Showing posts with label PRINCE2 Practitioner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PRINCE2 Practitioner. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The PRINCE2 Practitioner Open-Book Exam: General Tips

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The PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is an open-book format which enables those taking the exam to access Book(s) prescribed by Axelos.

PRINCE2 Practitioner Examination format
·         Objective testing
·         8 questions - 10 question items per question, each worth one mark
·         44 marks or more required to pass (out of 80 available) - 55%
·         Two-and-a-half hours (150 minutes) duration, no additional reading time
·         Open-book exam (official PRINCE2 manual only)


Open-Book -General Tips

Open-book – is in support and not as main ‘source’
It’s easy to be misled that answers are inserted in the book and all one has to do open and everything will unfold.  Progress is based on preparation. So an unprepared attempt relying on the open-book completely will expectedly make no headway as the exam is not about rote learning or remembering and recalling answers. In a scenario-based exam, the challenge lies in applying the learning in the given context for which the open-book can serve as ‘aid’ and can never replace the hard hours bunt to bridge the knowledge gap. So open-book serves more as pointers and reference and surely not the study-material during the exam.

Well-versed with core concepts and subject matter
The recommendation is to become conversant with core concepts like reading the back of your palm. How else you would able to know what lies where. In the pile of information, searching for the reference to the untrained eye is like being blindsided. The open-book will act as a guide in offering direction to look for material that can be useful while attempting on the answers. The more conversant, the easier it is to track and trace, which saves you time to spare while attempting the hard questions. Besides, you can check and confirm the probable answer by verifying the open-book, provided the answers were known prior and not by chance or second-guess.

Read, and read again the question
If you can’t get it in the first read, try again. The instinct is to eyeball or examine hastily the exam paper to run through all the questions. Understanding the question is the key in answering, and scenarios, in particular, poses the need to read the finer details for better grasp and reach. It is very much possible to miss out on some information or become confused. Enhance your comprehension.

Engage. The exam is not extempore effort
Participation without prior preparation results in poor performance. Exceptions aside, it will be ill-advised to attempt an exam without the groundwork and grooming. One has to engage with the exam planning and readiness to clear the exam in the first attempt. There are mock exams, study aids available, and sample papers similar to that of the final exam. Attempt as many to empower with the relevant knowledge and understanding so as to acquaint and anticipate. It’s never extempore.

Don’t overestimate or oversimplify
The confident mind can feel supremely strong and takes it easy and consequnetly, complacent. It is not the same as being cool before an exam. A sense of caution is expected than fear or foreboding, at the same time lethargic and laidback attitude will not take you far. Human, by nature, assume the worst and hence overestimate – which impedes progress and success. Open-book, as stated above, is again reiterated not to be interpreted as book of answers. This might make the 'smarts' ones to oversimplify  or the 'unprepared' fraught with exam fear to overestimate. Attempt on its merit.

DOs and Don’ts

DOs
  • You are allowed the access of the Axelos-approved manual. You can mark or add handwritten notes on the manual that can be referred. You can also use post-it notes for identifying sections or jumpstart to a page.
  • You have to validate the admission of the referenced book by clearly by presenting to the webcam. Open-Book should be emptied of any material concealed intentionally or inadvertently.
  • You need to open the book and flip pages in front of the camera to ascertain about hidden notes or papers.
  • You can take the exam from an authorized examination center or your training provider or online. In case, you are doing it online from a place of your choice, ensure complete compliance.


Don’ts
  • You cannot attach or affix any sheet or papers other than the allowed ‘book’.  Any inserts or attachments or pullout that violates the rules and guidelines will disqualify your candidature.
  • You cannot have hidden notes inside the book, and hence a prerequisite that the ‘Open-book’ should be subject to inspection of the web camera before the start of exam.
  • You cannot use any additional information, like sheets or papers other than the book


You can always call on us to clarify any doubts or queries about PRINCE2 exams. For contact information, please click the link http://www.icertglobal.com/contact-us or visit our website www.icertglobal.com

Monday, June 6, 2016

PRINCE2 PRACTITIONER QUESTION PAPER PATTERNS




If you have  PRINCE2 Foundation certification, then the calling is to commit to the next level and complete - The PRINCE2 Practitioner certification.

As a PRINCE2 Practitioner certified professional, you are empowered with the knowledge and understanding in applying your learning to a real-time situation or scenario, and expected to lead and manage projects in an environment that supports PRINCE2.


Prerequisites

The prerequisite to appear for the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination, as stated by the governing body Axelos, is to possess a ‘proof of passing’ from one of the following:
  • PRINCE2 Foundation
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) 
  • Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) 
  • 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) 


Exam Format

The exam format is as follows:
  • Objective testing
  • 8 questions - 10 question items per question, each worth one mark
  • 44 marks or more required to pass (out of 80 available) - 55%
  • Two-and-a-half hours (150 minutes) duration, no additional reading time
  • Open book exam (official PRINCE2 manual only).



 PRINCE2 PRACTITIONER QUESTION PAPER PATTERNS

Please note that this exam is available for participants registered Accredited Training Organization.

Sample Paper
Having completed the certification course, it is strongly recommended that you try the ‘free Sample PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam’, offered by Axelos. This will present an overview and help you become familiar with the exam pattern, type of questions, severity of questions and so on. It arms with you awareness and helps you to prepare with a sense of anticipation. You have the option to take the test soon after completing the course to assess you own level of understanding and knowledge transfer or you can prepare prior to the test to get a first-hand evaluation of your own competence in cracking the exam.

Objective Test
The objective test will vary slightly from the usual objective answers, wherein, one correct answer needs to be selected. PRINCE2 Foundation follows this pattern of answering. However, in PRINCE2 Practitioner, there might be questions that may have more than 1 correct answer, and hence be informed about this departure from the tradition ‘objective answers’.

Knowledge Areas
There will be eighty questions in all and each carry 1 mark. You have to score a minimum 44 to clear the certification exam, which is 55%.  The question will be posed from knowledge areas and hence it’s imperative that you cover all topics and become conversant with the syllabus areas.
The PRINCE2 Syllabus contains 15 defined syllabus areas covering each of the seven themes, each of the seven processes and an overview area also covering the principles and tailoring PRINCE2 to a project environment.
Within the Practitioner Examination, there will be 6 “theme” questions, each testing one of the 7 themes, and 2 “process group” questions, which will test 2 of the 3 groups of processes as identified below.
Each of the eight questions will test a minimum of 2 syllabus topics from within the syllabus area.
Syllabus Area
  • Business Case theme
  • Organization theme
  • Quality theme
  • Plans theme
  • Risk theme
  • Change theme
  • Progress theme
  • Starting up a Project and Initiating a Project Processes
  • Directing a Project, Managing a Stage Boundary and Closing a Project Processes
  • Controlling a Stage and Managing Product Delivery Processes


Open Book
Within each question the syllabus area to which the question refers is clearly stated.
The exam is to be taken with the support of the PRINCE2 Manual only. Remember, you cannot use any other book or resource, that is i.e. no material other than the Question Booklet, the Scenario Booklet, the Answer Booklet and the PRINCE2 Manual is to be used and ‘Open Book’ conditions as have to be complied. We will discuss about open book more in detail as a blog post.
Types of Questions
You can expect the 80 question posed in the certification exam. And they are presented in 5 different formats as detailed below.
Classic Multiple Choice Questions: the typical objective-type question wherein you need to select a right answer from the given choices
Multiple Response: you have to select 2 options from the list of 5 options. This marks the exception in the pattern by prompting for more than 1 answer.
Matching: the options on the left column need to be mapped to the correct answer in the right. Please note that there is only one match and there are possibilities of multiple matches. Meaning for 5 options on the left column, it is entirely possible that option 1, 2 and 3 can have the same mapping on the right column.
Sequencing: ‘position events in a sequence’. You need to answer the options like stacking in a sequence.
Assertion/Reason:  You need to evaluate two statements a (an assertion and a reason) and confirm if they either, or both or neither with the help of reasons detailed in the question.

Capturing the Answer
In the answer leaflet, make sure the oval shapes are completely filled with PENCIL only. You have 150 minutes to answer questions. Hence your time management and answering ways should be 100% fill. Its an electronic submission and correction and hence filling the oval shapes that you find as the correct answer should be neatly and completely is the compelling factor. Failure in doing so may result in the making the answer null and void as system will be unable to ‘read’.