Announcing the 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship

ICT Authority: http://www.icta.go.ke/announcing-2015-microsoft-office-specialist-world-championship/

In its 13th year, the 2014 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship attracted more than 400,000 unique candidates from 130 countries who competed to demonstrate their mastery of Microsoft Office products. 123 student finalists participated in the final round of competition.

Qualify for a chance to represent your country at the World Championships in August 9-12 in Dallas, Texas!

Prove your skills in Microsoft Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® and you could win an invitation to compete in the World Championship finals in Dallas, Texas, USA!

The Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint skills, have some fun, impress student colleagues and gain recognition.

What is Certiport’s Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship?

The 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship presented by Certiport, Inc. is a global competition that tests students’ skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship. At the World Championship Event, each student competes for World Champion in his or her category (Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft Word 2013, Microsoft Excel® 2010, Microsoft Excel® 2013, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2010). In some countries or regions, students are required to participate in a regional test event as well, and the winners of that event continue on to the World Championship.

Who can participate in the Championship?

Anyone may participate in the qualification round of testing, but to participate in the World Championship, candidates must be students that are enrolled in an approved academic institution recognized by the state or country in which it operates. Students must also be between the ages of 13 and 22 (as of June 15, 2015). Students participating in the World Championship must be able to provide proof of age and student status upon request.

How do I participate in the Championship?

Participating competitors may enter the Championship (Qualifying Round) in either of two ways:

1. Register Eligible Exam Immediately Prior to Testing: If the eligible Exam is taken at an ACADEMIC Certiport Authorized Testing Centre, the exam delivery tool will prompt the student to register his/her score into the Championship immediately prior to taking the exam. If the candidate chooses to submit his/her score to the Championship, the results of that exam will be automatically entered into the Championship.
2. Register Eligible Exam(s) Following Testing: Students may also register any eligible Exam(s) after taking the exam(s) by logging onto their Candidate Home Page at www.certiport.com, clicking on the Championship link, and following the registration instructions. Eligible Exams registered using this tool must be registered during the official Championship dates of the country in which the eligible Exam(s) was taken. Eligible Exams taken by students at any COMMERCIAL Certiport Authorized Testing Centre may also be registered using this tool.

What versions of Microsoft Office will the 2014 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship cover?

The 2014 World Championship will include the following six (6) tracks:

• Microsoft Office Specialist Word 2010
• Microsoft Office Specialist Excel® 2010
• Microsoft Office Specialist PowerPoint® 2010
• Microsoft Office Specialist Word 2013
• Microsoft Office Specialist Excel® 2013
• Microsoft Office Specialist PowerPoint® 2013

When is the Championship taking place in my country?

The Kenya Microsoft Office Specialist national championships will take place on May 29, 2015.

How are the Word, Excel and PowerPoint Country Champions selected?

Country Champions will be selected in one of two ways by the Certiport competition operator:

1. Top Score Method: Competition Operator reviews the competition results for the country and selects the student with the top score for Word, the student with the top score for Excel® per track and the student with the top score for PowerPoint per track (version 2010 or 2013). These students represent the country at the World Championship Event. Certiport retains the right to review local Competition Operator selections.
2. Country Final Method: Competition Operator reviews the competition results for the country and invites several top students, to compete at a country finals event. The winners of the country finals event (in Word, Excel® and PowerPoint) represent the country at the World Championship Event. Certiport retains the right to review Competition Operator selections.

In the event two participants in the same country have the same high Exam score, the participant who completed the Exam in the least amount of time will be the winner. Decisions of Competition Operators and judges are final.

How are the World Champions in Word, Excel® and PowerPoint selected?

All Regional/Country Champions will be invited to the World Championship Event to compete for the title of the World Champion in Word 2010 or 2013, Excel® 2010 or 2013 and PowerPoint 2010 or 2013. At the World Championship Event, all Regional/Country Champions will be tested in a proctored lab on their respective exams. Generally, students will only be asked to complete their exams one time, however, in rare instances Certiport may require a second round of testing.

All participants in the World Championship will be responsible for preparing themselves to compete in their respective exams. Certiport and/or Certiport’s partners may provide students with preparation materials to help facilitate each student’s training on the software.

How many different types of eligible exams can I submit into the Competition?

During the Qualifying Round, a Student can participate in MULTIPLE Exam tracks. For example, they can submit an Excel 2010 and Excel 2013 Exam. However, if they qualify to participate in a Regional/Country Round or the Final Round in Dallas, Texas, USA, they can only compete in only ONE Exam track.

Where can I take an eligible exam?

Eligible exams can be taken at any Academic Certiport Authorized Testing Centre.

For more details contact:

Mr George Kiptalam

Tabarin Consulting

P.O. Box 38104

00623 Nairobi

Kenya

Cell:   +254 (0) 731 433 904

Email: george.kiptalam@tabarinconsulting.com

Microsoft Office Specialist: Helping Students Develop Workforce Skills

Will your students be ready for the workforce when they clear high school and college? An achievement they could place on their college portfolio and career resume? Will they have practical Office computing skills that will help them get started in their careers?

Now is your opportunity to enrich the substance and value of your course curriculum with Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) credentials. With certification, students get the opportunity to develop foundational expertise in cutting-edge computing skills as part of their chosen course of study, to help them knock down the academic obstacles and barriers that typically disenchant students and lead to increased drop-out rates. Regardless of the course topic, teachers can provide more to their students by personally achieving demonstrated skills in Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office Specialist certification features a simple framework for skill assessment and validation. And certification verifies a wide variety of computing skills; not only in programmes, but also for specific job functions such as managing budgets and presentations.

MOS certification is the leading IT certification in the world with more than 1 million MOS exams are taken every year in over 140 countries.

Provide Your Students with a Valuable Resource

For years now, the Computer Studies course, which helps students master skills in areas such as word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, and presentation applications has been based on general principles and does not always teach industry leading technologies used in the business world. The course does not include a certification to help students validate to potential employers that they have the necessary skills to perform on the job.

Using MOS certification as a ready-made module for the school’s business and technology curricula offers students the opportunity to master real-world desktop computing skills that businesses require. With Microsoft and Certiport, the certification exam administrator, schools and colleges can replace an outdated curriculum and give their students a curriculum that would remain current with materials from Microsoft and certification exams.

The certification allows students to prove to employers they have a specific skill that is in demand. The MOS program is one way to close the skills gap – it’s one way for employers to find someone to fill exactly what they need in an open position.

Available certifications

With three certification levels (Microsoft Office Specialist, Microsoft Office Specialist Expert and Microsoft Office Specialist Master), the Microsoft Office Specialist credential allows individuals to validate their skills and progress toward their career goals in the following office applications:

• Word - Transform ideas into professional documents
• Excel® - Achieve valuable insights with powerful analysis tools
• PowerPoint - Turn your ideas into impactful presentations
• Access - Track and report important information with ease
• Outlook - Stay connected with up-to-date email and calendar tools
• SharePoint - Stay productive with the freedom to take shared content with you while on the go
• OneNote - Capture, store and share information in digital notebooks
• Office365 - Secure, anywhere access to email, calendars, Office Web Apps, instant messaging, conferencing, and file sharing

Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship

The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship presented by Certiport, Inc. is a global competition that tests students' skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship. At the World Championship, each student competes for World Champion in his or her category (Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft Excel® 2007, Microsoft Excel® 2010, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007). The MOS World Championship is an inspiring event, motivating more students from all over the world to get certified and validate their technology skills.

To participate, students aged 13 to 22 must submit a passing score on the MOS Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Word 2010, Excel 2010, or PowerPoint 2010 exams and attend an approved, accredited learning institution.

Participants who outperform their peers to make the final round of the World Championship generally have perfect or near-perfect exam scores and completion times well below the allotted examination time. The top three winners in each category receive scholarship prizes for $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000 respectively.