HRCI Guide
Self-Study Quiz: HRCI Practice Exam

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1 .       Human Resource departments serve a strategic role in most organizations because: 

 
 
 
 


2 .       Human Resources departments support organizational strategy implementation in all of the following ways EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


3 .       Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on 

 
 
 
 


4 .       Strategic organizational issues related to employee compensation include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


5 .       A specialized approach to organizational change in which the employees themselves formulate the change that is required and implement it, often with the assistance of a trained consultant, is: 

 
 
 
 


6 .       Human Resource professionals need to understand the relationship between employee training and organizational strategy because: 

 
 
 
 


7 .       An organizational development technique that aims to improve the performance and interaction within a specific group of employees is: 

 
 
 
 


8 .       The U.S. Department of Commerce created The Malcolm Baldridge Award to: 

 
 
 
 


9 .       Distinguishing characteristics of self-directed teams include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


10 .       Training for ISO 9000 typically covers all of the following EXCEPT:  

 
 
 
 


11 .       HR-related guidelines for building effective self-directed teams include: 

 
 
 
 


12 .       Human Resources departments can make a significant contribution to business process re-engineering by: 

 
 
 
 


13 .       A work redesign plan whereby employees build their workday around a core of midday hours is: 

 
 
 
 


14 .       Which of the following is true with regard to flexible work arrangements? 

 
 
 
 


15 .       A comprehensive process to determine the effectiveness of a firm's HR policies and procedures would most likely include: 

 
 
 
 


16 .       With regard to global HR management, HR practitioners should note that 

 
 
 
 


17 .       Current global pressures that affect HR strategic management include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


18 .       The management functions of most HR departments include: 

 
 
 
 


19 .       Technological changes in the workplace have influenced the practice of HR management because: 

 
 
 
 


20 .       An important workforce demographic consideration for HR professionals is that: 

 
 
 
 


21 .       HR departments contribute a unique perspective to the organizational strategic planning process because: 

 
 
 
 


22 .       Outsourcing of HR functions is a valuable organizational strategy because this strategy: 

 
 
 
 


23 .       As an organizational technology tool, HR portals are used to: 

 
 
 
 


24 .       A key determinant of organizational success in a welfare-to-work program is: 

 
 
 
 


25 .       Organizational efforts to eliminate the present effects of past discriminatory practices are collectively known as: 

 
 
 
 


26 .       Which of the following actions would likely be deemed discriminatory? 

 
 
 
 


27 .       Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on 

 
 
 
 


28 .       A major provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 is that: 

 
 
 
 


29 .       A basic provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act is that employers must: 

 
 
 
 


30 .       The first step in the job analysis process entails: 

 
 
 
 


31 .       A written statement that describes the activities and responsibilities of a job, as well as important features such as working conditions and safety hazards, is a: 

 
 
 
 


32 .       The final step in a job analysis process is: 

 
 
 
 


33 .       Designing job specifications based on statistical analysis: 

 
 
 
 


34 .       Which of the following is true with regard to predicting organizational employment needs? 

 
 
 
 


35 .       The use of a yield pyramid is most helpful in: 

 
 
 
 


36 .       Which of the following would likely be the least effective method of recruiting internal job candidates? 

 
 
 
 


37 .       The contemporary contingent work force 

 
 
 
 


38 .       In the selection process, test validity refers to: 

 
 
 
 


39 .       With regard to Equal Employment Opportunity aspects of testing in the selection process: 

 
 
 
 


40 .       An employer who wants to measure job performance directly rather than indirectly would likely use which of the following testing processes? 

 
 
 
 


41 .       An employer who wishes to hire a recent immigrant should note the following related to U.S. immigration law: 

 
 
 
 


42 .       A primary advantage of unstructured versus structured interviewing techniques is that: 

 
 
 
 


43 .       Which of the following types of interviews tend to be the most reliable and valid? 

 
 
 
 


44 .       Factors that can undermine the usefulness of an interview include all of the following except: 

 
 
 
 


45 .       Organizations wishing to ensure a suitable supply of employees for current and future senior or key jobs should consider implementing: 

 
 
 
 


46 .       HR professionals should know the following about unemployment insurance benefits: 

 
 
 
 


47 .       The primary purpose of new employee orientation is to: 

 
 
 
 


48 .       The best medium for recruiting blue-collar and entry-level workers is generally: 

 
 
 
 


49 .       Employers may wish to utilize employment agencies in the recruiting process because: 

 
 
 
 


50 .       With regard to flexible work arrangements such as compressed work week programs and flextime, HR professional should note the research that indicates: 

 
 
 
 


51 .       Which of the following job analysis methods offers the most quantifiable measures of job duties? 

 
 
 
 


52 .       Which of the following job analysis methods quantifies job duties in the three specific areas of data, people, and things? 

 
 
 
 


53 .       An advantage of job analysis methods that use quantitative measures is that: 

 
 
 
 


54 .       HR professionals should use multiple sources of information when conducting job analysis because: 

 
 
 
 


55 .       With regard to writing job specifications, HR professionals should know that: 

 
 
 
 


56 .       HR professional who based job specifications on statistical analysis rather than judgment should note that: 

 
 
 
 


57 .       Systematically moving workers from one job to another is known as: 

 
 
 
 


58 .       Which of the following would be LEAST likely used when selecting staff for assignments outside the U.S.? 

 
 
 
 


59 .       An HR staffing plan would likely include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


60 .       Personnel replacement charts are primarily used for: 

 
 
 
 


61 .       Which of the following tests would likely be considered the MOST valid in terms of job relatedness? 

 
 
 
 


62 .       If an employment selection test constitutes a fair sample of the duties of the job, the test has what kind of validity? 

 
 
 
 


63 .       The process of forecasting the supply of internal job candidates would be LEAST likely to use which of the following: 

 
 
 
 


64 .       A hospital that needs to recruit newly licensed physical therapists would probably be most successful by targeting its recruiting efforts toward: 

 
 
 
 


65 .       Which of the following recruiting advertisements would likely be deemed in violation of EEO regulations? 

 
 
 
 


66 .       In regard to employee recruiting, the term "head hunter" refers to: 

 
 
 
 


67 .       Using the Internet in the recruiting process would be most useful when the company is attempting to recruit: 

 
 
 
 


68 .       Federal laws that affect employment references include all of the following except: 

 
 
 
 


69 .       The most widely used HR selection tool is: 

 
 
 
 


70 .       If a company wishes to measure a job candidate's stability, introversion, and motivation, it would be most likely to use which of the following selection tests: 

 
 
 
 


71 .       The Thematic Apperception Test, the Wonderlic Personal Characteristics Test, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory are examples of: 

 
 
 
 


72 .       Using a structured interviewing technique would likely achieve all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


73 .       A stress interview technique would be most appropriate for which of the following jobs? 

 
 
 
 


74 .       A well-designed new employee orientation program is likely to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


75 .       The requirement that employment selection tests must be job related was established by which Supreme Court case? 

 
 
 
 


76 .       Employees who are not citizens of the countries in which they are working are called: 

 
 
 
 


77 .       HR professionals can best promote transferability of training by: 

 
 
 
 


78 .       The most appropriate method of assessing the training needs of new employees is: 

 
 
 
 


79 .       The process of verifying that there is an employee performance deficiency and determining if training is an appropriate solution is: 

 
 
 
 


80 .       Methods of determining employee training needs include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


81 .       An example of a specific performance deficiency amenable to employee training is: 

 
 
 
 


82 .       In developing employee training programs, HR professionals should first: 

 
 
 
 


83 .       Performance task analysis would likely include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


84 .       The first step in the delivery of on-the-job training is: 

 
 
 
 


85 .       A step-by-step self-learning method that consists of presenting the information, allowing a response, and providing feedback on the response is: 

 
 
 
 


86 .       The main advantage of programmed training over other training methods is that: 

 
 
 
 


87 .       Specific training needs of employees on international assignments include: 

 
 
 
 


88 .       The Human Resource department's contributions to an organizational re-engineering process would likely include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


89 .       The effectiveness of an employee training program would best be determined by:  

 
 
 
 


90 .       The first step in an effective performance appraisal process is to: 

 
 
 
 


91 .       The simplest and most widely used technique for appraising performance is: 

 
 
 
 


92 .       The most effective way to evaluate performance management programs is to: 

 
 
 
 


93 .       Organizations can promote employee involvement in the performance appraisal process by using which of the following strategies? 

 
 
 
 


94 .       A major implication of current career development approaches is that: 

 
 
 
 


95 .       Realistic job preview strategies can enhance employee career development and help decrease turnover by: 

 
 
 
 


96 .       HR professionals can most effectively identify employee training needs by conducting: 

 
 
 
 


97 .       HR management practices designed to change employee attitudes, values, and beliefs so that employees can improve the organization are collectively known as: 

 
 
 
 


98 .       The performance appraisal method that places employees into predetermined percentages of performance categories is: 

 
 
 
 


99 .       Which of the following performance appraisal methods is based on the supervisor's log of positive and negative employee behaviors: 

 
 
 
 


100 .       A technique to improve deficiencies in employee performance by showing the employee how to improve, when improvement is expected, and how results will be evaluated is: 

 
 
 
 


101 .       Organizational pre-retirement counseling programs generally include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


102 .       Measurement of the effectiveness of an organization's outplacement counseling program would likely include: 

 
 
 
 


103 .       Current trends in the training and development of international employees include all of the following except: 

 
 
 
 


104 .       International employees would be more likely than employees working in the U. S. to receive which of the following training programs: 

 
 
 
 


105 .       The most significant measure of the effectiveness of an employee training program involves: 

 
 
 
 


106 .       A major consideration in the implementation of employee performance management and appraisal programs is: 

 
 
 
 


107 .       The regulation that makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against any individual because of race with respect to compensation or other terms of employment is the: 

 
 
 
 


108 .       The law created to protect employees against the failure of their employer's pension plan is: 

 
 
 
 


109 .       A basic principle of organizational compensation practices is that compensation should: 

 
 
 
 


110 .       If an organization's pay rates are similar with prevailing rates in other organizations, the compensation structure reflects: 

 
 
 
 


111 .       In conducting a salary survey, HR professionals would likely use all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


112 .       A systematic comparison done to determine the worth of one job relative to another in the organization is: 

 
 
 
 


113 .       The simplest method of performing job evaluation is: 

 
 
 
 


114 .       If organizational exit interviews indicate that employee turnover is due to dissatisfaction with compensation, HR professionals would likely: 

 
 
 
 


115 .       A collection of jobs grouped together by approximately equal difficulty levels is a: 

 
 
 
 


116 .       A wage rate that is above the rate range for its grade is known as: 

 
 
 
 


117 .       Which of the following is an example of an executive compensation strategy that aims to increase the price of the company's stock: 

 
 
 
 


118 .       A major difference between skill-based pay and pay based on job evaluation is that: 

 
 
 
 


119 .       Broadbanding, as a compensation strategy, is valuable for all of the following reasons EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


120 .       An incentive pay plan for factory assembly workers would be most likely to use which of the following methods? 

 
 
 
 


121 .       Which of the following administrative positions would be considered an "exempt" position uhder the FLSA? 

 
 
 
 


122 .       A variable pay plan in which a corporation annually contributes shares of stock which are then distributed to employees when they retire or leave the company is known as a(n): 

 
 
 
 


123 .       All of the following are essential to the implementation of an effective incentive plan EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


124 .       A disadvantage of incentive plans such as profit-sharing, gain-sharing, and Scanlon plans is that: 

 
 
 
 


125 .       A major compensation consideration for expatriate workers that is NOT generally a consideration for U.S. based employees is: 

 
 
 
 


126 .       A "paid time off" policy that gives each employee a total figure for annual time off including vacation, sick leave, and personal days to be used at the employee's discretion will likely result in: 

 
 
 
 


127 .       A benefit intended to augment unemployment insurance so that the employee may maintain his or her standard of living is called: 

 
 
 
 


128 .       The provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) stipulate that: 

 
 
 
 


129 .       Methods of reducing workers' compensation costs would include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


130 .       With regard to employee health care benefits for workers over age 65: 

 
 
 
 


131 .       Employees who leave an organization are generally eligible to continue their employee health care, at their own expense, for a period of up to 18 months under the provisions of: 

 
 
 
 


132 .       As the workforce ages, more employees will likely need of which of the following benefits? 

 
 
 
 


133 .       Employers generally favor defined contribution pension plans over defined benefit pension plans because: 

 
 
 
 


134 .       An employee benefit that provides employees with counseling and/or treatment for problems such as stress or alcoholism is: 

 
 
 
 


135 .       A perquisite that guarantees an executive's salary if the executive's position is eliminated in the event of a merger or acquisition is known as: 

 
 
 
 


136 .       Flexible benefits plans are also known as: 

 
 
 
 


137 .       With regard to employee leasing arrangements, all of the following apply EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


138 .       The most commonly used approach to formulating an expatriate worker's pay is to equalize the employee's purchasing power across countries. This is known as: 

 
 
 
 


139 .       Major consideration in the evaluation of expatriate workers' compensation plans generally include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


140 .       Lump-sum payments made to reward international employees for moving from one assignment to another are known as: 

 
 
 
 


141 .       Groups of health care providers that contract with employers, insurance companies, or third party payers to deliver health care at a reduced cost are known as 

 
 
 
 


142 .       Appropriate steps employers can take to reduce employee health care costs include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


143 .       A salary plus incentive/commission compensation plan would be most appropriate for which of the following workers? 

 
 
 
 


144 .       The right to purchase a specific number of company stock shares at a specific period of time for a specific price is known as a(n): 

 
 
 
 


145 .       A one-time payment made to employees terminated by their organization is known as: 

 
 
 
 


146 .       Employee benefits as a percentage of payroll are currently approximately: 

 
 
 
 


147 .       Unionization tends to be fostered by all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


148 .       A form of union security in which the company may hire non-union workers, but the workers must join the union after a certain period time (if they do not, the workers can be fired) is: 

 
 
 
 


149 .       A union organizing activity in which workers who are employed full-time by a union as workplace organizers are hired by unwitting employers is called: 

 
 
 
 


150 .       In union organizing, the group of employees the union will represent is: 

 
 
 
 


151 .       During union organizing activity, the following would be considered an unfair labor practice on the part of a private employer: 

 
 
 
 


152 .       The federal agency responsible for handling complaints of unfair labor practices in a union environment is: 

 
 
 
 


153 .       An employee dismissal that does not comply with the law or that does not comply with a stated or implied contractual agreement between the company and the employee is called: 

 
 
 
 


154 .       The federal law that governs plant closings in terms of worker layoffs and dismissals is: 

 
 
 
 


155 .       When companies resort to "bumping" and layoff procedures during a business slowdown, the determination as to which employees should be laid off is usually based on: 

 
 
 
 


156 .       Right-to-work provisions: 

 
 
 
 


157 .       The president of the U.S. has the right to intervene in: 

 
 
 
 


158 .       Common reasons for the failure of an international employee assignment include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


159 .       In dealing with expatriate employees, HR professionals should note that: 

 
 
 
 


160 .       A common repatriation problem for international companies is that: 

 
 
 
 


161 .       An employee's identification with the company and agreement to the pursue the company's mission is termed: 

 
 
 
 


162 .       The current organizational focus on teamwork and employee empowerment are intended to foster behaviors that are necessarily required nor rewarded by the organization, but nevertheless contribute to organizational functioning. These behaviors are known collectively as: 

 
 
 
 


163 .       HR efforts to create positive employee relations can be hindered by: 

 
 
 
 


164 .       Activities to encourage employee organizational commitment include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


165 .       Charges of unfair labor practices are filed with the: 

 
 
 
 


166 .       If an employee files an unfair labor practice charge against a company: 

 
 
 
 


167 .       Which of the following is FALSE with regard to unions? 

 
 
 
 


168 .       Collective bargaining requires that union and management negotiate in all of the following areas EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


169 .       The most time-consuming strategy in re-negotiating a union contract is usually: 

 
 
 
 


170 .       All of the following are illegal collective bargaining items EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


171 .       A court order compelling a party or parties either to resume or desist from a certain action is a(n): 

 
 
 
 


172 .       A "decision-making leave" may be offered to employees as part of: 

 
 
 
 


173 .       An employee discipline process that emphasizes harsher penalties for repeated infractions is called: 

 
 
 
 


174 .       With regard to employee communications privacy, HR professionals should note that: 

 
 
 
 


175 .       Of the following grounds for dismissal, which would likely be most difficult to prove? 

 
 
 
 


176 .       A more positive workplace can be created if managers and supervisors communicate to employees exactly what their jobs require in terms of performance. This kind of communication is called: 

 
 
 
 


177 .       A commonly used method of measuring employees' perceptions of fair treatment is: 

 
 
 
 


178 .       A major indicator of management commitment to fair treatment in the workplace is: 

 
 
 
 


179 .       Prior to beginning an employee discipline process, HR professionals should encourage managers to: 

 
 
 
 


180 .       A conflict resolution technique in which a neutral third party attempts to assist the conflicting parties in reaching an agreement is: 

 
 
 
 


181 .       The conflict resolution technique which guarantees a solution to an impasse by dictating the terms of the settlement is: 

 
 
 
 


182 .       An example of management failure to bargain in good faith with a union is: 

 
 
 
 


183 .       The union decertification process is: 

 
 
 
 


184 .       An appropriate action for employers attempting to avoid unionization would be to: 

 
 
 
 


185 .       In general, employees who feel they are treated fairly will: 

 
 
 
 


186 .       Research has shown that employees of hostile or abusive supervisors are more likely than other employees to do all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


187 .       A appropriate technique HR professionals can use to increase employee involvement in workplace improvement initiatives is to: 

 
 
 
 


188 .       Managers who need to disseminate specific information quickly throughout the organization should use which of the following communication approaches? 

 
 
 
 


189 .       An abnormal health condition caused by exposure to environmental factors associated with employment is a(n): 

 
 
 
 


190 .       The federal law that most specifically and comprehensively addresses workplace health and safety is: 

 
 
 
 


191 .       If an employee is injured at work, the most appropriate initial action would be to: 

 
 
 
 


192 .       Identification of employee alcohol abuse: 

 
 
 
 


193 .       The federal Drug-Free Workplace Act requires: 

 
 
 
 


194 .       Positive steps employers can take to reduce workplace violence include all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


195 .       If an OSHA inspector shows up at the workplace, one the first steps an HR professional should take is: 

 
 
 
 


196 .       A major concern in the area of occupational respiratory illness is: 

 
 
 
 


197 .       An organization that employs many workers who smoke cigarettes should note all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


198 .       A special health and safety concern for expatriate employees, more so than those in the U.S., is: 

 
 
 
 


199 .       HR professionals who work in fast paced organizations should do all of the following EXCEPT: 

 
 
 
 


200 .       Employers who reward employees for increasing the number of days without a workplace injury: 

 
 
 
 






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