PRINCE2 Qualification Levels Explained

If you are someone who is thinking of expanding your career in the field of project management and want to get PRINCE2^® Certified, then you have come to the right place. Through the medium of this article, I will give you complete insights into the PRINCE2^® exam and its nitty-gritty.

PRINCE2^® Certification Levels

To be recognized as a full-fledged PRINCE2^® practitioner, you have to clear a few levels of examinations. While going through each of these examinations you will be tested in various aspects. These will help you in proving your credibility to lead and implement PRINCE2® projects successfully. Below are the various levels of examinations of PRINCE2^® Certification:

1. PRINCE2^® Foundation Exam
2. PRINCE2^® Practitioner Exam
3. PRINCE2^® Agile Exam

Now let’s focus on each of them one by one.

PRINCE2^® Foundation Exam

This is the basic level of PRINCE2 certification. This ensures that the certified person holds the required knowledge and understanding of the PRINCE2^® methodology to work effectively with the PRINCE2^® project management team. By getting PRINCE2^® certified, a person gains a better and improved skillset which eventually helps an organization in increasing its profit and revenues.

The main purpose of this examination is to ensure that the candidate is well versed in the principles and terminology of the PRINCE2^® methodology. Also, they should be able to:

• Elaborate the purpose and major contents of the 7 principles, themes, and processes along with all the roles.
• List the input and output products of the seven processes.
• Describe the main purpose and key contents of all the major project management products.
• Understand and explain the relationship between the project processes, deliverables, roles, and management dimensions.

I hope this gives you a clear idea about what is PRINCE2^® Foundation Exam and why people go for this. Lets now drill down a little further and find out the eligibility criteria, exam format, and fees required for this exam.

PRINCE2^® Exam Format – Foundation Level

PRINCE2^® Exam Eligibility Criteria – Foundation Level

The next question that arises is, who can go for this exam. In layman terms, there are no prerequisites for the PRINCE2^® Foundation Exam. But having a basic knowledge and understanding of managing projects will come in handy and simplify the further learning process.

PRINCE2^® Exam Fee – Foundation Level

The fees for PRINCE2^® Foundation Certification is generally made up of various elements such as the online exam fee, certificate hard copy, training fees, etc. But if we talk about just the Basic Exam Fee, it will cost you somewhere around 118 GBP (approx 10,200 INR).

PRINCE2^® Exam Languages – Foundation Level

You can take the exam in the following languages:

1. English
2. German
3. Danish
4. Dutch
5. Polish
6. French
7. Norwegian

I hope everything is clear to you now regarding the PRINCE2^® Foundation Certification, let’s now move to the next level of PRINCE2^® Certification i.e Practitioner.

PRINCE2^® Practitioner Exam

This level ensures that a candidate is capable of implementing the PRINCE2^® to execute and manage the non-complex projects within a PRINCE2^® supported environment. The main purpose of this examination is to ensure that the candidate is able to implement and tailor PRINCE2^® methodology to overcome the issues and needs presented in the given scenario. Also, they should be able to:

• Give a detailed explanation of all the seven principles, themes, and processes and implemented examples of all PRINCE2^® products.
• Demonstrate that they hold a proper understanding of the relationship among the principles, themes, processes and PRINCE2^® products.
• Prove that they know the underlying logic of the principles, themes, and processes of PRINCE2^® methodology along with the principles underpinning these elements.
• Confirm that they are capable of tailoring the PRINCE2^® methodology into different project circumstances.

This covers the basics of the PRINCE2^® Practitioner exam. Lets now drill down a little further and find out the eligibility criteria, exam format, and fees required for this PRINCE2^® exam.

PRINCE2^® Exam Format – Practitioner Level

PRINCE2^® Exam Eligibility Criteria – Practitioner Level

The next concern is, are you eligible for this exam? Since Practitioner certification is the advanced certification, there are few prerequisites, which will ensure that you are well versed with Project Management methodologies and principles. In order to appear for this exam, you need to bag at least one of the following certificates beforehand and submit it as proof of passing:

• 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)

NOTE: You must submit a certificate or letter from AXELOS or former Examination Institute confirming that you hold the current certification.

PRINCE2^® Exam Fee – Practitioner Level

The fees for PRINCE2^® Practitioner Certification is generally made up of various elements such as the online exam fee, certificate hard copy, training fees, etc. But if we talk about just the basic exam fee, it will cost you somewhere around 183 GBP (approx 15,745 INR).

PRINCE2^® Exam Languages – Practitioner Level

You can take the exam in the following languages:

1. English
2. German
3. Danish
4. Dutch
5. Polish
6. French
7. Norwegian

Difference between PRINCE2^® Foundation and Practitioner Certifications

The training for these two certifications often is bundled into a single package where you are prepared for both the certifications in one go. At Edureka we provide a structured training which is designed to help the aspiring professionals in earning PRINCE2^® Foundation and Practitioner Certifications in the 1st attempt. It will also help in obtaining a thorough understanding of 7 Principles, 7 Themes, and 7 Processes prescribed in the PRINCE2^® Certification curriculum.

Now that you are aware of the first two levels of PRINCE2^® certification, let me now explain the next step of this certification i.e PRINCE2 Agile^®.

PRINCE2 Agile^® Certification

PRINCE2 Agile^® is one of the best agile project management solution available in today’s market. This certification mainly focusses on the fundamental concepts and the main purpose of the integration of PRINCE2^® methodology with Agile methodology. The combination of two powerful methodologies adds flexibility to the project while making it more scalable and responsive. This methodology provides a defined structure, governance, and control over the project by implementing the agile, methods, concepts and techniques. This certification is further divided into two levels:

1. Foundation
2. Practitioner

Let’s now talk about each of them one by one.

PRINCE2 Agile^® Foundation 

This is the basic level which ensures that a candidate is capable of working as a well-informed member of an Agile project management team and holds a proper understanding of the working of PRINCE2^® methodology with the agile concepts. Also, they should be able to:

• Have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the PRINCE2^® governance requirements
• Obtain a comprehensive knowledge of agile concepts and techniques such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, etc.
• Understand the working of the interface between PRINCE2^® and Agile.

PRINCE2^® Exam Format – Agile Foundation

PRINCE2^® Exam Eligibility Criteria – Agile Foundation

The eligibility criteria remain the same as in the case of the PRINCE2^® Foundation. That means there are no prerequisites for the PRINCE2^® Agile Foundation Exam. But having a basic knowledge and understanding of managing projects in the Agile context will come in handy and simplify the further learning process.

PRINCE2^® Exam Language – Agile Foundation

This examination is currently available only in English.

Let me now give you a brief overview of the PRINCE2^® Agile Practitioner certification.

PRINCE2 Agile^® Practitioner

This certification exam ensures that the candidate is capable of implementing the agile methods to the execution and management of the PRINCE2^® projects. In order to clear this exam a candidate must be able to demonstrate that they can successfully apply and tailor the PRINCE2^® methodology in an agile context. Also, they should be able to:

• Have  a clear understanding of working of the agile ways
• Demonstrate the understanding of the purpose and context of integration of PRINCE2^® and the Agile
• Show that they are capable of fixing and flexing the six aspects of an Agile project
• Tailor the PRINCE2^® principles, themes, processes and management products into a project within an agile context

PRINCE2^® Exam Format – Agile Practitioner

PRINCE2^® Exam Eligibility Criteria – Agile Practitioner

In order to appear for this exam, you need to bag at least one of the following certificates beforehand and submit it as proof of passing:

• PRINCE2^® Foundation (or higher)
• PRINCE2 Agile^® Foundation
• Project Management Professional^® (PMP)
• Certified Associate in Project Management^® (CAPM)
• IPMA Levels A, B, C and D® (Certified Projects Director)

PRINCE2^® Exam Language – Agile Practitioner

This exam is currently available in the following 3 languages:

1. English
2. German
3. Polish

This brings us to the end of this article on PRINCE2^® Exam. Now, if this article has perked up your interest in getting PRINCE2^® certified, you can check out Edureka’s online training program for the PRINCE2 certification course. We provide structured training where you will be guided by PRINCE2^® Certified Trainers, who have years of experience in training.

Find out our PRINCE2 Training in Top Cities/Countries

If you have got any doubts, Feel free to leave them in comments. Once you are certified, do practice these PRINCE2 Interview questions to ace the job interview.

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