Free SHRM Practice Test 2026 Official Study Guide [PDF]

1) Which type of Affirmative Action Plan analysis creates an organizational profile showing information about incumbents, including race, sex, and compensation?

2) What does an HR audit seek to accomplish for an organization?

3) Validity is an important consideration in employee interviews and selection. Which of the following is NOT a recognized type of validity?

4) Which of the following is an example of a correlation coefficient?

5) What is the primary purpose of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

6) HR professionals generally perform three major roles that contribute to organizational success. Which statement best identifies these responsibilities?

7) The U.S. Department of Labor provides guidelines related to unemployment benefits. Who is primarily responsible for administering unemployment benefits?

8) Under the Civil Rights Act of 1991, what is the maximum amount of compensatory and punitive damages that may be awarded to a victim of employment discrimination, according to the practice test?

9) According to Knowles' assumptions about adult learning, which statement best represents an adult learner's need to know?

10) Mark is an HR professional who has been assigned responsibility for developing his company's Affirmative Action Plan. What does an "assignment of responsibility" mean in this context?

11) Which type of business organization has one owner who makes business decisions, keeps the profits, and assumes unlimited personal liability?

12) Which law protects individuals with physical or mental disabilities from discrimination?

13) As an HR professional, you should understand project management processes. Which statement best describes the project management life cycle?

14) Nancy wants to use a copyrighted photograph as the cover of a company training manual. According to the practice test, how long does copyright protection for the photograph generally last?

15) Which federal law requires covered employers to provide eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons?

16) What term describes an organization's efforts to help displaced employees find new jobs and adjust to the employment market after downsizing?

17) A church is hiring a new minister and requires the person selected to be a member of the church's religion. Under Title VII, this requirement is an example of which concept?

18) Rex and Jan participate in a project team exercise in which members complete both individual and group tasks to create a game. What type of organizational development activity does this represent?

19) Which training practice best demonstrates clarity in a presentation?

20) Which court case established that an employment test with a discriminatory impact may still be lawful when the test is valid and job-related?

21) An HR professional is reviewing employee positions to determine exempt and nonexempt status. Which employee should never be classified as exempt from overtime requirements?

22) Henry works as a Senior HR Specialist for an automobile parts manufacturer. Management plans to close an Alabama plant, resulting in the loss of 650 jobs. According to the practice test, how much advance notice must the company provide before the plant closes?

23) Which HR functional area is responsible for planning and managing employees entering and leaving an organization to meet changing business needs?

24) Which Balanced Scorecard perspective focuses primarily on customer attention and satisfaction?

25) Which type of training evaluation determines whether training produced a positive financial or organizational impact?

26) John, a Senior HR Professional, is updating his company's code of conduct. Which statement best defines a code of conduct?

27) What term describes reviewing an entire organization to simplify or eliminate unnecessary processes and improve customer satisfaction through increased efficiency?

28) A collective bargaining agreement commonly establishes a four-step grievance procedure. At which stage would a local union leader typically meet with the plant manager regarding an employee grievance?

29) As a Senior HR Professional, you may work with the board of directors on important business matters. How are members of a corporation's board of directors generally selected?

30) You are an HR professional for a U.S. company with 120 employees. According to the practice test, what is the deadline for filing the company's EEO-1 report?

31) You want to use a form created by the federal government in a training class. You plan to display, reproduce, and distribute the form. Is this generally permissible?

32) Mike is evaluating whether workers should be classified as employees or independent contractors using IRS control factors. Which control factor focuses on how the organization pays the worker?

33) An organization examines where it is now, where it wants to go, how it will get there, and how it will know when it has arrived. What business process does this describe?

34) Which requirement is associated with the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA)?

35) Which landmark employment case involved high school diploma and aptitude test requirements that were found to have a disproportionate impact on racial minority employees under Title VII?

36) The ADDIE framework is commonly used to develop training programs. Which of the following is identified as the odd item among the training design activities in the practice test?

37) A company advertises for a female attendant to work in women's bathrooms and locker rooms. Which statement best explains this requirement under Title VII?

38) Which strategy identifies and plans how human resources will help an organization achieve its strategic objectives?

39) Which performance appraisal method identifies important job responsibilities, links them to specific behaviors, and uses those behaviors to evaluate performance?

40) Three federal agencies share responsibility for administering and enforcing ERISA. Which agency is NOT involved in ERISA enforcement?

41) Philip B. Crosby was a pioneer in quality management. Which statement reflects one of Crosby's quality management absolutes?

42) Gray and Holly are using a SWOT analysis while helping develop their organization's strategic plan. What does SWOT analysis evaluate?

43) Which forecasting method brings participants together to share and evaluate ideas, then ranks those ideas based on group feedback?

44) From a risk management perspective, which statement best describes the purpose of an HR audit?

45) Which development method is most likely being used when a corporate manager regularly participates in online discussion boards with a group of professional peers?

46) A manager routinely suggests that a female project team member should take meeting minutes because she is a woman. What type of discrimination does this illustrate?

47) The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act includes exceptions to the plant-closing notification requirement. Which of the following is a recognized exception?

48) Which statement best defines a protected class?

49) Which statement best describes reliability in a structured employment interview?

50) HR professionals should understand different types of laws and how they are created. Which of the following would NOT be considered administrative law?