Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification – Details of 2 Certification Levels

Are career growth, higher salary, higher position on your mind? Have you realized that Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification is needed for these when you are in project management space? Do you want to know about Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification why, how and where to get the coveted certification? If yes, read on to get a comprehensive picture of Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification.

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What is Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification?

Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification is a much sought after credential in project management that comes from Axelos, a name to be reckoned with in project management arena. These are almost mandatory if you want to make a career in project management.

For whom is the Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification?

Let us explore the target audience for these Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification.

• Are these certifications only for IT industry professionals? Of course not! These Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification are industry agnostic and domain independent.
• Are the Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification required in large industries only? Do they help small industries?’ The Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification are equally important for any company irrespective of its size. In fact, the presence of personnel with Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification are a great help to the organization.

How does Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification help an organization?

Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification is for an individual and not an organization. However, if you have employees with this certification, your organization will also derive many benefits. What are they? If your organization manages projects under Prince2 environment, you can be assured of the following benefits:

• Uniform approach that is dependable. Offers no surprises
• Your projects will have a measured, streamlined and defined method to initiate, close and deliver
• Measure and Analyze where you are and where you planned to be
• Key aspect of Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification is that it ensures your project meets the needs of the business

Check our Prince2 Foundation Training Video

How does Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification benefit an individual?

Since you are aware that Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification is for you, you also would want to know how it would help you? Therefore, let us review the advantages that a Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification will bring:

• You have better ammunition to deliver projects successfully in the sense you are better equipped with the knowledge of successful project management principles.
• Knowledge of Prince2 framework gives you the wherewithal to control your resources on the project effectively. Added to this, you will be geared up to address the risks appropriately. All this leads to better business benefits
• As an individual, all this definitely means you are more sought after if you have the Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification credentials
• Enhanced career prospects and opportunities for growth
• Better pay and perks
• A survey was conducted by Axelos over a wide range of professionals in project management. This has revealed that Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification is a priceless asset for them whatever role they are in- be it a beginner or a senior manager.
• Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification has helped the professionals to be better prepared for the fast-changing business environment.

Check our Prince2 Practitioner Training Video

Prince2 Foundation Level Certification Exam 2017

Let us move to understanding what Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exam entail and how you can prepare for it to clear it the first time.

While there is also Prince2 Foundation Level Certification Exam 2009, this is no longer valid for those writing in English. In this section, we will focus on the new pattern of 2017 certification exam. What is the structure of the exam? Which type of questions can you expect in this exam? What is the time allocated for the exam? All of us have these questions when we think of an exam, so here you are!

• How much time are you allowed? 1 hour
• How many questions will the exam have? 60
• How much should you score to Pass? 55 (you need a minimum of 33 questions to be correct out of the 60 questions given in the exam)
• Are the questions essay type, filling the blanks or Multiple Choice Questions? Multiple Choice Questions. Yes, I can hear the sigh of relief! While you the question type could vary, you do not need to memorize and you can pick from the given options for all questions
• Another good news is you will not lose marks if you have answered incorrectly, meaning no negative marking
• Is there a basic Reference Book that can be used to prepare for the exam? Yes! Managing Successful Projects with the PRINCE2 publication, 2017 edition is the reference for the Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification. (but a word of caution you are not allowed to take the book to the exam since it is not an open book exam)
• What are the various types of questions that you can expect in the Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exam? One could be ‘Classic’ question with 4 answer options, others could be filling a missing word type or pick the 2 correct statements from a given list of 4 statements.

Prince2 Practitioner Level Certification Exam 2017

Moving on, let us understand the makeup of the Prince2 Practitioner Level Certification Exam 2017.

• What type of Questions will be asked? Objective testing
• How many questions will be on the exam? 68 questions
• How much should you score to pass the exam? 55%, which means you need to get 38 marks at a minimum out of 80 available to pass
• What is the duration of the exam? 2.5 hours (150 minutes)
• How is it different from the Foundation Exam? Practitioner exam is an Open book exam (You are allowed to refer to the official PRINCE2 manual only)

Are you wondering if there are any prerequisite for this exam? Who can appear and what are the Prince2 certification requirements? Then, this is what we are going to explore.

Prince2 Certification Requirements for Foundation level

What education and experience do you need for the Prince2 Foundation level certification exam?

• There are no specific prerequisites for the Foundation level certification. All you need is interest and motivation!
• In terms of Prince2 Certification Requirements, it is desirable to have a basic understanding of managing projects though not compulsory

Prince2 Certification Requirements for Practitioner level

Since this is a higher level of exam, you need to show the proof of passing one of these for you to appear for the Prince2 Practitioner Level Certification exam:

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

At a glance Prince2 certification requirements are

Therefore, for Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams, while there are prerequisites for Practitioner in terms of exams that you should have cleared, there are no minimum educational requirements.

How to prepare for your Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams?

Since you are equipped with the knowledge of the exam pattern and Prince2 certification requirements, your next step is understanding the roadmap to Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams

Roadmap to Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams

The first step is choosing a Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams training provider. In general, for Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams, some of the training providers are authorized to conduct the exam as well. Next, you need to prepare for the exam and then take the exam.

Identify a good Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams training provider

How to zero in on a good training provider? What factors should you consider when choosing a Prince2 training provider?

• Experience: First of all, look at the training provider’s experience in delivering the Prince2 training. How long have they been in this field? How many people were certified by this institute? Who is the facilitator delivering the training? What kind of experience is he bringing to the table?
• Options: Review the options given by the training provider. What modes of training do they offer? Is it only a classroom training or do they also have an online option?
• Features: What does the training encompass? Only lectures? Or do they provide additional study aids and tools?
• Support: What kind of support does the training provider offer? Will you get Guidance for the exam preparation, application, clarifications on the questions you may have during preparation? Will they help you with the renewal of your certification? These are a few factor to be taken into consideration when choosing a Prince2 training.
• Training content: One key aspect you need to focus is the Prince2 training content. Does your Prince2 course cover the content as per the latest syllabus and revisions made by Axelos?

Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams syllabus

Let us start with Prince2 Foundation exam syllabus. What aspects do you need to be aware to pass this exam?

Prince2 Foundation Certification exam syllabus

In a nutshell, for the Prince2 Foundation exam you need to:

• Know the various roles, 7 principles, 7 themes and the 7 Processes
• Have an insight into the inputs to and outputs from the 7 processes
• What are the management products of the 7 processes and how they fit into the overall framework?
• How are the processes, deliverables, roles and the management underlying the project framework closely knit and interrelated? You should have an understanding of these aspects

These would be covered in a Prince2 training and you need to check if the 7 principles, processes and themes are dealt well.

Let us understand what your Prince2 course should have to facilitate you to successfully clear the Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams. Prince2 Method is a tight integration between principles, themes, processes and the project environment.

The 7 processes in Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner Certification exams are:

1. Starting up a project
2. Initialization of a project
3. Direction of a Project
4. Controlling a stage
5. Management of product delivery
6. Management of stage boundaries
7. Closure of a Project

These in total will tell you what to do when to do and who will do it in a project

The 7 themes in Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner Certification exams are:

1. Business case
2. Organization
3. Quality
4. Risks
5. Plan
6. Change
7. Progress

Now that we have an idea of the processes and themes, let us also know the principles:

1. Business Justification
2. Roles and responsibilities
3. Learn from experience
4. Manage by exceptions
5. Manage by stages
6. Tailor to suit the environment
7. Focus on product

Therefore, when you prepare for the Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner Certification exams, ensure you have an understanding on all these in a typical project environment. Moreover, the Prince2 training that you have chosen should cover the content at the level defined for each exam type.

Next question is how will you be assessed on these topics? What should be you’re the outcome of your understanding of these topics?

There are 4 learning outcomes that you need to have after you study. Here are the 4:

1. Have knowledge of the core concepts pertaining to projects and PRINCE2
2. Know about the 7 principles in the Prince2 method and how they reinforce the Prince2 method
3. Have a comprehension of the 7 themes and how they are related to other aspects of the Prince2 method
4. Have cognizance of the 7 processes and how they are applied in the project

Axelos literature clearly covers the different learning outcomes and its assessment criteria. For the Foundation level exam, complexity is Blooms level 1 &2. Blooms level defines the type of thinking you should have to answer the questions for the Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner Certification exams.  While level 1 needs you to recall the concepts, level 2 need you to have an understanding of the concepts

Prince2 Practitioner Certification exam syllabus

Let us now review the syllabus for the Prince2 Practitioner exam. Practitioner level exam of Prince2 has 3 learning outcomes that you need to be thorough. Therefore, if you are verifying the content provided by the Prince2 training, check for these for arriving at these 3 learning outcomes:

1. You should be equipped with the knowledge to apply the Prince2 principles for the project environment. Whichever Prince2 course you choose, ensure that equips you with this knowledge. These are at Blooms level 4
2. In addition to the above, you need to be able to customize and apply the 7 themes in Prince2 as needed for your project needs.
   1. This means that you should have the understanding of themes so that you know where to apply and how to. The complexity here varies between Blooms level 3 & 4
   2. There are 7 sub-outcomes under this that you need to gear up for
3. The 3^rd outcome you have to be prepared with is on the 7 processes. Here again, you need to know how to modify for the specific needs of the project.
   1. There are again 7 sub-outcomes, and complexity is at level 3&4 again.
   2. Hence, the Prince2 course you opt for should also have coverage of all these outcomes at the defined complexity level

What you need to look for when choosing the Prince2 training is?

Since you now know the syllabus for Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner certification exams, you need to ensure the Prince2 certification cost is also competitive along with the content. Here are a few factors to consider other than the Price2 certification cost when choosing a Prince2 course:

• The course should have real-world examples of a project where the 7 processes, principles and themes are applied. This should also help you understand how to tailor and when to tailor.
• When you are preparing for Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner Certification exam, your Prince2 training provider should give you:
  • Provision to choose either foundation or practitioner training and also Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner Certification exams training as a bundle. Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner Certification training bundle generally will be a good value for money and also help you finish both in succession.
  • Whether you have access to the lectures during your preparation time? Online Prince2 course gives you this advantage and is also cost-effective
  • Study tools like flash cards, cheat sheets, etc.
  • Practice tests that include scenario based questions are a must for you

Therefore, when you are planning for Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Certification exams, ensure you have a good Prince2 training provider who meets all the above criteria. Also look out for the Prince2 Certification cost which can also tilt the balance in choosing a training provider.

Author Biography

Sunanda Gundavajhala, B.Tech, M.B.A, PMP has over 25 years of project management. She is a consultant, trainer on project management for different sectors and is the recipient of “Recognition of Excellence” award from PMI, USA and Woman Volunteer award from Hyderabad, India Chapter of PMI. Sunanda has contributed to the “Practice Standard on Scheduling, PMI”. She has worked as the Liaison officer for PMIEF (Education Foundation) for the Hyderabad, India Chapter of PMI.