Pass 77-420 Certification Exam Fast

77-420 Exam Has Been Retired

This exam has been replaced by Microsoft with new exam.

Microsoft 77-420 Exam Details

Microsoft 77-420 is an exam given to core-level individuals to prove their mastery in the Excel environment. Candidates for this test must have a fundamental knowledge of the basic Excel 2013 features and functionalities. These involve creating and modifying workbooks, as well as handling sales invoices, team performance charts, and exercise logs. Considering its scope, 77-420 can be taken by individuals of various roles including instructors, bookkeepers, clerical staff, and even students.

Its Corresponding Certification Paths

The Microsoft 77-420 exam is part of two accreditation paths. First of all, it earns one the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel 2013 certificate by validating basic competence. Still, it is also one of the tests that candidates should take to earn the Microsoft Office Specialist 2013 Master certification. The other steps here include acing 77-425 test (Microsoft Word 2013 Expert Part One) and 77-426 (Microsoft Word 2013 Expert Part Two). Successful applicants signify that they can expertly deal with different Office programs and need to sit for one more exam chosen from five alternatives to get accredited.

Main Exam Specifications and Topics Covered

Microsoft Office Excel 2013 is a platform that allows users to organize, manage, analyse, and share information conveniently. These tasks are put into life through fundamental Excel features namely cells, columns, rows, worksheets, worktables, charts, and objects, among others. To better grasp the ins and outs of this program and its specifics, candidates should master the objectives of Microsoft 77-420 discussed below. Do take note that there’s no specific percentage for each main domain.

• Workbooks and Worksheets

  Starting with Microsoft Office Excel 2013 can be challenging but definitely manageable with proper navigation and continuous practice. Applicants should commence by familiarizing with the primary user interface. This also includes the use of templates, creating a blank workbook or a spreadsheet file, importing files, moving and copying worksheets, and the ability to open non-native files appropriately.

  There are a lot of things that one needs to learn further, such as how to navigate through the worksheets and workbooks, search for data, modify the order of worksheets, insert hyperlinks, maximize Name Box features, and use Go to. And when formatting worksheets and workbooks, some of the factors to take into account are tab color, page setup, themes, size, watermarks, headers, and footers. This section also helps candidates in customizing views and related options such as hiding columns and rows, freezing panes, splitting the window, and the like. To cap off this domain, applicants must study how to configure both worksheets and workbooks when printing or saving a file.

• Cells and Ranges

  After mastering workbooks and worksheets, it’s time to pick up cells and ranges. Cells, in particular, are the rectangular boxes where you input data. Some of the cell functions one has to know to include replacing data, copying and pasting information, expanding data in a column, and taking advantage of the AutoFill tool.

  Subsequently, candidates should learn more about how to format cells. This topic focuses on merging cells, changing fonts, altering alignment, applying number format, and adding styles. These functionalities are basic ones. To further expand the skill set, one has to dig deeper into some advanced aspects such as conditional formatting, transposing rows and columns, integrating sparklines, and making named ranges.

• Tables

  Excel tables act as the vessel of various data to help organize information in the spreadsheets. Inside these tables, there are different yet interrelated data. When creating a table, one needs to consider various factors, particularly moving from one table to another, modifying cells in a table, defining titles, incorporating styles, and banding columns and rows. Candidates should also make sure to polish their abilities in filtering records, sorting data, altering sort order, and even eliminating duplicates.

• Functions and Formulas

  Applying key formulas as well as functions in cell ranges is highly relevant. Therefore, applicants has to know more about choosing the order of operations, along with the use of references, especially absolute, relative, and mixed. When summarizing data using functions, the things that candidates need to master are SUM, COUNT, AVERAGE, MIN, and MAX. Likewise, having the ability to utilize conditional logic ( including SUMIF, AVERAGEIF, and COUNTIF functions) is also imperative. And to easily alter text, one should get to grips with the following ― RIGHT, LEFT, MID, UPPER, LOWER, TRIM, and CONCATENATE functions.

• Objects and Charts

  Now, we’re down to the last section that is about creating charts and formatting objects. Making a chart can be done conveniently if one has learnt the ropes of creating graphs, switching rows and columns, handling Quick Analysis, adding legends, changing layouts, and changing parameters. In addition, candidates should be able to competently insert and modify an object by inserting text boxes, images, borders, styles, and colors.

Exam Details for Microsoft 77-420

As part of the Microsoft Office Specialist program, 77-420 exam lasts for 50 minutes. On top of that, there will be an additional 10 minutes of seat time. For the number of questions, this could range from 40 to 60. The passing score is about 700 out of 1000, and the registration fee is $100.

Career Opportunities Unlocked

Passing exam 77-420 is such a practical way to build and verify a solid skillset in Microsoft Excel 2013. This exam caters to all sorts of professionals who want to be knowledgeable in the basic and advanced features of Excel. As a start-up test, it can serve as a tool to advance one’s career ladder since individuals with this accreditation are highly favored among typical employees. According to PayScale.com, MOS certification holders reap at least $54k as their average annual pay.

Next Certification to Pursue After Acing the Microsoft 77-420 Exam

Once you’re done with 77-420, it’s time to consider taking other tests related to the expert-level Microsoft Office Specialist 2013 Master. Another great way to polish these skills is through the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate (Excel and Excel 2019) certification (MO-200 test should be passed) or the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel 2013 Expert certificate (exams 77-427 and 77-428 are required). Otherwise, one can expand the knowledge base and sit for related tests from the Microsoft Office Specialist Program. Some of the options are Microsoft Word 2013 (exam 77-418), Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 (exam 77-422), and Microsoft Outlook 2013 (exam 77-423), and such.