PSHRA
PSHRA exam questions with answers
detailed 2025-2026
1. what are the primary competencies assessed in the PSHRA and IPMA-CP
certifications?: Strategic Human Resource Management, Workforce Planning
and Employment, Employee and Labor Relations, Organizational
Development and Leadership, Risk Management and Legal Compliance.
2. What are HR Metrics and Analytics used for in public sector HR?: Measuring
employee performance, tracking recruitment success, and identifying
workforce trends.
3. What is the primary goal of public sector HR?: the workforce ettectively to
ensure the delivery of public services while adhering to policies, laws, and
budget constraints.
4. What is Workforce Planning?: The process of analyzing and forecasting
workforce needs to ensure the right people are in the right roles at the right
time.
5. What are the key components of a job description in the public sector?: 1. Job
title.
2. Essential duties and responsibilities.
3. Qualifications and competencies required.
4. Reporting relationships.
6. What is the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in
public sector HR?: To enforce federal laws that prohibit workplace
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age,
disability, or genetic information.
7. What is the significance of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in public
sector HR?: It establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and
child labor standards.
8. What is a key challenge of recruitment in the public sector?: Attracting top
talent within budgetary and regulatory constraints.
9. What is the purpose of HR Metrics in the public sector?: To measure the
ettectiveness and eflciency of HR policies and processes, such as turnover
rates and time-to-hire.
PSHRA exam questions with answers detailed 2025-2026
,PSHRA
10. What is the difference between public and private sector HR?: one focuses on
serving the public interest with transparency, compliance, and accountability,
while the other focuses on profitability and competitive advantage.
11. What is the Hatch Act?: law that restricts the political activities of
government employees to ensure a politically neutral workplace.
12. What is "Civil Service Reform"?: Initiatives aimed at improving the eflciency,
accountability, and responsiveness of government employees, often including
changes to hiring, pay, or disciplinary systems
13. Define "Collective Bargaining" in the public sector.: A process where unions
negotiate with government employers on behalf of employees regarding
wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions.
14. What is the purpose of "Veterans' Preference" in public sector hiring?: To give
eligible veterans an advantage in hiring for federal jobs as recognition of their
service.
15. What is a "RIF" in public sector HR?: occurs when employees are laid ott due
to budget cuts, reorganizations, or changes in workforce needs.
16. What is the purpose of "Public Sector Unionization"?: To provide a collective
voice for employees in negotiations regarding wages, working conditions, and
benefits.
17. What is "Position Classification" in public sector HR?: The process of
categorizing jobs into classes or grades based on duties, responsibilities, and
qualifications required.
18. What are the limitations of at-will employment in the public sector?: Public
employees often have due process rights that protect them from termination
without just cause.
19. What is the significance of "Open Meetings" laws in public HR?: They require
government decision-making, including HR matters, to be conducted
transparently in public forums.
20. What is the California Public Records Act (CPRA)?: A law that grants the public
access to information held by government agencies, ensuring transparency in
HR and other functions.
PSHRA exam questions with answers detailed 2025-2026
, PSHRA
21. What is the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA)?: A California law that governs
collective bargaining for local government employees, giving them the right
to unionize and negotiate working conditions.
22. What is the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)?: law
prohibiting workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on
protected categories like race, gender, disability, and more.
23. What is the role of the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)?:
administers
California's public sector collective bargaining statutes and resolves disputes
between public agencies and employees.
24. What is the California Wage Theft Prevention Act?: A law requiring employers
to provide written notices to employees about pay rates, paydays, and other
employment details, even in the public sector.
25. What is AB 5 and its impact on public sector HR?: A law that codified the ABC
test to determine if a worker is an employee or independent contractor,
impacting workforce classification.
26. What is the significance of SB 1162 in public sector HR?: Requires California
employers to disclose pay ranges in job postings and maintain transparency
in salary practices.
27. What is the California Family Rights Act (CFRA)?: law providing eligible
employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for family or
medical reasons.
28. What does the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013
(PEPRA) regulate?: It reformed pension systems for public employees to
reduce costs and increase sustain- ability for public employers.
29. What is the purpose of the Dills Act in California?: To regulate collective
bargaining for state government employees, ensuring fair negotiation
processes.
30. What is the California Government Code 12950.1?: It mandates anti-
harassment training for supervisors and employees in public and private
organizations with five or more employees.
PSHRA exam questions with answers detailed 2025-2026
PSHRA exam questions with answers
detailed 2025-2026
1. what are the primary competencies assessed in the PSHRA and IPMA-CP
certifications?: Strategic Human Resource Management, Workforce Planning
and Employment, Employee and Labor Relations, Organizational
Development and Leadership, Risk Management and Legal Compliance.
2. What are HR Metrics and Analytics used for in public sector HR?: Measuring
employee performance, tracking recruitment success, and identifying
workforce trends.
3. What is the primary goal of public sector HR?: the workforce ettectively to
ensure the delivery of public services while adhering to policies, laws, and
budget constraints.
4. What is Workforce Planning?: The process of analyzing and forecasting
workforce needs to ensure the right people are in the right roles at the right
time.
5. What are the key components of a job description in the public sector?: 1. Job
title.
2. Essential duties and responsibilities.
3. Qualifications and competencies required.
4. Reporting relationships.
6. What is the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in
public sector HR?: To enforce federal laws that prohibit workplace
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age,
disability, or genetic information.
7. What is the significance of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in public
sector HR?: It establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and
child labor standards.
8. What is a key challenge of recruitment in the public sector?: Attracting top
talent within budgetary and regulatory constraints.
9. What is the purpose of HR Metrics in the public sector?: To measure the
ettectiveness and eflciency of HR policies and processes, such as turnover
rates and time-to-hire.
PSHRA exam questions with answers detailed 2025-2026
,PSHRA
10. What is the difference between public and private sector HR?: one focuses on
serving the public interest with transparency, compliance, and accountability,
while the other focuses on profitability and competitive advantage.
11. What is the Hatch Act?: law that restricts the political activities of
government employees to ensure a politically neutral workplace.
12. What is "Civil Service Reform"?: Initiatives aimed at improving the eflciency,
accountability, and responsiveness of government employees, often including
changes to hiring, pay, or disciplinary systems
13. Define "Collective Bargaining" in the public sector.: A process where unions
negotiate with government employers on behalf of employees regarding
wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions.
14. What is the purpose of "Veterans' Preference" in public sector hiring?: To give
eligible veterans an advantage in hiring for federal jobs as recognition of their
service.
15. What is a "RIF" in public sector HR?: occurs when employees are laid ott due
to budget cuts, reorganizations, or changes in workforce needs.
16. What is the purpose of "Public Sector Unionization"?: To provide a collective
voice for employees in negotiations regarding wages, working conditions, and
benefits.
17. What is "Position Classification" in public sector HR?: The process of
categorizing jobs into classes or grades based on duties, responsibilities, and
qualifications required.
18. What are the limitations of at-will employment in the public sector?: Public
employees often have due process rights that protect them from termination
without just cause.
19. What is the significance of "Open Meetings" laws in public HR?: They require
government decision-making, including HR matters, to be conducted
transparently in public forums.
20. What is the California Public Records Act (CPRA)?: A law that grants the public
access to information held by government agencies, ensuring transparency in
HR and other functions.
PSHRA exam questions with answers detailed 2025-2026
, PSHRA
21. What is the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA)?: A California law that governs
collective bargaining for local government employees, giving them the right
to unionize and negotiate working conditions.
22. What is the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)?: law
prohibiting workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on
protected categories like race, gender, disability, and more.
23. What is the role of the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)?:
administers
California's public sector collective bargaining statutes and resolves disputes
between public agencies and employees.
24. What is the California Wage Theft Prevention Act?: A law requiring employers
to provide written notices to employees about pay rates, paydays, and other
employment details, even in the public sector.
25. What is AB 5 and its impact on public sector HR?: A law that codified the ABC
test to determine if a worker is an employee or independent contractor,
impacting workforce classification.
26. What is the significance of SB 1162 in public sector HR?: Requires California
employers to disclose pay ranges in job postings and maintain transparency
in salary practices.
27. What is the California Family Rights Act (CFRA)?: law providing eligible
employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for family or
medical reasons.
28. What does the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013
(PEPRA) regulate?: It reformed pension systems for public employees to
reduce costs and increase sustain- ability for public employers.
29. What is the purpose of the Dills Act in California?: To regulate collective
bargaining for state government employees, ensuring fair negotiation
processes.
30. What is the California Government Code 12950.1?: It mandates anti-
harassment training for supervisors and employees in public and private
organizations with five or more employees.
PSHRA exam questions with answers detailed 2025-2026
