Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) Practice Tests

Validates knowledge of strategic HR leadership, workforce planning, talent management, total rewards and HR information, safety and security.

The SPHR is 140 questions in 2.5 hours, mostly situational: several answers look reasonable and you pick the best one for the business, plus a few fill-in-the-number calculations. We compared the main options on situational wording, full-length exams and price.

HRCI offers no free sample, so most people should start with Mometrix's free test, use Pocket Prep for daily volume, then take scenario-heavy full exams before booking.

Practice test	Best for	Questions	Price
HRCI SPHR Exam Prep	Daily question bank	1,200	$21/month
SPHR Exam Prep: Practice Exams	Situational full exams	280	$109
Big Book of HR Exam Practice Questions	Book of scenarios	1,000+	$63
SPHR Timed and Untimed Practice Exams	Official question style	80	$150
2026 Complete HRCP Program (Online Edition)	Large exam volume	2,150	$270

Free first look

Free SPHR Practice Test

A free practice test across the five SPHR functional areas, taken in the browser. Two 2025 and 2026 passers used it as a free warm-up before paying for other question banks.

Great fit if you want a free first look at the SPHR content areas before paying for anything.

Poor fit if you need full 140-question exams or scores by area; use HRStudyPro or Pocket Prep.

Daily question bank

HRCI SPHR Exam Prep

Quizzes by functional area, a mock exam mode with new questions, and weakest-subject and level-up practice. Passers value it for daily habit but call it heavy on definitions and law.

Great fit if you want daily practice in short sessions and per-area progress tracking across a large bank.

Poor fit if you want scenario-heavy wording like the real exam; add HRStudyPro's full exams.

Situational full exams

SPHR Exam Prep: Practice Exams

Two full-length timed 140-question exams with detailed explanations, scores by area and randomized retakes. Passers describe the scenario wording as rigorous and close to the real exam.

Great fit if you want realistic, situational full-length practice before booking, for a one-time fee.

Poor fit if you want daily short quizzes at low cost; use Pocket Prep or the larger bundle.

Book of scenarios

Big Book of HR Exam Practice Questions

More than 1,000 questions from the author of the standard PHR and SPHR study guide, with an online test bank of the same questions. The set covers HRCI and SHRM exams together.

Great fit if you want scenario-style practice from a trusted author, and a book you can use away from a screen.

Poor fit if you want only SPHR-level questions or timed mock exams; use HRStudyPro.

Official question style

SPHR Timed and Untimed Practice Exams

HRCI's own practice questions: a 50-question timed exam with scores by content area and a 30-question untimed exam with rationales for correct and incorrect answers. Both can be retaken.

Great fit if you want to see how HRCI words its questions before booking, and have another bank for volume.

Poor fit if you need many questions; 80 repeat quickly, so use HRStudyPro or Pocket Prep.

Large exam volume

2026 Complete HRCP Program (Online Edition)

A full study program with 17 online exams: an assessment, practice, timed, mock and situational exams. The exams are only sold inside the program. Candidates find them more specific than the real exam.

Great fit if you want a study text and a large run of timed exams in one purchase, and can handle dense questions.

Poor fit if you only need practice questions; use HRStudyPro or Pocket Prep.

What to look for in a SPHR practice test

Strategy and leadership questions, not procedure. Leadership and Strategy is 33% of the 2024 outline. Passers say the best answer usually aligns HR action with business strategy and sits at the right stage, such as analyse before acting, and that few questions are plain law.
Situational wording with several defensible answers. Questions ask for the best or first action, and two or three options look reasonable. Passers call Pocket Prep heavier on definitions and law, and HRStudyPro's and Reed's questions more situational.
Calculations and fill-in answers. HRCI lists fill-in-the-number, multiple response, drag and drop and scenario items. Passers report HR metric calculations, so practise the math by hand.
Enough full-length runs. The exam is 140 questions in 2.5 hours, 25 of them unscored. HRStudyPro has two 140-question exams, Pocket Prep has a mock exam mode, and HRCI's own set is only 80 questions.
Official questions are few and cost more. HRCI charges $150 for its two exams and offers no free sample. Passers are split, some finding them useful for wording and others saying the style did not match, so use them late.
Skip sites selling "real exam questions." Sites promising actual SPHR questions or a guaranteed pass are selling leaked or copied items. HRCI's candidate agreement bans collecting or soliciting exam content and lets HRCI cancel your score and revoke all your HRCI certifications. A real practice test explains why each answer is right; a dump only lists answers.

How to use SPHR practice tests

Start with a free diagnostic. Take the free Mometrix test or Pocket Prep's 40 free questions before studying, so your first weeks go to the functional areas where you miss most.
Review every miss for why the best answer wins. Passers narrow each question to two options, then choose by strategy fit, sequence (gather data first when the problem is new) and the stakeholders who influence the outcome.
Expect lower scores on scenario exams. Candidates often score in the 80s on Pocket Prep and much lower on HRStudyPro, Mometrix or HRCI exams, and still pass. Compare your trend within each product, not across them.
Practise the full 2.5 hours. Passers describe the exam as long and mentally tiring. Do timed full runs late, flag doubtful items and return to them.
Move on from questions you remember. HRCI's 80 questions repeat on every retake, and a single mock stops measuring anything once you remember it. Switch to fresh questions from another bank or book.

HRCI: SPHR exam page ↗HRCI: SPHR exam content outline ↗HRCI: how the exams are structured ↗Reddit: SPHR strategy framework, HRStudyPro vs Pocket Prep ↗Reddit: SPHR practice exams ranked, Mometrix and HRCI ↗

SPHR practice test FAQ

Are there free SPHR practice tests?

HRCI does not publish a free sample test or practice exam. Mometrix has a free SPHR practice test, and Pocket Prep includes 40 free questions.

Are SPHR practice exams harder than the real exam?

It depends on the product. Candidates call Pocket Prep easier, and HRStudyPro, Mometrix and HRCP exams harder or more specific. Several passers said the real exam felt easier than their scenario practice, while others found it unlike any practice set.

How many SPHR practice exams should I take?

There is no set number. Two or three full timed 140-question runs on questions you have not seen, each followed by a full review, is a sensible target, and short quizzes by functional area beat repeating an exam you remember.

What question types are on the SPHR exam?

Mostly multiple choice, plus multiple response, fill-in-the-blank with a number, drag and drop and scenario sets. The exam has 140 questions, 25 of them unscored, in 2 hours 30 minutes.