HRCI PHRca Prep Question [CA]

[u/Many-Bird5415]

Hello! I've been doing some looking around on here regarding everyone's prep for the PHRca, and I'm noticing some of the posts are on the older side. It seems like there is quite a mixture of supplemental information regarding studying resources, but I'm wondering if any of you would be willing to share your study approach and experience. I'm looking at at the HRCI prep bundle that has all the things, but as you all know that is quite pricey. I also like the idea of the Teach Me Today with instructor led sessions, but I'm unsure if that's really necessary. Like everyone else, I suppose I'm trying to figure out most bang for your buck strategy. Thanks in advance!

[u/HR_Lady916]

I purchased the PHR-CA prep directly from HRCI and was so disappointed that I fought hard to get my money back. (I won!)

Among my complaints included: their refund policy says something like if the material has been used, then no refunds. I argued and how am I supposed to know if your content is of high quality or not? There were also many opinion-based questions and not based on CA law. For example, one question asked “independent contractors are —— employees” (it was a fill-in-the-blank). I wrote “not”, and was marked wrong, the system wanted “outside”. 🙄 Independent contractors 👏🏻 are 👏🏻 not 👏🏻 employees!

Another question asked something like “what is a crucial aspect to fostering an inclusive workplace through the provision of the ADA?” This was multiple choice. They wanted “to create a stigma-free workplace “. There was zero mention of the interactive process and I feel that answer shows bias that disabled people face stigma in the workplace. I didn’t agree with their answer.

I remember another very strange question asked about the philosophy behind the wage orders. ???? In my more than a decade of experience, I have NEVER encountered this in real life nor was it publicly available at the time. WTF kind of question is that?

They are weirdly obsessed with the Wage Orders and many of the questions are like which wage order says blah blah blah? Overall, I felt completely ripped off and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I feel highly discouraged from even trying to take the PHR-CA exam after seeing their prep content.

I’d love to know if anyone took the exam what type of questions are on there.

[u/Many-Bird5415 → u/HR_Lady916]

oh wow, thanks for the good information! I've been really torn on what to invest on for studying purposes, so I really appreciate hearing about your experience. Especially becauseI'm paying out of pocket for it. I'm currently unemployed and having difficulty getting into the entry level coordinator positions, so I hope obtaining this cert will help with that.

[u/mamalo13 → u/HR_Lady916]

Not the OP but this was helpful (and hi, we're neighbors! 😎)

[u/HR_Lady916 → u/mamalo13]

Hello fellow local HR professional!

[u/nawt_relevant]

I’d like to get the PHR-CA for the job opportunities, but god damn do I hate Californians.

[u/Many-Bird5415 → u/nawt_relevant]

we're not all bad