Choosing the right professional certification is a crucial decision to make as these professional certifications provide you with more career opportunities. There are a range of professional certifications to choose from but it’s always smart to opt for the one that aligns with your interests and skills.

Today, we are going to discuss Prince2 and PMP, the difference between both certifications and by the end of our article you would know which one is right for you!

Project management has cemented its place as one of the most promising career options in the IT industry. In the next 4 years, the industry is going to have a demand of 87.7 million job offers for PM focused roles.

What is a PRINCE2 certification?

PRINCE2 stands for Projects in Controlled Environments certification, it’s one of the most popular project management certifications. PRINCE2 is process oriented project management certification. This certification helps the employees deliver successful projects with various processes, templates and steps.

The framework for the PRINCE2 methodology includes various steps like start up, initiation, stage control, direction, product delivery management etc.

What are the benefits of PRINCE2 certification?

• The PRINCE2 certification process is an easy to understand and transparent method.
• Any project manager with a PRINCE2 certification can expect a better salary and job prospects.

PMP:

PMP or the “Project Management Professionals” is a very popular project management certification. It’s a knowledge-focused methodology. This certification relies on various skills and techniques that are required to deliver projects successfully.

What are the benefits of PMP certification?

• Employees with PMP certification can expect a rise of 20% in their salary
• A PMP certification represents your dedication towards improving your knowledge and skills.
• This certification teaches you important skills like leadership, communication, team management, time management, resource management, problem solving etc.

PMP VS PRINCE2

PRINCE2 certification focuses more on a prescriptive methodology while the PMP certification focuses mainly on descriptive methodology.

To earn your certification, you need to clear your PMP and PRINCE2 certification exam. PMP exam follows the mcq pattern where you are give 200 multiple choice questions from various areas like project execution, project planning, project closing skills, monitoring and controlling, project initiation etc.

The total duration of the PMP certification exam is 4 hours. The primary motive is to evaluate the experience of the candidates in various areas like quality management, change management, risk identification etc.

For the PRINCE2 foundation exam, you are give an hour to complete 75 mcq questions. After qualifying the PRINCE2 foundation exam you can sit for the PRINCE2 practitioner exam. This exam duration is 2.5 hours.

In every 3 years you must complete 60 professional development units if you want to maintain your PMP certification. PRINCE2 foundation certification has no expiry date while the PRINCE2 practitioner certification is valid upto 5 years. Incase you want to maintain your practitioner certification, you can re-register for exam in every 5 years.

PMP and PRINCE2 both are universally acknowledged. PRINCE2 certifications are more in demand in UK, Europe, Australia while PMP certifications are more popular in the US, Canada and Middle East. Both these certifications have similar popularity in Asian and African countries.

PMP or PRINCE2 which certification should I choose?

PMP and PRINCE2 are both widely popular with great career aspects.

Follow the tips below to choose the one that suits you:

• Your experience can help you decide which certification is suitable for you. Getting a PMP certification needs more experience.
• Decide how quickly you need it. PMP certification requires some prerequisites hence it takes longer to earn the certification compared to PRINCE2.
• Your location can also help you choose which one to opt for. PRINCE2 certifications are more in demand in UK, Europe, Australia whereas Canada, US and Middle East prefer PMP.
• PMP and PRINCE2, both these certifications boost your career opportunities and help you learn different skills so if it’s possible consider getting both.