1|Page
PRSA APR EXAM NEWEST 2026 ACTUAL EXAM TEST
BANK| ACCREDITATION IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
(APR) EXAM REVIEW WITH 350 REAL EXAM REAL
EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) GRADED A+
You work as a public relations manager at a nonprofit that advocates for
the needs of children, including access to health care. Your executive
director tasks you with raising public awareness by getting news stories
about the potential harmful impact of a bill making its way through the
legislature that would increase health insurance premiums for public
health insurance programs for children from low-income families. You
are performing which one of the following public relations functions:
A. Public Affairs
B. Issue Management
C. Press Agentry
D. Lobbying - Correct Answer – C.
Rationale:
While the overall objective is to influence legislation, your work to place
news stories falls soundly in the Press Agentry category: "Press agentry
is creating newsworthy stories and events to attract media attention to
gain public notice."
As the Marketing Communications Manager for a major university, you
oversee both the advertising and public relations divisions of the college.
A recent ad campaign has gone viral and come under fire because of the
football coach using a popular slang term when attempting to find
common ground with potential recruits. The public outcry is now calling
for the coaches firing, which is backed by the university's professors.
pg. 1
,2|Page
But the Athletic Director would like to keep the coach due to the high
level of winning by the football program. The President of the university
has asked where you weigh in on the matter. What principle is this
situation addressing:
A. Branding
B. Morals
C. Ethics
D. Lobbying - Correct Answer - Answer: D
Rationale:
Ethics suggests that speakers - in this case, the coach - should strive to
identify with their audience, but doing so by avoiding language that
separates them from their audience. While morals may seem like an
appropriate answer, morals refers to an individual's own principles
regarding right and wrong. Ethics, instead, refers to the rules of an
eternal source, such as a school's code of conduct.
You serve as the executive director of communications and community
relations for your community's largest school district. During the recent
pandemic closure, a social media post has gone viral with information
about a food service employee testing positive for the virus after
preparing food to be served to children. Parents and community
members are inundating the local media and all district communication
outlets with the news. After consultation with your leadership team
determines the information is incorrect, the decision is made to
indirectly address the rumor by pushing information out via social media
and local news about the extreme food safety and cleanliness standards
followed by food service workers. Which crisis management stage are
you on?
A. Detection
B. Prevention/Preparation
pg. 2
,3|Page
C. Containment
D. Recovery
E. Learning - Correct Answer - D
Rationale:
The stages of detection, prevention/preparation, and containment have
already passed - certainly as contained as it can be with the
uncontainable social media distribution. Recovery is where you work to
change the narrative of what's happened (and it worked, since this is a
real-life work situation).
You are the Communications Director for a rural school district which
has just been alerted to major upcoming budget cuts. Your
superintendent has invited you to meetings with directors and
administrators to learn more about reduction plans that you will help
communicate. Even though you are the only communications
professional on staff, what best describes the role you'll play in this
situation. (Choose 1)
A. Expert prescriber
B. Problem-solving process facilitator
C. Communication Technician
D. Communication Facilitator - Correct Answer - B.
Rationale:
While you will likely play all of these roles, a Problem-Solving process
facilitator will "collaborate with other managers to define and solve
problems. They become part of the strategic planning team." This
scenario has your role as working with the administrative team to
develop the communications.
pg. 3
, 4|Page
You work for a company that just hired a new Social Media Coordinator.
You are tasked with mentoring the new employee during the on boarding
process. However, before you were assigned your new role, the new
employee was tasked with creating a company Instagram account and
given a quick turn around to build a large following. You find out that
the new employee used his already established personal account with
over 1,000 followers and did not alert them that the social account was
transferring to a business page. Which PRSA ethical value would you
need to discuss with the new employee?
A. Advocacy
B. Honesty
C. Fairness
D. Expertise - Correct Answer – B.
Rationale: Identify key values that should guide your thinking. Honesty
— Consider obligations to tell the truth in advancing the company's
interest and in communicating to the public.
You are the communications director for one of the largest counties in
the state. A community that is a popular bicycle route is under
construction to expand a road for bike lanes. The project required lane
closures, removal of mailboxes of a dozen residents and reconstruction
of driveways and culverts. It's owned that the relationship between the
community and bicyclists has been contentious for years. Due to heavy
rain and a public health crisis, the project is two months over schedule.
One mailbox has yet to be replaced, another resident complained about
their new driveway and threatened contractors with physical violence for
which the sheriff was called and a third resident threatened to call local
media outlets. You have yet to hear from a reporter nor has a reporter
visited the community.
Which public relations function are you performing?
A. Public affairs
pg. 4
PRSA APR EXAM NEWEST 2026 ACTUAL EXAM TEST
BANK| ACCREDITATION IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
(APR) EXAM REVIEW WITH 350 REAL EXAM REAL
EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) GRADED A+
You work as a public relations manager at a nonprofit that advocates for
the needs of children, including access to health care. Your executive
director tasks you with raising public awareness by getting news stories
about the potential harmful impact of a bill making its way through the
legislature that would increase health insurance premiums for public
health insurance programs for children from low-income families. You
are performing which one of the following public relations functions:
A. Public Affairs
B. Issue Management
C. Press Agentry
D. Lobbying - Correct Answer – C.
Rationale:
While the overall objective is to influence legislation, your work to place
news stories falls soundly in the Press Agentry category: "Press agentry
is creating newsworthy stories and events to attract media attention to
gain public notice."
As the Marketing Communications Manager for a major university, you
oversee both the advertising and public relations divisions of the college.
A recent ad campaign has gone viral and come under fire because of the
football coach using a popular slang term when attempting to find
common ground with potential recruits. The public outcry is now calling
for the coaches firing, which is backed by the university's professors.
pg. 1
,2|Page
But the Athletic Director would like to keep the coach due to the high
level of winning by the football program. The President of the university
has asked where you weigh in on the matter. What principle is this
situation addressing:
A. Branding
B. Morals
C. Ethics
D. Lobbying - Correct Answer - Answer: D
Rationale:
Ethics suggests that speakers - in this case, the coach - should strive to
identify with their audience, but doing so by avoiding language that
separates them from their audience. While morals may seem like an
appropriate answer, morals refers to an individual's own principles
regarding right and wrong. Ethics, instead, refers to the rules of an
eternal source, such as a school's code of conduct.
You serve as the executive director of communications and community
relations for your community's largest school district. During the recent
pandemic closure, a social media post has gone viral with information
about a food service employee testing positive for the virus after
preparing food to be served to children. Parents and community
members are inundating the local media and all district communication
outlets with the news. After consultation with your leadership team
determines the information is incorrect, the decision is made to
indirectly address the rumor by pushing information out via social media
and local news about the extreme food safety and cleanliness standards
followed by food service workers. Which crisis management stage are
you on?
A. Detection
B. Prevention/Preparation
pg. 2
,3|Page
C. Containment
D. Recovery
E. Learning - Correct Answer - D
Rationale:
The stages of detection, prevention/preparation, and containment have
already passed - certainly as contained as it can be with the
uncontainable social media distribution. Recovery is where you work to
change the narrative of what's happened (and it worked, since this is a
real-life work situation).
You are the Communications Director for a rural school district which
has just been alerted to major upcoming budget cuts. Your
superintendent has invited you to meetings with directors and
administrators to learn more about reduction plans that you will help
communicate. Even though you are the only communications
professional on staff, what best describes the role you'll play in this
situation. (Choose 1)
A. Expert prescriber
B. Problem-solving process facilitator
C. Communication Technician
D. Communication Facilitator - Correct Answer - B.
Rationale:
While you will likely play all of these roles, a Problem-Solving process
facilitator will "collaborate with other managers to define and solve
problems. They become part of the strategic planning team." This
scenario has your role as working with the administrative team to
develop the communications.
pg. 3
, 4|Page
You work for a company that just hired a new Social Media Coordinator.
You are tasked with mentoring the new employee during the on boarding
process. However, before you were assigned your new role, the new
employee was tasked with creating a company Instagram account and
given a quick turn around to build a large following. You find out that
the new employee used his already established personal account with
over 1,000 followers and did not alert them that the social account was
transferring to a business page. Which PRSA ethical value would you
need to discuss with the new employee?
A. Advocacy
B. Honesty
C. Fairness
D. Expertise - Correct Answer – B.
Rationale: Identify key values that should guide your thinking. Honesty
— Consider obligations to tell the truth in advancing the company's
interest and in communicating to the public.
You are the communications director for one of the largest counties in
the state. A community that is a popular bicycle route is under
construction to expand a road for bike lanes. The project required lane
closures, removal of mailboxes of a dozen residents and reconstruction
of driveways and culverts. It's owned that the relationship between the
community and bicyclists has been contentious for years. Due to heavy
rain and a public health crisis, the project is two months over schedule.
One mailbox has yet to be replaced, another resident complained about
their new driveway and threatened contractors with physical violence for
which the sheriff was called and a third resident threatened to call local
media outlets. You have yet to hear from a reporter nor has a reporter
visited the community.
Which public relations function are you performing?
A. Public affairs
pg. 4
