PRINCE2® FAQs

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.

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

The latest edition of the PRINCE2 manual you will need for studying the PRINCE2 examinations is “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 - 2009 Edition”, if you are attending one of our PRINCE2 Foundation or PRINCE2 Combined courses you will get this course text free with the course.

If however you are not or require an additional copy of the text you can purchase one from the Quanta Bookshop.

A second PRINCE2 publication, “Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 – 2009 Edition” is also available from the Quanta Bookshop. There is currently no associated examination for this publication, and it is not needed to sit the PRINCE2 Foundation, Practitioner and Re-Registration exams although it can help with various aspects.

How long will it take to learn the PRINCE2 material?

How long is a piece of string?! Sadly this is very difficult to say as all candidates have different experience and amount of time on their hands, it really does vary from person to person. For all our PRINCE2 courses we recommend essential pre-course work and the more you can do before the course(s) the easier you will find them.

Will I still be able to take PRINCE2 2005 exams now that the PRINCE2 2009 exams are available?

Since the 6 July 2009 examinations based on the 2009 edition of the PRINCE2 manual have been available.

Exams based on the 2005 edition of the manual were retired on the 2 April 2010. Examinations taken from the 3 April 2010 are based on the 2009 edition of the manual only.

What is the structure of the PRINCE2 Examinations?

The best place for information on the format of the PRINCE2 exams is the official PRINCE2 site

For information on the Re-Registration Examination then please visit this section of the official PRINCE2 site

Please can you give me more details on 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 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 be taken at Quanta along with a refresher course on PRINCE2 and you will sit the examination at the end of this.

The PRINCE2 Re-Registration exam comprises of an exam paper set at the same standard as the Practitioner examination and is based on the 2009 PRINCE2 Manual.

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, which you can buy from the Quanta Bookshop.

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, since the retirement of the 2005 exams on 2 April 2010.

What are the results turn around time for the PRINCE2 Examinations?

Quanta will notify you of your results as soon as we can, this is roughly 2 - 3 weeks for Practitioner exam. 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.

When will I receive my PRINCE2 Certificate?

A Foundation Certificate will be dispatched to you approximately 2 weeks after you took the Foundation exam.

Practitioner Certificates will be dispatched 2 weeks after the Practitioner results have been released.

What are the pass marks for the different PRINCE2 examinations?

Pass marks for the PRINCE2 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.

How can I advertise myself as a PRINCE2 Registered Practitioner on my business card?

You sure can providing you have passed the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination.

Can I use the PRINCE2 logo?

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.

Which companies use PRINCE2?

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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