PRINCE2 exams are normally taken as part of your PRINCE2 Training Course. You do not have to arrange and pay for a separate exam and you take the test while the infformation is fresh in your mind. All our course costs include exam fees. There are 2 exams:
Foundation Exam
The PRINCE2 Foundation exam is a 1 hour, 75 question, multiple choice paper, designed to test your knowledge of PRINCE2. It is closed book format.
The questions come in several formats:
- Most make a statement, present the candidate with 4 possible answers, of which one is correct.
- Others reverse this format: you get 4 possible answers, 3 are correct and you need to spot the wrong one.
- A few questions make 3 or 4 statements and the possible answers are of the style: "only the first is correct, all answers are correct" etc.
All the questions are based on the PRINCE2 Manual: "Managing Successful Projects"
Answers are written into a separate sheet using a tick or a cross and, during PRINCE2 courses, papers are marked immediately and results given out by the Trainer. These are subject to confirmation by the examining body.
The pass mark is 38 / 75 marks. Very few candidates run out of time and 99% of candidates pass. There is a link between a candidate's score in the Foundation exam and their chance of passing the Practitioner. The better your Foundation knowledge of PRINCE2, the better chance you have of applying it in the Practitioner. So, if you are taking the Practitioner exam, you should aim for the highest score you can in the Foundation paper.
Practitioner Exam
The Practitioner exam is a 3 hour, 9 question paper based on a case study. It is designed to test your understanding of PRINCE2 and your ability to apply it to the scenario provided. It is open book format. so you can refer to the PRINCE2 manual during the test.
There are 40 points per question and all questions have to be answered. To take the Practitioner exam you must have passed the Foundation. This does not have to be on the same course.
Practitioner exam questions follow an Objective Testing format and are answered by marking a, b, c etc. on a special answer sheet, which is then marked by computer. The questions are broken into several parts, each with a different style of questions: these may require you to match different elements of PRINCE2 together, put them in sequence or identify multiple choices from the scenario information given. The number of marks is shown beside each question, so you can plan the right amount of time to spend on them. You can answer the questions in any order.
On Advantage Learning training courses we start practicing for the Practitioner exam on Day 1 and Day 4 is dedicated to exam tips, technique and practice.
Completed exam papers are sent for marking and results are given to Accredited Training Organizations within 3 - 4 weeks. Accredited Training Organizations release the results to their candidates and then they are placed on a public register of successful candidates.
The pass mark is 180 / 360. Successful candidates are not told their scores - this is because there are no grades of pass and to release scores would, effectively, create them.
When you pass the Practitioner you can call yourself a "Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner", but you do not have the right to use the PRINCE2 logo, which is a protected trademark.
Successful PRINCE2 Practitioners have to sit a Re-Registration exam between 3 and 5 years of their original paper. This is a 1 hour, 1 question paper similar to the Practitioner exam. This re-certification system has the same purpose as PMI PDUs - to keep a certified Practitioner's knowledge current.
Unsuccessful candidate are told their scores and examiners provide a sheet of feedback. If you take the Foundation and Practitioner exams in the same week, and pass both, you only receive the Practitioner certificate. If you take the exams in different weeks you get 2 certificates.
In the US and Canada the only way to take the PRINCE2 exams is through a PRINCE2 Accredited Training Organization: there are no walk up exams available.
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