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.