Pass your ITIL and Prince 2 on first try!

Just few months back I passed my ITIL 4 Foundation and Prince 2 Foundation Certifications with both 3 months of studying. I can assure that you can do it in less than 1 month per exam.

Every exam I take starts with 'Why', why would I want to take this course or exam? Here's some things that came into my mind:

• Career progression
• Competitiveness
• Curiosity
• Skills need at work

You need to know the reason why you are taking this courses and exams. Not just because you wanted to add them into your CV but you need to be interested in them too. For me, it was those reasons why I took the exam.

There are required skills that you will need that the company may now provide but expects them you have it. You need to be always at top of your game. One thing about me is I'm always curious to know on how things work.

Okay, let's talk about the exams. First thing, all exams whether easy to extremely hard needs a lot of effort to study, dedication and consistency. Do this without fail and I can assure that you'll pass anything.

Where to find courses about ITIL and Prince 2? Online or class?

I searched more than 15 sites and schools that offers these courses and read every review about them. It's like shopping, you need to also read reviews before puchasing one to know that it's the best. Same thing here.

So, I found 5 sites and then I asked myself should I study online or take school classes? I'm a fulltime employee working in a fast-paced company and only have weekends for free time. Usually, taking classes would only provide 2-3 days of training. But can you really absorb all the information with little time? TL;DR I didn't opted for class tranining.

While searching over Udemy, I found this instructor with great reviews.

I bought the course with study materials and practice exams. Jason's way to deliver information is very clear and easy to follow. I also recommend that you follow the Facebook Group, all the students posts their achievements and questions. Jason always reply to every question.

I recommend that you get the 6 additional practice exams besides the course. The more practice exams that you take, the higher chance you learn more and be prepared on the exam day.

Study and Review

One of the advantages about taking the course online (you can download them offline too!) is that you can study at your own pace and time. On my experience, I usually 1-2 hours in the morning before work and 1 hour during lunch. If I have free at time before going home, I'll study for another 1 hour.

You need to have a study schedule and stick to it. Really. It can be 2-4 hours a day every week or if you're not that busy then make it a whole day. It really depends on your time. You'll be amazed too on how you improved your time management. Other students passed the exam with just 1 week of studying.

Where to take the exam?

I prefer PeopleCert for online examinations for ITIL and Prince 2. It's online but there's a proctor that will be looking over you. Also, Dion Training provides discounts on exam vouchers which can be very helpful.

Tips

• While ITIL/Prince 2 Foundation exams has 55% passing mark, I suggest that you get at least get 75% mark on each practice exams. I do not move into the next practice exam until I get 100%. Make sure that you understand the course and not only memorizing.
• Get additional practice exams and exam voucher discounts. Check discounted vouchers here.
• Schedule your exam ahead of time so you can stay committed. I usually schedule my exam in 3 months. You can always reschedule the exam based on how confident you are.
• Study anywhere using the Udemy mobile app for offline downloaded courses. While you're in commute, waiting for someone or just strolling.
• Get a good sleep before studying. Really important.
• Study in quite or not too distracting places. I prefer coffee shops rather at home. While studying at home is less expensive but there are too many distractions.
• Good music. Here's a spotify playlist.

• Ask for help if you don't understand something.

Do you need other materials too?

Yes and No. Jason's course is sufficient to pass the exam but if you want to view some other materials about the course then feel free especially if you're a visual learner.

Here's some of the materials I have:

• Prince2 Wiki - With flow diagrams and other examples
• Official ITIL 4 Foundation App - With case study, reviewer and mock exams
• Official Prince 2 Foundation App - With case study, reviewer and mock exams
• Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2? 6th Edition - You don't need this on the foundation exam but in Practioner. Good to have but really expensive.

Exam day

Some prefer to relax on the last day while few do last minute review. It's day zero and all your hardwork come to this last day. Pray. Now go and put all your learnings to the test and pass the exam!

What comes next after you passed?

• Go ahead and save/print your certificate.

• Check for a couple of weeks if you're registered in Axelos successful candidate register.

• Don't forget to celebrate with colleagues and friends about your achievement.
• Now that you've gain confident, plan your next certification.