This article will explore three tiers of Excel certification, as well as the requirements and benefits of achieving each certification level.

What is MOS Certification?

Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification is earned by passing an exam in one or more of Microsoft Office’s core applications: Excel, Access, Outlook, Word, or PowerPoint. There are no prerequisites required to sign up for certification exams. However, test-takers will need to complete a set of tasks using the designated app, and complete these tasks within a one-hour time window. In addition, they must complete the tasks using only a certain number of keyboard clicks. This demonstrates that the person being tested is familiar enough with the application and doesn’t need to spend valuable time scanning menus or toolbars searching for answers.

Three MOS certification levels are currently available for those interested in Excel certification: MOS Specialist, MOS Expert, and MOS Master. Progressing from Excel Specialist to Excel Expert, for example, demonstrates to employers that an employee or potential hire has achieved a deeper understanding of how to effectively and efficiently work with this application. Moving from Expert to Master-level shows that an employee has mastery of not just Excel, but four Microsoft Office applications.

What is MOS Excel Associate Certification?

MOS Excel Associate certification in Excel is the first certification level. It is achieved by passing the Excel 2016 Exam. Those who take this test must demonstrate that they are proficient in using core Excel concepts and functions. In addition, they have to show that they understand the Excel environment and can independently complete a range of real-world tasks such as the ones they may encounter in professional settings.

This exam covers Excel concepts such as: 

  • Creating tables and ranges.
  • Managing workbooks and worksheets.
  • Using formulas and functions to create charts.
  • Generating workbooks with multiple sheets, such as financial statements, sales invoices, data-entry logs, budgets, and team performance charts.
  • Using Excel graphics to create visual data representations.
  • Creating objects in Excel.

This certification level is helpful for those whose job involves regularly handling large datasets on spreadsheets, or creating data visualizations depicting trends or patterns within the data.

What is MOS Excel Expert Certification?

MOS Excel Expert Certification indicates to employers that a candidate has an advanced understanding of the Excel platform. In addition to demonstrating that they have the skills required to be an Excel Associate, this certification also signifies that they have a solid enough comprehension of the Excel environment that they can instruct others on how to use both basic and advanced features and functions. 

This Expert-level exam measures the following Excel skills:

  • Creating advanced Excel tables and charts.
  • Applying custom data layouts and formats to worksheets. 
  • Managing various settings and options in workbooks.
  • Generating advanced formulas.

Excel Expert certification is useful for those who work at help desks or train others to use this application. It also is useful for those who work in, or are interested in pursuing, jobs in fields such as accounting, finance, or data analytics, each of which would require knowledge of advanced spreadsheet functions.

What MOS Master Certification?

In addition to Excel Associate and Excel Expert certification, MOS Master certification is also available for those who wish to demonstrate a mastery of multiple Microsoft Office applications. This is the highest MOS certification level. In order to achieve MOS Master certification, a candidate must first pass the same kind of exam that was required to achieve Associate or Expert certification. However, instead of being certified in just one Microsoft Application, mastery requires passing exams based on four Office apps. This means that a test-taker would need to pass Expert-level exams for Microsoft Excel and Word, as well as the PowerPoint exam. In addition, they would also have to pass one additional exam, such as Access or Outlook. 

Some students choose to first pursue Associate or Expert certification, then later take additional tests to achieve Master-level certification. However, unlike other fields where one must first be an Associate before progressing to an Expert, some learners jump right into the Master certification process from the start.

Benefits of Excel Certification

Although many jobs do not require Excel certification as a prerequisite, achieving Associate, Expert, or Master certification is a great way to demonstrate to employers that you can use this app in real-world scenarios and do so within a time limit. It also signifies that Excel proficiency has more than been achieved. 

The following are just a few of the many benefits of earning Excel certification:

  • Microsoft Office is widely used by government organizations and businesses around the country. The more a candidate knows about Excel, the more they stand out from the applicant pool.
  • Many organizations are willing to invest in training employees in Microsoft Office apps. Some will even pay for their employees to be certified in Excel.
  • Excel certification shows that you are invested in learning and willing to devote the necessary time to studying this app so that you can advance professionally.
  • Those who are able to pass one or more of the MOS Excel exams have to be up-to-date on the current version of Excel, which is used in many work environments.
  • Those who achieve Excel certification are valuable assets to their organization or company. They have the skills to organize data more effectively, to record and run macros using shortcuts, and to perform automated calculations that would take hours to manually complete.

Although Excel certification isn’t required for all jobs, achieving this recognition is a great way to showcase your Excel skills to employers, as well as to advance at work.

Get Started Learning Excel with Hands-On Classes

A great way to learn more about how to work with VBA is to enroll in one of Noble Desktop’s

Excel courses in NYC and live online. Courses are available for those who are new to Excel, as well as learners who regularly work with this spreadsheet application and wish to brush up on their skills. In addition, there are also in-person and live online Excel courses available through Noble Desktop or one of its affiliate schools. A variety of course options are offered, ranging in duration from three hours to two days and costing between $229 and $1,099. 

Noble Desktop’s Excel Bootcamp provides a great option for those who want to master core Excel concepts, such as working with VLOOKUP and PivotTables, as well as perform What-If Analysis. Students who enroll in this rigorous, 21-hour course can elect to study in person in Manhattan or learn in the live online environment. This small class comes with the option of a free retake and covers a variety of Excel concepts applicable to the business world. 

Those interested in studying Excel close to home can also browse over 140 in-person Microsoft Excel classes to find nearby study options. Courses are available that vary in duration from three hours to five days, and range in price from $110-$8,749.