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Taking the MOS Excel Exam at SPU
To satisfy the
Spreadsheet
Competency Requirement
needed by Accounting, Business Administration,
Economics, Political Science*, Global Development
Studies**, Apparel Design, and Fashion Merchandising
majors, you must pass
BUS 1700 Spreadsheets
or pass the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exam
on Microsoft Excel. Either the
MOS 77-420
or the
MOS 77-727 exams satisfy this
requirement. The MOS 77-727 (Excel 2016) exam is the exam taken to
pass BUS 1700. (Students who passed BUS 1700 or
CSC 1123 before summer 2015, with a C- or higher,
have satisfied this requirement.)
* Beginning in 2017-18, Political Science majors
will need to satisfy this requirement, since it has
become a prerequisite to POL 4643 Methods of
Political Analysis.
** Addition of this requirement for Global
Development Studies majors is planned beginning
summer 2018.
While a score of
700/1000 is required to earn the MOS Excel
certification, SBGE will also accept scores between
600 and 699 to satisfy this spreadsheet competency
requirement. This applies to both students
registered in BUS 1700 and those taking the exam
separately from the course.
(Updated: 1/12/17)
There are 40 to 70 seats available in BUS 1700 each
quarter. Students may also elect to study Microsoft
Excel on their own and take the MOS exam with the
BUS 1700 students when they are ready. Here are the
options of self-study versus classroom study.
Note: The MOS 77-727 Excel exam
assumes you have mastered the
listed features of Excel 2016,
a Windows-based version of Excel. The test is not
available for Apple/Mac versions of Excel. Students
with Apple computers will benefit by adding dual
boot capability to run Microsoft Windows and Excel
2016. The School of Business, Government, and
Economics recommends Windows-based machines.
There are a number of software tools that are used
in business that you are introduced to in our
curriculum that only run on the Windows platform. |
Take BUS 1700
Spreadsheets
This class is a 12-hour
tutorial overview the material on the MOS Excel
exam. It's sole
focus is to prepare students to take and pass the
first level MOS Excel exam. (A 16-hour version
of this class is offered in the summer.)
BUS 1700 has no required
homework. However, students are expected to
undertake many hours of study, including taking
multiple practice exams. At least 24 hours of
study outside of class, spread over the first five
weeks of the quarter, are suggested as reasonable to
prepare for the MOS exam. The BUS 1700 classroom
lessons conclude in the third week of each quarter.
Students sign up for the MOS exam later in the term
when they decide that they are ready to attempt the
exam.
The MOS 77-727 Excel exam requires a score of
700/1000 in order earn the Microsoft Office
Specialist Excel certificate. This is a
certification highly prized by employers. BUS 1700
is graded P/NC (pass/no credit). A minimum score of
600/1000 on the MOS exam will allow a student to
pass BUS 1700, but only a 700/1000 or higher score
will earn the certificate.
There is a $50 course fee associated with BUS 1700.
This fee allows each student to take the MOS 77-420
exam once, with one free retake if necessary.
It also helps to pay for
GMetrix practice exams which can be
taken in the McKenna Hall
Collaboration Lab and McKenna
Lounge. By practicing in the Collaboration
Lab, you can get instant assistance from your
instructor whose office is in that room.
In addition to the course lectures, Dr. Sleight
provides numerous practice exams which mimic the
types of questions one might expect on the MOS exam.
(No two versions of the MOS exam are exactly the
same.) Students should take as many of these as
possible, timing themselves. The MOS 77-727
exam includes 5 to 7 "projects," each having 4 to 7
"tasks" to perform.
Dr. Sleight, a Microsoft Office Specialist himself,
has taught BUS 1700 for over twenty years. The BUS
1700 course not only concentrates on the Excel
features to be expected on the MOS exam, but also on
tips to help you be more successful taking exams of
this type.
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Prepare for the
MOS Exam on Your Own
Exam
times are scheduled during weeks four through ten of
each quarter. Preparing for the exam on your own (or
with a group of fellow students) can be spread out
over a few quarters and you can schedule the exam
for when you feel ready for it.
The
Study Guide for the MOS 77-727 Excel
2016 Core Exam is available.
The MOS exam may be taken at any
Certiport
Authorized Testing Center (CATC). The public
center nearest to SPU is the Sylvan Learning Center
in Ballard. They have a $65 testing fee on top of
the required test voucher which can cost as much as
$100 per exam. The SPU School of Business,
Government, and Economics is also a CATC. SPU
students are charged a $50 exam fee. This covers one
MOS exam. The exam is taken in McKenna 113 and
reservations need to be made through Dr. Sleight at
SL8@spu.edu, or
just stop by his office in the
Collaboration Lab. Prior to taking the
exam, each student must register at
Certiport.com and also sign up there as
a "Test Candidate."
Students who are not registered in BUS 1700 may
still seek assistance from
Dr. Dick Sleight, our BUS 1700
instructor. He can provide many practice exams, and
links to YouTube videos and other self-study
resources. The SBGE Collaboration Lab is a great
place to study, and Dr. Sleight is there to help you
on most days from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..
Taking the exam without registering for BUS 1700
does not earn college credit. However, for part-time
students it may be more cost effective than signing
up for a 1-credit course.
The MOS 77-727 (Excel 2016) exam is a rigorous test of your
competency with Microsoft Excel. It is the only
version currently offered at SPU. Your MOS
certification will be a strong addition to your résumé. |
Seattle Pacific
University
School of Business,
Government, and Economics
Dr. Dick
Sleight
Instructor, SBGE Manager
of Information Systems
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