How big does a project have to be before PRINCE2 can be used?

PRINCE2 can be applied to all sorts of projects, from the very small to the very large. Even projects lasting only a few days will benefit from selective application of PRINCE2 guidelines. The key to success with PRINCE2 is to remember it is highly configurable, and so can be adapted for all project types regardless of industry and marketplace.  

What are the PRINCE2 qualifications and what will they teach me?   

The PRINCE2 Foundation qualification will teach you the PRINCE2 principles, terminology and when qualified you will be able to act as an informed member of a project management team using the PRINCE2 methodology within a project environment supporting PRINCE2.The PRINCE2 Practitioner qualification will teach you to apply PRINCE2 to the running and managing of a project within an environment supporting PRINCE2. Once qualified you will be able to apply and tune PRINCE2 to address the needs and problems of a specific project scenario. You will have a comprehensive knowledge of the relationships between the PRINCE2 principles, themes and processes and PRINCE2 products and will understand these elements.The PRINCE2 Re-registration qualification is designed for those who have passed PRINCE2 to Practitioner level and wish to maintain their Registered Practitioner status. The PRINCE2 Examination Board has determined that all PRINCE2 Practitioners should be re-registered within 3-5 calendar years of their original certification (failure to pass the Re-registration Examination after 5 calendar years as a Registered Practitioner will result in withdrawal of your registered status).

Which countries recognize PRINCE2?

With over a million exams already taken globally PRINCE2 is already recognized as the world’s most popular project management methodology.

What will a PRINCE2 qualification do for me?  

A qualification in PRINCE2 will not only boost your skills and confidence when managing projects but will greatly improve your employment prospects. Many organizations, both private and public, mandate the use of PRINCE2 and therefore require their staff to be competent and qualified to practice the method.

Why do I need a PRINCE2 qualification? 

Individual  

The PRINCE2 project management methodology is the de-facto standard for project management in the UK and is practiced worldwide. It covers the management, control and organization of a project. A qualification in PRINCE2 will not only boost your skills and confidence when managing projects but will greatly improve your employment prospects. The majority of people that consider PRINCE2 as a qualification do so for career and personal development reasons. Often this is driven by a change of job or career, where you notice that to get to the top of the CV pile, you need to have an extra qualification like PRINCE2 (even if you have been managing Projects successfully for many years without it). In many advertised positions PRINCE2 has become a prerequisite.

Company  

The majority of companies that implement PRINCE2 also encourage their employees to receive training and take exams. This often proves instrumental in facilitating the successful adoption and implementation of the PRINCE2 method into an organization. By training employees to the required qualification level you ensure a consistent approach, common language and a clear understanding of the defined processes, controls, roles and responsibilities required to help facilitate successful projects.

How do I get recognized in PRINCE2?  

It depends on if you are an individual or company. To get recognized in PRINCE2 as an individual you need to achieve certification at either Foundation or Practitioner level. As a very rough guideline if you are involved in Projects in a supporting role (you may be in a marketing, administration or technical job), Foundation level may be suffice. If generally you are leading projects then Practitioner is the level you should aim at.

For companies wishing to adopt PRINCE2, the route tends to be slightly different. The biggest decision is decide if PRINCE2 is right for you, and that requires an investment of time, collecting and reviewing information from the marketplace. 

You could just take the view that with over one million people having taken the PRINCE2 exams so far, it must be pretty proven and successful; otherwise it would not have the worldwide take-up it does.  

Once you have decided to implement PRINCE2, then you need to plan an adoption strategy. The most common approach is to train an initial group of people, then run a PRINCE2 project to decide if PRINCE2 is right for you, or run a pilot PRINCE2 project. Remember that PRINCE2 is configurable, so from the initial Project you can start to look at what parts of PRINCE2 you may or may not use.

What are the PRINCE2 qualifications and what will they teach me?  

The PRINCE2 Foundation qualification will teach you the PRINCE2 principles, terminology and when qualified you will be able to act as an informed member of a project management team using the PRINCE2 methodology within a project environment supporting PRINCE2.

The PRINCE2 Practitioner qualification will teach you to apply PRINCE2 to the running and managing of a project within an environment supporting PRINCE2. Once qualified you will be able to apply and tune PRINCE2 to address the needs and problems of a specific project scenario. You will have a comprehensive knowledge of the relationships between the PRINCE2 principles, themes and processes and PRINCE2 products and will understand these elements. 

The PRINCE2 Re-Registration qualification is designed for those who have passed PRINCE2 to Practitioner level and wish to maintain their Registered Practitioner status. The PRINCE2® Examination Board has determined that all PRINCE2 Practitioners should be re-registered within 3-5 calendar years of their original certification (failure to pass the Re-Registration examination after five calendar years as a Registered Practitioner will result in withdrawal of your registered status). 

Are there any prerequisites before taking a PRINCE2 examination?  

PRINCE2 Foundation: Delegates should have some understanding of Project Management but there is no formal prerequisite for the Foundation qualification. If you need to study a generic project management course then our APM Introductory Certificate course may be of interest.

PRINCE2 Practitioner: Yes, you cannot attend the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam until you have successfully passed the PRINCE2 Foundation qualification.

I've done the Foundation training and exam how do I become a Practitioner?  

You need to sit a two day upgrade course - this is available as an intensive classroom course or as online learning.

What is the PRINCE2 exam format?  

The exam formats are as follows:

Foundation Examination Design

Exam Design

Number of questions reduced to 60 (previously 75 with trial questions), and no trial questions

Exam duration unchanged (1 hour)

(Pass mark may be adjusted following standard setting)

Negative questions removed, except where it is part of the learning outcome to know that something shouldn’t occur (e.g. NOT, FALSE, INCORRECT)

Number of list and missing word questions reduced, i.e. more standard questions

Foundation Exam Structure

5 Questions on key concepts

8 questions on principles

28 questions on themes

3-5 questions on each theme

19 questions on processes

2-3 questions on each process.

Practitioner Examination Design

Exam Design - Questions

Number of questions (marks) reduced to 75 (previously 80)

Exam duration unchanged (2.5 hours)

(Pass mark may be adjusted following standard setting)

Question styles removed:

Multiple response

Assertion reason

Question styles retained:

Matching (for BL3) – max 3 marks with 5-6 tokens

Classic (for BL4) e.g. Yes, because

Practitioner Examination Design

Exam Design – Scenario/Information

Candidates will only need to refer to:

A one-page project scenario

One page of additional information for the organization theme (person profiles)

Approx. 4 lines of information before the question stem to provide the context (especially BL4 questions).

In other words:

No separate lengthy additional information (except for organization theme)

No ‘delete entry 1’, ‘amend entry 1’ questions’!!

PRINCE2 Re-Registration

The PRINCE2® Examination Board has determined that all PRINCE2 Practitioners should be re-registered within 3-5 calendar years of their original certification (failure to pass the Re-registration Examination after 5 calendar years as a Registered Practitioner will result in withdrawal of your registered status). This Re-Registration comprises a 1-hour examination set at the same standard as the Practitioner examination. If you have taken the PRINCE2 Practitioner certification since October 2000 you have agreed, or are agreeing, to this requirement as part of your initial application and so are now designated as Registered Practitioners.

Practitioners certified prior to October 2000* have the opportunity to take the re-registration examination in order to demonstrate their commitment to professional development. Those who qualified after January 2001 or have voluntarily undertaken the re-registration certification are designated as Registered Practitioners, which enables employers and prospective employers to be confident with their knowledge and commitment to Continuing Professional Development.

PRINCE2 Re-Registration Examination Format

• Objective testing 3 questions - 10 question items per question, each worth one mark

• 17 marks or more required to pass (out of 30 available) - 55%

• 1 hour (60 minute) duration, no additional reading time

• Open book exam (official PRINCE2 manual only)

How long are the PRINCE2 qualifications valid for?

The foundation examination is not valid for a defined period and will not expire.

Candidates who pass the practitioner exam are recognized as a 'PRINCE2 Registered Practitioner'. Individuals will remain registered for a period of 5 years. To maintain the registered status, practitioners must complete and pass a PRINCE2 re-registration examination 3-5 years following their initial/previous practitioner certification.

How long will it take to learn the PRINCE2 material?

Foundation courses are delivered over 2 days, and the foundation and practitioner courses are delivered over 4 days.