Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
Digital badges
Digital badges are web-enabled versions of a credential, certification, or learning outcome. Representing your credential as a badge gives you the ability to share your skills online in a way that is simple, trusted, and can be easily verified in real-time.
Show off your success
Microsoft Office Specialist certified students have a lot to be proud of. Badges validate their skills and allow them to show the world what they’ve accomplished.
Tried and true: pathway to success
Through Certiport’s full pathway solution you can prepare your students for the MOS certification with tailored learning materials, practice tests, and a performance-based certification exams officially endorsed by Microsoft. Adding these materials into your curriculum is easy and seamless.
Microsoft Office Specialist impact
Why are Microsoft Office Specialist certifications so valuable for students, teachers, and school systems?
Empowering students and educators
- For students, Microsoft Office Specialist boosts academic performance and preps them for college and career.
- For educators, Microsoft Office Specialist courses provide targeted training and support every step of the way.
- For Administrators, Microsoft Office Specialist improves institutional results.
Microsoft Office Specialist Productivity Study (PDF download)
Microsoft 365
Microsoft Office Specialist Program New Microsoft 365 Apps exams launched October of 2022.Have you ever been stuck at a crossroad and were unsure of what path to take?With Microsoft Office Specialist Program the choice is easy!
No matter which path you take or which application you use in your classroom you will be lead back to the same Microsoft Office Specialist certifications!
The Microsoft Office Specialist certifications that will be available are Word Associate, Excel Associate, PowerPoint Associate, Outlook Associate, Word Expert &
Excel Expert. Excel Associate launched Oct 25!!!
New Exams still include the performance-based format and are live-in-the-application.
The Microsoft 365 Apps exams include multiple, smaller projects to assess student skills within Microsoft Office. Students are tested on one project at a time, once that project is complete they will move onto the next within the Microsoft Office Specialist program. These small projects test their skills as they would in the real world and validate their understanding of the Microsoft Office program functionality.
What's New
Check out our updated Objective Domains for all of the upcoming exams
Looking to become a Microsoft Office Specialist – Associate or Expert?
The Microsoft Office Specialist Program has multiple levels: Associate and Expert Students still earn a certification for each exam they pass, however if a student earns any three of the four available associate certifications, as they become available, They will become a Microsoft Office Specialist – Associate and earn an additional certification for their accomplishment. If students would like to advance even further and earn their Associate certification and both of the expert certifications they will become a Microsoft Office Specialist – Expert and achieve the highest certification within the Microsoft Office Specialist Program.
To accommodate those that started their journey toward MOS Associate or Expert by taking the Office 2019 versions of the exams you can earn a MOS Associate or Expert by taking just one of your exams in the new Microsoft 365 Apps version. For example: if you passed Word Associate Exam and a PowerPoint Associate Exam in the Office 2019 version and now pass the Excel Associate Exam in the Microsoft Apps 365 version you will receive your Microsoft Office Specialist:
Associate certification in the 365 Apps version.
Microsoft Office 2019
New Microsoft Office 2019 exams launched in July of 2019.
Have you ever been stuck at a crossroad and were unsure of what path to take?
With the new Office 2019 Microsoft Office Specialist Program the choice is easy!
No matter which path you take or which application you use in your classroom you will be lead back to the same Microsoft Office Specialist certifications!
The Microsoft Office Specialist certifications that are available are Word Associate, Excel Associate, PowerPoint Associate, Outlook Associate, Access Expert, Word Expert & Excel Expert.
New Exams still include the performance-based format and are live-in-the-application.
The Microsoft Office 2019 exams include multiple, smaller projects to assess student skills within Microsoft Office. Students are tested on one project at a time, once that project is complete they will move onto the next within the Microsoft Office Specialist program. These small projects test their skills as they would in the real world and validate their understanding of the Microsoft Office program functionality.
What’s New
Microsoft Office 2019 exams now include new Office features, such as:
- 3D models
- Morph Animations
- Slide Zoom
- New Excel Functions
- Ink
Also, the Microsoft Office 2019 exams have been mapped to one set of revised objective domains to reflect the skills required in today’s modern workplace. So, students are tested on the same exam no matter which Office application is being used.
Looking to become a Microsoft Office Specialist – Associate or Expert?
The Microsoft Office Specialist Program now has multiple levels: Associate and Expert
Students still earn a certification for each exam they pass, however if a student earns any three of the four available associate certifications they will become a Microsoft Office Specialist – Associate and earn an additional certification for their accomplishment. If students would like to advance even further and earn their Associate certification and any two of the three available expert certifications they will become a Microsoft Office Specialist – Expert and achieve the highest certification within the Microsoft Office Specialist Program.*
*This is in lieu of the Microsoft Office Master credential.
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) 2016
The future belongs to those who do more
My MOS certifications made it easier and quicker to write papers and do presentations in college. I would absolutely 100% recommend them to everyone I know. They are industry recognized certifications that make you more appealing to employers, plus it really makes you feel good about yourself!
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) 2016 gives students a competitive edge in today’s academic and professional environments. This exam version validates learners experience and in-demand skills on Microsoft Office 2016, and includes exams covering:
- Microsoft Office Word
- Microsoft Office Excel
- Microsoft Office PowerPoint
- Microsoft Office Access
- Microsoft Office Outlook
From single projects to multiple projects
By migrating from a single, large project for the certification exam to multiple, smaller projects, this version MOS is a powerful instrument for assessing skills.
Learners are able to devote more time to practicing and mastering on the specific skills tested in each smaller project. This improvement allows test candidates to focus their studies and enhance the learning process. It also allows the exams to test proficiency more broadly and deeply.
More enhancements
The certification exams include feedback from subject-matter advisors, industry experts, and teachers to make them stronger tools for assessment and ensure that they validate the most in-demand skills needed in college, workforce, and beyond. This includes:
- Revised instructions to avoid command and function names, requiring a deeper understanding of program functionality
- More objective domains incorporated across the different exam forms
- Real-world context for exam content
- Performance-based format for improved aptitude testing
Achieve higher levels of certification
There are three levels of certification: Specialist, Expert, and Master. Each certification level propels a student further on the path to greater achievements and advancement. Students can certify at all three levels and should try to obtain the highest level possible. The market demands, and caters to, those who possess the most education and skills.
Becoming a Specialist is good. Becoming an Expert is better. And becoming a Master is best.
With 21st-century skills being on the forethought of every school district right now,” says Martha Roettgen, a teacher at Green Hope High School in North Carolina, “having students have the opportunity to learn word processing, publishing, spreadsheets, and databases is absolutely critical.
- SPECIALIST
Become certified as a specialist in one of Microsoft’s premiere office technologies. - EXPERT
Get a higher credential for two of the job market’s most in-demand technologies: Word and Excel. - MASTER
Reach the highest level by passing PowerPoint, Access, or Outlook, and the two Expert exams.