MO-201 Excel Expert exam (and MO-211): what's on it and how to prepare
MO-201 is the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Expert exam for Excel 2019. MO-211 is the Excel Expert exam for Microsoft 365 Apps. Both are hands-on exams through Certiport, and about a third of each covers advanced formulas and macros.
Which one should you take?
| Exam | Certification | Excel version |
|---|---|---|
| MO-201 | Excel Expert (Office 2019) | Excel 2019 |
| MO-211 | Excel Expert (Microsoft 365 Apps) | Microsoft 365 |
MO-211 is offered in English only. Microsoft lists no retirement date for either exam. You don't need the Associate exam first, but most people take MO-200 or MO-210 before the Expert level.
Skill weights
| Skill area | MO-201 | MO-211 |
|---|---|---|
| Manage workbook options and settings | 15 to 20% | 10 to 15% |
| Manage and format data | 20 to 25% | 30 to 35% |
| Create advanced formulas and macros | 30 to 35% | 25 to 30% |
| Manage advanced charts and tables | 25 to 30% | 25 to 30% |
Advanced formulas to know
- Logic: IFS, nested IF, AND, OR, SWITCH and IFERROR
- Conditional math: SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, AVERAGEIFS, and MAXIFS and MINIFS
- Lookups: VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, XLOOKUP and INDEX and MATCH
- Dates: TODAY, NOW, WEEKDAY and WORKDAY
- Financial: PMT and NPER
- Formula auditing: trace precedents and dependents, and the Watch Window
Beyond formulas
- PivotTables and PivotCharts
- Advanced conditional formatting with formulas
- Data validation and drop-down lists
- Recording and running simple macros
- Workbook protection, versions and sharing settings
How to prepare
- Download Microsoft's skills outline and work through every line in Excel.
- Drill the formulas until they're automatic. The interface tasks take longer, so save your time for those.
- Do a full timed practice exam in your test's Excel version.
Questions people ask
Is MO-201 harder than MO-200?
Yes. MO-201 adds advanced formulas, macros, PivotTables and advanced charts on top of the Associate skills.
Do I need MO-200 before MO-201?
No. There are no prerequisites, but the Expert exam assumes you already know the Associate skills.
Practice on a real spreadsheet
CellReady grades your formula the moment you press Enter and tells you why a wrong answer is wrong. The first 7 lessons are free, with no sign-up to start.
Related guides
What the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Associate exams MO-200 and MO-210 cover, the format, skill weights, how they differ, and how to prepare.
How to use SUMIFS in Excel to add values that meet several conditions, how its argument order differs from SUMIF, and a live exercise.
How XLOOKUP works in Excel and Google Sheets, how it compares to VLOOKUP, the built-in not-found value, which versions have it, and a live exercise.