Prince2 Online Training – How can I choose Prince2 Training?

If you are looking for a coveted project management training leading to certification, Prince2 online training is the one for you. Online training is ideal training for busy project managers who are willing to get Prince2 certification.

Prince2 Online Training – What is Prince2?

One of the most coveted project management certificates, which is a minimum specification in a number of countries, is Prince2. Prince2 is the credential that gives you an edge and greater career prospects over other project management professionals across the world. There are two levels of certification- Foundation and Practitioner in Prince2 certification.

Actually, Prince2 is an acronym. Prince2 stands for PRojects IN Controlled Environments. Prince2 has defined the environment by giving specific conditions and defined structure for project delivery. To understand these Prince2 concepts, you need prince2 training.

Learn more in our Free Prince2 Training.

When did Prince2 start?

Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), which is presently referred to as the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) made the Prince2 framework official. While the original creation is credited to Simpact Systems Ltd in 1975, UK Government made Prince2 a standard framework for project management.

While it started for UK Government projects, around 150 countries across Europe collaborated to bring in the best practices of project management to Prince2. Therefore, if you attend a Prince2 training, you get to know a wealth of best practices. Currently Axelos Limited owns the PRINCE2® registered trademark.

How is Axelos involved?

Axelos was set up as a joint venture with Capita Plc and the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. Originally, the Cabinet Office of the UK Government was responsible for the creation, management, and continuous improvement of project management best practices but Axelos was brought in as an independent body. Axelos fills the need to have a distinct body set apart to take care of the project management best practices in an unbiased way.

Axelos aspires to become the best company for developing project management best practices. If you want a Prince2 training, Axelos by itself does not provide it. However, Axelos has a process, which ensures the external institutes provide the training as per its standards and stipulations. Therefore, if you want to go for Prince2 training, you can search the list of authorized providers on Axelos.

Hence, Axelos acts as a central resource for best practices and accreditation bodies to get quality training.

Where is Prince2 applied?

Prince2 was initiated for Government projects, but it is now used across industries.

As you are now aware, Prince2 started in UK Government projects, but if you think its applicability is limited to only the government projects in the United Kingdom, you need to change your view. Prince2 training will help you have an in-depth insight into both the process and methodology. The Prince2 training enables an understanding of the application of Prince2 and how it can be modified to the specialized needs of your project.

Prince2 is a framework that is adaptable to different sizes, from small to large companies as well. Its utility is in private companies as well with its capability to be tailored for different needs.

What are Prince2 Certifications?

Here are the two certifications available in Prince2:

Let us explore the two certifications: Prince2 Foundation and Prince2 Practitioner levels. We will go through how online training would help in getting your credentials as well.

Prince2 Foundation:

What is Prince2 Foundation? Prince2 Foundation is the basic level or an introductory course to the Prince2 Framework. If you attend training for the foundation level, you will get to know the concepts, principles, and processes. As a Prince2 Foundation level certification holder, what skills and knowledge do you get?

If you have undergone training at the Foundation level, it means

• You have a good grasp of the processes to deliver the projects under the Prince2 methodology
• There is an awareness of the basic methodology, structure, and terms used in Prince2

Check our Prince2 Foundation Training Video

Prince2 Certification Requirements for Foundation level:

If you have to appear for the Prince2 Certification exam at the Foundation level, what are the prerequisites? What type of minimum education or experience is mandatory?

• For you to appear for the Prince2 Foundation level certification exam there is no minimum requirement on education or experience or training.
• While it is not compulsory, Axelos recommends that having a basic understanding of project management is a ‘good’ to have. This is where your training comes in handy to give you desired knowledge on project management.

Prince2 Certification Requirements for Practitioner level:

Now that you know the eligibility for Foundation, let us dig into the Practitioner level certification exam requirements:

You get to the Practitioner level after you complete the Foundation level. So, what do you need to have as eligibility requirements for the Prince2 Practitioner Level certification exam?  One is of course the foundation level exam. However, can you appear for Prince2 Practitioner without completing Foundation? Let us explore the certification requirements for the Practitioner level: This will help you choose the best online training provider and the prince2 courses:

Following are the eligibility factors for the Prince2 Practitioner Level Certification exam:

Since the Prince2 Practitioner exam is an advanced level exam, you should have completed a basic level certification. You must have at least one of the following certifications in order to sit for the Prince2 Practitioner Exam.

Check our Prince2 Practitioner Training Video

• Prince2 Foundation exam from Axelos
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) which are certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI)
• International Project Management Association (IPMA) Level A/B/C/D corresponding to Certified Projects Director, Certified Senior Project Manager, Certified Project Manager, and Certified Project Management Associate

Since the Prince2 Practitioner exam is an advanced level exam, we strongly recommend you to enroll in a Prince2 practitioner training.

Who can go for Prince2 Certification?

Professionals in project management areas such as Project managers, project coordinators, expeditors, and project teams who aspire for career growth and climb up the ladder can go for Prince2 certification. The Prince2 Certification helps you in reaching your career goals. People who hold titles such as designers, product managers, team members, Business Analysts, Project Support Staff, or Quality Assurance personnel can go for the Prince2 training as well. Hence, if you are holding any of these positions or aspire to hold one, the training would help you prepare for the certification. While you prepare for the certification your knowledge grows and results in better career opportunities.

You can read our Prince2 Study Guide post to learn how you should get ready for the Prince2 exams.

What entails Prince2 online training?

Ir firstly gears you up for the certification exam. Secondly, it gives you knowledge about the framework. Let us review the exam pattern for Prince2 Certification:

Prince2 Foundation Level Certification Exam 2017

Note that, Prince2 versions are going by years. Therefore, Prince2 2017 is the latest version of Prince2. It does not mean that we are in the new year 2017 already passed and this post is old. We are talking about the latest version of Prince2, which is Prince2 2017.

In general, some of the questions we have about an exam are:

• Structure of the exam
• Maximum time allowed
• Syllabus or the topics that would be dealt with in the exam
• Pass percentage
• Reference material/books, etc.

Details of the exam in a nutshell:

• Time allotted: The Exam duration is 1 hour
• Total questions to be answered: 60
• Pass percentage to become certified: 55 (you need to get at least 33 questions correct out of the total 60 questions)
• Type of questions in the exam: Multiple Choice Question, ‘Classic’ question with 4 answer options, or filling a missing word type or pick the 2 correct statements from a given list of 4 statements
• Marking system: No negative marking
• Reference Book for the exam: Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 publication, 2017 edition (the book is only for reference and the exam is a closed book)

What is the syllabus for the Prince2 Foundation level exam?

When you are preparing for an exam, you naturally need to know about the syllabus so that you are sure of the scope of the exam. Therefore, here we explore the syllabus for the Prince2 Foundation level exam, which helps you in choosing the suitable training:

Primarily you need to ensure that your online training provides the four learning outcomes. While each learning outcome has many sub outcomes and points, we will restrict the discussion to only the major learning outcomes.

Here are the Prince2 foundation level exam learning outcomes:

The Foundation level exam focuses on Bloom’s levels 1&2. This means that you have questions that test your ‘recall’ ability of Prince2 and demonstrate an understanding of the concepts. You can refer to ‘The Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 publication, 2017 edition’ for your exam requirement. Also, ensure that your Prince2 online training follows the latest (2017) edition.

Prince2 Practitioner Level Certification Exam 2017

Same as in Prince2 Foundation level, you want to know about the following for the Prince2 Practitioner exam as well:

• Structure of the exam
• Maximum time allowed
• Syllabus or the topics that would be dealt with in the exam
• Pass percentage
• Reference material/books, etc.

Details of the exam in a nutshell:

Prince2 course syllabus for the Practitioner level should include:

Let us also explore the learning outcomes for the more advanced Practitioner level exam. While the reference is still ‘The Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 publication, 2017 edition’, Bloom’s level is where the difference comes in.

There are three learning outcomes at the Practitioner level in Prince2. They are:

1. Understanding how the principles of Prince2 are applied to projects
2. The various themes in Prince2 and how to customize and use it for various circumstances of the project environment. There are 7 sub-themes under the second learning outcome.
3. The outcome measures your knowledge of the processes in Prince2 for various environments. The focus is on customizing the processes for the needs of a specific project.

The Practitioner level exam is according to Bloom’s levels 3 &4.  Level 3 is to test how well you are able to apply your knowledge of the Prince2 framework to a scenario. Level 4 assesses your capability to analyze the information around a particular situation and justify a course of action taken.

Therefore, the Prince2 training that you choose should provide the necessary ammunition to attack these types of questions.

Let us, therefore, discuss what the Prince2 training should cover.

As you have seen from the exam syllabus, you should have knowledge about the Framework, the principles, processes, and themes. A little more detail about these is here:

Prince2 Online Training Advantages

Here we shall discuss the benefits of Online Prince2 Training and how it can help you reach your goal of Prince2 credentials- Foundation & Practitioners.

Some of the benefits are

1. You are provided information and help on Prince2 certification for Foundation and Practitioner. The training will prepare you right from understanding the Prince2 Certification Requirements, assessing your eligibility to preparation and maintaining your certifications
2. A good training course will ensure you are always going by the latest version of the Prince2 manual currently, the 2017 version. Therefore, you will be aligned with the needs of the present exam syllabus
3. The course should provide you an in-depth understanding of the entire framework through the 7 processes, principles, and themes that we discussed earlier
4. By undergoing the online course, you gain knowledge for effective project delivery.
5. You get clarity on the templates, processes, and principles that are needed to manage the entire project life cycle
6. A comprehensive training course will gear you up with enough practice through the practice and mock tests
7. The other advantage of online training is the flexibility that comes with it. It is self-paced, accessible anywhere, anytime,.
8. As you have seen, there are scenario-based and application of concept-type questions in the Prince2 exam. Therefore, your chosen training should provide you with practical project scenarios, examples, and case studies. These are valuable for you to know the application of concepts to the situation
9. What kind of resources does your training provider provide? Ensure that you also get preparation aids like flashcards, cheat sheets, practice tests, and case studies
10. The advantage of going for a Prince2 online training is, that you have access to the videos anytime and hence revision is always possible. Moreover, you can share your queries in the online forum with other participants thereby getting more inputs
11. You avoid all travel hassles and save time when you opt for online training. Look out for a training provider who gives you a combo offer- both Foundation & Practitioner at a discounted price. This combo training will be doubly beneficial in that you get your Foundation credential and satisfy the eligibility for your Prince2 Practitioner level certification as well
12. In addition to all these benefits, you save a substantial cost in Prince2 online training. If you check the Prince2 exam cost, Prince2 Training for the Foundation level may cost you €450 upwards, while a classroom session may cost €1000 and above.

Therefore, Prince2 training gives you both cost and scope advantages in addition to time advantage.

Once you get your Prince2 credential, you also need to renew it.

Prince2 Certification Renewal:

Your Prince2 Practitioner certificate is valid for 3 years from the date of passing your exam. You can renew it either by taking the exam again or through Membership. Membership should be started within 3 months of your exam pass and in force/active status for the next 3 years. For renewal, you need to earn 20 CPD points every year for the 3-year period.

In summary, Prince2 training is an essential ingredient in your recipe for success and attaining the Prince2 certification at both Foundation and Practitioner levels.