The ECRE is an AIRS certification for talent acquisition professionals who already hold at least 4 AIRS certifications. This page gives you free practice sets on sourcing, diversity recruiting, recruitment technology, employment law and related topics, worked explanations of sample questions, a study plan and answers to common questions. Exam rules come from AIRS.
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $395 USD[1] | AIRS · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Validity | 2 years[2] | AIRS · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Renewal | Free recertification every 2 years by retaking the exam[2] | AIRS · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Delivery | Online through the MyAIRS portal[2] | AIRS · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Eligibility | Must hold at least 4 AIRS certifications[1] | AIRS · Oct 27, 2026 |
According to AIRS, “The Elite Certified Recruitment Expert (ECRE) certification exam is designed for the accomplished talent acquisition professional who has attained a minimum of four AIRS certifications.”[1]
The ECRE is offered by AIRS and is aimed at accomplished talent acquisition professionals. It is not an entry-level credential. To sit it, you must already hold at least 4 AIRS certifications, so check your MyAIRS account before you plan anything else.
The exam is delivered online through the MyAIRS portal. According to AIRS, you log in to your account, click on your exam when you are ready, and complete it. The regular price listed on the AIRS product page is $395 USD.
Certifications are valid for 2 years. AIRS states that alumni can recertify for no fee every 2 years, and recertifying means retaking the exam through the same portal. That makes it worth keeping your knowledge current rather than treating the exam as a one-time event.
The facts we have do not include the number of questions, the time allowed or the passing score. Those details can change, so confirm them on the official AIRS product page before you book your attempt. The practice sets below are written by us with AI tools. They are not real exam questions, and they are meant to help you find weak areas, not to predict what you will see.
The content areas below are copied from the official ECRE content outline published by AIRS. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.
| Official content area | Practice on this site |
|---|---|
| Advanced internet recruiting[1] | ECRE Talent Sourcing Practise choosing sourcing channels and writing outreach that fits a passive candidate rather than a generic job blast. |
| Diversity and inclusion recruiting[1] | ECRE Diversity and Inclusion Recruiting Practise spotting where bias enters a hiring process, including screening tools, and how to widen a candidate pool fairly. |
| General recruiting principles[1] | ECRE Knowledge Assessment Practise core recruiting concepts such as workforce planning, interviewing, offers and onboarding, and explain why each answer fits. |
| Social networking[1] | ECRE Employer Branding Practise how employer brand, profile content and professional network outreach attract candidates without misleading them. |
Prepare for the ECRE - Elite Certified Recruitment Expert exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: What is the risk of over-relying on AI-powered resume screening tools in an ATS?
Answer: B. It may perpetuate historical hiring biases if the AI was trained on past non-diverse hires
Explanation:
The correct answer is that AI resume screening may perpetuate historical hiring biases if the model was trained on past non-diverse hires. A model learns patterns from the data it is given. If earlier hires came mostly from a narrow group, the tool can score candidates higher when they resemble that group, and the bias then repeats at scale.
Increasing time-to-fill is wrong because screening tools are usually adopted to speed up review. Making postings visible to fewer candidates is wrong because screening acts on applications, not on where a job is advertised. Preventing manual review is wrong because nothing in an ATS stops recruiters from opening applications.
Rule to remember: automated screening inherits the bias in its training data, so audit its outcomes and keep a human reviewing decisions.
Question: A sourcer finds a highly qualified passive candidate but they are not actively looking. What is the BEST first outreach approach?
Answer: B. Personalize the message referencing their specific work or achievements
Explanation:
The best first approach is to personalize the message by referencing the candidate's specific work or achievements. A passive candidate is not searching, so the message has to give them a reason to read it. Showing that you looked at what they have done signals genuine interest and makes a reply more likely.
Sending a job description attachment immediately is wrong because it is generic and asks them to do the work of seeing the fit. Offering a signing bonus in the first message is wrong because it leads with money before any relationship exists and can look desperate. Asking for a resume upfront is wrong because it requests effort before you have given them a reason to engage.
Rule to remember: with passive candidates, lead with relevance to them, not with your needs.
Question: In workforce planning, what does a 'gap analysis' identify?
Answer: B. The difference between current workforce capabilities and future talent requirements
Explanation:
A gap analysis identifies the difference between current workforce capabilities and future talent requirements. You compare what the organization has now, in skills, headcount and competencies, with what projected demand says it will need. The shortfalls become the targets for hiring, training or redeployment.
Salary discrepancies between job levels is wrong because that is a compensation or pay equity review. Weaknesses in the applicant tracking system is wrong because that is a technology assessment. Gaps in employee benefits packages is wrong because that is a benefits review. All of these may be useful, but none compares workforce supply with future demand.
Rule to remember: workforce planning is supply versus demand, and the gap is the amount and type of talent you still need to find or build.
Start with the official AIRS product page so you know the current eligibility rule, the fee and how the exam is delivered. Then use the four official content areas as your checklist: advanced internet recruiting, diversity and inclusion recruiting, general recruiting principles and social networking.
Take a practice set from each area before you study, without notes. Treat the result as a diagnosis, not a score to be proud of. Write down every question you missed or guessed, and sort the misses by topic.
After each set, read the explanation for every answer, including the ones you got right, and say the rule in your own words. Retake a set only after you have studied the topic. Near test day, run mixed practice from Start Practice Test, then review the notes you made about your misses.
AIRS states that the ECRE is designed for the accomplished talent acquisition professional who has attained a minimum of 4 AIRS certifications. If you hold fewer, you would need to earn more AIRS certifications first. Check your MyAIRS account and the official product page to confirm that you qualify.
The regular price listed by AIRS is $395 USD. Prices can change, so confirm the current amount on the official AIRS product page before you pay. This site is free and is not affiliated with AIRS, so it does not sell the exam or collect exam fees.
It is delivered online through the MyAIRS portal. You log in to your MyAIRS account, click on your exam when you are ready, and complete it. This page does not list the question count, time limit or passing score, so check the official AIRS page for those details.
AIRS certifications are valid for 2 years. Alumni can recertify for no fee every 2 years by retaking the exam through their MyAIRS account. Plan your review ahead of the renewal date so that retaking the exam does not catch you unprepared.
No. We write the practice questions ourselves with AI tools, and they are not taken from the real exam. Use them to find weak areas in topics such as sourcing, diversity recruiting and recruitment technology, then study those topics using official AIRS material.
How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.