FAQS
When do the exams take place and where?
We run regular exams throughout the year up until July 2026. You are welcome to book onto those exams after you have registered for MOS. All exams are undertaken at city campus.
Current exam schedule:
- Monday 16 February 26
- Friday 27 February 26
- Wednesday 4 March 26
- Wednesday 11 March 26
- Friday 20 March 26
- Wednesday 25 March 26
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Thursday 16 April 26
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Monday 11 May 26
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Monday 1 June 26
Register for MOS to book onto an exam. You can do this via the registration button at the top of this page.
Do I need any prior knowledge?
No, this event is open to everyone at every skill level, but as this event is self-led, we recommend you do some of the learning, if possible, beforehand to make it a bit easier for you on the day.
Do I need to sign up for MOS?
Maybe, if you only want to do the test then no, but for the learning, you do need to be pre-registered for MOS using the sign up form
How long will it take me to learn?
As always, learning is a very individual thing; you may come with a lot of experience and not need to learn much, or you may come with none. However, we do have some LinkedIn learning courses that we recommend for each app, which give you a good indication of the time for the app you are trying to learn.
Is there a limit on the number of tests I can take?
No, feel free to come and get certificates in everything if you would like, just remember that you need to have a good knowledge to pass the test. If you are wanting to do many tests this event will be the fastest way that you can do it!
What learning do I need to do and how long will it take? (4 - 25 hours)
This depends on the number of exams you decide to take. The LinkedIn Learning courses contain a collection of video lasting in total from 2 hours to 4.5 hours (see course lengths below). There are also exercise files that you can download to follow along with the videos or try it out after. These could take anywhere from 1 hour to 10 hours to work through, depending on whether you complete all the exercise files available and if you need to refer back to the learning to get help to complete the tasks.
- Outlook Associate – 2h 29m
- Word Associate – 3h 31m
- Work Expert – 3h 45m
- Excel Associate – 4h 1m
- Excel Expert – 4h 13m
- PowerPoint Associate 4h 57m
There are other resources that you can use for learning or in addition to the LinkedIn Learning courses, such as watching YouTube videos (we have recommended a few), to downloading and working from a learning pack from Microsoft. This learning could be anywhere from 1 hour to 10 hours, depending on how much more you want to learn to complete you understanding of the exam objectives.
Practice Tests (1 - 5 hours)
There are also a range of practice tests that you can complete to test your knowledge and become familiar with the exam interface and types of questions. An exam is timed to 50 minutes. However, practice tests aren't time-bound. There are normally 2-3 practice tests available. Time dedicated to completing the practice tests could take anywhere from 1 hour to 5 hours (depending on how long you take to complete the tests and how many you take and retake.
Exam (1 hour)
Lastly, there is the exam itself. The exam time is 50 minutes, in addition to around 10 minutes to sign in etc.
What if I want to do learning on the day prior to taking the exam?
You are welcome to do so. We are not providing any dedicated space for learning during Test Fest due to limited staff capacity. We are using Charles Street for the exams, so feel free to use any of the communal spaces in that building or elsewhere or go to Adsetts. We will be around if you wanted to come and chat to us about how to access your learning or any issues you are having with GMetrix etc.
Please get in touch with digitalskills@shu.ac.uk if you have any questions.
