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Detailed information on the PRINCE2 update to PRINCE2 2009

Why did the APMG change the Prince2 exam format?

Reasons include:

• Reducing delays in delivering results to delegates, due to the popularity of PRINCE2 there are just too many candidates for the number of markers!
• Reducing costs associated with the labour intensive activity as marking essay exams
• Language-friendly assessment method, to become established within a new language there is a need for a number of expert markers with that language, this causes delays in conquering new markets
• Consistency of assessment, as the essay style exams are inherently subjective there was room for Prince2 exam results to vary depending on the marker, with objective examinations the marking is objective (the same for everyone).

Will the objective examination format raise or lower the PRINCE2 standards?

Actual standards will not be altered however there may initially be a perceived reduction in quality of the assessment procedure. The APMG may arrive with a new level of Prince2 certification that will evaluate people’s ability on actual projects in work environments.

Will there be a view from the project management community about those who have sat the long-answer (essay-style) exam as opposed to objective examination?

There is a perceived view that multiple choice (objective) exams are easier than essay style exams. Although this might not be a true reflection of the situation we expect that there will no doubt be a two-class system for the foreseeable future of those people who sat the ‘original Prince2 Practitioner exam’ and those who sat the ‘Multiple choice Prince2 Practitioner exam’

What feedback will be provided after the Prince2 examination about the results?

A feedback report will give the candidate advice as to how well they performed in the exam. We are unsure if feedback report will be provided to people who pass and people who fail the Prince2 exam – currently for long-answer (essay-style) exams only those who fail receive feedback, usually via the trainer.

If I am sitting the Prince2 Foundation multiple choice exam do I have to also sit the Prince2 Practitioner multiple choice exam – why not just have one exam?

Each Prince2 exam tests different levels of knowledge:

• The Prince2 Foundation level exam measures whether a candidate would be an informed member of a project management team on a project using the PRINCE2 method. To this end they need to show they understand the principles and terminology of the method.
• The Practitioner level exam is aimed to measure whether a candidate would be able to apply PRINCE2 to the running and managing of a project within an environment supporting PRINCE2. In addition to the Foundation qualification, they must show they can apply and tune PRINCE2 to address the needs and problems of a specific project scenario.

What are the implications of changing from sitting the essay-style to multiple choice examination?

We suggest that if you intend on sitting an objective Prince2 examination after receiving training geared towards the essay-style exam you seek additional training to give you the best opportunity to pass. It may, at first glance, look easy however objective exams are more difficult than they seem. There is a different approach to sitting the objective examinations, it includes understanding how the different questions work and understanding how to apply the PRINCE2 method to a scenario while extracting the correct information to answer a question.

What trials have been performed to verify the quality of the Prince2 exams?

The APMG have carried out trials across the country over the last few months and had numerous training days with all PRINCE2 certified trainers to take account of their input and feedback.

Will more or less people pass the Prince2 Practitioner exams now?

We have been told that there will not be a change in the number of people passing the Prince2 exams.

What will be the implications if the objective Prince2 examinations do not work?

Chaos. The world will come to an end. The project is being run by the APM Group – who certify people in PRINCE2, they have the best tools available to them. They are not performing an activity that has not been done before, the chances of failure are low and success is high – contact them if you are concerned that they will not work and log an issue in their issue log.

How long will it take to receive the Prince2 examination results?

It is anticipated that this may be approximately 6 – 8 weeks. However, this may shorten as time passes.

Will a Prince2 certificate still be issued upon successful completion of the Prince2 Practitioner exam?

Yes – the Prince2 certificates are not expected to change, they will be issued approximately 12 weeks after sitting the exam.

Will the Prince2 certificates for the objective examination look any different to the long-answer (essay-style) exam certificates?

There will be no change in the look of the Prince2 certificates.

Will the same Prince2 exam be used for each course or will there be a ‘database’ of questions that is randomly sampled from?

It is expected that there will be a database of questions (similar to the Prince2 Foundation exam) which are sourced randomly and make up the 9 questions.

Will there be a change in Prince2 course price for the new exams?

There will be no change in price, although Prince2 examinations are a large portion of the cost for an exam the additional cost of rewriting material and changing processes will not result in any decrease nor increase in price.

Until what date will I still be able to sit the essay style Prince2 examination?

You will have the option to sit the long-answer (essay) style Prince2 exam until the end of October 2007 at silicon beach training.

When will silicon beach training, offer the objective Prince2 examinations?

silicon beach training, will be offering the new Prince2 exam format from November and by January 1st 2008, all Accredited Training Organisations have to offer the objective examinations.

How long is the Prince2 exam? How long should be spent on each question?

The objective Prince2 exam will remain as 3 hours long, the number of separate questions will increase from 3 to 9 questions, each scheduled to take 20 minutes.

For more information see the question “What is the exact format of the Prince2 exam?”

What reading time is allowed with the new objective exams?

There will be no reading time allowed.

What can I take into an exam with the objective exam format?

Only the official OGC title: Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 can be taken into the exam. No written notes nor additional training provider material can be taken into the exam.

What will I be supplied with in the Prince2 exam?

You will receive a question booklet, an answer booklet and a pencil (including eraser).

What happens if I change my mind?

You can remove your mark on the answer booklet (using eraser) and then select your answer again.

Similar resources you may like

1. PRINCE2 Quiz
2. Download PRINCE2 Case Studies
3. PRINCE2 Training
4. PRINCE2 2009 update
5. Brief Overview of PRINCE2

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exam, examination, format, PRINCE2, PRINCE2 Foundation, PRINCE2 Practitioner

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This entry was posted by Alistair Wylie on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 2:14 pm and is filed under PRINCE2®. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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