Free HRCI Basic Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Your organization has a retire benefits plan that is covered by ERISA. Under ERISA, which of the following is your organization required to do for the plan participants?
- A. Provide each participant with plan information, specially about the features and funding of the plan trough a summary plan description at a cost of no more than $7 per participant, per year.
- Provide each participant with plan information, specially about the features and funding of the plan through a summary plan description at no cost. (Correct answer)
- Provide each participant with monthly plan information, specifically about the features and funding of the plan through a summary plan description at no more than $7 per participant, per month.
- Provide each participant with monthly plan information, specifically about the features and funding of the plan through a summary plan description at no cost.
Correct answer: Provide each participant with plan information, specially about the features and funding of the plan through a summary plan description at no cost.
ERISA requires employers to provide participants with a Summary Plan Description (SPD) free of charge — there is no per-participant fee permitted. The SPD is not required monthly; it is provided upon enrollment and when significant changes occur. Options citing a $7 cost or monthly frequency both misstate ERISA's actual requirements.
Question 2: As an HR Professional you must be familiar with several different lawsuits and their effort on human resource practices today. What legal case found that a test that has an adverse impact on a protected class is still lawful as long as the test can be shown to be valid and job related?
- Washington versus Davis, 1976 (Correct answer)
- Griggs versus Duke Power, 1971
- McDonnel Douglas Corp. versus Green, 1973
- Albemarle Paper versus Moody, 1975
Correct answer: Washington versus Davis, 1976
Washington v. Davis (1976) established that a test with adverse impact on a protected class is still lawful if it is valid and job-related under constitutional law. Griggs v. Duke Power (1971) reached the opposite conclusion under Title VII (adverse impact alone can be unlawful). McDonnell Douglas (1973) established the burden-shifting framework for disparate treatment, and Albemarle Paper (1975) addressed back-pay remedies.
Question 3: Fran is a HR Professionals for her organization and she is interviewing applicants for a warehouse position. One of the candidates has written on his application that he speaks Spanish. Fran interviews this candidate in Spanish an interviews all other candidates English. This is an example of what?
- Disparate treatment (Correct answer)
- Disparate impact
- Accommodation
- Perpetuating past discrimination
Correct answer: Disparate treatment
Disparate treatment occurs when an individual is treated differently because of a protected characteristic — here, Fran deliberately conducted the interview in a different language for one candidate based on his ethnicity/national origin. Disparate impact involves neutral policies with disproportionate effects, accommodation relates to religious or disability adjustments, and perpetuating past discrimination refers to carrying forward historical biases through facially neutral systems.
Question 4: As a Senior HR Professional, you should be familiar with non-monetary rewards that your company provides for its employees. Which of the following is an example of non-monetary reward?
- Satisfaction from challenging and exciting assignments
- Esteem from working with other talented people
- Cash compensation
- On-site cafeteria (Correct answer)
Correct answer: On-site cafeteria
An on-site cafeteria is a tangible workplace benefit provided by the employer — it has real monetary value but is not a direct cash payment, making it a non-monetary reward. Satisfaction from challenging work and esteem from colleagues are intrinsic/psychological rewards, not organizational ones. Cash compensation is explicitly monetary.
Question 5: Which of the following is not an HR data indicator?
- Turnover rates
- Retention rates
- Production rates (Correct answer)
- Cost per hire
Correct answer: Production rates
Production rates measure operational output, not workforce characteristics, so they are not an HR data indicator. Turnover rates, retention rates, and cost per hire all directly measure workforce-related outcomes and are standard HR metrics used to evaluate HR effectiveness and workforce health.
Question 6: What action should the HR manager take if the findings from the benefits needs assessment showed "benefits that are too costly but are heavily used by employees"?
- Institute cost-containment strategies (Correct answer)
- Revise benefits that are not meeting needs
- Research new benefits
- Drop underutilized benefits
Correct answer: Institute cost-containment strategies
When a benefit is heavily used but too costly, the appropriate response is cost-containment — finding ways to reduce the cost while preserving the benefit employees depend on. Dropping or revising the benefit would harm employees who rely on it, and researching new benefits doesn't address the cost problem with the existing heavily-used one.
Question 7: Maintaining eye contact is an example of which facilitating technique?
- Reflection
- Active listening (Correct answer)
- Pausing
- Closure
Correct answer: Active listening
Maintaining eye contact is a nonverbal behavior that signals attention and engagement, which is a core component of active listening. Reflection involves paraphrasing or mirroring the speaker's words, pausing is a deliberate silence technique, and closure refers to wrapping up a conversation — none of these are primarily demonstrated through eye contact.
Question 8: Which of the following publishes standards for developing service delivery plans? (Choose two.)
- United Nation Standards Publishing Organization (UNSPO)
- Universal Business Standards Development Organization (UBSDO)
- National Occupational Standards (NOS) (Correct answer)
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: National Occupational Standards (NOS)
The National Occupational Standards (NOS) is a real, established body that publishes standards for developing service delivery plans and defining competencies across occupational sectors. UNSPO and UBSDO are not recognized organizations — they are fictitious names that do not correspond to any actual standards-publishing body.
Question 9: A document released by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division that describes how a particular law applies in a specific circumstances is called which of the following?
- A penalty letter
- An engagement survey
- An opinion letter (Correct answer)
- An audit letter
Correct answer: An opinion letter
An opinion letter is the specific document issued by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division that explains how a law applies to a particular set of facts or circumstances. A penalty letter communicates fines, an audit letter relates to compliance reviews, and an engagement survey is an internal HR tool — none of these provide legal interpretations of how a statute applies.
Question 10: Validity is an important part of the interviewer process. All HR Professionals should recognize validity through the interview process. Which one of the following is not one of the four types of validity?
- Predictive validity
- Content validity
- Professional validity (Correct answer)
- Construct validity
Correct answer: Professional validity
The four recognized types of validity in employment testing are predictive, content, construct, and concurrent validity. 'Professional validity' does not exist as a formal measurement concept. Predictive validity measures how well a test forecasts future job performance; content validity ensures test items reflect the actual job; construct validity measures an underlying trait; and concurrent validity compares test results to current job performance.
Question 11: One factor of the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection is reliability during interviews?
- Interviews should adapt job-related questions for each candidate for a particular position based on the candidate's experience
- Interviews should prepare and consistently use a list of job-related questions that will be asked of all candidates for a particular position. (Correct answer)
- Interviews should prepare and consistently use a list job-related questions that will be asked of all candidate's submitted resume.
- Interviews should prepare and consistently use a list of job-related questions that will be asked of all candidates for all employment positions within the organization.
Correct answer: Interviews should prepare and consistently use a list of job-related questions that will be asked of all candidates for a particular position.
The Uniform Guidelines require reliability, meaning the same standardized questions must be asked of all candidates applying for the same position — not tailored per candidate's background. Adapting questions per candidate introduces inconsistency. Using questions based on submitted resumes or applying identical questions across all positions in the organization also fails the reliability standard, because reliability is position-specific, not resume-driven or organization-wide.
Free HRCI Basic Questions and Answers
Your organization has a retire benefits plan that is covered by ERISA.
Under ERISA, which of the following is your organization required to do for the plan participants?