Hey, don't get down about your skills thinking it's not enough. These roles you're looking for don't need some macro wiz, or pivot table genius to work them. If you have any experience with word/excel then great, you already tick the box. Anything you need to know once you are there is just a Google away. I frequently recheck the syntax for certain excel formulae (like arrays) If you don't, do you have any experience with googled versions? Docs and sheets. Or apples versions? Pages or numbers. Those skills will transfer to Microsoft Office Answer from Just4theapp on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/microsoft › microsoft office certificate with no job experience?
r/microsoft on Reddit: Microsoft office certificate with no job experience?
March 27, 2023 -

I’m not sure the best subreddit to post this in but I could use some advice.

I’m in my early 30’s, have no college education, and have been working in customer service mainly but its taking a toll on my mental health so I’m looking to get into a data entry/admin assistant/office desk job.

Of course the problem is that I don’t have experience in these roles or Microsoft office (most jobs want Microsoft office proficiency & job experience) so no one will hire me for them.

I’m wondering if getting certified in Microsoft office would be helpful to have on my resume in place of experience. And more importantly, where is the best place to get certified? A google search shows tons of different options and I want something that will actually teach me, not rip me off, and stand out to potential employers.

I’m so tired and so desperate. Would be so appreciative of any advice!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/excel › experts of excel is it worth it becoming “microsoft office specialist” certified?
r/excel on Reddit: Experts of Excel is it worth it becoming “Microsoft Office Specialist” certified?
April 22, 2021 -

Hello!

So for reference I am 23 years old and work a full time office job that does not really require excel use, however I am looking to get paid better which means that all the jobs I am looking at require Excel use. I only used Excel like 3times in my life. I just signed up for a free 16 week Excel course at a local university that what would enable me to pass an exam and become “Microsoft Office Specialist” certified.

Now if I’m honest I signed up for it because it was free and because I would learn the basics not necessarily because I would get a certificate.

In your experiences have employers required or preferred these sort of credentials?

Thanks! :)

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/excel › microsoft office specialist certification for excel - how good should you be ?
r/excel on Reddit: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification for Excel - how good should you be ?
February 18, 2021 -

Hi all,

I am a full-time student and currently waiting for my new course to start in August. So, yes, I have a lot of time. Therefore, I am thinking of taking the MOS exam in the meantime. I was wondering how good I should be to pass this.

I consider myself an above average excel user.

Any type of opinion is appreciated.

Thanks in Advance!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r › O365Certification
Microsoft 365 Certifications
June 9, 2020 - r/O365Certification: A subreddit to discuss all Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform certifications. If you are new here, read the pinned…
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/office365 › certifications for office365 applications
r/Office365 on Reddit: Certifications for Office365 Applications
July 18, 2023 -

I’m looking for some reliable sites (or other sources) to complete some sort of certification or class for Office365. I’d like to increase my knowledge base of the applications use as well as be able to spiff up my resume. The ultimate goal is to be able to break into the remote work world which I am currently struggling with.

Any other pointers for this would be greatly appreciated, as well as any other potential certifications. I understand they aren’t likely to be cheap either, but I guess I should mention the cheaper the better!

Thanks in advance to any advice, tips, or answers!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/excel › worth it to get mos certification?
r/excel on Reddit: Worth it to get MOS certification?
February 8, 2023 -

I checked out the Microsoft Office Specialist certification and I can already ace the first one. Between working full time and a toddler at home, I could probably pass the master with about a week of studying an hour or two a day.

Buuuuuuut they're $100 a pop. Are these certs worth it? I currently run a commercial warehouse and use Excel daily, and my boss has said in the next two years I'll basically be doubling my salary...but it's essentially a startup so we don't have many benefits and I've been eyeing getting into something more IT related (data analyst, support, something).

Is it worth it?

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/o365certification › is microsoft 365 certifications worth it?
r/O365Certification on Reddit: is Microsoft 365 Certifications worth it?
April 11, 2025 -

’m considering whether Microsoft 365 certifications are worth it, there are several important questions I need to ask myself. First, what exactly will I learn, and how will it benefit me in my current job or future roles? Should I pursue a Fundamentals, Associate, or Expert-level certification, and which one aligns with my career goals? How much time and effort will it take for me to get certified, and can I realistically balance studying with my current responsibilities? I also need to think about the cost of the certification and if I believe the investment will be worth the potential salary increase or new job opportunities. Is this certification recognized by employers in my industry, and will it help me stand out when applying for roles? Given that Microsoft 365 tools are constantly evolving, will I need to continually update my certification to stay relevant? Do I need hands-on experience with the tools before pursuing the certification, or can I succeed even if I’m starting from scratch? I also have to ask myself whether the knowledge I gain will have a tangible impact on my work or career. What happens if I fail the exam, and how likely is that to happen? Finally, how does Microsoft 365 certification compare to other certifications in terms of value for my career, and will it help me move up in my current role or even transition to a higher-level position? These questions will help me determine if Microsoft 365 certifications are the right path for me.

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A lot of those questions only you can answer because we don't know what your current role is or where you aspire to going in your career. What I would say is that you should be a continuous learner if you want to do well in tech. How much time and money you devote to learning is for you to decide. It's also not the end of the world if you spend time learning about something and end up never getting to use it professionally. As to the M365 certs, they are generally well respected and you will learn a lot studying for them. Whether they help you advance your career and increase your pay is not something anyone can give you a hard guarantee on. Many employers devalue certs if you don't have experience to back them up and there is always a degree of luck when it comes to landing new roles. You do have to update MS certs annually but there is no cost and you get 6 months and effectively unlimited retries to pass the renewal exam online. It's also open book. If you're starting from scratch then start with the fundamental certs, progress to Associate level and then Expert. Note that you do not need to sit the exams to learn. MS Learn is free to use and there are plenty of other free resources out there to supplement the MS material. So you could start your learning journey now at no cost and decide further down the line which certs you want to sit exams for. If you sit and fail an exam you just have to decide if you want to pay to retake it.
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Only you can answer the questions you are asking yourself!
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/nostupidquestions › where would i find my old microsoft office specialist certification?
r/NoStupidQuestions on Reddit: Where would I find my old Microsoft Office Specialist certification?
2 weeks ago -

Back in high school (I think this was 2020 or 2021), one of the computer courses I took had me go through the official Microsoft course to get that MOS certification. Now that I'm older, I'm realizing how useful having proof of that would be for resumes and all that.

Problem is I have literally zero idea how to go about finding that. I'm afraid that if I was using a school email for a Microsoft account at the time, it might just be completely gone since I did just try logging in with that old email and it said the account doesn't exist. Would there be any way for me to recover any documentation of that or should I just proceed onward saying I'm an Office specialist without any proof? (as i have been for a couple years now lol)

Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/office365 › what should i do after getting a microsoft office specialist: expert certification?
r/Office365 on Reddit: What should I do after getting a Microsoft office specialist: expert certification?
June 11, 2023 -

I find pleasure in acquiring knowledge about Office 365 and have successfully obtained a certification as a Microsoft Office Specialist: Expert. Currently, I am unsure about the next certification to pursue. At 19 years of age, I am employed as a material handler at CTDI, a role I'm not particularly fond of. The job entails standing all day, packing phones, which leaves my mind prone to wandering into various unrelated subjects. I aspire for a role that offers more variety than the repetitive tasks I'm engaged in currently. Despite my disinterest in IT support due to finding topics like networking, operating systems, cloud computing, and hardware unstimulating, my primary aim is to master a specific software or a set of entry level skill and secure a promising career utilizing it.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/excel › which excel mos certification should i take?
r/excel on Reddit: Which Excel MOS Certification should I take?
March 20, 2023 -

My job is giving me about a month to learn Excel and then will let me pick a certification to take on their dime. I see that Microsoft offers several different exams based on the version of Excel you have by year. I have looked in the about section and I can only find that I have version 2212 through 365. Which MOS Excel certification do I take?

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While Microsoft lists certifications for both Microsoft 365 and Office 2019 (as well earlier years), they're essentially the same: There’s not much difference between them right now in terms of functionality; it’s just a different licensing arrangement. Excel 2019 is the perpetual, bought-outright, stand-alone version of Excel and Excel 365 is the subscription-based version of the software. So don't get too distracted by which version they're designed for. The certification classifications are: MOS: Excel Associate Requires that you pass associate exam MO-200 MOS: Associate Requires that you pass 3 of 4 exams from different programs, with at least 1 as a (Microsoft 365 app) MS Word: MO-100 or MO-110 MS Excel: MO-200 or MO-210 MS PowerPoint: MO-300 or MO-310 MS Outlook: MO-400 or MO-410 MOS: Excel Expert Requires that you pass expert exam MO-201 MOS: Expert Requires that you complete MOS: Associate certification as well as pass 2 of 3 expert exams MS Word: MO-101 MS Excel: MO-201 MS Access: MO-500 Consider what roles you'll be looking for in the future. Your job wants you to be proficient in MS Office, specifically Excel. A MOS: Excel Associate certification gets your foot in the door, it's good for interns or fresh grads, but you already have your foot in the door. A MOS: Associate certification shows functionable knowledge across all MOS software, it's good for any job and helps cement an associate application into a job offer. Imo, this certification is above what an intern is expected to do and slightly above what an associate-level employee is expected to do, but below expectations for a specialist. Maybe on-par for a coordinator. So an associate that's looking for a promotion (or better position at another company) would do well to supplement their argument for promotion with this certification, but it's not enough of an argument on its own. A MOS: Excel Expert certification puts you on the specialist path and sets you apart from other candidates for better positions. I passed MO-201 and have this certification (I haven't prepped or taken a different expert exam yet) and can say that this exam isn't easy. I had 50 minutes to complete 6 projects with ~5 tasks each. Some of the tasks were simple (Ex. create a 3-color conditional formatting for column H), some took a few minutes to work out. I think that with a month and your programming experience, you could get this certification if you're working on learning the right functions. Don't just go to Udemy and take a course for general Excel knowledge, look at the exam skills outline and google each one and practice them until you feel like you have a solid understanding of each set. After that, come back to this sub and start answering questions! If you don't know the answers to some, check what solutions others have come up with. Answering questions here is a great way to get better at Excel. Which Excel MOS Certification should I take? If you're thinking long term, I'd go for the Excel Expert (Office 2019) certification since you have a whole month to work towards it.
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There is very little different from one version of Excel to the next. If you can pass it and can only take one, I'd suggest the MO-201 exam, which is the only Expert exam for Excel 365, although it's based on 2019. The MO-200 and 210 exams appear to be on the Specialist level. However, the 210 exam is the most recent one released, so it might have some new cool features. I will admit that I haven't looked too closely at the 210 exam yet. I may knock it off this fall. (I've taken all the exams since Excel 97 was first released.)
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/excel › is the excel certification worth it? (mos)
r/excel on Reddit: Is the excel certification worth it? (MOS)
June 20, 2016 -

I work with excel on what I believe is an above average skill level, but it’s hard to really describe that in a resume.

Is the certification test via Microsoft a good way to stand out (for example, exam 77-727 or exam 77-728)? If not, what are some ways to highlight your use of excel in the job hunting world? “Proficient at Microsoft excel” seems so... underwhelming.

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On my resume I have Proficient at Excel (VLOOKUP, PIVOT TABLES, VBA, INDEX/MATCH) etc. basically examples of what I can do

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You need to do more than just the 77-727 exam!

I am sitting on a panel of the final set of interviews for a new staff member next week. Part of the job the applicants are applying for heavily involves the new staff member being competent in Excel. Basically the better the successful candidate is with excel the less training I will have to do once they are hired.

One (and only one) of the final applicants has MOS 77-727 and the other two don't. Upon reviewing the resumes ahead of the interviews I feel much more confident that the applicant with the certificate has a decent knowledge of Excel. It impresses me that they went to the effort to go and sit the exam and get certified. I am not saying they will get the job but at this stage ahead of the interviews I would say it really is to their advantage.

I would definitely recommend getting this certification as it really does help.

What worries me a little is that they only did the MOS 77-727 and not some other more advanced exams (MOS 77-728). To me this tells me they have a good basic knowledge of MS Excel but are no master. If they also had MOS 77-728 I would know they have serious excel skills or at least ambitions for be an excel master.

Basically in this case the MOS 77-727 of the candidate says both good and bad things about the candidate. Good that they bothered to get the qualification but bad that they never kept going with it. Still they are better placed than the other two who have no proof of their skills.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/excel › [discussion] how do you guys feel about microsoft office certification?
r/excel on Reddit: [Discussion] How do you guys feel about Microsoft Office Certification?
June 1, 2020 -

So I successfully pitched a business case for my employer to cover the cost of two MOS Excel Expert exams and a copy of the MOS Excel Expert Study Guide. Regarding myself as a know-it-all in Excel I was surprised to fail the first exam I sat. I can't bring myself to fess up to my employer about failing and asking for them to cover the cost of a resit. I'm purchasing the resit exam ($150) and access to the GMetrix test exams ($40), leaving me $190 out.

So, now I find myself wondering - was this really worth the hassle? I'm committed now having spent $190 and work having spent $300 plus whatever the book was, but I find myself wondering how useful this really is.

Love to hear your thoughts guys!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r › Accounting › comments › zukibn › microsoft_office_specialist_certifications
Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications : r/Accounting
December 24, 2022 - I recently finished my fall semester in college and one course had us get the Microsoft Office certifications only Word, Excel, PowerPoint were required but I went and got Outlook, Access, Word Expert, and Excel Expert.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/office365 › overview of all ms certification
r/Office365 on Reddit: Overview of all MS certification
July 23, 2023 -

Is there still a simple overview of all MS certifications. Year or two ago there was aka.ms/trainingcertpost (or something like that). It was huge PDF that covered Azure, M365, Power Platform and Security paths in one chart. I know the certs have updated recently, but I'm looking for similar clear overview of every cert that is related to M365 / Azure.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/excel › "microsoft office specialist - excel certificates" having few questions over this certificate
r/excel on Reddit: "Microsoft Office Specialist - Excel Certificates" Having few questions over this certificate
August 7, 2024 -
  1. Found out these 4 certifications - which is the best pick?

  2. Why i cant see many people doing this cert? Is it worth doing?

  3. Worth investing $100 (8397.20 INR) / certificate?

-Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate (Microsoft 365 Apps) - MO210

-Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps) - MO211

-Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate (Office 2019) - MO200

-Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Excel Expert (Office 2019) - MO201

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The difference between the first two and the last two is simply the version of Excel which is being tested. Which version of Excel do you use at work/school? Pick that one. If you have access to both, pick 365 as it is the latest version of Excel. The associate exam is easier than the expert. However looking at the subjects tested I would save money and just go straight for the expert exam. As for whether these certifications have much worth, I personally have never seen them listed on a job advert and I do not know anyone in my office who holds these. I think this is a shame as there is such a wide range in what people consider "expert" knowledge in Excel. Unfortunately the current certifications do not go nearly deep enough into the more advanced features of Excel. This isn't the case with all Microsoft certifications however; look at the power bi subreddit and you will find lots of people taking the pl-300 exam which seems to be much more highly valued.
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