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You are here: Frequently Asked Questions
PRINCE2 FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
PRINCE2, Projects in Controlled Environments, is a widely used project management method, which navigates you through all the essentials for running a successful project. Since its introduction in 1989 as a government standard for IT project management, PRINCE2 has been taken on by both the public and private sectors and is now recognised as a de facto standard for project management. PRINCE2 is a flexible method and although originally designed for the management of IT projects it is now aimed at all other types of project. PRINCE2 takes all the simple and obvious lessons learned by thousands of professionals in the past 20-odd years and presents them in a checklist for present clients, managers and their teams. OGC (Office of Government Commerce) own the methodology.
The APM Group (APMG) is the Certification Body and is responsible for the running of examinations and accreditation of training organisations (ATOs), trainers, consulting organisations (ACOs) and consultants. APMG have received UKAS accreditation in accordance with EN45011 and ISO17024 for our certification activities of Practitioners, ATOs, Trainers, ACOs and Consultants.
As PRINCE2 is a very successful project management qualification, a large number of people and organisations have used and implemented PRINCE2. A number of case studies have been commissioned as examples of how successful PRINCE2 has become within their organisations. The full list can be downloaded here.
Training for PRINCE2 is available from accredited training organisations coordinated through the APM Group. The exams can be taken with your chosen training organisation as part of your training course, or directly through the APM Group who have open centres where you can take the exams without needing to do the training course. The open centres where the exams take place are located in London, Milton Keynes, York and Chester.
Contact details for PRINCE2 ATOs can be found here.
You will need to contact the individual organisations for details of fees and formats. APMG does not hold information on the ATOs individual courses but we ensure the training provided by the ATOs meet APMG's required standards in accordance with EN45011.
Exams are run in London, Milton Keynes, York and Chester on a monthly basis. We do not provide training, just exams only. If you wish to book, you can do so online at::
www.apmgroup.co.uk/PRINCE2/Qualifications/Open_Centre_Exams.asp
Foundation Exam: £205
Practitioner Exam: £380
Practitioner Re-Registration: £150
For candidates outside the UK we use the British Council to run the exams for us on an ad-hoc basis. Exams (but not training courses) are available in many countries through the British Council. Information on whether exams are offered in your area can be found at:
www.britishcouncil.org/home-contact-worldwide.htm?mtklink=contact-us-worldwide-corporate-homepage-link
The PRINCE2 2005 Qualification Scheme has one main manual, published by The Stationary Office, called “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2” 2005 edition. This can be purchased from the Best Management Practice's Publications Library at www.best-management-practice.com/Publications-Library/Project-Management-PRINCE2/PRINCE2-2005-Edition/.
The 2009 edition of the PRINCE2 manual has been available since the 16th June 2009. The title of the publication you will need for studying for 2009 examinations is “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 - 2009 Edition”.
This can be purchased from the Best Management Practice's Publications Library.
A second PRINCE2 publication, “Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 – 2009 Edition” is also available. However, there is currently no associated examination for this publication, and it will not be needed as a study aid to pass the PRINCE2 Foundation, Practitioner and Re-Registration exams.
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The PRINCE2 2009 manual is currently available in English. The following languages are currently being translated, with publication targeted by the end of 2009.
Dutch
Danish
Spanish
German
Polish
French
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Norwegian
Unfortunately it is difficult to say. As all candidates have different experience and amount of time on their hands, it varies from person to person. We suggest you buy the manual and have a look through for yourself before deciding how long you need to spend learning.
Since the 6 July 2009 examinations based on both the 2005 and 2009 editions of the PRINCE2 manual have been available.
Please note that the pass mark for the PRINCE2 2005 Practitioner exam changed to 55% (198/360) on the 6 July 2009.
Exams based on the 2005 edition of the manual will be available until 2 April 2010. Examinations taken from the 3 April 2010 will be based on the 2009 edition of the manual only.
Information on the format of the PRINCE2 2009 exams can be found at www.prince-officialsite.com/Qualifications/QualificationScheme2009.asp.
Information on the format of the PRINCE2 2005 exams can be found at www.prince-officialsite.com/Qualifications/QualificationScheme2005.asp.
For information on the 2009 Re-Registration Examination, please visit www.prince-officialsite.com/Qualifications/ReRegistration2009.asp.
For information on the 2005 Re-Registration Examination, please visit www.prince-officialsite.com/Qualifications/ReRegistration2005.asp.
As of December 2000 the PRINCE2 Examinations at Practitioner level gave candidates a PRINCE2 Registered Practitioner status. You will need to take the Re-Registration Examination between 3 and 5 years after the date shown on your original certificate in order to maintain your status as a Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner. If you do not take the Re-registration exam within this timeframe then you will lose your 'registered' status. Please note that you are then not required to sit the Practitioner examination again - you can still sit the Re-registration exam.
For Candidates that took the PRINCE2 Practitioners Examination prior December 2000, the Re-Registration exam does not need to be taken, although the APM Group would highly recommend that these candidates take the Re-Registration exam to keep their knowledge up to date with the latest PRINCE2 information and to gain current status as a Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner.
The examination can either be taken privately or through one of our accredited training organisations (ATOs). If you decide to take the exam through an ATO then they will offer you a refresher course on PRINCE2 and provide you with the examination at the end of this. A complete list of our ATOs, with contact details, can be seen at www.prince-officialsite.com/TrainingOrganisations/ATOs/ATOListing.asp.
You can also take the examination without attending a course through our on-line examination facility. To do this, we recommend that you refresh your memory of PRINCE2 by ensuring that you have the current version of the PRINCE2 manual and re-reading this. You can then log on to our examination site at www.apmg-exams.com, select the 'PRINCE2 Re-Registration' option from the left hand menu bar and follow the instructions on screen to pay for and take the exam.
The PRINCE2 Re-Registration exam comprises of an exam paper set at the same standard as the Practitioner examination and will be based on the 2005 or 2009 PRINCE2 Manual. Candidates can choose between either the PRINCE2 2005 Re-Registration Examination or the PRINCE2: 2009 Re-Registration Examination until the 2005 edition is retired on 2 April 2010. In order to prepare for the exam, it is important that you are up to date with the the PRINCE2 Manual you have opted to study from.
Please note that for candidates taking the PRINCE2 Re-Registration OTE exam online that once a candidate has logged in they will have one hour to complete the Re-Registration examination. The candidate will not be able to return to the exam should they logout or close the window. Once a candidate has registered for this examination they will have three months in which to take the exam.
The cost of this exam is £150 including VAT.
No – all certificates are valid for the registration period indicated on them, and exams do not have to be retaken outside of the normal re-registration cycle.
Any examination taken with the 2005 version of the manual will remain valid. Therefore if you have taken the PRINCE2 2005 Foundation exam, you can still take the PRINCE2 2009 Practitioner exam (although you will need to study from the 2009 manual for the Practitioner exam).
There are no major differences between the 2005 and 2009 versions of PRINCE2 – the methodology has been refreshed and not re-written. Please follow the link below to view an article by the lead author on the refresh of the manual:
www.prince-officialsite.com/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.asp?lID=1462&sID=292
APMG do not expect that any investment in training on previous PRINCE2 versions will be lost as it is still a valid and productive methodology for the management of projects. The refresh of the manual is exactly that - a refresh to update and make minor improvements to the methodology and not to re-write it, so there is no danger of PRINCE2 2005 being considered outdated or invalid. Users of the 2005 version are under no obligation to update to the 2009 version, though of course may do so if they so wish. Candidates who have previously taken the 2005 Practitioner Exam, and wish to undertake a Re-Registration Exam, will have to take the 2009 Re-Registration exam from the 3 April 2010.
Exams based on the 2005 edition of the manual will be retired on the 2 April 2010. Examinations taken after this time will be based on the 2009 edition of the manual.
Result turn-around time for the Practitioner exam is roughly 2 - 3 weeks. APMG will send out confirmation of your Foundation exam result within a week.
If you have taken your exam via an ATO, results are sent by APMG to that particular ATO. Your ATO should notify you of your results so please contact them for further details regarding this. If you sat the foundation and practitioner exam in the same week, your results will not show on the Successful Candidate Register until two weeks after the results for the practitioner exam have been released. Certificate turn-around is usually two weeks after you have been notified of your result.
A Foundation Certificate will be dispatched to you approximately 2 weeks after we have received your exam paper back into our offices if you only took the Foundation exam.
A Practitioner Certificate will be dispatched 2 weeks after the Practitioner results have been released.
Please note that if you have taken your examinations via an ATO; the certificates will be dispatched to the ATO. Therefore if you have not received your certificate in the above time frames please contact the ATO directly who can contact the APM Group on your behalf for a replacement.
Foundation Examination: You will need to score 38 out of 75 to pass the Foundation examination.
Practitioner Examination: You will need to score of 198 out of 360 to pass the Practitioner exam.
Re-Registration Examination: You will need to score 66 out of 120 to pass the Re-Registration exam.
To become a Trainer: You will need to score at least 66% on the Practitioner examination to apply to become a trainer.
Foundation Examination: You will need to score 35 /70 to pass the Foundation exam.
Practitioner Examination: You will need to score 59 / 108 to pass the Practitioner exam.
Re-registration Examination: You will need to score 20 / 36 to pass the Re-Registration exam.
To become a trainer: You will need to score at least 66% on the Practitioner examination to apply to become a trainer.
Foundation Examination: The overall pass rate for Foundation examinations is 97% (January – December 2008).
Practitioner Examination: The overall pass rate for Practitioner examinations is 91% (January – December 2008).
If you wish to know if you scored enough to be a trainer please email servicedesk@apmgroupltd.com noting your interest. The Service desk at this time will be happy to process your request and send you information on the procedure required for you to obtain this information.
Candidates who have passed the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination can put PRINCE2 Practitioner on their business cards. You can also include a web address on your business card (www.p2registeredpractitioner.com) which takes you to an online list of PRINCE2 Registered Practitioners.
Only ATOs and ACOs are allowed to use the PRINCE2 logo. The PRINCE2 logo is a registered trademark of OGC and must not be used without their permission.
Information regarding comparisons between PRINCE2 and other qualifications can be found at the following link:
www.prince-officialsite.com/AboutPRINCE2/PRINCE2Comparison.asp
OGC do not keep a record of all companies who use PRINCE2. However if you wish to contact other users of the framework you can do this via the Best Practice User Group (BPUG) - www.usergroup.org.uk.
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