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Associate Professional in Human Resources – International (aPHRi): free practice test

Start with 10 free questions to see what needs more practice. Finish to see your score, weakest units and every option explained.

Scaled score 100–700; a scaled score of at least 500 passes. No raw percentage is published. This is your practice accuracy. It cannot be converted to the exam’s scaled score or used to determine whether you pass.

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Practice test questions with answers and explanations

Try the questions in the test above first, then open each one here to see the correct answer and why every other option is wrong.

01A company is shifting from product sales to long-term service contracts. Experienced service-technician turnover is 25%, and loss of site-specific expertise is disrupting service continuity. Which HR priority best supports the new strategy?

Practice question Unit: HR Operations

  1. ARecruit entry-level technicians for temporary assignments

    Recruitment adds capacity, but entry-level short-term assignments do not directly retain the site-specific expertise the strategy currently lacks.

  2. BTrain sales staff to negotiate equipment purchases

    This develops equipment-sales capability rather than the experienced service workforce needed for continuing contracts.

  3. CRetention measures for experienced technicians ✓ Correct answer

    Retaining experienced technicians protects site-specific knowledge and continuity, the stated constraint on the service strategy. Strategic HRM aligns people practices with business capabilities (CIPD, Strategic HRM, “Links with workforce planning”).

  4. DReward technicians for replacement equipment sales

    An equipment-sales incentive rewards product transactions; it does not address the loss of experienced technicians disrupting ongoing service.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 01, knowledge 01: Organizational strategy, mission, vision and values, p. 3. CIPD, Strategic human resource management, “Strategic HRM and business strategy” / “Links with workforce planning”, https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/strategic-hrm-factsheet/ (accessed 2026-11-06).

02Two companies merge. One uses consensus; the other relies on rapid top-down decisions. Joint projects are stalling because team members disagree about who decides and when. Which HR step best reduces the culture clash?

Practice question Unit: HR Operations

  1. ASurvey employee engagement and prioritize integration work by the lowest-scoring departments

    Engagement scores can flag concerns but do not establish how conflicting decision styles will operate together.

  2. BAssess both cultures and agree shared decision rules for the merged entity ✓ Correct answer

    Assessing both cultures identifies the conflicting practices; agreeing shared decision rules gives joint teams a workable process. This addresses the stated cause, unlike engagement measurement, unilateral adoption, or changes to titles. CIPD links people strategy to organizational context and coherent practices.

  3. CAdopt the acquiring company’s decision process and train both workforces in that process

    Imposing one legacy process without assessing both cultures risks resistance and loses useful practices.

  4. DStandardize job titles and reporting lines before reviewing how joint teams make decisions

    Structure alignment may help integration but does not directly resolve the stated consensus-versus-top-down conflict.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 01, knowledge 02: Organizational culture, p. 3. CIPD, Strategic human resource management, “What is strategic HRM?” (context, culture and coherent practices), https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/strategic-hrm-factsheet/ ; Organisational climate and culture, public introduction (practices and procedures), https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/organisation-culture-change-factsheet/ (accessed 2026-11-06; public content only).

03A local law sets a normal working week of 48 hours and regulates exceptions. A manager proposes 52 hours a week for two weeks, with extra pay, but has not checked the exception rules. What should HR advise first?

Practice question Unit: HR Operations

  1. AApprove once the overtime pay rate is confirmed

    Correct overtime pay is necessary where required but does not establish permission to exceed normal hours. ILO C001 Article 6 treats exceptions, maximum additional hours and pay as separate controls.

  2. BApprove once every employee signs an agreement

    Employee agreement cannot by itself establish a statutory exception. HR must check the legal conditions before authorizing the schedule.

  3. CReject because normal hours cannot include overtime

    The stated law regulates exceptions; assuming none can apply skips the necessary legal check. Rejection may follow if no exception is available.

  4. DCheck whether the law allows exceptions first ✓ Correct answer

    First establish whether an exception permits these hours and what limits or approvals it requires. Extra pay alone is insufficient. ILO C001 Articles 2–6 distinguish normal hours from authorized exceptions; the scenario’s local rule governs this case.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 01, knowledge 03: Legal and regulatory environment, p. 3; ILO Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 (No. 1), Arts. 2–6. ILO, Working Time, section “Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 (No. 1)”, https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@europe/@ro-geneva/@sro-budapest/documents/genericdocument/wcms_750263.pdf ; scenario provides the local rule, not a universal 48-hour cap.

04An employer subject to the UK GDPR holds identifiable applicant records from a vacancy closed 30 months ago. Its approved retention schedule and privacy notice set a 24-month period. The recruitment purpose has ended and there is no separate retention requirement. What should HR do?

Practice question Unit: Recruitment and Selection

  1. ARetain the records until each applicant sends an erasure request

    Storage limitation applies proactively; deletion is not conditional on an applicant making a request.

  2. BMove the records to a restricted archive and restart the retention clock

    Access controls protect data but do not create a new purpose or reset the approved retention period.

  3. CSecurely delete expired records unless a legal hold requires preservation ✓ Correct answer

    Secure deletion implements the expired schedule and the storage-limitation principle in UK GDPR Article 5(1)(e). Preserve only records subject to a genuine legal hold; there is no such requirement in the stated facts. A 24-month limit is the employer’s stated rule, not a universal GDPR deadline.

  4. DUpdate the notice to 36 months and apply the new period to the existing records

    A longer notice alone does not establish necessity or a lawful reason to keep expired records after the recruitment purpose has ended.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 02, knowledge 02: Applicant databases, p. 4; Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Art. 5 principles, as an international reference. UK GDPR Article 5(1)(e), https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2016/679/article/5 (accessed 2026-11-06); jurisdiction explicitly UK GDPR, not assumed applicable in every country.

05An interviewer asks, “Tell me about a time you influenced colleagues without formal authority.” The interviewer scores the example against a defined competency model. Which interview approach is being used?

Practice question Unit: Recruitment and Selection

  1. AAn experience-based interview reviewing career history in the order shown on the candidate’s CV

    A chronological career review is not necessarily organized around demonstrated behaviors for defined competencies.

  2. BA competency-based (behavioral) interview on defined competencies ✓ Correct answer

    The question seeks evidence of past behavior and rates it against a job-related competency, making it a competency-based behavioral interview. OPM distinguishes past-experience questions from hypothetical situational questions.

  3. CA situational interview using standardized hypothetical dilemmas linked to the same competency model

    Situational interviews ask what a candidate would do; this guide asks for concrete examples of what the candidate has done.

  4. DA technical interview probing the candidate’s knowledge of specialist methods and professional standards

    Technical knowledge questions test subject expertise, not evidence of influencing behavior mapped to competencies.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 02, knowledge 06: Interviewing techniques, p. 4. US Office of Personnel Management, Structured Interviews, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/structured-interviews/ (past behavior versus hypothetical situations; accessed 2026-11-06).

06In this jurisdiction, local law imposes a non-extendable 90-day probation cap. A contract states 120 days. On day 100, HR is asked to process a dismissal without notice using the probation clause. What is the main issue?

Practice question Unit: Compensation and Benefits

  1. AThe signed contract sets probation at 120 days

    A signed contractual term cannot override the mandatory, non-extendable cap expressly given in the question.

  2. BProbation continues until HR confirms completion in writing

    An administrative confirmation cannot extend the statutory period; by day 100 the stated 90-day cap has already been reached.

  3. CProbation ended on day 90, so ordinary termination rules now apply ✓ Correct answer

    The mandatory cap means probation ended on day 90; HR must assess ordinary termination and notice requirements rather than rely on the invalid extra 30 days. The ILO EPLex discussion explains that probation exemptions and duration limits depend on national law; 90 days is a scenario assumption, not a universal ILO rule.

  4. DDocumented performance concerns can extend probation retrospectively

    Performance concerns may justify action under ordinary procedures, but they cannot create an extension prohibited by the stated law.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 03, knowledge 01: Laws and regulations for compensation and benefits, p. 5; ILO Termination of Employment Convention, 1982 (No. 158), Arts. 4–13. ILO EPLex, Probationary (trial) period, https://eplex.ilo.org/en/probationary-trial-period (C158 Article 2(2)(b), national duration limits; accessed 2026-11-06).

07During a pay review, HR compares a monthly base salary of 9,500 with the grade midpoint of 10,000. What is the employee’s compa-ratio, expressed as a decimal rather than a percentage?

Practice question Unit: Compensation and Benefits

  1. A1.05

    1.05 approximately equals 10,000 / 9,500, reversing numerator and denominator. The employee earns below the midpoint, so the correct ratio is below 1.

  2. B0.05

    0.05 is the shortfall from the midpoint divided by the midpoint: (10,000 − 9,500) / 10,000. It is not the salary-to-midpoint ratio.

  3. C1.95

    1.95 adds the salary and midpoint before dividing by the midpoint. Compa-ratio uses salary alone in the numerator.

  4. D0.95 ✓ Correct answer

    Compa-ratio = base salary / grade midpoint = 9,500 / 10,000 = 0.95, equivalent to 95%. CIPD defines it as the relationship between current salary and the grade midpoint; the requested format is decimal.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 03, knowledge 02: Pay structures and programs, p. 5. CIPD, Performance-related pay, “Linking pay with performance” (compa ratio), https://www.cipd.org/asia/knowledge/factsheets/pay-performance-factsheet/ (accessed 2026-11-06).

08An employer funds a voluntary certification. Local law permits repayment of reasonable, documented training costs after resignation within 12 months only if the amount reduces over time and the terms were agreed in writing beforehand. Which clause best meets these conditions?

Practice question Unit: Human Resource Development and Retention

  1. ARepayment of documented course fees up to the actual cost, fixed throughout the 12-month period

    Using actual fees avoids an inflated amount, but a fixed amount fails the scenario’s requirement to reduce repayment over time.

  2. BRepayment of documented course costs that falls monthly, agreed in writing before training ✓ Correct answer

    This uses actual documented costs, reduces repayment as service accumulates, and records agreement in advance. Acas guidance independently confirms advance written agreement for training-cost deductions; the declining-cost rule is supplied by the scenario, not attributed to Acas.

  3. CRepayment reducing monthly, with the schedule first provided when the employee resigns

    Monthly reduction is appropriate, but terms introduced at resignation were not agreed in writing before training.

  4. DRepayment reducing quarterly, based on an oral agreement made before the course starts

    This has advance timing and reduction but fails the stated written-agreement condition.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi outline, FA04 knowledge 01, p. 6. Acas, Deductions for training courses, https://www.acas.org.uk/final-pay-when-someone-leaves-a-job/deductions-for-training-courses (updated 19 May 2026; accessed 2026-11-06). Acas supports advance written agreement; the hypothetical jurisdiction supplies reasonableness and reducing-cost conditions.

09An employer subject to the UK GDPR accidentally emails an unencrypted payroll file containing 800 employees’ salary data to an unrelated company. HR confirms a reportable risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms. From awareness of the breach, what timing applies to notifying the regulator?

Practice question Unit: Employee Relations, Health, and Safety

  1. AWithout undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours of awareness ✓ Correct answer

    UK GDPR Article 33(1) requires notification without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours of awareness. If later, reasons for delay must accompany the notification; incomplete information can follow in phases under Article 33(4).

  2. BWithin 72 hours after the investigation establishes the full cause and impact

    The clock starts on awareness, not completion of the investigation. Article 33(4) permits phased information rather than delaying the initial report.

  3. CWithin one month of awareness, using the data-subject request response period

    The ordinary period for responding to data-subject requests is not the supervisory-authority breach notification period in Article 33.

  4. DAfter notifying affected employees, using their notification date as the starting point

    Regulator notification is measured from awareness of the breach. Communication to affected individuals is a separate duty with its own risk threshold, not the starting event for Article 33.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi outline FA05 knowledge 01, p. 7; UK GDPR Article 33(1), (4), https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2016/679/article/33 (accessed 2026-11-06). Jurisdiction explicitly UK GDPR; the rule is not generalized worldwide.

10A handbook permits disciplinary action for misconduct. Management introduces a new restriction on personal-phone use on the production floor but does not communicate it. A worker receives a warning for a first breach of that restriction. What is the main procedural weakness?

Practice question Unit: Employee Relations, Health, and Safety

  1. AA written warning was issued before a verbal warning

    A verbal warning is not an invariable prerequisite to a written warning; the appropriate response depends on circumstances. The stated defect is failure to communicate the new rule.

  2. BManagement, rather than a regulator, set the phone rule

    Employers can establish reasonable workplace rules; such rules need not originate with a regulator. Employees must understand the applicable rules.

  3. CDisciplinary action followed a first rather than a repeat incident

    A first incident can justify action depending on seriousness and procedure. Repetition is not the central issue; lack of communication is.

  4. DThe new rule was not communicated before it was enforced ✓ Correct answer

    Employees need to know and understand the rule before being held to it. Acas Code paragraph 2 requires specific, clear rules and helping employees understand them. A general misconduct clause does not communicate the new restriction. This is a fair-process reference, not a universal statement of local law.

Reference: HRCI aPHRi Exam Content Outline (effective 2018), Functional Area 05, knowledge 02: Employee and employer rights and responsibilities, p. 7. Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, paragraph 2, https://www.acas.org.uk/acas-code-of-practice-on-disciplinary-and-grievance-procedures/html (accessed 2026-11-06).

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