Microsoft has recently updated the branding of its Office 365 software. In addition, Certiport has discovered some difficulty on the part of candidates in identifying which Microsoft Office Specialist exam they are looking for when they sit to take the test, because the two most recent versions of the exams have different naming formats. As a result, we are updating the names of the exams for the two most recent versions of the Microsoft Office Specialist program. Please note that only the exam names are changing—not the exam content. These updates will be taking place on January 14th, 2021.
The updates are:
- Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019 - The Office 365 and Office 2019 exams will now be referred to as the Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019 exams. This update will align the exams with the current branding of the Microsoft software with which they are compatible. Please note that as always, the Microsoft 365 downloaded apps need to be used when preparing for and taking the certification exams.
- Exam Name Changes - The exam names for the Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019 exams and the Microsoft Office Specialist 2016 exams will be changing. Please see the new exam names below.
Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019
| Old |
New |
| Microsoft Word (Word and Word 2019) |
Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) |
| Microsoft Excel and Excel 2019 |
Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) |
| Microsoft PowerPoint (PowerPoint and PowerPoint 2019) |
Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) |
| Microsoft Outlook (Outlook and Outlook 2019) |
Microsoft Outlook (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) |
| Microsoft Excel Expert (Excel and Excel 2019) |
Microsoft Excel Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) |
| Microsoft Word Expert (Word and Word 2019) |
Microsoft Word Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) |
| Microsoft Access Expert (Access and Access 2019) |
Microsoft Access Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) |
MOS 2016
| Old |
New |
| Microsoft Word 2016 |
Microsoft Word (Office 2016) |
| Microsoft Excel 2016 |
Microsoft Excel (Office 2016) |
| Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 |
Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2016) |
| Microsoft Outlook 2016 |
Microsoft Outlook (Office 2016) |
| Microsoft Excel Expert 2016 |
Microsoft Excel Expert (Office 2016) |
| Microsoft Word Expert 2016 |
Microsoft Word Expert (Office 2016) |
| Microsoft Access 2016 |
Microsoft Access (Office 2016) |
Again, please note that the exams and the exam experience will remain the same. Only the names are changing. Certifications earned with the old names will still be valid.
To learn more about the Microsoft Office Specialist program, including new updated objective domains with the new exam names, please visit