What’s the difference between the certifications?
Here are the main differences between Foundation and Practitioner certifications.
| Foundation |
Practitioner |
| Entry-level qualification |
Higher-level qualification |
| No experience or qualifications required |
Any of:
- PRINCE 2 Foundation (or higher) - this only applies to certificates obtained after 1 January 2009;
- Project Management Professional (PMP®);
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®);
- IPMA Level A®, B®, C® or D®.
|
| Learn a basic understanding of PRINCE2 |
Learn to apply PRINCE2 to simple projects |
| For people working on or supporting projects |
For people managing or directing projects, and operational managers |
| 2-day course |
2.5-day course |
| 1-hour exam, 60 questions, 55% pass mark |
2.5-hour exam, 68 questions, 55% pass mark |
“PMI”, “PMP” and “CAPM” are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.
IPMA Level A®, IPMA Level B®, IPMA Level C® and IPMA Level D® are Registered Trade Marks of IPMA in Switzerland and other countries.
Is PRINCE2 a popular certification?
PRINCE2 Foundation is the most popular project management certification anywhere in the world. Over 1 million students have taken a Foundation exam since 1996. A futher 0.5 million students have sat a PRINCE2 Practitioner exam during the same period.
Worldwide, PRINCE2 Foundation is more popular than the American PMP certification from the PMI (Project Management Institute).
Professionals seeking a career in project management in the UK or Europe typically get PRINCE2 certification (Foundation and Practitioner levels). In the rest of the world, PMP certification is preferred as the route into a project management career.
It's also true that project management certification can boost your salary.
Can I take an exam without attending a training course?
Yes. This page explains your exam only options. You can choose to take your PRINCE2 exam online or at our London Exam Centre.
Can I take the exam online?
Yes. To take the exam online you just need internet access, and a computer with web cam. You can book an exam with as little as 24 hours’ notice.
Do I get training materials when I attend the course?
You will get copies of training materials when you get to your classroom course. To see some examples of some of the materials, you can look at these resources:
Can the Foundation certification help my career?
Yes. PRINCE2 is a great qualification to boost your project management career.
Did your students get a job after taking a course with you?
Yes. Read this interview with Lisa Gobell who got a job in project management after attending a PRINCE2 course.
Does your elearning course include an exam?
Yes, unlike some competitors, all our online courses come with exams.
Do you have any tips for the exam on the day?
Yes. Attend the exam feeling refreshed. Ensure you are well hydrated and consider eating some of these foods beforehand to boost your exam performance.
Do you have sample questions or a mock exam?
Yes. We provide a free full-length practice Foundation exam. On our courses you also get access to 2 full official sample exam papers. These are available online and provides detailed feedback for each question.
How can I persuade my boss to pay for my training?
Your organization will benefit if it sends you on a PRINCE2 training course. This article explains how you can persuade your boss to pay for you.
How do I book my exam?
You can book your exam in one of 4 ways:
- As part of a classroom weekday course; or,
- As part of a classroom weekend course; or,
- As part of an online course; or,
- As an exam-only package.
How do I choose the best training provider?
We've written an article which explains all the questions you need to ask a training provider so that you choose the best course for you.
How to pass PRINCE2 Foundation?
PRINCE2 is just like learning any subject. You need to study, follow the instructions of the trainer, and complete the course. Usually, a course will provide lots of sample exam questions and answers so you can practice some sample exams before you sit the real exam.
We also put together an ebook which provides lots of useful tips for passing the Foundation exam.
How do I make an exam online booking?
This page enables you to book your online Foundation exam.
What’s the benefits of certification?
There’s lots of benefits to you as an individual or the organization you work for. This article and infographic explain the benefits.
What’s the Foundation exam cost?
Foundation-only exam fees start at £299 + VAT for an exam at our London Exam Centre. An online exam-only costs £320 + VAT. Both options come with our full Foundation elearning course for 7 days.
What’s the Foundation exam syllabus?
The full syllabus can be found on the AXELOS web site.
What’s your pre-course reading?
Our pre-course reading typically takes around 7 hours to complete. It’s a combination of short videos, ebooks and a sample exam. Here’s an example of a video and an ebook.
Which version are your courses and exams?
Both our classroom and online courses are based upon the latest 2017 version of PRINCE2. All exams are based upon this version.
Are your exams the same as Prometric or Pearson VUE?
Yes. Because we are a PRINCE2 accredited training provider, we get our exams from PeopleCert.
To sit your exam at a Pearson VUE or Prometric test centre you will need to purchase an exam voucher.
You can save yourself the time of travelling to an exam centre by booking your exam online, or if you are based in London, UK, you can book an exam at our London Exam Centre.
