IC-90 Human Resources Management
IC-90 Human Resources Management is a 30-credit optional paper open to both streams. It is one of the management subjects in the III catalogue, and it attracts candidates looking for a break from technical material.
That instinct is sound, but it comes with a warning.
The paper is easier to read than to pass
HR material is intuitive. You have worked in an organisation, so motivation, communication and team dynamics all feel familiar — and familiarity is exactly what trips candidates up. The exam does not ask whether you recognise a concept; it asks you to attribute a theory correctly, or to say which of four similar-sounding definitions is the textbook one.
Plan to memorise more than the reading experience suggests.
What the paper deals with
- The HR function — what it is for and how it is organised.
- Recruitment and selection — sourcing, assessing and hiring.
- Training and development — identifying needs and evaluating outcomes.
- Performance management — appraisal systems and their weaknesses.
- Motivation theory — the named theories and what distinguishes them.
- Communication in organisations — formal and informal channels.
- Industrial relations and organisational behaviour — groups, conflict and change.
Check your edition for the definitive contents.
The topics that repay study
Motivation theories are the highest-yield block. Learn which theory belongs to whom and what each actually claims — confusing two similar theories is the most common way to lose these marks.
Formal versus informal communication. Definitions here are exact, and questions test the boundary.
Appraisal methods and their specific weaknesses. "It can be biased" is not an answer; naming the bias is.
Group and team material. Distinguishing a group from a team, and knowing the stages of team development, is reliably examined.
How to prepare
Because so much of IC-90 is terminology attached to names, it is ideal material for spaced repetition — short, frequent review beats long sessions by a wide margin.
Certena serves 96 verified IC-90 questions. That is enough to expose the definitions you only half-know, which on this paper is the whole game.
If you are choosing management optionals, IC-88 Marketing and Public Relations is the natural companion.