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Home > Certification > How Exams are Developed > Determining the HR Body of Knowledge
Determining the HR Body of Knowledge
The HR Body of Knowledge
The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) establishes the HR body of knowledge for the PHR, SPHR, GPHR and California certification exams through extensive practice analysis studies. These bodies of knowledge (also known as the exams' test specifications) are the basis of the exams. The PHR and SPHR body of knowledge was first established in 1976. Since then, it has been revised five times. Each practice analysis tries to answer the question, "What should a human resource practitioner know and be able to apply to be considered a competent HR generalist?"
The Practice Analysis Study
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Periodic practice analyses, or surveys of the actual practice of the field, ensure that exams assess the most current HR practice. Practice analyses are conducted approximately every five years. In 2005, HRCI conducted a practice analysis study of the PHR and SPHR body of knowledge (the previous practice analysis concluded in 2000). HRCI is currently undergoing a practice analysis of the GPHR body of knowledge, which debuted in 2004. The California body of knowledge was defined in October 2006 as a part of the test’s development.
A practice analysis study gathers information about contemporary practice patterns of the HR field and provides comprehensive descriptions of the functional areas and responsibilities performed and the knowledge required by those working in the HR field. The study is conducted consistent with the 1999 revision of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA and NCME) and remains faithful to the standards presented in the book:
- Multiple data sources are used
- A 10-member practice analysis task force of subject-matter experts is formed to lead the study.
- Critical incident interviews and focus panels are used as additional resources.
- Two versions of an extensive survey are widely disseminated to HR professionals.
Process and content-based approaches are used to delineate the functional areas of responsibility and the specific responsibilities performed by HR practitioners as well as the associated knowledge base.
Functional areas are defined as an outcome of the survey, the critical incident interviews and focus panels. Functional areas are associated with responsibilities and knowledge statements.
To validate the identified functional areas, survey participants complete quantitative ratings on elements of the delineation, including:
- Percent of work time and importance ratings for the functional areas.
- Frequency, importance and "performed by" ratings for the responsibilities.
- "Importance, acquisition-technical/operational" and "Acquisition-Strategic/Policy" for the knowledge statements.
Survey participants are also asked open-ended questions about the changes they think will occur in the practice in the next three to five years, areas of responsibility and knowledge that may have been omitted from the survey, and the Institute's certification programs in general.
The task force reviews the survey results, including the descriptive statistics for the functional areas, responsibilities and knowledge statements. Finally, two sets of hypothetical test specifications are presented and, based on discussion and review, the task force makes recommendations for test specifications for both the exams. The recommendations are then approved by the HRCI board of directors.
In between major practice analysis studies, test specifications may be updated as needed as a result of environmental scans and literature reviews. As any practitioner knows, the HR field is constantly changing. HRCI ensures that test specifications are continually updated to reflect actual workday HR practice.
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