Here is a list of sample questions that you might find in the Prince2 examinations.

Prince2 Foundation Level

1. In PRINCE 2 what is the name of the product which is used to define the information which justifies the setting up, continuation or termination of the Project?

a) Project Initiation Document 

b) Business Case 

c) End Stage Approval 

d) Project Brief 

e) Project Mandate 

1. Why does PRINCE 2 suggest that a Feasibility Study be run as a separate Project?

a) Each option would have a different project plan, business case and set of risks 

b) Management may decide not to continue after the Feasibility Study 

c) It would over-complicate the Project 

d) PRINCE 2 cannot handle multiple options 

e) A Feasibility Study cannot be part of a programme 

3. Which role does PRINCE 2 suggest canvas the Project Board for agreement to implement a Project Issue?

a) Project Manager 

b) Project Assurance 

c) Senior User 

d) Project Issue Author 

e) Executive 

4. Fill in the missing phrase from “ a Project is a Management environment that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according

to ……”

a) The Customer’s Needs 

b) An Agreed Contract 

c) The Project Plan 

d) A Specified Business Need 

5. Who is appointed in the first sub-process of SU (Starting Up a Project)

a) The Executive 

b) The Project Manager 

c) Both of the above 

d) The Project Board 

e) The Project Management Team 

6. When is a Stage deemed to be in exception?

a) When Project tolerances have been exceeded 

b) When Stage tolerances have been exceeded 

c) As soon as a Request For Change or Off-Specification has been received 

d) As soon as current forecasts for the end of the Stage deviate beyond the delegated tolerance bounds 

7. Which statement is NOT a fundamental principle of “Closing a Project”?

a) A clear end to a Project provides a useful opportunity to take stock of achievements 

b) A clear end to a Project provides an opportunity to ensure that all unachieved goals and objectives are identified 

c) A clear end to a Project provides the opportunity to evaluate achievement of all the expected benefits 

d) A clear end to a Project is always more successful than the natural tendency to drift into operational Management 

8. What is another term for “deliverable”?

a) Item 

b) Package 

c) Product 

d) Component 

9. Which of these items does NOT involve the Project Board?

a) Mid Stage Assessment 

b) Highlight Reports 

c) Project Closure 

d) Work Package Authorisation 

10. What name is given to the permissible deviation from a plan allowed without

immediate reporting to the Project Board?

a) Allowance 

b) Contingency 

c) Concession 

d) Tolerance 

11. What other control is closely linked with Configuration Management?

a) Risk Management 

b) Project Closure 

c) Change Control 

d) Quality Review 

e) Project Initiation 

12. Which of these processes does NOT trigger the Planning (PL) process?

a) Starting Up a Project (SU) 

b) Initiation a Project (IP) 

c) Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) 

d) Controlling a Stage (CS) 

13. In a Product Breakdown Structure what category of product is a Highlight Report?

a) Quality 

b) Specialist 

c) Technical 

d) Management 

14. If, after a Quality Review Follow-up Action, an error is still not resolved, what action should be taken?

a) An Exception Report is made 

b) A Project Issue is raised 

c) An Exception Memo is raised 

d) The review is reconvened 

15. Which of the following is NOT a PRINCE 2 definition of a Project?

a) Has a finite and defined life span 

b) Produces defined and measurable business products 

c) Uses a defined amount of resources 

d) Uses a defined set of techniques 

e) Has an organisation structure 

16. Which of the following is a key feature of PRINCE 2?

a) Its emphasis on Risk Management 

b) Focus on business justification 

c) Application of specialised techniques 

d) Parallel with technical Stages 

17. Which element of PRINCE 2 tells the Project Manager where a product is, what its status is and who is working on it?

a) Work Package 

b) Product Description 

c) Checkpoint Report 

d) Configuration Management 

e) Stage Plan 

18. In “Closing a Project” (CP) the project files are archived. What is the explanation given for this?

a) To provide useful lessons to future projects 

b) Never throw anything away. 

c) This material may be needed by Programme Management 

d) To permit any future audit of the project’s actions 

19. Which of the following statements is FALSE? Project Managers using PRINCE 2 are able to …

a) Establish terms of reference as a prerequisite to the start of the Project 

b) Use a defined structure for delegation, authority and communication 

c) Divide the Project into manageable Stages for more accurate planning 

d) Ensure resource commitment from Management is part of any approval to proceed 

e) Provide brief reports to Management at regular meetings 

20. Which of these in NOT a valid Risk Management action?

a) Prevention 

b) Denial 

c) Reduction 

d) Transference 

e) Contingency 

21. Which one of these is NOT a PRINCE Component?

a) Planning 

b) Stages 

c) Work Package 

d) Configuration Management 

22. Which document lists the major products of a plan with their key delivery dates?

a) Product Outline 

b) Product Description 

c) Product Breakdown Structure 

d) Checkpoint Report 

e) Product Checklist 

23. The question “How will I know when work on this product is finished as opposed to stopped?” performs what function?

a) Tests the setting of Quality Criteria 

b) Triggers a change of status in Configuration Management 

c) Triggers a Quality Review 

d) Triggers the return of a Work Package 

24. Which part of a Product Life Cycle is not part of a Project Life Cycle in the eyes of PRINCE 2?

a) The change-over to operational use of the product 

b) Assessment of the value of the product after a period of use 

c) The specification of the product 

d) Finalisation of the business case 

25. Whose specific responsibility is it to promote and maintain focus on the desired Project outcome?

a) The Executive 

b) The Senior User 

c) The Project Manager 

d) The Senior Supplier 

e) Project Assurance 

f) Quality Assurance 

26. Which of these statements is FALSE?

a) The Project Plan is an overview of the total Project. 

b) For each Stage identified in the Project Plan, a Stage Plan is required. 

c) An Exception Plan needs the approval of the Project Board. 

d) At least one Team Plan is needed for every Team Manager/Leader. 

27. Which of the following statements is FALSE?

a) Customer quality expectations should be discovered in the process “Starting Up a Project” 

b) A company’s QMS becomes part of PRINCE 2 

c) PRINCE 2 may form part of a company’s QMS 

d) Quality Assurance is defined in the corporate quality policy 

e) The Stage Plan describes in detail how the Project Plan will be carried out 

28. Which one of these statements describes the true purpose of Acceptance Criteria?

a) A justification for undertaking the Project based on estimated costs and anticipated benefits. 

b) A measurable definition of what must be done for the final product to be acceptable to the Customer. 

c) To provide a full and firm foundation for the initiation of a Project. 

d) To trigger Starting up a Project. 

29. How often does PRINCE 2 recommend that open Project Issues should be reviewed?

a) At End Stage Assessments 

b) Weekly 

c) At Mid Stage Assessments 

d) At Checkpoint Meetings 

e) On a regular basis 

30. What other product is reviewed and updated at the end of each Stage apart from the Business Case and Project Plan?

a) The Issue Log 

b) The Quality Log 

c) The Risk Log 

d) Tolerance margins 

31. Why is a copy of the Project Issue always returned to the author?

a) The author owns it. 

b) To acknowledge its receipt and entry into the system. 

c) To elicit further information. 

d) To notify rejection of the Issue. 

32. Which product covers “all the benefits which can be assessed at this time”?

a) Post Implementation Review 

b) Post Implementation Review Plan 

c) End Project Report 

d) Follow-on Action Recommendations 

33. Which of these statements is FALSE?

a) A PRINCE Project has a finite life span 

b) A PRINCE Project has a defined amount of resources 

c) A PRINCE Project may have only activities, i.e. no products 

d) A PRINCE Project has an organisation structure with defined responsibilities, to manage the Project 

34. The person best situated to keep an eye on a Risk is called its …?

a) Supporter 

b) Monitor 

c) Owner 

d) Custodian 

e) Executive 

35. Which document reviews actual achievements against the Project Initiation Document?

a) End Project Report 

b) Post Implementation Review 

c) Lessons Learned Report 

d) Follow-On Action Recommendations 

36. In PRINCE all potential changes are dealt with as …?

a) Configuration items 

b) Requests For Change 

c) Project Issues 

d) Exception Reports 

e) Action items 

37. Which one of these is NOT a key criteria for producing a Product Flow Diagram?

a) Are the products clearly and unambiguously defined? 

b) On what other products is each product dependent? 

c) Is any product dependant on a product outside the scope of this plan? 

d) Which products can be developed in parallel? 

38. For a Quality Review, when are suitable reviewers selected?

a) When the product is passed to Configuration Management 

b) In the Project Quality Plan 

c) During the QR Preparation step 

d) In planning the relevant Stage 

39. The existence of what product is checked in “Starting Up a Project” and its initial version finalised in “Initiating a Project”?

a) The Project Mandate 

b) The Project Plan 

c) The Project Brief 

d) The Business Case 

40. Which does PRINCE regard as the third Project interest, given User and Supplier as the other two?

a) Technical 

b) Management 

c) Business 

d) Quality 

41. Which of the following reasons for NOT planning a Project in detail at the start is FALSE?

a) A changing or uncertain environment 

b) A prince requirement 

c) Difficulty in predicting business conditions in the future 

d) Difficulty in predicting resource availability well into the future 

42. In which process is the Project Brief formalised?

a) Starting Up a Project 

b) Initiating a Project 

c) Authorising Initiation 

d) Authorising a Project 

43. When should a Product Description be baselined?

a) As soon as it is available in draft form 

b) When the associated product has passed its quality check 

c) When the plan containing its creation is baselined 

d) As soon as it is written 

44. A typical Exception Plan covers what period?

a) From the problem to the end of the Project 

b) From the problem to the end of the Stage 

c) The solution of the problem 

d) The work needed to put the Project back within its tolerances 

e) The time needed to produce an Exception Report 

45. Stage boundaries may be chosen according to a number of parameters. Which one of the following is NOT one of the parameters?

a) The availability of specific resources 

b) The sequence and delivery of the products 

c) The grouping of products into self-consistent sets 

d) The natural decision points for feedback and review 

46. The initial Project Plan is based on the Project Brief, the Project Quality Plan and which other product?

a) The Project Approach 

b) The Project Initiation Document 

c) The Project start-up notification 

d) The Project Mandate 

47. Which document describes a failing of a product to meet the customer’s requirements?

a) Exception Report 

b) Off-Specification 

c) Follow-On Action Recommendations 

d) Issue Log 

e) Highlight Report 

a) Project Manager 

b) Team Manager 

c) Team member 

d) Project Board 

49. “Controlling a Stage” drives which other process on a frequent, iterative basis?

a) Managing Stage Boundaries 

b) Ad Hoc Direction 

c) Managing Product Delivery 

d) Planning 

50. Which statement from the following list is the principle behind authorising initiation, the first process in “Directing a Project”?

a) The Programme Board should always agree the go-ahead at every End Stage Assessment 

b) No-one should commit to large expenditure on the Project before verifying that it is sensible to do so 

c) The Project Manager must be appointed 

d) Senior Managers like to be asked for their approval before the launch of anything 

51. What are defined as “partitions of the project with decision points”?

a) Work Packages 

b) Product Descriptions 

c) Quality Reviews 

d) Stages 

52. In which lower level process of “Controlling a Stage” is the Risk Log updated?

a) Authorising Work Package 

b) Assessing Progress 

c) Capturing Project Issues 

d) Examining Project Issues 

53. If a question arises on why a particular product was changed, which element of PRINCE 2 would be of most help in finding the information?

a) Issue Log 

b) Quality Log 

c) Configuration Management 

d) Change Control 

54. In which sub-process is a Stage Plan updated with actuals?

a) Assessing Progress 

b) Reviewing Stage Status 

c) Planning a Stage 

d) Reporting Highlights 

55. In which sub-process are Checkpoint Reports created?

a) Executing a Work Package 

b) Assessing Progress 

c) Reporting Highlights 

d) Reviewing Stage Status 

56. The decision on whether a Project’s solution will be contracted to third parties is made in which product?

a) The Project Plan 

b) The Project Approach 

c) The Project Brief 

d) The Project Quality Plan 

57. The process, “Directing a Project” begins when?

a) At the beginning of “Starting up a Project” 

b) After the start-up of the project 

c) At the end of the Initiation Stage 

d) Before start-up of the project 

58. Apart from “Initiating a Project” in which process is the Business Case updated?

a) Managing Product Delivery 

b) Controlling a Stage 

c) Managing Stage Boundaries 

d) Authorising a Stage 

59. In the Planning process which product may impact on the number of stages and plan levels required?

a) Project Plan 

b) Project Approach 

c) Project Initiation Document 

d) Project Quality Plan 

e) Product Breakdown Structure 

60. In the PRINCE project filing technique, how many major types of file are recommended?

a) One for each Stage 

b) Three 

c) Just the Quality File 

d) One per Project Issue 

61. In a Quality Review which role does PRINCE 2 suggest must ensure that all reviewers are provided with the relevant review products?

a) Producer 

b) Scribe 

c) Review Chairman 

d) Configuration Librarian 

e) Project Assurance 

62. Which of these is mandatory in a PRINCE project?

a) The use of Team Managers 

b) The use of Exception Plans 

c) The use of Stages 

d) The use of Quality Reviews 

63. How many types of risk does PRINCE identify?

a) Financial and Technical 

b) Customer and Supplier 

c) Business and Project 

d) Analysis and Management 

64. What function creates, maintains and monitors the use of a Quality System?

a) Project Support 

b) Quality Planning 

c) Quality Control 

d) Quality Assurance 

e) The Project Assurance Team 

65. Which is an UNTRUE purpose of Configuration Management?

a) To identify products 

b) To create products 

c) To track products 

d) To protect products 

66. Which step is NOT part of “Accepting a Work Package”?

a) Understand the reporting requirements 

b) Agree tolerance margins for the work package 

c) Monitor and control the risks associated with the work package 

d) Produce a team plan which shows that the work package can be completed within the constraints 

67. Which process provides the information needed for the Project Board to assess the continuing viability of the project?

a) Starting up a Project 

b) Closing a Project 

c) Planning 

d) Managing Stage Boundaries 

68. In which process are choices made about planning tools and estimating methods?

a) Starting up a Project 

b) Initiating a Project 

c) Managing Stage Boundaries 

d) Planning 

69. In which process are decisions made on exception situations?

a) Managing Stage Boundaries 

b) Controlling a Stage 

c) Directing a Project 

d) Managing Product Delivery 

70. In which process are checks made for changes to the Project Management Team?

a) Starting up a Project 

b) Managing Stage Boundaries 

c) Closing a Project 

d) Directing a Project 

71. From the products listed, which one is produced during ‘Starting Up a Project’?

a) The Project Initiation Document 

b) The Project Plan 

c) The Project Quality Plan 

d) The Project Approach 

e) Project Filing Structure 

72. Quality responsibilities, both within and external to the project, are defined in which process?

a) Initiating a Project 

b) Starting up a Project 

c) Managing Stage Boundaries 

d) Directing a Project 

73. Approval for the completed products is obtained as part of which process?

a) Closing a Project 

b) Managing Product Delivery 

c) Managing Stage Boundaries 

d) Controlling a Stage 

74. An Exception Report is produced in which sub-process?

a) Taking Corrective Action 

b) Reviewing Stage Status 

c) Escalating Project Issues 

d) Reporting Highlights 

75. Which is the missing section of the suggested Project File, if the others are Organisation, Plans, Business Case and Control?

a) Correspondence 

b) Daily Log 

c) Risk Log 

d) Issue Log 

Post by IBI

Prince2 Practitioner Level