# Off Topic > The Water Cooler >  >  Looking for Guidance on MOS Certification Prep

## Canuck Chuck

I hope this is the right place to post this question.  If not, please accept my apologies.

I have set a New Year's resolution of getting the MOS Excel Expert certification.  To prepare for the exam, I intend to -

1.  Monitor Forums such as this one, study the problems/solutions, and come up with solutions of my own for consideration.
2.  Study the Excel section of "MOS Study Guide 2010" to get a listing of topics to improve on.
3.  Buy some practice exams.
4.  Enroll in Excel courses at Microsoft.com.
5.  Go through a book of Excel Tips and Tricks by John Walkenbach, and maybe get another one.

My plan is to write the exam in September or so.  My budget for the project is $500 tops.

Here are the questions I am hoping to get some feedback on:

1.  Does my study plan and timetable look adequate for the task, or are there steps I should take that I haven't thought of?

2.  How tough is the exam?  For example, macros - do I need to be able to write extensive VBA code on the fly, or just be able to record and run a macro, or some level of expertise in between?  Will there be questions based on array formulas?  In general, what level of topics would be beyond the exam?

3.  Is MOS a worthwhile certification?  Will it add much to my resume when applying for jobs in the US and/or Canada?

4.  Is my $500 budget reasonable?

5.  Any other thoughts on the certification and preparing for the exam are much appreciated.

Again, sorry if this is off-topic.  I realize I have asked several questions and am looking for a lot, so please accept my sincere thanks for any guidance you can provide.

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## Canuck Chuck

Any thoughts at all, even on part of my admittedly long series of questions?  If I am over-analyzing this and should just move forward with it, please feel free to let me know.

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## OnErrorGoto0

I may be wrong but I suspect that the lack of replies mirrors my own experience, which is that I know no-one who has taken the MS exams, nor any employers who have ever asked or expressed an interest in them. Have you ever seen a job specification that mentioned it? If you have seen a few, then it may be worth taking (certainly wouldn't hurt, if it is not too expensive) but if not, I confess I suspect it might be a waste of money.

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## Andy Pope

Have you gone through all the information on the MS site?
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en...certifications

You can find details of what is expected. The forums also appear to contain links to practice exams.

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## Simon Lloyd

Unless you are going to undertake a position that requires it then you are probably best off learning from us or related sites, grab an easy to read easy explained book to help you along and then create projects to work on and get your queries thrashed out in a forum, you'll find that 99% of people who use Excel beyond the "show me that total" & "Colour that cell" ....etc all have learnt this way.

Don't get me wrong, the course is valid and has it's merits and has a solid teaching path, so it's a personal preference but don't expect to come out of the course "all seeing all knowing" as thats just the start of your journey  :Smilie:

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## Whizbang

For me, I plan on taking the exams this year for the Master certification. I see this not as a way to learn more (although I am sure there will be things I learn along the way), but as a way to show on my resume that I am, indeed, a master in MS Office. Many, many job descriptions say "Must be proficient in (insert Office Product)". This would be a large bullet in my resume to prove my expert-ness, and set me apart from other candidates. It is, for me, a way to say to employers "not only am I good, but Microsoft says I am a Master". The fact that not many people seem to take these exams is not the issue to me. Most hiring managers are probably not aware there is certification for MS Office products, but that doesn't mean they won't be impressed when, after reading dozens of resumes saying the applicant is good at Excel, my resume says I am a certified expert. It will also indicate not only a willingness to learn and self-educate, but also the willingness to follow through with that education and take a standardized test to prove it.

Any sort of certification looks good on a resume.

Also, my current employer will look well upon this certification, I am sure. They will see this as a proof that I am self motivated and continually improving myself. The certification will lend weight to my words when I say something should or could be done a certain way.

In all, I see it as a good use of my time and money. Perhaps I could spend that money on all sorts of books and courses, but in the end I will not have a piece of paper that proves I know what I am doing in Office. Pieces of paper are important to hiring managers that only know the job description for which they are hiring and have a stack of identical resumes to compare. Pieces of paper are something they can use to compare candidates.

Canuck Chuck, wanna be study buddies?

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## Canuck Chuck

Study buddies sounds like a good idea.  I don't know if you've seen it, but I left you a private note so we can work out the details.

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## Whizbang

For those interested, I have created a group here on ExcelForum, devoted to sharing resources in preparation for certification.

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