PSHRA-CP study guide
PSHRA-CP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The PSHRA-CP is a certification issued by the Public Sector HR Association for entry-level and mid-level public sector HR professionals - people holding or targeting titles such as HR assistant, recruitment specialist, HR manager, or compensation and benefits analyst. It is earned by passing an exam that validates experience, knowledge, and skills; PSHRA states that preparation courses are not available for the exam. The PSHRA-CP study guide has 6 sections and about 2,429 words.
01Compliance, Documentation and Policy Development
Public-sector compliance stacks federal law, state/local statute, and the merit-system or civil-service rules of the jurisdiction. When standards conflict, the more protective or more specific rule usually controls - and the exam often tests whether you can identify which law actually applies to the facts given.
704 words, about 4 min02Recruitment and Selection Processes
Recruitment begins with job analysis , which produces the job description and the minimum qualifications. Everything downstream - postings, screening, interview questions, and scoring - must be traceable to that analysis.
342 words, about 2 min03Classification and Compensation
Classification groups positions into classes based on duties, responsibility, and required knowledge/skills - it answers "what is this job?" Compensation assigns pay to those classes - it answers "what do we pay for it?" The most common exam trap is confusing a reclassification request (driven by duties ) with a pay adjustment (driven by market or equity ). Changing the incumbent's performance or volume of work does not by itself change the class.
359 words, about 2 min04Employee and Labor Relations and Performance Management
Where employees are represented, mandatory subjects of bargaining include wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment; permissive and prohibited subjects exist but are narrower. Weingarten rights give a represented employee the right to union representation during an investigatory interview that the employee reasonably believes may lead to discipline - but only if the employee requests it, and only for represented employees.
346 words, about 2 min05Employee Benefits Programs and Plans
Typical offerings include retirement (defined benefit vs. defined contribution), deferred compensation such as a 457(b), health/dental/vision, life insurance, flexible spending or health savings accounts through a Section 125 cafeteria plan, leave programs, workers' compensation, and unemployment insurance.
347 words, about 2 min06HR Information Systems and Data Analysis
An HRIS is the system of record for employee data: core demographics, position and classification data, pay, benefits enrollment, leave balances, applicant tracking, and performance records. Its value depends on data governance - one authoritative source per field, defined ownership, consistent coding of positions and statuses, role-based access, audit trails, and retention rules aligned with legal requirements.
331 words, about 2 min