PRINCE2 exams

Learn more about PRINCE2 exams (PRINCE2 Foundation or Practitioner exams) and gaining PRINCE2 certification.

12 facts about PRINCE2 exams

1. 1996 – The first PRINCE2 exam was sat.
2. 2012 – The 1 millionth exam was sat.
3. 2019 – The 2 millionth exam was sat (* estimate based on data from PRINCE2 popularity).
4. More people have sat a PRINCE2 exam than any other project management exam anywhere in the world.
5. Approximately 2 PRINCE2 Foundation exams are taken for every 1 PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.
6. Approximately half of all PRINCE2 exams have been sat in the UK.
7. PRINCE2 exams have been sat in 20 languages.
8. UK national pass rates for PRINCE2 Foundation exam is 97%.
9. UK national pass rates for PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is 73%.
10. PRINCE2 exams can be sat online or in traditional paper format via an Accredited Training Provider (ATO).
11. PRINCE2 exam results are immediate (if taken online) or can take up to 3 days if taken in paper format with an ATO.
12. Students can use their PRINCE2 manual when sitting a PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.

PRINCE2 Foundation exam

8 facts about the PRINCE2 Foundation exam

1. 1996 – The first PRINCE2 Foundation exam was sat.
2. Over 1 million PRINCE2 Foundation exams have been sat worldwide since 1996.
3. Over half of all PRINCE2 Foundation exams have been sat in the UK.
4. PRINCE2 Foundation can be sat in 20 languages (note: only 8 languages for PRINCE2 6th edition).
5. UK national pass rates for PRINCE2 Foundation exam is 97%.
6. PRINCE2 Foundation exams can be sat online or in traditional paper format via an Accredited Training Provider (ATO).
7. PRINCE2 Foundation Exam results are immediate (if taken online) or can take up to 3 days if taken in paper format with an ATO.
8. Students cannot use their PRINCE2 manual when sitting a PRINCE2 Foundation exam.

PRINCE2 Foundation exam details

• Duration: 1-hour
• Questions: 60 multiple-choice
• Pass-mark: 55%
• Pass rate (UK): 97%
• Style: Closed book
• Pre-requisite: None

What it shows: Passing this exam shows that a candidate understands the terminology and key concepts of the PRINCE2 methodology. It also shows that a candidate can act as an informed member of a project management team using PRINCE2.

PRINCE2 Practitioner exam

7 facts about the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam

1. Approximately 650,000 PRINCE2 Practitioner exams have been sat worldwide since 1996.
2. Over half of all PRINCE2 Practitioner exams have been sat in the UK.
3. PRINCE2 Practitioner exams can be sat in 8 languages.
4. UK national pass rates for PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is 73%.
5. PRINCE2 Practitioner exams can be sat online or in traditional paper format via an Accredited Training Provider (ATO).
6. Exam results are immediate (if taken online) or can take up to 3 days if taken in paper format with an ATO.
7. Students can use their PRINCE2 manual when sitting a PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.

PRINCE2 Practitioner exam details

• Duration: 2.5-hours
• Questions: 68 multiple-choice
• Pass-mark: 55%
• Pass rate (UK): 73%
• Style: Open book (PRINCE2 manual allowed)

Pre-requisite: Any one of the following qualifications is a prerequisite for students before they can sit the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam (out of date certifications do not qualify):

• PRINCE2 Foundation
• PMI®Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®
• PMI® Project Management Professional (PMP)®
• 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 the UK, the equivalent qualification is the Association for Project Management (APM) Project Management Qualification (PMQ) certificate.

What it shows: Passing this exam shows that a candidate can apply PRINCE2 to a project within an environment supporting PRINCE2 and is able to tailor the PRINCE2 themes, processes and management products to a non-complex project.

PRINCE2 Agile® Foundation exam

• Duration: 1-hour
• Questions: 50 multiple-choice
• Pass-mark: 55%
• Pass rate (UK): Unknown
• Style: Closed book
• Pre-requisite: None

What it shows: Passing this exam shows that a candidate understands the PRINCE2 governance requirements clearly and comprehensively. It also shows that a candidate has a range of knowledge of agile concepts and techniques such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean Start-up and Cynefin.

PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner exam

• Duration: 2.5-hours
• Questions: 50 multiple-choice
• Pass-mark: 60%
• Pass rate (UK): Unknown
• Style: Open book (PRINCE2 Agile manual allowed)

Pre-requisite: Any one of the following qualifications is a prerequisite for students before they can sit the PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner exam (out of date certifications do not qualify):

• PRINCE2 Foundation
• PRINCE2 Agile Foundation
• PMI®Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®
• PMI® Project Management Professional (PMP)®
• 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 the UK, the equivalent qualification is the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) certificate.

What it shows: Passing this exam shows that a candidate can blend PRINCE2 structure, governance and control with agile methods, techniques and approaches on a non-complex project.