PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam Preparation

PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam Preparation

AXELOS PRINCE2® – Project Management Practitioner certification badge

Practitioner requires you not only to understand the base theory of PRINCE2 but how it can be used and tailored in different circumstances. 

The PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is always based on a case study (Scenario). Take note of what is to be produced by the project or stage and what is not, otherwise, you may answer incorrectly.

TIP: Always use a process of elimination technique first and foremost, and always answer it from a PRINCE2 perspective and not what is happening at your workplace.

Like all examinations, PRINCE2 needs you to have a clear understanding of the topic and syllabus, so reference the Practitioner Exam Syllabus.

Tabbing your manual

If you have access to a hard-copy manual, this preparation work is designed to help you understand what is important and encourages you to use your manual to locate the information rather than educated guesswork.

It is also a good idea to capture the answers (by highlighting or making notes) in your PRINCE2 manual, which can be used during your examination.

You should label or “TAB” your manual to suit your style of learning to enable you to rapidly move to the correct area of the guide when answering questions. However, the manual is already ‘tabbed ‘along its edge, so locating information is relatively easy.

Avoid being ‘over-enthusiastic’ with your tabs. As a minimum, reference the:

  • The start of the Themes (Chapter 5)
  • The start of the Processes (Chapter 13)
  • Appendix A – Management products
  • Appendix C – Roles & responsibilities to supplement the Organization theme

Getting to these sections soon will allow you to maneuver around the text and check any other ‘excellent points’.

Each question will be specific to an area of PRINCE2 so when starting a question, it is good practice to open the PRINCE2 guide at the start of the relevant chapter, which achieves two things:

  1. You will be in the correct place, usually to cross-reference information.
  2. You will be much more focussed on your question answering.

Key Words

Mastering the use of keywords raises the likelihood of a better exam results.

It is important to make note of KEYWORDS in your manual. Keywords are words or phrases that target the information around a specific PRINCE2 topic.

Keywords or phrases aren’t just randomly placed into the PRINCE2 manual. You will find that the same keywords or phrases on a topic are used throughout the manual to integrate the methodology. The strength of PRINCE2 is the way in which everything is integrated: the principles are integrated with the seven themes, which are integrated with one another. A logical thread runs through each theme and is amplified in the process activities. The seven processes address the chronological flow of the project, with actions relating to different themes mixed together.

Therefore, understanding the ‘right’ keywords will help you search for information more quickly and will result in you choosing the right (rather than wrong answers) in your exam.

Expand the tabs below to view information regarding keywords

The following keywords are relevant to the ‘project product description’

  • acceptance criteria
  • acceptance methods
  • acceptance responsibilities

Therefore the following are key words to look out for that indicates there is a reference to the ‘project product description’

  • acceptable
  • acceptance

Valuable references in your PRINCE2 manual:

  • Appendix A.21, pg 322-323
  • Appendix D, Table D.1,
  • Figure 8.1 – quality audit trail, pg 81

‘Sign off’ or ‘decide’ means approval or authorization that is performed by the project board during the directing a project process.

Watch out for the word ‘approach’

It may refer to the:

  • Project approach
  • Benefits management approach
  • Risk management approach
  • Quality management approach
  • Change control approach
  • Communication management approach
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