Earning Your Microsoft Office Specialist Certification
- Exam Requirements / The Master Certification
- Legacy Certifications / The Exam Experience
- Exam Content / Next Steps
Although the articles on this website have traditionally focused on exams geared toward system administrators, Microsoft does offer other exam tracks. One particularly popular exam track is the Microsoft Office Specialist certification. This article outlines what is involved in earning this particular certification.
Exam Requirements
Being that Microsoft Office has long consisted of a suite of products (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), one might expect that earning a Microsoft Office Specialist certification would involve passing a grueling series of exams. However, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, it is possible to earn the Microsoft Office Specialist certification by passing a single exam.
At the present time there are eight different exams to choose from to earn a Microsoft Office Specialist certification for Microsoft Office 2010. These exams include the following:
MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2010 |
Exam 77-881 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2010 Expert |
Exam 77-887 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Excel 2010 |
Exam 77-882 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Expert |
Exam 77-888 |
MOS: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2010 |
Exam 77-883 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 |
Exam 77-884 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Access 2010 |
Exam 77-885 |
MOS: Microsoft Office SharePoint 2010 |
Exam 77-886 |
In addition to these exams, there is a ninth exam that is currently under development that will eventually also qualify for the Microsoft Office Specialist certification program. This exam is:
MOS: Microsoft Office OneNote 2010 |
Exam 77-853 |
The Master Certification
Microsoft offers masters certifications for many of their technology tracks, and Microsoft Office is no exception. However, the master certification for Office 2010 bears little resemblance to the master’s certification programs for products such as Exchange Server.
Some of the other Microsoft Certified Masters programs require candidates to spend up to three weeks in Redmond attending training sessions. The training typically costs upward of $20,000, and at the end candidates must face off against what could probably be best described as an inquisition board. In contrast, Microsoft Office Masters candidates must only pass a series of exams. There is no required training in Redmond and no inquisition. The cost is comparable to taking any other Microsoft certification exam. In order to earn a masters certification for Microsoft Office 2010, candidates must pass all of the following exams:
MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2010 Expert (Exam 77-887) |
MOS: Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Expert (Exam 77-888) |
MOS: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2010 (Exam 77-883) |
MOS: Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 (Exam 77-884) |
As an alternative to the Microsoft Office Outlook exam, candidates can opt to take the MOS: Microsoft Office Access 2010 exam (77-885) instead.