Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications
Get Certified Today!
Take advantage of our special pricing for member districts of our Consortium. Propel your career forward by earning an industry standard certification in Microsoft Office 2010 software. Teachers and faculty may earn PDPs for earning their certifications through online courses and our local testing center. Students and parents may build their resume and college applications with a certification to prove your extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I sign-up?
Signing up could not be easier. Simply print out a registration form, and either fax it with a purchase order to our business office at 978-232-9449 or mail it with a check (made out to Northshore Education Consortium) to:
- Professional Development
- Northshore Education Consortium
- 112 Sohier Rd.
- Beverly, MA 01915
Once you register, you will receive an email within 48 hours after processing with the web address for the online course, a username and password, and a copy of the certification testing schedule. (Sorry, no credit cards)
What do I get for $159.00?
For the small fee of $159.00 you have access to a self-paced online course of your choice (Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Word 2010). You also receive entrance to our Certified Testing Center to take your certification exam. Each class costs $159.00, but you may register for more than one at a time. *If you sign up by January 20, 2012, you will receive a second course for free.* **Register and pay for two or more classes and get a second free class.**
How long do the courses take to complete?
Each course varies slightly, and it varies depending on the person taking the course as well. The suggested times for each course range from 7 hours of interactive training for Microsoft Word 2010 to 17 hours of interactive training for Microsoft Excel 2010. Outlook, PowerPoint, and Access all range in between 8 and 13 hours of interactive training. These times include taking pre and post-tests, watching the training videos, and completing lab exercises. This does not incorporate going back to study answers from available guides based on post-test evaluations. This also does not incorporate the time to take the certification exam which takes about an hour for each course.
How long do I have to complete the course? What are the start and end dates?
All of the courses are self-paced. You may start whenever you wish. You may complete 20 minutes of training one day and 3 hours of training the next. It allows for an extremely flexible schedule. You should plan to complete any courses by the end of the school year as the last certification exam for the year will be held in late June.
Where do I take the exam after I complete the course?
The certification exams are held in our Certified Testing Center in the Media and Technology Labs in our Northshore Academy Upper School located at 70 Balch St., Beverly, MA 01915. After registering for courses a schedule of exam dates will be emailed to you. Exams dates will be scheduled each month during late afternoons and on the occasional Saturday. There will be at least one exam date scheduled for each month with more scheduled as needed. You may register for any exam date that meets your needs, but you must register at least two weeks prior. You may register for an exam date by emailing Ryan Snow at rsnow@nsedu.org.
How many PDP’s can I earn?
Each course earns a different number of PDPs based on training and testing times.
Access = 15 PDPs - Excel = 20 PDPs - Outlook = 10 PDPs - PowerPoint = 12 PDPs - Word = 10 PDPs
