- Exam Requirements / The Master Certification
- Legacy Certifications / The Exam Experience
- Exam Content / Next Steps
Exam Content
Because of the sheer number of exams that are included in the Microsoft Office Certification program, it would be impractical to list the requirements for each exam. Even so, one can gain an idea of what to expect from the program by looking over the requirements for the various exams.
As one might expect, the “Expert” exams are designed to be more difficult than the basic Microsoft Office exams. Even so, there are no prerequisite requirements to taking an expert exam. For instance, Microsoft does not make you take the MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2010 exam before allowing you to take the Microsoft Office Word 2010 Expert Exam. If your goal is to earn a Masters certification for Microsoft Office then you can start by taking the expert exams if you wish.
So how do the expert exams compare to the regular exams? Well, the regular Microsoft Office exams cover basic product knowledge while the expert exams cover features that the average user may never touch. To put this concept in better prospective, here is a high level list of the subjects covered on the Microsoft Office Word 2010 exam:
Sharing and Maintaining Documents
- Apply different views to a document.
- Apply protection to a document.
- Manage document versions.
- Share documents.
- Save a document.
- Apply a template to a document.
Formatting Content
- Apply font and paragraph attributes.
- Navigate and search through a document.
- Apply indentation and tab settings to paragraphs.
- Apply spacing settings to text and paragraphs.
- Create tables.
- Manipulate tables in a document.
- Apply bullets to a document.
Applying Page Layout and Reusable Content
- Apply and manipulate page setup settings.
- Apply themes.
- Construct content in a document by using the Quick Parts tool.
- Create and manipulate page backgrounds.
- Create and modify headers and footers.
Including Illustrations and Graphics in a Document
- Insert and format pictures in a document.
- Insert and format shapes, WordArt, and SmartArt.
- Insert and format Clip Art.
- Apply and manipulate text boxes.
Proofreading documents
- Validate content by using spelling and grammar checking options.
- Configure AutoCorrect settings.
- Insert and modify comments in a document.
Applying References and Hyperlinks
- Apply a hyperlink.
- Create Endnotes and Footnotes in a document.
- Create a Table of Contents in a document.
Performing Mail Merge Operations
- Setup mail merge.
- Execute mail merge.
As you can see, this exam primarily covers basic knowledge of Word 2010. With that in mind, here is a similar high level outline of the Microsoft Word 2010 expert exam:
Sharing and Maintaining Documents
- Configure Word options.
- Apply protection to a document.
- Apply a template to a document.
Formatting Content
- Apply advanced font and paragraph attributes.
- Create tables and charts.
- Construct reusable content in a document.
- Link sections.
Tracking and Referencing Documents
- Review, compare, and combine documents.
- Create a reference page.
- Create a Table of Authorities in a document.
- Create an index in a document.
Performing Mail Merge Operations
- Execute Mail Merge.
- Create a Mail Merge by using other data sources.
- Create labels and forms.
Managing Macros and Forms
- Apply and manipulate macros.
- Apply and manipulate macro options.
- Create forms.
- Manipulate forms.
As you can see, the two exams cover similar content, but at different depths. For instance, both exams cover mail merge, but the expert exam covers alternate data sources. The expert exam also delves into areas not covered by the basic exam, such as macros and forms.
Next Steps
If you are considering taking a Microsoft Office certification exam then the next step in the process is to visit the Microsoft Office Certification webpage. This page lists the most current exam requirements and provides links to each of the individual exams. Candidates can train for exams on their own, or they can find and attend a training class. Once you are ready to take the exam, you can register for it through Certiport.