PRINCE2online FAQ

Click on the FAQ-item to see the answer.

What is PRINCE2®?

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 recognized 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 projects. 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) owns 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 organizations (ACOs) and consultants.

As PRINCE2 is a very successful project management qualification, a large number of people and organisations have used and implemented PRINCE2.

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Where can I train for the PRINCE2 exams?

Training for PRINCE2 is available from accredited training organizations coordinated through the APM Group. Metier Academy International is such an accredited training organization.

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What are the main publications for PRINCE2 and where can I purchase them?

The PRINCE2 2009 Qualification Scheme has one main manual, published by The Stationary Office, called “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 – 2009 Edition” . This can be purchased from APMG-Business Books at www.apmg-businessbooks.com/productInfo.aspx?prodID=1056

There is another publication which will also be available from the 16th of June 2009 “Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 – 2009 Edition” There is currently no examination with 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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What is an e-coach?

Our e-coaches have years of experience project management. The e-coach takes care of all your questions regarding the content of our courses and supports you via mail or forum. The e-coach will make sure that technical questions you have will be answered or solved by our technical support.

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What does fully on-line means?

Our e-learning courses are offered fully on-line. This means that the entire training is done via your own computer regardless time, place etc. There will be no classroom sessions.

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How can I subscribe for an e-learning course?

Subscribing is simple. Click on Order and select one of our on-line PRINCE2 packages.
After this you will receive an invoice and after it is paid, we will send you your login details to your own personal learning portal. The login is dependent on the ordered package and will grant you 12 or 24 weeks access. With this login you will have access whenever and where-ever you are.

Via this personal learning portal you follow the selected e-learning package, supported by an e-coach, chat and forum. At any time you want it is possible to test your knowledge with one of the present mock exams.

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What are the technical requirements?

Internet connection

The e-learning courses are accessible via an Internet connection. Communication between your computer and our server is done via a secure Internet connection (port 443). In case of problems we recommend to disable proxy servers or firewalls for the myMetiers IP address (81.93.166.5). Although there is no minimum connection speed, the connection has to be reasonably stable due to the continuous communication of your progress on the platform.

Your Computer

The following programs or software need to be installed on your computer.

  • Adobe Flash 6.0 or higher.
  • Cookies enabled.
  • Java Virtual Machine from SUN. (Java version 1.1.4 from Microsoft does not work)
  • Pop-up blockers disabled.
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or a higher version or Firefox 2.0 or higher.

Please click on this link; browser test to do a test on your computer whether to see if everything is all right.

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Is onlinePRINCE2 officially accredited?

Yes, onlinePRINCE2 is powered by Metier Academy, a by APMG-UK accredited training organization (ATO).

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Do I need any other study material?

To complete the PRINCE2 Foundation course and complete the Foundation examen you do not need any other study material. Regarding the Practitioner course we recommend that you purchase the PRINCE2 manual " Managing Succesfull Projects with PRINCE2" . This manual is available via the on-line bookstore of APMG , PRINCE2Bookshop.

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Where can I take the exams?

In the Netherlands you can take the exam via Exin (exin.nl), for international locations please check with the APM Group (www.apmgroup.co.uk/PRINCE2/PRINCE2Home.asp).

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What languages are the PRINCE2 examinations available in?

English
Dutch
For other languages please check with your examination center

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What languages are the PRINCE2 Manuals available in?

2009 Edition on this moment only in English. For the latest information please check the APMG website www.apmgroup.co.uk/home/home.asp.

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What is the structure of the PRINCE2 Examinations?

The PRINCE2 Foundation examination is a one hour long, multiple choice paper of 75 questions.

Once this examination has been taken and passed you may then take the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination to become a Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner.

The PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is a three hour long objective testing examination. There are 9 questions, with a scenario background and appendices, each of the 9 questions is worth 40 marks, an overall score of 198 out of a possible 360 is required to pass. This examination is open-book allowing only for the PRINCE2 Manual to be taken into the examination.

PRINCE2 Registered Practitioners must take the Re-registration examination every 3-5 years to maintain their registered status as a PRINCE2 Practitioner.

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Please can you give me more details about PRINCE2 Re-registration?

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 time frame you will lose your 'registered' status. Please note that in that case you are 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 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 31st December 2009. In order to prepare for the exam, it is important that you are up to date with the PRINCE2 Manual you have opted to study from.

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Results turn around time for the PRINCE2 Examinations

Result turn-around time for the Practitioner exam is roughly 2 - 3 weeks with the Objective Testing Format. APMG will send out confirmation of your Foundation exam result within a week.

If you have taken your exam via an examination center, results are sent by APMG to that particular center. Your examination center should notify you of your results so please contact them for further details. 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.

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When will I receive my PRINCE2 Certificate?

  • A Foundation Certificate will be dispatched to you approximately 2 weeks after APMG have received your exam paper back into their offices if you only took the Foundation exam.
  • A Practitioner Certificate will be dispatched 2 weeks after the Practitioner results have been released.

Pass marks for the PRINCE2 2005 examinations

  • 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.

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Pass marks for the PRINCE2: 2009 examinations

  • 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.

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Statistics on PRINCE2 examinations

  • 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).

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Pass marks needed to become a trainer in PRINCE2

  • PRINCE2 Practitioner Examination essay format - 99/150
  • PRINCE2 Practitioner Examination OTE format (2005) - 238/360
  • PRINCE2 Practitioner Examination OTE format (2009) - 72/108
  • PRINCE2 Re-Registration Examination essay format - 33/50
  • PRINCE2 Re-Registration Examination OTE format (2005) - 79/120
  • PRINCE2 Re-Registration Examination OTE format (2009) - 24/36

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Did I score enough to be a trainer?

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.

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Should I take PRINCE2 (2005) now or take the PRINCE2:2009 version?

There are differences between the 2005 and 2009 versions of PRINCE2 – the methodology has been refreshed but not re-written. However we would recommend that you start with the 2009 version since this is the latest standard.

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When will PRINCE2: 2009 examinations be available from?

The PRINCE2 examinations will be available from the 6th of July 2009.

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Which publications should I buy for my PRINCE2: 2009 exams?

To sit the foundation and practitioner examinations you will need to buy the managing PRINCE2 manual on which the syllabus and exam papers will be based. It is not necessary to purchase the manual if you only want to take the Foundation exam. The content of our e-learning module will give you sufficient information and a solid preparation.

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Will PRINCE2 be renamed PRINCE3?

PRINCE2 will not be renamed as PRINCE3, as per previous updates it will remain as PRINCE2 and will just be based on the 2009 version and not the 2005.

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Should I take my Re-Registration exam with the 2005 version or wait do the 2009 version?

You will need to take the re-registration exam within 5 years of your certification date as shown on your certificate. Examinations based on the 2009 edition of the PRINCE2 manual are available from the 6th July 2009.

Candidates will have the choice to take exams based on either the 2005 or 2009 edition of the manual until the 31st December 2009. From the 1st January 2010 examinations will be based on the 2009 edition of the manual only.

We would recommend taking the 2009 version so you are up to date with the latest developments.

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Will I have to take the Re-Registration exam again now PRINCE2: 2009 is released?

No – all certificates are valid for the registration period shown on them and exams do not have to be retaken outside of the normal re-registration cycle due to the launch of 2009.

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Will my Foundation / Practitioner qualification still be valid now PRINCE2: 2009 is released?

Yes – all certificates are valid for the registration period shown on them.

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What will the format of the new exams be?

Information on the format of the PRINCE2: 2009 exams can be found at www.prince-officialsite.com/Qualifications/QualificationScheme2009.asp.

For information on the new Re-Registration Examination, please visit www.prince-officialsite.com/Qualifications/ReRegistration2009.asp.

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Will I still be able to take PRINCE2 (2005) exams after the PRINCE2: 2009 exams start?

From the 6th of July 2009 examinations are available based on both the 2005 and 2009 editions of the PRINCE2 manual.

Please note that the pass mark for the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam based on the 2005 edition of the manual will be changing from the 6th of July 2009 to 55% which is a total of 198/360.

Exams based on the 2005 edition of the manual will be available until 31st of December 2009. Examinations taken from the 1st of January 2010 will be based on the 2009 edition of the manual.

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Will I be able to update my existing qualifications to PRINCE2: 2009?

Yes, we offer a Refresh possibility. Please click here for further information.

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When will PRINCE2 (2005) exams be retired?

Exams based on the 2005 edition of the manual will be retired on the 31st of December 2009. Examinations taken after this time will be based on the 2009 edition of the manual.

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What are the titles of the forthcoming exams?

The titles will remain the same – Foundation, Practitioner and Re-Registration based on the managing manual.

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What is the difference between PRINCE2 (2005) and PRINCE2: 2009?

Please click here for more information about the changes.

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Will my investment in PRINCE2 (2005) publications and training be lost?

No, we 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 managing projects. The refresh of the manual is made to update the methodology and make minor improvements to it. The manual has not been completely re-written so there is no danger of PRINCE2 2005 being considered outdated or invalid. Users of the 2005 version are not obliged to update to the 2009 version, though of course they may do so if they wish to. If ‘the system’ is working well for any individual or organization at this very moment they are under no pressure to change this.

The only case in which candidates will be required to learn about PRINCE2 based on the 2009 version is if they wish to take the Re-Registration exam after the launch of the new manual.

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Will the new exams be translated?

The PRINCE2: 2009 examinations at foundation and practitioner level will be available in all the languages which the PRINCE2 2005 ones are; Chinese – Mandarin, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish – Castilian. Please check with your examination center which languages are available.

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