MOUS Certification 1

[petro]

I am thinking of at least looking into an MOUS certification...is it worth it? And if there is anyone here who has gotten it...how difficult are the exams? I am self-taught on MS Office so I don't think I would need classes...just maybe someone I could turn to for the expert material.

Mike

 

[FilthPig]

I guess it depends on what kind of worth you're talking about. Personally, it wouldn't be very practical for me, but I've always been on the sysadmin/netadmin side of things. The administrative assistants (read:secretaries (boy do they hate that, sorry)) would get frustrated when I couldn't help them with something as "simple as word", but I usually ended up passing those requests down the chain to the lesser-paid techs so I could work on server/network issues. If you're planning on working in an environment with a lot of call for Office support, then it might be something to think about. Right now I work in a software development shop and if it can't be found within the first level of menus, the programmers here don't have any use for it. For the kind of work I was hired for, it's not often worth my time to troubleshoot somebody's spreadsheet.

On the other hand, if you're interested in being an Administrative Assistant... Marc Creviere

 

[petro]

Well I am thinkin if I ever want to do software instruction again an MOUS certification would be helpful...or is it?

 

[wekkew]

Hi

I did MOUS a few years ago and it's a doddle to pass. Anyway who has done day-in day-out use of a package would be able to cope. the exam is a joke and it's made worse by the fact that, even on the expert/advanced exams you can still use help (yes really!) and even on the "advanced" things such as TOC and mail merge you're not asked to anything that can't be achieved off the standard dialogs and the questions are asked in such a way as to prompt you to select the required options.

You say you're an instructor so I guess it would be useful to have a MS qual prove your worth, but having done it, I'm not impressed by it. The only other msOffice qual I know of is ECDL (at least here in the UK) and to be honest, that's about the same but it does include some basic hw/email stuff.

Kate

 

[Storyteller]

Hello Petro,

The MOUS tests are designed to demonstrate that a person has the necessary experience to accomplish tasks at either the Core or Expert level. Anyone can say that they know how to use Excel (when in fact all they can do is chew the gum ), but if they have a MOUS certification in Excel they have demonstrated knowledge about the program.

As an Instructor it confirms your knowledge level about the product and lends credibility to yourself.

The exams themselves are relatively straight forward. read the instructions then do the task. Yes, you can use Help, however the Exams are timed and once you have moved to the next question you cannot go back.

I would check out

http://www.mous.net

(it will direct you to the proper site in Microsoft land) and look at the objectives/criteria for each exam. Make sure you are comfortable with all the items to be tested. In addition check out all the links on the left side to other resources.

If you want to become a Master Instructor there are additional requirements that must be met. See

http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/mousmi/default.asp

to view the requirements.

I've past my Office 2000 exams and I'm currently working on Office XP, and Project 2000. In addition I'm working on my Corel WordPerfect 9 and 10 Certification among others. As an Instructor I offer solutions in whatever product the client uses.

Good Luck,
Michael
Microsoft Office 2000 Master Instructor

 

[wekkew]

Dear Storyteller

You don't work for microsoft (or an affiliated partner) by any chance do you? because your reply reads like a press release.

Do you really think that MOUS is a worthwhile qualification, even with the time limitations - I took my time and still had a good 45mins/1 hour left at the end.

You say that
"As an Instructor it confirms your knowledge level about the product and lends credibility to yourself."

Whenever I've been called out to clients for office training the one thing that comes up time after time is the ability to customize office through templates and macros and that is the one area that is ignored by MOUS. Anyone with a reasonable level of intelligence can pick up 99% of what they need through the help files.

Expert level - I think not...

Kate

 

[SenseiC]

MOUS certifications CAN be useful just like any others. My wife got her Expert certification in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Then again, she took the exams to provide proof of what she had ALREADY LEARNED! But bear in mind, the MOUS tests have some significant flaws. For example, after finishing her second semester of MS Office-related classes at college she could easily make me look like a yutz with Excel and Word (and I've used it since the stinking Windows for Work Group days!) and yet one of the grading areas ahowed that she got a ZERO for being able to create a stinking table in Word! Hello????

My stance, use exam prep s/w to identify deficiencies in your knowledge. Eliminate the deficiencies through using the product(s). When the exams no longer pose a challenge because of your knowledge, take the test to have proof.

Given a choice between two potential equally qualified applicants, the one with MOUS has at least taken the effort to demonstrate his/her skill.

SenseiC

Just because you passed your Medical Boards doesn't mean I trust you as a brain surgeon.

 

[Guest_imported]

I'm somewhere in the middle. I've taken the MOUS Excel Expert exam about two years ago and had no problem passing it but I had a much lower score than I expected and the exam marked things wrong that I really questioned. Other people I have talked to have made the same comment. The core exams are not difficult - they are timed however.. you don't know how many questions you have and you can't go back to change something once you have clicked Done. The key is to read the question thoroughly.. it is very picky. Also, many times the exam focuses on a couple of things ..like the one I took asked at least 3-4 questions on sharing workbooks so if it is something you are unfamiliar with you can have a problem. I am a software instructor and up to now haven't had people asking whether I am MOUS certified however my newest potential client told me I had to be MOUS certified to prove my skills so I will probably be taking them all shortly. There are a couple of sites out there with sample exams and exams you can buy.. try measureup.com as well as the microsoft site.

 

[Guest_imported]

how much are the exams?

 

[Storyteller]

Hello Wekkew,
I don't work for Microsoft or an affiliate.
Many of my clients have asked about my certifications. In addition to Office 2000, I am also a Corel Certified Instructor and I am working towards ACT! Certified Trainer and MCDBA. I have found that my certifications have helped to open doors, however it is my experience and teaching skills that keep the clients happy.

As with other threads in this forum there are many different views of the value of certification.

Michael
Microsoft Office 2000 Master Instructor
Corel Certified Instructor WordPerfect 9

 

[Storyteller]

Hello bobd2145,

Follow this link

http://dtiq.safeshopper.com/

it may give you the information you require that is specific to your needs.

Michael

 

[Kckronic21]

I took the MOUS certification in MS Access a few days ago. I thought that the exam was pretty lame. Maybe that was becaus I have been using the program for 3 years. I really wanted to take a more challeging test so that I could separate myself from those people that just know the basic things about the progra that were on the test. What I hope that the MOUS certification doesn't do is tell the employer that this is the higest level that I can achieve in MS Access simply because that was the only test that I could have taken.

 

[Kckronic21]

I think that the whole certification process is pretty lame, but that is how the industry works. I think that the cetification test should somehow make people create a real-world situation. This will force them to really study the material and it will make them trully knowledgeable of the software. Hopefully that will also weed out the people that just know the basics. I plan on taking the MS Powerpoint, MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Outlook test as well so that I will earn the Master Ceritfication. This hopefully will separate me from those people that say: "OH yea, I know know to use Word and Excel, etc." I won't even have to say that because my resume and certifications will do all of the talking for me.

 

[wekkew]

Hello again

For those of you who are seeking something a bit more challenging than MOUS you might like to take a look at ECDL. The stage 1 level is very MOUS-y but they are in the middle of introducing an Advanced level which is something to get your teeth into. At the moment only wp and sp but more are planned.

http://www.ecdl.com

and then select your country and look for the advanced section. Sample papers available for download.

Kate