PRINCE2 Agile Version 1 Exams End December 31: Which Version Should You Sit?

PeopleCert stopped selling PRINCE2 Agile Version 1 exam vouchers on June 30, 2026. The last day anyone can sit a Version 1 exam is December 31, 2026. If you are reading this in early November without a voucher already in your account, the decision has been made for you: the PRINCE2 Agile exam you can still take is Version 2.

If you do hold a Version 1 voucher, the question is a real one, and it has a trap hidden in it. Sitting Version 1 before the cutoff can still be the smarter move, because of how the Version 2 Practitioner prerequisite is written. This guide lays out the dates, the exam differences, the costs, and a plain way to decide which route fits you.

The Dates That Decide Which PRINCE2 Agile Exam You Can Sit

PeopleCert’s retirement notice for PRINCE2 Agile Version 1 covers both Foundation and Practitioner in every language, and it gives three facts that matter:

• June 30, 2026: the last day to buy a Version 1 exam voucher. That date has already passed.
• December 31, 2026: the last day to take a Version 1 exam, Take2 re-sits included.
• Take2 does not roll over: the re-sit option ends on the same final day, so a failed attempt in the last week of December leaves no second chance on Version 1.

A few training sites still publish June 30 as the cutoff for the exams themselves, which would mean Version 1 had already closed. PeopleCert’s notice says exams run through December 31, so go with the notice.

What PeopleCert’s Notice Leaves Out

The notice is silent on two things readers ask about most. It does not say what happens to Version 1 certificates already earned, and it never mentions Version 2. One independent study guide says Version 1 certificates are valid for life, but I could not find that on a PeopleCert page, so treat it as unconfirmed. If an employer or a tender requires proof that a Version 1 credential stays valid, get the answer from PeopleCert in writing.

Who Can Still Sit Version 1, and Who Should

The retirement splits candidates into three groups, and each one has a different best move.

You Hold an Unused Version 1 Voucher

Book the exam now rather than in the final week. PeopleCert tells voucher holders to finish before the last exam date, and a voucher with no appointment behind it on December 31 is worth nothing. The same hard stop applies to the AWS exam we covered in our look at the Advanced Networking Specialty retirement. The difference is that AWS offers no replacement, while PRINCE2 Agile does, so a missed deadline here costs you money and time rather than the whole credential path.

You Have No Voucher

Vouchers closed in June, so Version 2 is your only route. The Foundation exam lists no prerequisite, and the Practitioner exam asks for a Foundation pass, covered next.

You Hold a Version 1 Certificate, or a Version 1 Foundation Voucher

This is the group that benefits from reading the fine print. PeopleCert’s Version 2 Practitioner exam page lists the prerequisite as any PRINCE2 Agile (Version 1) certification or PRINCE2 Agile Foundation (Version 2). A Version 1 Foundation pass therefore still qualifies you for the Version 2 Practitioner exam, and passing it before the cutoff lets you skip the Version 2 Foundation bundle, which PeopleCert lists at US$543.

A quick way to decide:

1. Check your PeopleCert account for an unused Version 1 voucher. If there is none, plan for Version 2 and skip ahead.
2. If you have one, pick an exam date well before December 31 so a re-sit still fits inside the deadline.
3. If your goal is Practitioner and the voucher is for Foundation, pass it first, then buy the Version 2 Practitioner exam.
4. Ask your employer or client which version they recognize before you spend on either.

PRINCE2 Agile Version 1 vs Version 2: What Actually Changed

Version 2 is aligned with PRINCE2 7, and an independent study guide dates its release to May 2025. The table below shows the current Version 2 exams as PeopleCert lists them on its Foundation and Practitioner pages.

Foundation: A Shorter Paper With a Higher Bar

PeopleCert’s Version 2 Foundation page shows 40 questions, 60 minutes, closed book, and a 60% pass mark. An independent guide puts Version 1 at 50 questions with a pass mark of 28, or 55%. On paper that looks easier, since you need 24 correct answers instead of 28. In practice each question now carries 2.5% of the score instead of 2%, so every slip costs more, and the paper is a tighter test of vocabulary you must recall without notes.

Practitioner: The Same Open-Book Shape With New Guidance Behind It

The Practitioner format reads like a familiar scenario exam: 50 questions, 150 minutes, open book, 60% to pass. What changed is the material you navigate. Anyone practicing from Version 1 notes that refer to themes and management products will spend open-book time hunting for sections that have since been renamed, so build your reference tabs from Version 2 guidance only.

Vocabulary and Syllabus Shifts

The same independent guide lists the changes most likely to catch Version 1 veterans out:

• Themes became practices, and management products became artifacts.
• The Change theme became the Issues practice.
• The six-aspect hexagon became seven performance targets, with sustainability added.
• New topics include organizational change management, scaling agile, and eleven named roles.
• The Agile Onion, the five targets, and the five behaviors are no longer named in the Foundation syllabus.

If you are weighing an old exam that expires against a new one that will outlast it, the logic is the same one we walked through in the post on Esri’s three exams retiring on the same December date: the older version only wins when you already own the voucher and the finish line is close.

What PRINCE2 Agile Costs and How Long It Lasts

Exam Bundle Prices and Hidden Fees

PeopleCert lists the Foundation exam bundle at US$543 and the Practitioner bundle at US$574, both with VAT included, and each bundle holds the voucher, the official eBook, and a learning resource kit. The eLearning tiers run US$1,153 and US$1,318, and the eLearning+ tiers, which add a free re-take, run US$1,338 and US$1,503. Rescheduling is free up to 48 hours before the exam, US$60 between 48 and 4 hours, and US$120 after that. Taking both exams as bundles therefore totals US$1,117 before any course fees. Prices vary by region and reseller, which is why we advise checking your own cart, as we did when sorting out the conflicting numbers in the ITIL 5 Foundation pricing breakdown.

Renewal: Three Years and 20 CPD Points

Both Version 2 certifications renew every three years. PeopleCert asks for 20 CPD points logged through PeopleCert Plus membership, or a pass on an exam from a different course in the same product suite before your renewal date. That makes the ongoing cost a real line item, and it is worth knowing before you commit if your employer is not paying.

Preparing Without Wasting Money

A question bank suits the Foundation exam, because it rewards recall of terms like practices, artifacts, and performance targets. DirectCertify carries a PRINCE2 Agile Foundation (Version 2) practice set with 162 single-choice questions, last updated October 26, 2026. The PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner listing does not state which version it targets, so confirm that before relying on it. Either way, the real Practitioner exam is an open-book scenario paper, and no question bank replaces working through a scenario with the official guidance beside you.

Is PRINCE2 Agile Worth Adding to a Project Career?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that project management specialists earned a median of $102,320 in May 2025, across about 1,094,300 jobs. It projects 7% growth from 2025 to 2035 and roughly 76,500 openings a year, and it notes that certification may be beneficial rather than required. BLS does not break the numbers out by PRINCE2, so read them as the market around the credential, not a payoff from it.

Who Gets the Most From It

• Project managers in organizations that govern delivery with PRINCE2 but run teams on Scrum or Kanban.
• Waterfall-trained managers moving into hybrid delivery who need a shared vocabulary with agile teams.
• Consultants whose clients or tenders ask for PRINCE2 credentials by name.

Who Can Skip It

If your company has never used PRINCE2, the Foundation exam alone proves you know the terms, not that you can run a project with them. Practitioner is the credential that tests application. Without a PRINCE2 environment to apply it in, the money may be better spent elsewhere.

DirectCertify is an independent certification prep provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PeopleCert. Exam prices, prerequisites, and retirement dates change, so confirm the current details on PeopleCert’s official pages before you buy a voucher.

Questions People Ask About the PRINCE2 Agile Version 1 Retirement