Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

1. Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Professor Corinne Hoisington Central Virginia Community College

2. Name Change - MOUS? The revision, which drops the use of the term “User,” was made in response to customer feedback that indicated the prior program name was too long, resulting in extensive use of the MOUS acronym. As a result customers lost the valuable association with the Microsoft Office name.

3. Microsoft XP Core • Office XPCore Certification Candidates must successfully complete ONE of the Core or Comprehensive examinations: • Microsoft Word version 2002 Core • Microsoft Excel version 2002 Core • Microsoft PowerPoint version 2002 (Comprehensive) • Microsoft Access version 2002 Core • Microsoft Outlook version 2002 Core • Microsoft Project version 2002 (Comprehensive)

4. Master Certification • Candidates must successfully complete ALL FIVE of the following examinations: • Microsoft Word version 2002 Expert • Microsoft Excel version 2002 Expert • Microsoft PowerPoint version 2002 Comprehensive • Microsoft Access version 2002 Core • Microsoft Outlook version 2002 Core

5. College Credit The American Council on Education (ACE) has issued a one-semester hour college credit recommendation for each Microsoft Office Specialist certification for Microsoft Office XP applications.

6. Certification • Not only does certification provide formal recognition and evidence of knowledge and expertise on a subject, but it also provides: • an official resume-building standard that often results in increased productivity • job advancement • higher salaries • greater job satisfaction

7. Statistics • 80 percent of Microsoft Office Specialist-certified employees feel their competence with Microsoft application products increased through certification • 73 percent of employees feel this certification has a positive impact on productivity

8. Benefits of Office Specialist Certification

9. Test Format • Each test last less than 1 hour • The exams are performance-based, which means each is conducted within a "live" Microsoft Office program • For example, you may be asked in Microsoft Excel to create a custom filter.

10. During the Test: • Erroneous keystrokes are ignored by the test program • Help is turned off • There is a refresh button to restart any question • Most questions comprise one or more tasks, which are scored individually • After you complete a question set, you may not return to it

11. Be Careful: • Scroll down to see the entire question set • Do not leave any dialog boxes open when you complete the question unless stated in the directions of that question • Follow the method that the test requires to complete the question • There will be a timer in the left bottom corner

12. Before You Click Next: • Close dialog boxes, tool bars, and menus, but do not close the primary application window where the exercise is displayed. • Do not leave tables, boxes, or cells "active" (highlighted) unless instructed to do so. • Do not scroll in the screen window unless instructed to do so. Leave your answer visible. • Make sure the application has completed the task calculations or functions before clicking the Next button.

13. Exam Tips • Task instructions (questions) are displayed in a separate window at the bottom of your screen • When you begin working, the instruction box will indicate the question with which you are currently working and the total number of questions (for example, question 3 of 21). • At the end of the exam you will be presented with a score report which will indicate whether you passed or failed the exam. Your certificate will arrive about 2 weeks after passing the exam.

14. Repeat? • You can take the exams as many times as needed • Your MOUS vouchers have a one week delay in activating the retake voucher (which must be done within 15 days of the failed exam) and once activated you must retake the exam within 30 days.