Excel Associate — Course Overview
A 9-week course preparing you for the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate certification. 72 instructional hours. Real projects. Real data. A real Microsoft credential at the end.
About This Course
This is a 9-week course that prepares you for the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate exam (code MO-210), issued by Certiport — the only Microsoft-recognized certification program for Microsoft Office globally.
The course is not a tour of Excel features. It’s a progressive build of an Associate-level analytical skill through projects that operate on real data. Every week you’ll produce at least one portfolio-worthy workbook. By the end you’ll have a credential recognized in 140+ countries and a real analytical skill set.
The MO-210 exam is performance-based: 50 minutes, completed in live Excel, with tasks described by purpose rather than command name. You’ll sit it at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center in Week 9.
Weekly Roadmap
Click any week to see its overview, learning outcomes, project, and the four daily files (Lesson, Practice, Build, Wrap).
Excel Interface & Navigation
Get fluent with the Excel interface — Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, Name Box, Formula Bar, and the three worksheet views. Build a one-page Personal Cheat Sheet …
Worksheet Setup & Page Setup
Make a worksheet ready for the real world: print-ready, share-ready, PDF-ready. Configure orientation, margins, scaling, headers, footers, and run the Document …
Cells, Ranges, Formatting & Named Ranges
Make worksheets readable. Number formats, Cell Styles, named ranges, conditional formatting, and Sparklines. Build a Personal Budget Tracker that flags over-bud…
Tables, Sort & Filter
Convert plain ranges into Excel Tables — auto-expanding, auto-formatted data structures with built-in filters and structured references. Build a Top-10 ranked a…
Formulas & Core Functions
Write formulas with confidence. Reference types (relative, absolute, mixed), core aggregates (SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, COUNT family), IF, text functions, and dyn…
Charts, Sparklines & Conditional Formatting
Pick the right chart for the question. Build a single-page Data Story Dashboard that answers three specific questions using charts, with proper titles, axis lab…
Collaboration, Print Prep, Inspect & Protect
Trade workbooks with a classmate. Audit theirs — Document Inspector, Accessibility Checker, formula review — and produce an improved version with threaded comme…
Review & Practice Exam
Integration week. Three timed simulations covering all five MO-210 domains, plus targeted remediation by domain. Score 80% on the full mock to authorize next we…
MO-210 Official Exam
Sit the MO-210 official exam Wednesday at a Certiport Authorized Testing Center. Performance-based, 50 minutes, in live Excel. Pass → earn the Microsoft Office …
How You Will Be Assessed
Every weekly project is graded against five dimensions with consistent weights:
| Dimension | Weight | What ‘Proficient’ looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Functional Accuracy | 35% | Workbook outputs are correct. Formulas calculate correctly. Every required task is completed. |
| Method Choice | 20% | You used the right Excel feature — not a brittle workaround. |
| Design & Accessibility | 15% | The workbook is readable, consistently formatted, and print-ready. Charts have titles, labels, and alt text. |
| Analysis & Communication | 20% | The workbook helps a user make a decision — it doesn’t just store data. |
| Efficiency & Professionalism | 10% | Tables, named ranges, structured references, documentation, and error-checking used where they belong. |
Tools You Will Need
💻 Windows computer
Excel for Microsoft 365 Apps desktop. The web version cannot run macros (used in the Expert track).
🔑 Microsoft account
For file storage in OneDrive and macro security via the Trust Center.
📚 Certiport access
Your teacher will provide a voucher for the MO-210 exam in Week 9.
📁 LMS folder
Three deliverables per week submit to specific LMS slots. Filenames follow lastname-firstname_weekNN_project.xlsx.
How To Use These Materials
Each week has four student-facing files:
- Lesson — the teaching content. Read first; reference throughout the week.
- Practice — a framework formative. Lower-stakes drill that prepares you for the Build.
- Build — the main weekly project. Friday deliverable.
- Wrap — reflection, self-assessment rubric, knowledge check quiz, and Week completion checklist.
Start each week on the Week Overview (the page links above). Read the Lesson on Day 1; do the Practice on Days 1-3; build the project on Days 3-5; wrap on Day 5.
Course Content
