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Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification

Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification

Owned by jason kohlbrenner
Last updated: Aug 29, 2024 by Shaun Tay

The Microsoft Office Specialist Program provides industry-leading assessments of skills and knowledge through our new project-based testing, giving students and professionals real-world exercises to appraise their understanding of Microsoft Office.

This guarantees that every certified user has demonstrated the ability to command the full features and functionality of Microsoft Office, preparing them for future academic or workforce opportunities.

Learn more about the Microsoft Office Specialist Program

Exams & Objectives

MOS Microsoft 365 Apps (each exam is 50 minutes): 

  • Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps)

  • Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps)

  • Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps)

  • Microsoft Outlook (Microsoft 365 Apps)

  • Microsoft Word Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps)

  • Microsoft Excel Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps)



Demonstrate that you have the skills needed to get the most out of Word by earning the Microsoft Office Specialist: Word Expert Certification. This certification demonstrates competency in creating and managing professional documents for a variety of specialized purposes and situations.

An individual earning this certification has approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product, has proven competency at an industry expert-level and is ready to enter into the job market. They can demonstrate the correct application of the principal features of Word at an expert-level and can complete tasks independently.

Skills measured 

  • Manage document options and settings  

  • Use advanced editing and formatting features  

  • Create custom document elements  

  • Use advanced Word features

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Demonstrate that you have the skills needed to get the most out of Word by earning the Microsoft Office Specialist: Word Associate Certification. This certification demonstrates competency in the correct application of the principle features of Word by creating and editing documents for a variety of purposes and situations.

An individual earning this certification has approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product, has proven competency at an industry associate-level, and is ready to enter into the job market. They can demonstrate the correct application of the principal features of Word and can complete tasks independently.

Skills measured 

  • Manage documents  

  • Insert and format text, paragraphs, and sections  

  • Manage tables and lists  

  • Create and manage references  

  • Insert and format graphic elements  

  • Manage document collaboration 

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Demonstrate that you have the skills needed to get the most out of Excel by earning the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Expert Certification. This certification demonstrates competency in creating, managing, and distributing professional spreadsheets for a variety of specialized purposes and situations.

An individual earning this certification has approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product, has proven competency at an industry expert-level and is ready to enter into the job market. They can demonstrate the correct application of the principal features of Excel at an expert-level and can complete tasks independently.

Skills measured 

  • Manage workbook options and settings  

  • Manage and format data  

  • Create advanced formulas and macros  

  • Manage advanced charts and tables 

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Demonstrate that you have the skills needed to get the most out of Excel by earning the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate Certification. This certification demonstrates competency in the fundamentals of creating and managing worksheets and workbooks, creating cells and ranges, creating tables, applying formulas and functions, and creating charts and objects.

An individual earning this certification has approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product, has proven competency at an industry associate-level and is ready to enter into the job market. They can demonstrate the correct application of the principal features of Excel and can complete tasks independently.

Skills measured 

  • Manage worksheets and workbooks  

  • Manage data cells and ranges  

  • Manage tables and table data  

  • Perform operations by using formulas and functions  

  • Manage charts 

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Demonstrate that you have the skills needed to get the most out of Outlook by earning the Microsoft Office Specialist: Outlook Associate Certification. This certification demonstrates competency to customize the Outlook user interface format message content, create or insert graphic elements, and send and respond to emails and meeting requests.

An individual earning this certification has approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product, has proven competency at an industry associate-level and is ready to enter into the job market. They can demonstrate the correct application of the principal features of Outlook and can complete tasks independently.

Skills measured 

  • Manage Outlook settings and processes  

  • Manage messages  

  • Manage schedules  

  • Manage contacts and tasks 

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Demonstrate that you have the skills needed to get the most out of PowerPoint by earning the Microsoft Office Specialist: PowerPoint Associate Certification. This certification demonstrates competency to create, edit, and enhance presentations and slideshows.

An individual earning this certification has approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product, has proven competency at an industry associate-level and is ready to enter into the job market. They can demonstrate the correct application of the principal features of PowerPoint and can complete tasks independently.

Skills measured 

  • Manage presentations  

  • Manage slides  

  • Insert and format text, shapes, and images  

  • Insert tables, charts, smartArt, 3D models, and media  

  • Apply transitions and animations 

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Retake policies 

  • If a candidate does not achieve a passing score on an exam the first time, the candidate must wait 24 hours before retaking the exam. 

  • If a candidate does not achieve a passing score the second time, the candidate must wait 2 days (48 hours) before retaking the exam a third time. 

  • A two-day waiting period will be imposed for each subsequent exam retake. 

  • There is no annual limit on the number of attempts on the same exam. 

  • If a candidate achieves a passing score on an MOS exam, the candidate may take it again. 

For specific details on the Microsoft Office Specialist exams please refer to Microsoft's Exam Policies and FAQ

Resources

To prep for these exams, here are LinkedIn Learning Videos:  Link to Collection you can review.

NOTE:  Must be logged into LinkedIn learning.  Use linkedinlearning.syr.edu portal to login