The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certifications enable students to gain an industry recognised qualification in Microsoft 365 Apps. There are associate level exams available in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and there are expert level exams available in Excel and Word.
On Wednesday 9 November 2022, a number of students sat MOS Associate Exams in Excel and Word. Gill Holden, Senior Lecture in Accounting at Newcastle University Business School and Andrew Lenahan, Regional Account Manager from Prodigy Learning have supported over 80 students in their preparation and on the day of the exams.
Taking a MOS exam requires commitment to study the required LinkedIn Learning course and take the practice exams in order to prepare for the final exam alongside their university studies. Here is what one of our students said when asked about how the preparation for the exam was:
“There is a good amount of guidance from the university and information was given on how to go about preparing on LinkedIn Learning well in advance. Timelines were set and reminders were sufficiently provided to let us know when and how to prepare. Overall, the university and LinkedIn Learning are a good support.” – Manoj Kumar Singh, MBA
Students taking these micro-credentials demonstrate self-motivation and time management, as well as the fact that they are digitally capable, one of the Newcastle University Graduate Framework Attributes.
When students pass a MOS Exam they receive a digital badge to display on their LinkedIn profile, showing employers that they are capable of using the apps and have the skills they need to start their professional careers. When asked why they decided to take the exam, here is what one of our students said:
“Excel and Word are pretty important in terms of future employment, especially because I’m wanting to go into consulting. Excel will be hugely involved, particularly in data analysis, so I thought it was a good idea to do it and gain the certification.” – Ben Gillson, Economics and Business Management BSc
On the day, we had 29 students take 48 exams – 27 Excel exams and 21 Word exams – with a pass rate of 96.3% in Excel and 76.2% in Word. Adlenia Djunaedi, Quantitative Finance and Risk Management MSc student, managed to achieve an impressive 100% in just 31 minutes (the time allowed is 50 minutes) so congratulations are definitely in order! Adlenia, when asked why she decided to take the exam, said:
“I believe that skills in Microsoft Word and Excel are crucial for my future. Taking the MOS Certification provided the opportunity for me to learn those skills properly.”
The opportunity to take further certifications is currently open to business school students, but if you’re wondering how it might benefit you, here is what one of our students said:
“It’s never bad to have another certificate and next year I will be going on a placement year so I think it will help me stand out more against other candidates and this also applies for after university when applying for jobs. I also just wanted to do it for myself to learn new skills and be more knowledgeable about Excel and Word when working with these during my course.” – Oliver Wong Chap Lan, Accounting and Finance with Placement BSc
