PRINCE2® Practitioner
PRINCE2 Practitioner is the advanced level of certification that confirms a sufficient understanding of how to tailor and implement PRINCE2 in a project. In order to get this certification you have to prove that you have the competences needed for the Foundation certification and, moreover, that you are able to apply this knowledge and tailor PRINCE2 to address the issues and needs of a specific project scenario.
Requirements
In order to take the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam you need to have at least one of the following certifications before taking the Practitioner exam:
- PRINCE2 Foundation
- PRINCE2 Agile Foundation
- PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner
- Project Management Professional (PMP®)
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®)
- IPMA level A (certified projects director)
- IPMA level B (certified senior project manager)
- IPMA level C (certified project manager)
- IPMA level D (certified project management associate)
Exam format
The following is the Practitioner exam format:
- Multiple choice and multiple answer questions based on a scenario
- 70 questions
- 60% passing score
- 150 minutes
- Open book (only the official manual)
- Online, computer-based, or paper-based
30 minutes extra time is available when the candidate is not taking the exam in their native language, or the language they use in their business daily.
Exam delivery
There are three formats available:
- Online
- Computer-based, with an invigilators in the same location
- Paper-based, with an invigilator in the same location
Computer-based and paper-based exams are for classroom courses. Online courses, self-paced courses, and self-study options use the online exam.
The online exams can be taken from home or work, in a quiet and small room where no one other than the candidate exists. The session will be monitored by a remote invigilator through the microphone and webcam of the candidate’s computer. Online exams must be booked a few days beforehand.
Certificate
Candidates receive their electronic certificates as soon as their results are finalized (usually takes a few hours to a few days).
Candidates can allow PeopleCert institutes to publish their information. In that case, their name will be added to AXELOS’/PeopleCert’s successful candidates register.
Certificate holders have to renew the Practitioner certificate in 3 years, with another exam or by a membership program in PeopleCert.
Exam resources
The main resource for this exam is the official manual, Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2.
Since the exam is open-book and the official manual is the only resource one can use during the exam, it’s important for candidates to purchase it as soon as possible in their studies and get used to the structure of the information provided there.
The official manual is included in all PRINCE2 Foundation exams. So, if you’ve already taken the Foundation exam, you probably have a copy of the electronic manual and don’t need to buy it again. Although, some people prefer to buy and use the paper-based version of the manual during the exam.
Preparation
There are three normal choices for preparing for the exam:
- Taking classroom courses (in-person or online)
- Taking self-paced eLearning courses
- Self-study
The amount of time needed for self-study or completing eLearning courses depends on the experience and prior knowledge of the candidate; usually ranging between 20 and 40 hours. Classroom courses are usually 2 or 3 days.
The classroom and eLearning courses must be prepared by an Accredited Training Organization, and PeopleCert stops non-accredited entities from offering courses.
If you like, you can consider taking our eLearning course, which we believe is the best option ;)
Paying for the exam
According to PeopleCert, all Accredited Training Organizations must sell their courses with the exam voucher. So, if you use one of those, no extra step would be necessary. If you prefer to self study, you’d need to buy an exam without a course.
You’d better practice with sample questions before taking the main exam, to increase your chances of passing.
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Written by Frank Turley.
If you have questions or doubts after using this wiki, you can ask for help on the Facebook or LinkedIn study groups.