PRINCE2® Practitioner Certification
The PRINCE2 Practitioner certificate is the higher level of certification, above the PRINCE2 Foundation. As a result, the number of people certified in PRINCE2 Practitioner is significantly lower then the PRINCE2 Foundation.
Scope
The Practitioner certification is about a deep understanding of PRINCE2, and being able to tailor and implement it in a project.
Prerequisites
You need to have at least one of the following certificates before taking the Practitioner exam:
- PRINCE2 Foundation
- 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)
In addition to that, you also need to take an accredited course.
Preparation
Most candidates prepare for the exam with 15 to 30 hours of study. Standard classroom courses are supposed to be three days, but most providers do it in two days instead, to lower costs. Those who prefer to take eLearning courses do not have the constraints of classroom courses and usually prefer to spend more time studying to increase their chances of success, and their score in the exam.
It’s also common to have “combo” courses of 5 days, or sometimes 4 days, to cover both Foundation and Practitioner levels. Although, many candidates find it overwhelming.
You can use any accredited training course to prepare for the exam. There are a few providers in Belgium, and you also have the option to take eLearning courses (such as this one).
Cost
The whole process of learning and taking the exam costs between ~500 and ~2500, depending on your choices. More information is available in the self-study and accredited courses pages.
Exam format
The exam can be taken online or on paper. These days, most exams are taken online. Online exams are invigilated.
There are 80 multiple-choice questions in the exam and no penalty for wrong answers. You have 2.5 hours to answer the questions, and since our mother tongue is not English, we get 38 minutes extra (~3 hours in total). The passing score is 55%.
The exam is open-book (only the official manual).
Language
Besides English, the exam is also available in all Belgian official languages: Dutch, French, and German.
Certificate
When taking online exams, the result would be available immediately after the exam. If you’ve passed, your digital certificate will be available in a couple of days. You also have the option to pay extra and order a printed version, but not many people opt-in to do so.
Renewal
The Practitioner certificate is valid for 3 years. You have two options to renew your certificate:
- take a “re-registration” exam, or
- become a member and take part in the continuous development program of AXELOS.