The materials are similar in several ways. First, both the HRCP Program and the SHRM Learning System are based on the HR Body of Knowledge used by the HR Certification Institute in preparing the PHR and SPHR certification exams. Both programs cover the six functional areas tested on the exam. And neither the HRCP Program nor the SHRM Learning System is endorsed by the HR Certification Institute; they don’t endorse any particular study method. Nope, not even the SHRM Learning System.

So, how are they different? The HRCP Program costs much less. The retail price of the HRCP Program is $345. (We have not increased our prices since 2007.) The SHRM Learning System runs $695 for SHRM members and $860 for nonmembers. (And they increase their prices regularly.) Also, the materials are written by different authors. The HRCP Program's primary author is David Cherrington, a noted HR expert, textbook author, university professor, and former member of the HR Certification Institue Board of Directors. The SHRM Learning System is produced by Holmes Corporation. And finally, the HRCP Program includes our multi-colored QuikStudy Flash Cards.