What Is the MOS PowerPoint Certification?

When a student earns the MOS PowerPoint Associate certification, they have the support of Microsoft saying they are proficient with PowerPoint.

Because the MOS PowerPoint Associate certification is the only Microsoft-recognized certification for PowerPoint worldwide, teachers across the country include it as part of their computer applications courses.

In addition, many employers look for proficiency with PowerPoint in new hires!

But how do you know you’re teaching the right information and skills to help your students pass the MOS PowerPoint certification exam?

On this page, you’ll learn the details of what’s on the exam and a few tips to prepare your students for test day.

We’ll focus on the Microsoft Office Specialist PowerPoint Associate 2019/365 Exam (Exam MO-300) because it’s the most up-to-date version of the certification at the time of publication.

With that, let’s dive into the details of what’s on the MOS PowerPoint certification exam!

How Is the MOS PowerPoint Certification Exam Structured?

The MOS PowerPoint certification exam proves students have mastered designing and delivering presentations when using Microsoft PowerPoint.

The exam is made up of 35 questions across five domains:

1. Manage Presentations
2. Manage Slides
3. Insert and Format Text, Shapes, and Images
4. Insert Tables, Charts, SmartArt, 3D Models, and Media
5. Apply Transitions and Animations
   
   

Each of these domains is broken down into subdomains and objectives that detail what students need to know in order to become proficient with PowerPoint.

Domain 1 - Manage Presentations

The Manage Presentations domain includes five subdomains related to the basics of creating and configuring presentations in PowerPoint:

• 1.1 Modify Slide Master, Handout Master, and Note Masters
• 1.2 Change Presentation Options and Views
• 1.3 Configure Print Settings for Presentations
• 1.4 Configure and Present Slide Shows
• 1.5 Prepare Presentations for Collaboration

In total, these five subdomains include 24 objectives students must know, such as creating a new presentation, applying slide layouts, printing note pages, and configuring slide show options.

These skills are the bare minimum for anyone aiming to become proficient at using PowerPoint.

Domain 2 - Manage Slides

The Manage Slides domain has three subdomains to help students effectively work with presentation slides:

• 2.1 Insert Slides
• 2.2 Modify Slides
• 2.3 Order and Group Slides

In total, these three subdomains include 11 objectives such as duplicating slides, inserting slide headers, and creating sections.

These skills are crucial for effectively organizing slides within a presentation -- especially if there are a variety of slide types being used!

Domain 3 - Insert and Format Text, Shapes, and Images

The Insert and Format Text, Shapes, and Images domain has five subdomains to help students effectively use text and objects within presentation slides:

• 3.1 Format Text
• 3.2 Insert Links
• 3.3 Insert and Format Images
• 3.4 Insert and Format Graphic Elements
• 3.5 Order and Group Objects on Slides

Overall, these subdomains contain 19 objectives, including inserting text on a slide, formatting shapes, cropping images, and grouping objects.

By learning to work with text and objects within PowerPoint, your students will be able to create professional-looking presentations that’ll help them in any academic or career path.

Domain 4 - Insert Tables, Charts, SmartArt, 3D Models, and Media

The Insert Tables, Charts, SmartArt, 3D Models, and Media domain includes five subdomains that help students work with more advanced features within PowerPoint:

• 4.1 Insert and Format Tables
• 4.2 Insert and Modify Charts
• 4.3 Insert and Format SmartArt Graphics
• 4.4 Insert and Modify 3D Models
• 4.5 Insert and Manage Media

In total, there are 13 objectives in this domain, including creating a table, changing the style of a chart, creating SmartArt graphics, and inserting video clips.

By using these options for displaying data in a presentation, students are set up for success in workplace tasks that may require more detailed presentations.

Domain 5 - Apply Transitions and Animations

The Apply Transitions and Animations domain is made up of three subdomains that help students master the use of transitions and animations in PowerPoint:

• 5.1 Apply and Configure Slide Transitions
• 5.2 Animate Slide Content
• 5.3 Set Timing for Transitions
  
  

Overall these domains have nine objectives, such as inserting slide transitions, applying animations to objects, setting animation paths, and setting transition effect durations.

Properly using transitions and animations can make the difference between delivering an ill-timed presentation and a truly professional one.