PRINCE2 7 keeps the seven principles and seven processes of PRINCE2 6 (2017), but adds people and sustainability to the method and raises both exam pass marks from 55% to 60%. PRINCE2 6 exams are now retired, so every new candidate sits version 7. Here is what changed and who should upgrade.

What stayed the same

PRINCE2 7 is an evolution, not a new method. The seven principles remain, including managing by stages, managing by exception and tailoring the method to the project. PeopleCert's own explainer on the new edition says it "retains the same seven processes as before", from starting up a project to closing it. The ongoing aspects that PRINCE2 6 called themes now appear as seven practices, covering areas such as the business case, risk, quality and progress. If you learned PRINCE2 6, the governance skeleton will feel familiar.

What is new in the method

PeopleCert now describes PRINCE2 7 as five integrated elements: principles, people, practices, processes and project context. The main additions are:

  • People. A new chapter on leading and working with people and teams, which moves away from command and control. PeopleCert calls it the largest single addition to the method.
  • Sustainability. It becomes a performance target alongside and equal to time, cost, risk, benefits, scope and quality, and projects need a sustainability management approach.
  • Digital and data. Data becomes a project concern in its own right, not just part of management information: where it comes from, how it is used, how it is kept safe and how its integrity is maintained.
  • Project contexts. Five common contexts, such as project scale and delivery method, show how the guidance applies in different situations.

Each process chapter was also rewritten to end with how the practices apply within it, and the old table of management products, inputs and outputs was removed. The lead editor wrote that users found the 6th edition's minimum rules made the method harder to learn and apply, so the new guidance leans on storytelling and project contexts instead.

The exams, before and after

The formats are close, but the bar moved:

  • PRINCE2 6 Foundation: 60 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, closed book, pass at 33 of 60 marks (55%).
  • PRINCE2 7 Foundation: 60 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, closed book, pass at 60%.
  • PRINCE2 6 Practitioner: 68 objective-testing questions, 150 minutes, open book with the 2017 manual, pass at 38 of 68 marks (about 55%).
  • PRINCE2 7 Practitioner: 56 questions and sub-questions worth 70 marks, 150 minutes, open book, pass at 60%.

The clock and the book rules did not change. What changed is the margin for error, and a Practitioner paper built from fewer questions, some with several parts. PeopleCert's FAQ says open-book candidates may use the official core guidance as an eBook or as a paperback, which you may annotate and tab but not fill with sticky notes. Check the PeopleCert PRINCE2 7 Practitioner page for current details before you book.

Can you still sit a PRINCE2 6 exam?

No. PeopleCert retired the PRINCE2 5th and 6th edition exams after PRINCE2 7 training and certification opened on 4 September 2023. For English and most other languages, the last exam day was 31 December 2024; Danish, Dutch and Norwegian candidates had until 30 June 2025. PeopleCert now lists only the version 7 exams.

Your existing certificate is not cancelled. PeopleCert's renewal rules cover the 5th, 6th and 7th editions alike: renew every three years from your original certification date, or the record stays on the register but is marked as outdated.

Who should upgrade

PRINCE2 7 Practitioner accepts PRINCE2 6 Foundation or Practitioner as its prerequisite, so 6th edition holders can go straight to the version 7 Practitioner without resitting Foundation. It makes most sense if:

  • Your renewal date is close. PeopleCert renews a certification through 60 CPD points over three years with its membership, or by passing another exam in the same product suite, which renews every certification you hold in that suite.
  • Your certification has already lapsed and shows as outdated.
  • You hold only PRINCE2 6 Foundation and always meant to reach Practitioner.

If you are new to PRINCE2, there is no choice to make: sit version 7. If you are still weighing PRINCE2 against PMI's route, our PRINCE2 vs PMP comparison covers that decision, and our guide to ITIL 5 vs ITIL 4 looks at another PeopleCert framework update.

Practise under real exam conditions

A 60% pass mark leaves less room than 55%. Foundation gives you a minute per question, and on Practitioner the open book is a time trap unless you can find things fast. On CandidatesPrep you can sit timed mocks that mirror the real exam's timer, navigation and flagging, then see your results broken down by topic, so you know whether risk, progress or the business case is pulling your score down. Our guide to the testing effect explains why mocks beat rereading.

The bottom line

PRINCE2 7 keeps the method's backbone, adds people, sustainability and data, and asks for 60% in both exams. PRINCE2 6 exams are gone, so new candidates sit version 7 and existing holders can upgrade straight to the Practitioner.

Rehearse the new pass mark on the CandidatesPrep simulator, or book a demo to run PRINCE2 7 mocks for a whole cohort.