- Exam Requirements / The Master Certification
- Legacy Certifications / The Exam Experience
- Exam Content / Next Steps
Legacy Certifications
Microsoft has a long history of retiring exams (and certifications) once the corresponding technology becomes outdated. For example, fifteen years ago I was certified in Windows 95, but that certification has long since been retired by Microsoft. Surprisingly, however, Microsoft’s exam retirement policy does not seem to apply to Microsoft Office certification exams. Although Microsoft Office 2010 is the current version of Microsoft Office, Microsoft continues to offer certification exams for Office 2007, Office 2003, Office XP, and even Office 2000 (which is roughly eleven years old).
Of the legacy Microsoft Office certification tracks, the most popular is not surprisingly the Office 2007 track. What might be surprising, however, is that Microsoft includes knowledge of Windows Vista among the skill set required to pass the Office 2007 exams.
In order to earn a Microsoft Office Specialist certification for Office 2007, candidates must pass one of the following exams:
MOS: Windows Vista for the Business Worker |
Exam 77-600 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2007 |
Exam 77-601 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2007 Expert |
Exam 77-850 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Excel 2007 |
Exam 77-602 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Expert |
Exam 77-851 |
MOS: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 |
Exam 77-603 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 |
Exam 77-604 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Access 2007 |
Exam 77-605 |
Since the list of exams that are available to those seeking a Microsoft Office 2007 certification is so similar to the list of exams that are available for Microsoft Office 2010, it should come as no surprise that Microsoft also offers a masters certification for Office 2007.
Prior to March 1, 2011 it was possible to earn the masters certification for Microsoft Office 2007 by passing these exams:
MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2007 |
Exam 77-601 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Excel 2007 |
Exam 77-602 |
MOS: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 |
Exam 77-603 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 |
Exam 77-604 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Access 2007 (Exam 77-605) was available as an alternative to the Outlook exam.
After Microsoft introduced the expert level exams for Office 2007, however, the masters certification requirements changed. The current requirements for those seeking a Microsoft Office 2007 masters certification include:
MOS: Microsoft Office Word 2007 Expert |
Exam 77-850 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Expert |
Exam 77-851 |
MOS: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 |
Exam 77-603 |
MOS: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 |
Exam 77-604 |
The MOS: Microsoft Office Access 2007 exam (Exam 77-605) can still be taken as an alternative to the Microsoft Outlook exam.
The Exam Experience
Microsoft Office exams tend to follow a different format than the Microsoft certification exams that are geared toward IT pros. The majority of the exams geared toward IT pros tend to feature mostly multiple choice questions. In contrast, the Microsoft Office exams are more task-oriented. Candidates are given either a real or a simulated copy of Microsoft Office and are asked to complete various tasks. Although Microsoft does not disclose the number of exam questions that candidates might face, they do indicate that the exams last for 90 minutes.