Free PHR Practice Test 2026
200 original questions on all seven PHR functional areas: business management, talent acquisition, learning, total rewards, engagement, employee and labor relations, and HR information management. Four 50-question mock tests. Tuned for mobile. No account needed.
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The PHR exam at a glance
The PHR (Professional in Human Resources) is HRCI's certification for HR professionals who implement programs and run day-to-day HR operations under US law. The exam has 115 multiple-choice and other objective questions, 90 scored and 25 unscored pretest items, in 2 hours plus 30 minutes of administration time, taken at a Pearson VUE center or online through OnVUE. Scores are scaled and 500 passes. It covers seven functional areas: business management (14%), workforce planning and talent acquisition (14%), learning and development (10%), total rewards (15%), employee engagement (17%), employee and labor relations (20%) and HR information management (10%).
Tigertest has 200 PHR practice questions with explanations, all free with no account required.
- Questions
- 115 (90 scored, 25 pretest)
- Time
- 2 hours, plus 30 minutes administration
- Passing score
- 500 on a scaled score
- Largest area
- Employee and labor relations, 20%
- Where
- Pearson VUE center or online (OnVUE)
- Run by
- HRCI
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow HRCI PHR certification page, Exam Content Outline (2024) and Certification Policies and Procedures Handbook (October 2026), checked November 2026. Exam rules change, so confirm current details with HRCI: PHR certification.
How It Works
Train by Functional Area
Five training sets: business management and HR information; talent acquisition and learning; total rewards; employee engagement; and employee and labor relations. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Weighted Mock Tests
Four mock tests of 50 questions in the real exam's proportions, scored against a 70% readiness line. No question appears in more than one test, and every metric, from turnover to compa-ratio, is worked through in the explanation.
Built on the PHR Exam Content Outline
HRCI weights the 90 scored questions across seven functional areas. Each mock test here keeps the same balance: 7 business management, 7 talent acquisition, 5 learning and development, 7 total rewards, 9 employee engagement, 10 employee and labor relations and 5 HR information questions in every 50.
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Share FeedbackHow to Prepare for the PHR Exam
1. Learn each law's coverage and clock
Many questions turn on who a law covers and how fast you must act: 15 employees for Title VII, the ADA and GINA, 20 for the ADEA and COBRA, 50 for the FMLA, 100 for WARN and the EEO-1. Then the clocks: three business days for Section 2 of the I-9, 60 days to elect COBRA, 8 hours to report a fatality to OSHA.
2. Spend the most time on employee relations and engagement
Employee and Labor Relations (20%) and Employee Engagement (17%) are over a third of the exam. Know harassment and investigation steps, union campaign rules, progressive discipline, PIPs, layoffs and the rating errors managers make.
3. Practice the HR metrics by hand
Expect turnover, yield ratios, absence rate, ROI, compa-ratio, range penetration, the four-fifths rule and the FLSA regular rate with a bonus. Write each formula once and work every calculation in the training sets until it is automatic.
4. Answer as the HR professional who implements
The PHR tests operational judgment: the best answer usually follows policy and law, documents the facts, treats people consistently and escalates when needed. Aim for 85% or better on every mock test before you sit the real one.
PHR Exam Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PHR exam?
The Professional in Human Resources (PHR) is HRCI's certification for HR professionals who implement programs and handle day-to-day HR operations, grounded in US laws and regulations. It is a computer-based exam taken at a Pearson VUE testing center or online through OnVUE remote proctoring. To be eligible you need one year of professional-level HR experience with a master's degree, two years with a bachelor's degree, or four years of experience.
How many questions are on the PHR exam and what score do I need?
The PHR has 115 questions in 2 hours, plus 30 minutes for check-in, the tutorial and a survey. 90 questions are scored and 25 are unscored pretest questions mixed in with them. HRCI reports a scaled score and the passing score is 500 on every form; it does not publish a percentage. Each mock test here has 50 questions, and 70% is Tigertest's readiness line, not an HRCI figure.
What does the PHR exam cover?
The PHR Exam Content Outline, in effect since 2024, has seven functional areas: Business Management (14%), Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition (14%), Learning and Development (10%), Total Rewards (15%), Employee Engagement (17%), Employee and Labor Relations (20%) and HR Information Management (10%). Federal employment law runs through several of them: Title VII, the ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA, OSHA, ERISA, COBRA and IRCA.
Do I need to know the latest employment law changes?
Yes. HRCI says candidates are responsible for the HR laws and regulations in effect on the day of their exam. This bank uses federal law as of November 2026, including the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the PUMP Act, recent Supreme Court decisions such as Groff v. DeJoy, Muldrow and Ames, and the 2025 revocation of Executive Order 11246. It leaves out dollar thresholds that change by rule or each year.
Are these the real PHR exam questions?
No. Every question is original, written by Tigertest from HRCI's published content outline and current federal law. The real exam also uses multiple-response, fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop and scenario items; here every item is single-answer multiple choice. It is free practice and is not affiliated with HRCI.
I teach a PHR exam prep class. Can my students use Tigertest?
Yes, for free. Make a class at tigertest.io/teach, post one link, and students join with just their name. You see who practiced, their test scores and the topics your class misses most.
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