CHRC study guide
CHRC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Human Resources Counselor (CHRC) is a professional credential for HR practitioners and advisors who want to demonstrate competence across the full breadth of human resource practice, with an emphasis on the counseling and advisory side of the role. It suits HR generalists, employee relations specialists, benefits and compensation administrators, and counselors who support employees through workplace issues, as well as career changers building a formal HR foundation. The CHRC study guide has 9 sections and about 3,791 words.
01Human Resource Management Functions and Strategy
This domain tests whether you can connect everyday HR activity to organizational strategy and explain how HR organizes itself to deliver that strategy. Expect items on HR roles, strategy formulation and implementation, workforce planning, job analysis, organizational design, and change management.
443 words, about 2 min02Employment Law and Regulatory Compliance
This domain tests whether you can identify which law governs a fact pattern, which agency enforces it, whether the employer is covered, and what the compliant action is. Most items turn on coverage thresholds, timing deadlines, and the difference between discrimination theories.
444 words, about 2 min03Recruitment, Selection, and Talent Acquisition
This domain covers how to source talent, build a defensible selection system, and measure recruiting performance. Items typically ask you to judge the quality of a selection method, choose an interview structure, or compute adverse impact.
415 words, about 2 min04Compensation and Benefits Administration
This domain tests the mechanics of building pay structures, defending pay decisions, and administering benefits. Expect calculations (compa-ratio, range penetration) and judgment questions about internal equity versus external competitiveness.
436 words, about 2 min05Employee Training and Development
This domain tests how to diagnose learning needs, design and deliver training, and prove that training changed performance. Items often ask you to choose the correct evaluation level or compute return on investment.
379 words, about 2 min06Employee and Labor Relations
This domain covers the day-to-day relationship between employer and employees and the legal framework for union representation. Items test discipline and due process, grievance handling, engagement and retention, and NLRA rules on organizing and bargaining.
411 words, about 2 min07Workplace Safety, Health, and Risk Management
This domain tests OSHA compliance, injury recordkeeping, workers' compensation, and the risk-management process. Many items are calculations or recordability judgments.
413 words, about 2 min08HR Information Systems and Metrics
This domain tests whether you can specify, implement, and use HR technology and data responsibly. Items cover HRIS functionality, data governance and privacy, analytics maturity, and metric calculation.
423 words, about 2 min09Ethics, Professionalism, and Counseling Practice
This domain tests professional judgment: confidentiality, conflicts of interest, ethical decision frameworks, and the boundaries of HR counseling. Items are scenario-based and usually ask for the most appropriate first action.
427 words, about 2 min