Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
$100-$150
Provider
Microsoft/Certiport
Validity
Lifetime
Available
Global
Education
No formal education requirement
Experience
Recommended but not required
Specific Requirements
- None. Microsoft sets no prior certification, degree or course requirement for any Microsoft Office Specialist exam.
- Microsoft describes the target candidate as having approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product. This is a readiness guideline, not a registration gate.
- Certiport states that while the exams are open to all, they are best suited to candidates aged 16 and up.
- A Certiport test candidate account, created at certiport.com, which holds your exam history, score reports and certificates.
- An exam voucher, bought through store.certiport.com or supplied by a school or employer, plus a booking at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center.
- Identification acceptable to your test centre. Admission requirements are set by the Certiport Authorized Testing Center, so confirm them when you book.
- For the Expert credential only: the Microsoft Office Specialist: Associate (Microsoft 365 Apps) certification is a stated prerequisite before the two Expert exams count.
Number of Questions
33 to 37 questions on the Word, Excel and PowerPoint Associate exams (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019), 23 to 27 on Word Expert, Excel Expert, Excel for Accounting and Excel for Business Finance, 30 to 35 on Access Expert (Office 2019) and 33 to 37 on Outlook (Office 2019). Figures are Certiport's published exam lengths.
Duration
50 minutes for every Microsoft Office Specialist exam, Associate and Expert alike, on both the Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019 tracks.
Question Format
Live-in-the-Application tasks. You work in the actual Word, Excel or PowerPoint window on a supplied file, and the software grades the resulting document state., Multi-task projects. Tasks arrive grouped around a single working file, so you open a file, complete its set of instructions, then move to the next file., Tasks that name an exact result rather than a method, which means any route to the correct end state scores, including ribbon, right-click menu or keyboard shortcut.
Passing Requirement
700. Certiport states the passing value is always equated to 700 on the 1 to 1000 scale, for every exam and every version of every exam.
How It Is Delivered
Proctored at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center through Certiport's Compass delivery software, running the genuine Office application. Microsoft directs students and educators to schedule through Certiport.
Languages Offered
MO-210 Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps) is offered in English, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), German, Greek (Greece), Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Vietnamese (Vietnam)., MO-110 Word (Microsoft 365 Apps) is offered in English and Japanese only, so language availability differs by exam and must be checked on the exam's own Microsoft Learn page before booking.
Create a Microsoft Learn profile
Navigate to the exam page and click 'Schedule exam'
Choose Pearson VUE test center or online proctoring
Pay the exam fee and confirm your appointment
Score Scale
1 to 1000. Certiport distributes the passing standard for each exam across this scale on the score report you receive at the end of the session.
Score You Need
700. Certiport states the passing value is always equated to 700 on the 1 to 1000 scale, for every exam and every version of every exam.
How It Is Calculated
Certiport derives each exam version's passing standard from a combination of expert judgement about minimal competence and data on how well the exam separates low-performing from high-performing candidates, then equates that standard to 700 on the reported scale. Multiple versions of each exam circulate with different content, different numbers of questions and different underlying standards, all reported against the same 700 threshold. Microsoft notes that 700 is a scaled score and may not equal 70 percent of the points. There is no deduction for a wrong attempt, but a task completed only in part earns nothing for that task.
When You Get Results
Immediate. The score report is provided on completion of the exam and is stored in your Certiport test candidate profile, from which digital certificates and Credly badges are also claimed.
In raw terms: Certiport does not publish a raw-to-scaled conversion and states as policy that it will not release additional documentation about passing scores or other exam metrics it considers proprietary.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation
- For online: clean workspace, webcam, microphone
What are the prerequisites for the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)?
None. Microsoft sets no prior certification, degree or course requirement for any Microsoft Office Specialist exam.. Microsoft describes the target candidate as having approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the product. This is a readiness guideline, not a registration gate.. Certiport states that while the exams are open to all, they are best suited to candidates aged 16 and up.. A Certiport test candidate account, created at certiport.com, which holds your exam history, score reports and certificates.. An exam voucher, bought through store.certiport.com or supplied by a school or employer, plus a booking at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center.. Identification acceptable to your test centre. Admission requirements are set by the Certiport Authorized Testing Center, so confirm them when you book.. For the Expert credential only: the Microsoft Office Specialist: Associate (Microsoft 365 Apps) certification is a stated prerequisite before the two Expert exams count..
How much does the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) cost?
The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exam costs $100-$150. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)?
Create a Microsoft Learn profile → Navigate to the exam page and click 'Schedule exam' → Choose Pearson VUE test center or online proctoring → Pay the exam fee and confirm your appointment
What should I bring to the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation. For online: clean workspace, webcam, microphone.
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