Microsoft is a well-established and one of the top-tier companies throughout the world. It offers various useful tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and many others. Microsoft Excel is one of the most useful tools when it comes to working with data. You can perform operations and create tables, graphs, charts, and many more. You can store your data, organize it, present it and perform functions. Certification can give you an upper hand over your colleagues and coworkers. If you want to become a certified Microsoft Excel professional, you have come to the right place. In this article, you will get the answer to all your confusion.
How to Become a Certified Microsoft Excel Professional
Microsoft’s certification is globally recognized and is completely worth the effort. Certification will verify that the person is well-versed in the concepts of Excel. You can give the exam if you are:
- An hr or manager, looking to broaden your learnings
- In a Data-oriented field.
- A student with an interest in Excel.
- Fresher/Graduate with an interest in data analytics.
Skills such as communication, analytical, research, and data management are recommended. However, there is no particular course or skill required to give the test. Having a good knowledge of Excel can help you clear your goal. There are certain requirements and eligibility criterias to follow:
- First and foremost Microsoft Office
- .Net Framework
- Adobe flash player
- Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge
- High-speed internet
Exam and Preparations
There are two exams that you can opt from:
1. MO-200
This exam is specifically for Microsoft excel 2019. It is a practical exam in Microsoft excel. It costs about $100 and can vary depending upon the country in which you are giving the exam. It covers how the data can be presented virtually and how to edit and create workbooks with many sheets. Tasks are given and the user has to complete them on their own. The exam is available in many languages such as English, German, Portuguese, Korean, etc. . Composition of the test is:
- 20-25% of charts and tables
- 10-15% managing worksheets and workbooks
- 20-25% managing data cells and ranges
- 15-20% of managing data and tables
- 20-25% of performing operations and formulas
2. MO-201(Microsoft Excel Expert)
This is an expert-level certification test for Microsoft Excel. This test cost $100 too and can vary depending on the country. You do not get the option to give proctored tests from home. You can only go to test centers for this exam. It is more strict and high-level. The test’s composition is:
- 15-20% of managing workbooks and settings
- 20-25% of managing and formatting data
- 30-35% of building advanced formulas and macros
- 25-30% creating tables and charts advanced level
For both of the above-mentioned tests, you get 50-60 questions. You get 90 minutes to complete the test. Questions can be of many choices (MCQs), fill-in-the-blanks, case studies, and multiple select types. To pass the test, you need to score at least 700 marks out of 1000.
What are the preparations before giving the Exam?
1. Practice Basics
It is good to have some basic knowledge of computers and some IT skills. The test won’t be easy, so it’s best to prepare for everything you can. Some operations include saving files, navigating through different worksheets, and organizing and accessing files.
2. Prepare for your test
You can get and refer to many past-year questions available online. Also, there are a lot of courses you can opt for. This will give you an edge to crack your test. You can practice practical questions and can try to apply some operations to raw data. Many websites will provide you with mock tests. These mock tests will help you get clarity on the exam pattern and distribution. You will learn to answer the questions within the time given.
3. Enroll and Choose your Exam
Now that you are ready and prepared for the exam, it is time to enroll for the examination. Choose which test you wish to give. You can opt for basic excel or expert. This totally depends upon your preparation and confidence. There is no rule that you must have any certificate before giving the expert one. You can give the exam anytime you feel like giving.
After selecting the exam, you are asked for the mode of examination. You get 2 options for the basic exam ie offline and online proctoring. While for the expert level you get only offline mode. If you mess up in your exam or won’t be able to clear it you can give it again. You get the duration of 24 hours after failing in one for a re-test.
What to Expect after Certification
After clearing the certification, you are now eligible to apply for many roles freely. You now have a confirmation that you are proficient in Microsoft Excel. Many opportunities, especially in the IT sector, open up for you. Roles such as assistant, data entry, executive, HR, secretary, and many more are open for you. On average, you can expect a salary ranging from 2.5-5 Lakhs per annum. You can apply to global roles too. With experience and more skills, you can expect to earn even more.
You May Also Read!!
How to Become a Big Data Engineer – A Career Guide
Conclusion
Certified professionals are always given preference. Microsoft authorizes this certification, which means you are now globally recognized. Giving the test will not be easy without preparation and practice. But after getting the certification, your result will be worth the effort. If you are confused about how to become a certified Microsoft Excel Professional, then you can refer to this article. We have tried to cover everything possibly related. It is your time to be certified now.