PRINCE2 Foundation: Study Guide – How to Actually Remember What You’ve Learned

You’ve spent your training and learning hearing about 7 Principles, 7 Themes, 7 Processes. You’ve underlined, highlighted, and re-read.

And yet… when revision starts, everything feels just a bit grey.

The good news is: that’s completely normal. You’re not bad at studying – you’re simply fighting how your brain works.

The Problem: Forgetting Happens Fast

Your brain is built to forget most things unless you actively do something about it.

Hermann Ebbinghaus (the German memory guru) mapped this out with the forgetting curve: within days of learning something, your brain starts to dump it unless you step in.

As Edutopia explains in Why Students Forget – and What You Can Do About It:
“Memories are strengthened and consolidated each time information is successfully retrieved. The more effort it takes to recall a piece of information, the stronger that memory becomes.”

How This Helps You With PRINCE2

When revising the 7 Principles, for example: – Don’t just read them repeatedly. – Instead, cover the list and try to recall all 7 from memory. – If you get some wrong – good. That’s part of how your brain strengthens the right answers. – Repeat this across several sessions (spaced practice). – You’ll find the recall gets faster and more automatic each time.

Quick Memory Tip:

Use this acronym to remember the 7 Principles:

Clever Leaders Drive Success Even Facing Trouble

• Continued Business Justification
• Learn from Experience
• Defined Roles and Responsibilities
• Stages (Manage by Stages)
• Exception (Manage by Exception)
• Focus on Products
• Tailor to Suit the Project

This gives you a handy hook to bring all 7 Principles to mind quickly.

Why This Works:

• You’re forcing your brain to work harder.
• The struggle builds stronger memory pathways.
• You’re preparing your brain to retrieve the information when under exam pressure.

This isn’t just PRINCE2-specific – it’s how your brain stores everything long-term.
Use this for Principles, Themes, Processes, Roles – and you’ll be far more exam-ready.

The Solution: Work With Your Brain

Here are 5 simple, science-backed techniques to help you actually retain your PRINCE2 knowledge and walk into the exam fully loaded.

Space It Out (With Example)

Don’t cram everything in the final week.
Review small chunks regularly over time.

Example Weekly Plan:

Day	Topic	What to Cover	Where to Find It (PRINCE2 Manual)
Monday	Principles	Name, meaning, key features of all 7 Principles.	PRINCE2 Manual – Chapter 3
Wednesday	Themes	Purpose, key concepts, minimum requirements.	PRINCE2 Manual – Chapters 4 to 10 (one per Theme)
Friday	Processes	Purpose, objectives, key activities in each process.	PRINCE2 Manual – Chapters 11 to 17
Next Week	Shuffle Topics	Mix Principles, Themes and Processes randomly.	Use your notes, flashcards, and quizzes

What to Do in Each Session:

• Principles Example:
  Read about Manage by Exception in Chapter 3.
  Cover the name and definition, then test yourself: “What does this principle mean? Can I give an example from a real or imaginary project?”
• Themes Example:
  Review the Risk Theme (Chapter 8).
  What’s the purpose of this Theme? What are the key definitions (like risk owner)? Can you describe how this would appear in a project?

Quick Memory Tip:

Use this acronym to remember the 7 Themes:

Big Owls Quietly Plan Really Clever Projects

• Business Case
• Organisation
• Quality
• Plans
• Risk
• Change
• Progress

This gives you an easy way to quickly bring the Themes to mind.

• Processes Example:
  Go over the Controlling a Stage process (Chapter 14).
  What’s the goal of this process? What’s the trigger? What key activities happen here?

Quick Memory Tip:

Use this acronym to remember the 7 Processes:

Some Daring Individuals Can Manage Smart Closures

• Starting up a Project
• Directing a Project
• Initiating a Project
• Controlling a Stage
• Managing Product Delivery
• Stage Boundary Management
• Closing a Project

This gives you an easy, story-like sequence to recall the PRINCE2 Processes quickly.

Where to Find This Information:

• The PRINCE2 Manual (Foundation & Practitioner Combined) is the core source.
• Chapter breakdown:
  • Chapter 3: Principles
  • Chapters 4–10: Themes
  • Chapters 11–17: Processes
• Supplement with:
  • Your course materials
  • Online mock exams
  • Flashcards or revision guides (many training providers give these)

This spaced repetition builds stronger recall.

Test Yourself (A Lot)

• Reading your notes feels comforting.
• Testing yourself feels uncomfortable – and that’s why it works.

Try: – Practice exam questions (multiple-choice is ideal for Foundation level). – Flashcards (physical or Quizlet). – After every revision session, test what you just covered.

Every time you retrieve an answer, you strengthen your memory.

Mix Topics Up

• Your exam will mix topics – your revision should too.
• Combine Principles, Themes and Processes into single sessions.
• Create random quizzes from different parts of the syllabus.

This forces your brain to switch gears – exactly like you’ll have to do in the exam.

Make Connections

• Don’t just memorise – connect theory to real (or imaginary) projects.

Ask yourself: – “How would Manage by Exception work on my last project?” – “Who would have been Executive in that project?” – “What would the Issue Register look like?”

Your brain remembers better when it can hook new knowledge onto real experiences.

Look After Your Brain

• Short, regular revision blocks are better than marathon sessions.
• Eliminate distractions while revising.
• Sleep properly – your brain does most of its memory work while you sleep.

Quick PRINCE2 Memory Map

Area	Content
Themes	Business Case, Organisation, Quality, Plans, Risk, Change, Progress
Processes	Start-up, Directing, Initiating, Controlling Stage, Managing Product Delivery, Managing Stage Boundary, Closing
Principles	7 core guiding principles
Key Roles	Executive, Project Board, Project Manager, Team Manager

Final Word

The PRINCE2 Foundation exam isn’t designed to trip you up – but it is designed to check you understand how the pieces fit together.

You don’t need to memorise the manual. You need to recognise the structure, apply it to questions, and retrieve the right knowledge when it matters.

Use these simple methods – and hopefully, you’ll walk in ready!