In exactly one month, I will start a 5-day training course that will lead to me taking the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam. To those of you who already hold the certification, I could use a few pointers in my preparation, specifically:
- The official site states the exam is "in the "Objective Testing" format, a style of complex multiple-choice examination": I have no idea what that means, could anyone provide some kind of example?
- Does anyone know of a decent exam simulator or website with sample questions where I could train?
- Any other kind of tips, or stories about your own experience in taking the exam, would be much appreciated.
So I had my training and exams last week, and in proper PRINCE2 tradition, I thought I'd transfer my Lessons Learned to anyone who might be interested.
First, let my start with my conclusions: in a nutshell, the Foundation exam is too easy, and the Practitioner too difficult.
Why? In the Foundation exam, you are given 60 minutes to answer 75 questions in a straightforward, multiple choice format. That's a little less than 50 seconds per question, which is more than enough since the questions are all about knowledge of the PRINCE2 manual, which will be readily available in your immediate memory thanks to the 35 hours of training you need to take before the exam, plus reading the book and taking sample tests beforehand. As a point of reference, I walked out of the exam room with 20 minutes to spare, and scored 63 points.
Now, the Practitioner exam. You have 2 and a half hours to tackle 9 domains of 12 questions each, based on a case study given to you along with the exam paper. That is *short* - 108 questions in 150 minutes, that's about 43 seconds per question NOT counting the time needed to read the case study. And since this exam is targeted at evaluating your understanding of the philosophy of PRINCE2, you cannot rely on your memory alone. You actually have to think about and reach a correct conclusion for each and every question. Granted, some are more obvious than others, but some are downright twisted. I just barely managed to answer all the questions and finish on time (with 0 seconds to spare on the counter), but I spent the whole exam in such a rush that I honestly can't remember what the questions were nor what I answered. Herein lies the difficulty, and in my opinion the paradox: if the goal is to test the examinee's understanding of the concepts and applications of PRINCE2, why not give more time so it's not such a race against the clock, but raise the passing grade (which stands at a low 55%) to something that actually reflects proficiency with the methodology and cannot be achieved by a mix of basic knowledge and good old fashioned luck?
Difficulty notwithstanding, it was an incredibly intense and fun week, and a good occasion to share with other project managers from different horizons, who nevertheless were experiencing the same problems and frustrations in their job - it helps to know you're not alone :)
Anyway, I am now waiting for the results from the APMG, which I hope to get before Christmas. I am given to understand that there are a limited number of exam papers, which is why the APMG is so keen on keeping a lid on sample exams. If it rings a bell to anyone, my test was on the Travelways case study. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Julien,
I couldn't agree more. Practitioner paper is a rush for me too and I only managed to complete 7 out of 9 domains that is equivalent to around 84 out of 108 questions answered. I am not sure what you feel, but to me, it is more of a test on grammar and logic (AND, OR, MUST, CAN etc.) than on PRINCE2 theory. Even if you know the theory well, you need to have a very clear mind to interpret the questions before you can pick the answer correctly. As you have said, they are kind of tricky too. Saving Changes...
Just a little update: as you can gather from the two shiny new gantthead badges-- sorry! I meant PM.com badges, my ATO contacted me with the results of the PRINCE2 exams. With scores of 63 for Foundation, and 85 for Practitioner, I feel pretty good about myself right now :)
I guess the remaining question is "what's next?" A job that started as an interesting challenge about two years ago now makes me feel like Sisyphus, and to quote Albert Camus in his essay regarding this particular myth, "there is no punishment more unbearable than work both useless and hopeless." So, what do certified P2Ps do to make the most of their hard-earned credentials? Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Congrats Julien. Hope you find good use for the new 'hard-earned' title plate. Saving Changes...
Linda ZinnDirector, Enterprise Project Management Office| FlightSafety InternationalRutherford, Nj, United States
Hi everyone!
I realize this is an old thread but was wondering if there are any new suggestions for Practitioner study guides. I'm taking a combo course from The Knowledge Academy but the material for the Practitioner portion is a series of exercises and not really instruction. Looking for something to augment my study other than the manual. I did well on the Foundation exam (97%) but based on the Practitioner course exercises I feel like I need a lot more prep to do well on the exam.
