Prince2 exams

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  • Wyndham
    Wyndham Posts: 2,429
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    Smudger78 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I have three questions really:

    1. Given I am not a project manager and have limited experience (one large project) would it be worth me getting the qualification?

    2. Given the above experience how likely is it that I would be able to successfully complete and pass the course?

    3. If I did get the qualification what is the likelihood of it enabling me to get PM work either on a permanent or consultancy basis?


    Thanks


    Smudger

    1) If someone is offering to pick up the costs, I'd say 'go for it'. I don't know if they recommend complete beginners doing it, but I did it when I was still quite new to project management and passed it then (I had one big project too at that stage).

    2) It's not an easy exam, I'll tell you that. But, if you put in the pre course work, do the mock papers and work hard, you should do OK. When I did it there was one guy who had a PhD, who basically thought he could just sail through it - you can't, as his failure showed! And for me, a decent tutor who had years of experience was so useful.

    3) You may get work, you may not. If I were looking for a PM, then PRINCE2 would definately help, but I'd also be looking at experience.
  • Wyndham
    Wyndham Posts: 2,429
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    VfM4meplse wrote: »
    So my 2009 edition of "Prince2 for Dummies" is outdated?

    Only a little bit - it's more the details which have changed and it's not that it's suddenly a completly new thing. But I'm sure you wouldn't try to do the exam based on a dummies guide, would you? :)
  • Depending on where you are there is funding available for training through FE Colleges called ESF (European Social Fund) Response to Redundancy. It may be that your employer could pay for a different course and Prince2 could be funded this way. Just a thought as to how you could get even more training. Definitely go for Prince2 though, very useful even if its just on the CV!!
  • There's a lot of PRINCE2 training providers to choose from, some incredibly cheap and some incredibly expensive. If the course appears ridiculously cheap, then according to the old adage, it probably is. The cheaper providers must keep their costs down either by providing a low quality venue, inexperienced (and therefore cheaper) trainers, and by cramming lots of people into a classroom. They usually achieve this by doing all three of these things.
    It's not unheard of nowadays for the largest PRINCE2 providers to have up to 30 students in a class. That's no joke if you want to ask questions to your trainer - there simply isn't the opportunity to do so. I've heard that some of the larger providers even warn students against asking questions for this very reason. By all means choose a cheap course if you need to, but be aware of what you're letting yourself in for.
  • Yorkie1
    Yorkie1 Posts: 11,537
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  • bushman86
    bushman86 Posts: 2 Newbie
    edited 22 January 2013 at 3:31PM
    Hi all,

    I am new to the forum but would greatly appreciate some advice from people who have passed their Prince2 exams and are project management professionals.

    I am an Economics graduate (2.1; Top 10 Uni) who has been working for a FTSE100 company (engineering focused) for approximately 15 months in a projectsupport/junior project management role. I have worked on the full life cycle of two large scale projects and can demonstrate good hands on experience of: drafting project documentation; managing/administrating project risk registers andmaster issue lists; managing SharePoint;designing programmes of work using MS project.

    I am looking at my next role and want to know if it would be beneficial to take my Prince2 exams. Specifically should I go for the Foundation, Practitioner or both? My preference would be to move away from anengineering company to a Financial Services organisation.

    I am based in London and would also be keen to hear peoples recommendations for training companies based on their own experiences?

    Many thanks for any help in advance.
  • Can I suggest that 15 months is not that much experience within these areas as you stated you have done 2 project cycles in that time so have only gone through each phase twice. It would be worth studying Prince2 to Practitioner level for your CV to tick boxes in the application but experience is worth more.
  • Thanks saintjammy.
    I think it is worth stressing that I have only just started my career, but I know that I want to be a project manager.
    What I am interested in knowing is what exams I should take in order to maximise my employability going forward - so that I can build on my experience.
  • OK, sorry. Prince2 will be good on the CV and has good elements to use practically. Best for larger projects but can be tailored. Might be worth contacting SPOCE for local providers or contact your local FE College who will likely offer it.
  • OK, sorry. Prince2 will be good on the CV and has good elements to use practically. Best for larger projects but can be tailored.

    I would temper that slightly..... Prince2 is highly rated in the IT world, in the business world it is not as clear cut. For example, in a previous insurance company I worked for their strategy department (who acted like an internal consultancy or took on PMing of Exec projects) then a Prince2 qualification was seen as a point of concern and MBAs, ACCA etc were much more what they wanted. That isnt to say a project manager with it wouldnt get the job but they'd need to have called out dealing with unformed problems, CxO staff etc which dont lend themselves to the riggers that Prince2 demands
    bushman86 wrote:
    Specifically should I go for the Foundation, Practitioner or both?

    Unless it has changed recently, you cannot do the Practitioner until you pass the Foundation. Both are tested on the same material just one is more challenging an exam than the other.

    To be honest, go to Practitioner level, I only know a few that have stopped at foundation and those that did regretted it because doing one straight after the other (as most courses do) means you learn the material once. Breaking it up means you must do much more work to pass the Practitioner

    If you have had any real experience of a waterfall/ V project methodology then Prince2 is very simple. It is much more about learning their terminology/ notation than actually learning anything "new"
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