aPHR Associate Professional in Human Resources 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An employee is terminated and loses employer-sponsored health coverage. Under COBRA, how long does the employee generally have to elect continuation coverage?
- 30 days
- 45 days
- 60 days (Correct answer)
- 90 days
Correct answer: 60 days
COBRA requires that qualified beneficiaries be given at least 60 days from the notice date to elect continuation coverage.
Question 2: Which performance appraisal method requires managers to rank all employees from best to worst, creating forced differentiation?
- Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)
- Management by Objectives (MBO)
- Forced ranking (stack ranking) (Correct answer)
- 360-degree feedback
Correct answer: Forced ranking (stack ranking)
Forced ranking requires managers to distribute employees across a performance curve, which differentiates performance but can harm morale and collaboration.
Question 3: OSHA's General Duty Clause requires employers to:
- Provide workers' compensation insurance to all employees
- Maintain a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause serious harm or death (Correct answer)
- Conduct annual safety drills for all staff
- Submit monthly injury reports to the Department of Labor
Correct answer: Maintain a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause serious harm or death
The General Duty Clause of the OSH Act obligates every employer to provide a workplace free from recognized serious hazards, even when no specific OSHA standard addresses the hazard.
Question 4: Which federal agency enforces compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)?
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (WHD) (Correct answer)
- National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
Correct answer: Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (WHD)
The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor investigates and enforces FLSA provisions covering minimum wage, overtime, and child labor.
Question 5: A structured interview differs from an unstructured interview primarily because:
- It allows candidates to ask unlimited questions
- All candidates are asked the same predetermined questions and scored consistently (Correct answer)
- It is conducted entirely online
- It focuses only on cultural fit rather than technical skills
Correct answer: All candidates are asked the same predetermined questions and scored consistently
Structured interviews use identical questions for all candidates with standardized scoring, improving reliability, validity, and legal defensibility of hiring decisions.
Question 6: An employer has 100 employees and wants to conduct a reduction in force (RIF). Under the WARN Act, how far in advance must the employer generally notify affected employees?
- 30 days
- 45 days
- 60 days (Correct answer)
- 90 days
Correct answer: 60 days
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60 calendar days' advance notice of plant closings or mass layoffs.
Question 7: Which HR function is responsible for ensuring that employee pay is internally equitable and externally competitive?
- Talent acquisition
- Compensation and benefits (Correct answer)
- Employee relations
- Learning and development
Correct answer: Compensation and benefits
Compensation and benefits professionals conduct salary surveys and job evaluations to ensure pay structures are fair internally and competitive with the external labor market.
aPHR Associate Professional in Human Resources 4
An employee is terminated and loses employer-sponsored health coverage.
Under COBRA, how long does the employee generally have to elect continuation coverage?