughout the year. Once HRCI has approved your application, you have 120 days to schedule your exam at a Pearson Vue test center during the exam eligibility period.
aPHR Certification Exam Questions
The aPHR exam has 125 questions, and you are given 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete them. One hundred of the questions count to your score, and the remaining 25 are pretest questions. HRCI holds pretest questions on the live exams and makes the response to them to determine which of those should seem on future exams.
You would not know which of the questions you will encounter on the exam are considered pretest questions, so be assured to take them seriously. Another essential thing to note about the aPHR is that the exam is unquestionably scored, which means that you are not punished for a wrong answer.
The questions will fundamentally be multiple choice, but you will also see some fill in the blanks, multiple-choice/multiple-response, and drag and drop. The HRCI website offers some samples of the content of the questions that you might encounter on the exam.
aPHR Certification Passing Score
The aPHR exam score varies from 100 to 700, and the passing score is 500. Each of the exam questions has a different weight relative to how difficult it is compared to other questions. Put merely, and more difficult questions are worth more points.
Once HRCI receives your raw results, they do a scaling method to transform your raw score to a scaled score. Because the exam is fully automated and follows your score as you go, you will get your preliminary score results to report while you are still at the testing center. HRCI will send you an email with your official results 24-48 hours after the exam.
The results report will declare whether you passed or failed the exam, and it will show your achievement by section based on a range from lowest to highest. If you fail the exam, HRCI will give your score relative to a passing score. The results report is a handy tool. If you require to retake the test or consider other certifications, it will identify your strengths and areas that could benefit from some additional focus.
aPHR Exam Success Pass Rate
The great news is that as of this year, the aPHR pass rate is 85%. So the odds are clearly in your service as long as you put in the time and effort to study and get the exam content. Even though the pass rate is higher than the HRCI exams provided to seasoned professionals, it is essential to create and adhere to a study plan. The exam covers a lot of material, so you need to be much disciplined about your studying and give yourself enough time to review.
aPHR Cost
If I have not scared you entirely and are ready to take the plunge, you might be wondering how much the aPHR costs. You will have to pay a $300 exam fee and a $100 application fee, both of which are due when you apply for the exam.
Once your application has been recommended, the prices would not be refunded if you change your mind and withdraw from the exam. It is costly, but think it an investment in your future as it signals to potential employers that you are making a serious commitment to a career in human resources.
HRCI periodically grants discounts of up to 75% on the application fee. So if you have some versatility around when you can take the exam, I advise following their socials to see the subsequent time a discount code is released.
Studying for the aPHR Exam
It is time for you to take the essential step toward becoming certified. And that is to start considering how you will make your study plan.
Three things want you to do first:
- Download the aPHR exam content outline from HRCI.
- Assess your level of trust with every one of the areas presented on the exam.
- Start thinking about how you learn best are you a visual, auditory, or tactile learner.
Summary
Choosing the right HR certification will depend on your career level and education, but beginning with an aPHR can help you expand your career opportunities even if you are new to the industry. While opting to complete a certification may expect you to allocate time outside of work, the benefits you will enjoy making it a valuable investment.
