PRINCE2 Practitioner certification is awarded on successful completion of the Practitioner exam, which is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of the PRINCE2 project management method, as well as the ability to apply and evaluate the method in relation to a case study.
PRINCE2 Practitioner exam syllabus
The PRINCE2 Practitioner course syllabus is based on the official PRINCE2 manual, Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2, and is structured around the PRINCE2 processes and themes.
There are 9 question sections in the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam paper, of which 7 test students in the PRINCE2 themes:
Business Case
Organization
Quality
Plans
Risk
Change
Progress
In the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam, theme-based questions will require the candidate to understand the relevance of the theme across the project lifecycle and to consider in detail how the theme impacts on product delivery.
The remaining 2 question sections cover material from the PRINCE2 processes. Not all of the processes are tested in the exam, and each of the question sections will be based on one of the following possible combinations:
(1) Starting Up a Project and (2) Initiating a Project
(3) Managing a Stage Boundary, (4) Closing a Project and (5) Directing a Project
(6) Controlling a Stage and (7) Managing Product Delivery
Process-based question ask students to apply actions from a PRINCE2 process, or evaluate the application of the process to a particular situation (including tailoring a process to the context of the project).
The classical multiple choice question asks the candidate to choose one from a list of possible answers. For example:
Which management product contains information about project risks that are being informally managed by the project manager?
a) Risk Register b) Issue Register c) Daily Log d) Exception Report
Some Practitioner questions may ask candidates to select more than one response from a list of possible answers. These questions will be clearly marked, and will all require the candidate to select 2 out of 5 options.
Important: multiple response questions carry only 1 mark. This mark will only be awarded if both the appropriate options are selected.
‘Matching’ questions require students to link the items in one list to items in a second list. Items in the first list can only be linked correctly to one item in the second list. However, items in the second list may be used once, more than once or not at all. For example:
Column 1 lists 5 PRINCE2 management products. Determine which of the roles listed in Column 2 is responsible for creating each document. Each selection from Column 2 can be used once, more than once or not at all.
Column 1
Column 2
Business Case (detailed)
Project Manager
Lessons Log
Corporate/Programme Management
Product Status Account
Project Assurance
Team Plan
Project Support
Quality Management Strategy
Team Manager
‘Sequencing’ questions require the candidate to identify the correct order for a set of activities.
‘Assertion/Reasoning’questions provide a list of statements, each accompanied by a reason justifying the statement. Students must decide both whether the statement is correct, and whether the reason is valid. Please note that even if a statement is incorrect, the reason given may still be valid. For example:
The Customer asks the Project Manager to increase the functionality of the Project Product. Implementing the changes will result in budget over-run for the stage.
Lines 1 to 4 in the table below consist of an assertion statement and a reason statement. For each line identify the appropriate option, from options A to E, that applies. Each option can be used once, more than once or not at all.
Assertion
Reasoning
The Project Manager should escalate the Request for change to the Project Board, regardless of whether the budget over-run exceeds the tolerance set for the stage.
The Project Board sets defined tolerances for each project objective to establish limits of delegate authority.
The Project Manager should consider carefully whether performing a detailed impact analysis is necessary.
The duration and effort required to perform an impact analysis may cause further deviation from the plan.
Product Status Account
Project Assurance
The Project Manager should evaluate the advantages of the change against its impact on project cost, duration and risks.
The change should only be granted if it will have no impact on the project cost, duration or risks.
A Change Budget should be agreed at the start of the project to fund requests for change that exceed estimated costs
This reduces the number of trivial exceptions arising from requests for small changes to the project.
Passing the exam
The pass mark for the exam is 55%. You need to answer at least 60 questions correctly in order to pass. Do not spend too long on any one question.
There are no negative marks, so if in doubt, guess.
You are able to refer to the official PRINCE2 manual during the exam. Use this wisely – highlight the passages that you think you will need, and use sticky-notes to mark important pages.
Practice makes perfect. Familiarity with the question format is crucial to passing the exam.
Remember:
The PRINCE2 Practitioner exam tests your ability to apply and evaluate the PRINCE2 project management method, and not your practical or professional ability to manage projects successfully. The key to passing the exam is thorough knowledge of the PRINCE2 manual, as well as confidence handling the question format.
Over 95% of Knowledge Train students pass the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam – with clear guidance and training you should be able to take your Practitioner exam with confidence.
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PRINCE2 2009 Practitioner Exam
