Microsoft indicates the operating system 'Windows' to most individuals who use personal computers. It may also mean Microsoft Office, which provides us with a selection of common-place PC applications. The most common application is probably 'Word', which is a program for word processing. While 'Excel' is the most widely used spreadsheet and 'Access' supplies database abilities to many businesses. The final one of the most important four software packages in 'Office' is PowerPoint, which is widely used for giving presentations. (Having said that there are many more within the Microsoft portfolio, such as 'Outlook', which is commonly used as an email, 'messaging' and calendar solution.)

Good user skills can be obtained through a number of Microsoft accreditation paths, and commercial support skillsets via others. The MOS ('Microsoft Office Specialist') & MCAS ('Microsoft Certified Application Specialist') packages teach the Office Suite in-depth. For a qualification that allows you to support others, research the 'Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician', or MCDST as its known.

You may equally be looking at a technical job in the I.T. sector, which would require rather more in depth and specialised Microsoft certification training. The exam structure at MS has recently experienced an important change. A lot of career training routes still lead to MCP certifications, however the direction is steadily shifting towards 'MCITP' & 'MCTS' programs ('Microsoft Certified IT Professional' and 'Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist' respectively). Candidates on the MCITP programs usually work up via 'MCTS' training-paths.

You'll come across courses which guarantee examination passes - inevitably that means paying for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. But before you get taken in by a course with such a promise, why not be aware of the facts:

You'll be charged for it one way or another. It's definitely not free - it's simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole. The fact is that if a student pays for their relevant examinations, one by one, there's a much better chance they'll get through on the first attempt - because they'll be conscious of what they've paid and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Don't pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you're ready, and avoid college mark-up fees. You'll then be able to select where you do the examinations - so you can choose somewhere closer to home. Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you've paid early for examinations when there was no need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are charging all their exam fees up-front - and hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. The majority of organisations will insist that you take mock exams first and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - which makes an 'Exam Guarantee' frankly useless.

Exams taken at local centres are in the region of 112 pounds in the UK. What's the point of paying huge charges for 'Exam Guarantees' (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) - when a quality course, support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

Courses For Microsoft Office Systems >>