HRCI PHR Exam Cheat Sheet (2026): Employee Relations, Total Rewards, FLSA & NLRA Rules

The HRCI Professional in Human Resources (PHR) exam tests 90 scored questions (plus 25 unscored pretest items = 115 total) in 2 hours, where Employee and Labor Relations alone makes up 39% of your entire score.

Key facts

Official Governing Authority

HRCI (HR Certification Institute) & Pearson VUE

Exam Format

90 scored questions + 25 unscored pretest questions (115 total, including multiple-choice, multiple-response, drag-and-drop, and fill-in-the-blank), 2.0 hours

Passing Scaled Score

500 on the 100–700 HRCI scale

5 Official PHR Functional Areas

1. Employee and Labor Relations (39%)
2. Business Management (20%)
3. Talent Planning and Acquisition (16%)
4. Total Rewards (15%)
5. Learning and Development (10%)

• VoraPrep PHR Coverage: 50 interactive lessons, 1,575+ HRCI-aligned questions, 300 FSRS flashcards ($25/mo or $199/yr)

1. Labor Relations & Union Statutes Matrix (39% PHR Domain)

Statute / Doctrine	Year	Key PHR Exam Rule
Norris-LaGuardia Act	1932	Outlawed Yellow-Dog Contracts (agreements where employees promise not to join a union) and restricted federal court injunctions against peaceful strikes/picketing
NLRA / Wagner Act	1935	Created the NLRB and Section 7 Protected Concerted Activity (applies to both union and non-union non-supervisory employees discussing wages/working conditions!). Defined Employer Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs — TIPS).
LMRA / Taft-Hartley Act	1947	Defined Union ULPs, outlawed Closed Shops (where you must be a union member before being hired), and authorized states to pass Right-to-Work laws banning Union Shops and Agency Shops.
LMRDA / Landrum-Griffin Act	1959	Bill of Rights for union members: secret-ballot union officer elections (at least every 3 years for local unions, 5 years for national unions) and financial disclosures to DOL.
Weingarten Rights	1975	Right of a bargaining-unit (union) employee to union representation during an investigatory interview that may lead to discipline (does NOT apply to merely announcing a pre-decided disciplinary action).

2. Core PHR Compensation, Turnover & Staffing Formulas

Metric	Exact Formula	Exam Application
FLSA Regular Rate & Overtime	Regular Rate = (Hourly Pay + Non-Discretionary Bonuses + Shift Differentials) ÷ Total Hours Worked; OT Premium = 0.5 × Regular Rate × OT Hours	Non-discretionary bonuses (production/attendance targets) must be included in the regular rate when calculating 1.5× overtime! Discretionary holiday gifts are excluded.
Compa-Ratio	(Employee Salary ÷ Pay Grade Midpoint) × 100	Measures how an employee or group is paid relative to the market midpoint (100% = at market).
Range Penetration	(Salary − Range Minimum) ÷ (Range Maximum − Range Minimum)	Shows how far an employee has progressed through their specific pay band (0% to 100%).
Monthly / Annual Turnover Rate	(Number of Separations During Period ÷ Average Number of Employees During Period) × 100	Always divide by the average headcount ((Beginning + Ending) ÷ 2), never just ending headcount.
Yield Ratio (Recruiting)	(Candidates Advancing to Next Stage ÷ Total Applicants at Current Stage) × 100	Helps HR reverse-engineer how many total applicants must be sourced to hire N employees.
OSHA Incidence Rate	(Number of Recordable Injuries/Illnesses × 200,000) ÷ Total Employee Hours Worked	200,000 represents 100 full-time employees working 40 hrs/week for 50 weeks. OSHA Form 300A summary must be posted Feb 1 – April 30 (exempt if ≤10 employees).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the PHR and SHRM-CP exams?

The HRCI PHR exam is heavily focused on operational and technical U.S. HR execution—specifically Employee and Labor Relations (39% of the exam), federal employment statutes (FLSA, NLRA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, OSHA, ERISA), and union/NLRB rules. The SHRM-CP exam emphasizes the SHRM BASK behavioral competencies and strategic Situational Judgment Items (SJIs). VoraPrep offers dedicated, blueprint-calibrated courses for both PHR and SHRM-CP.

Does NLRA Section 7 apply to non-union workplaces on the PHR exam?

Yes! One of the most common PHR exam traps is assuming the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) only applies to unionized companies. Section 7 Protected Concerted Activity protects both union and non-union non-supervisory employees when two or more employees act together (including on social media) to discuss wages, benefits, or working conditions. Consequently, "pay secrecy policies" that forbid employees from discussing their salaries violate Section 7 of the NLRA. VoraPrep's PHR course drills every NLRA/NLRB scenario.

What is a passing score on the HRCI PHR exam in 2026?

HRCI scores the PHR exam on a scale from 100 to 700, with 500 required to pass. Only 90 of the 115 questions count toward your score (25 are unscored pretest questions). VoraPrep's PHR course ($25/month or $199/year) includes 1,575+ HRCI-style questions, 50 interactive lessons, and a 1:1 Pearson VUE simulator.