If you are an individual who would like to pursue a Microsoft Excel-related job or a student who would like to show their competency in Excel 2013 at a professional level for both academics and career, then the best test to sit for is the Microsoft 77-427: Microsoft Excel 2013 Expert exam. This exam is a part of the following two certifications: Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel 2013 Expert and Microsoft Office Specialist 2013 Master.

What Certifications Can You Earn After Completing This Exam?

Exam 77-427 helps you to earn the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel 2013 Expert certification along with passing one more exam – 77-428. These two tests validate your skills to use features in Excel 2013 of Office Professional Plus. They also check your expertise in utilizing advanced features within the application.

The second certification is a bit tougher to obtain, since there are three options from which you can choose. Anyway, totally you are to pass 4 exams to gain this designation and 77-427 evaluation is one of them. This Master designation shows that you possess the top skills required for using Office programs.

About The 77-427 Exam

The Microsoft 77-427 exam is an expert-level evaluation with a duration of 50 minutes consisting of 40-60 questions. This exam is administered by Certiport and is available in multiple languages, including English, Chinese, Spanish German, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic. To be able to clear this exam at your first attempt, you need to have a thorough understanding of the Excel environment and be able to show others how to use the features in Excel 2013 of Office Professional Plus. The exam questions will be project-based and will conform with the syllabus of the Microsoft 77-427 exam given below.

Overview Of The Exam Blueprint

Exam 77-427 will require you to be competent in several knowledge areas. The first section of the test’s syllabus is dedicated to managing and sharing workbooks. This includes the skills in tracking changes, identifying errors, and troubleshooting them. Within the second domain, you will be given tasks on applying advanced conditional filtering and formatting, as well as preparing a workbook for accessibility and internationalization. The next topic will measure your competency in creating advanced formulas, including applying advanced time and date functions. You will be also asked to demonstrate your ability to look up data using different functions within the application. The last domain of the Microsoft 77-427 exam focuses on your skills in creating advanced charts and tables. You will need to demonstrate your ability to create advanced charts as well as create and manage PivotTables.

How To Ace This Exam On The First Try

The first step to passing the Microsoft 77-427 exam is by downloading the exam outline to understand the tasks which might be given and then come up with a study plan so you can make time to practice using Microsoft Excel 2013 at least a few hours a day to thoroughly grasp all its functions. Unfortunately, since no courses are available for this exam on the Microsoft website it can be difficult to pick up the proper study materials. However, there is plenty of resources offered by third-party platforms on the internet. Thus, you can familiarize yourself with the exam’s structure and difficulty level by using practice tests. Moreover, you can add the relevant books to your preparation plan to enhance your knowledge of the Microsoft 77-427 syllabus. Some options are provided in the paragraphs below.

Recommended Books For Microsoft 77-427 Exam Preparation

If you would like to gather more intensive knowledge to cover all the exam domains, these books listed below can help you with that and boost your confidence before sitting for the Microsoft 77-427 evaluation. You can find the following books on the Amazon website:

• MOS 2013 Study Guide for Microsoft Excel Expert: Exams 77-427 & 77-428 (Mos Study Guide) By Mark Dodge

  This study guide is a highly recommended book as it will help you cover the main aspects of both the 77-427 and 77-428 exams. This book is specifically created for the Microsoft Excel Expert exams and with its objective-by-objective approach, it manages to provide full coverage for these tests. The book comes with test-taking tips, certification benefits, and instructions that are easy to follow along with illustrations to depict the idea better. So, it will be extremely beneficial to get this resource for additional support.

• Microsoft Excel 2013 Master Class (Technical Skill Builder Series) by Michelle Halsey

  Being written by a highly experienced author, this book will teach you how to use new features in Excel 2013. This will ease your way to create new documents. In addition, you will gain skills to work in the new Excel 2013 interface and learn new tools that will assist you in operating data through Skydrive.

• Microsoft Excel 2013 Step By Step 1st Edition by Curtis Frye

  As described in the title, this book is a step-by-step learning guide to teach you how to manage, analyze, and present data using Excel 2013. The Amazon package also includes downloadable practice files and a companion eBook.

• Microsoft Excel 2013 for the Business Analyst 1st Edition by Larry Rockoff

  This is the perfect book if you want to pursue a career as a business analyst. It will teach you how Microsoft Excel 2013 is used to keep track of details, provide managers with the information, as well as look deeply into the data that drives business. This book is a real treasure for those who deal in one’s work with data analysis. Thus, you will learn the main components of Excel, understand how to summarize data and use formulas and functions.

• Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling (Introducing) 1st Edition, by Wayne Winston

  This printed edition will help you become expert in implementing analysis techniques in Microsoft Excel 2013 and transform data into bottom-line results. To add more, this book covers a range of topics from summarizing data, exploring new trends, and mastering advanced functions, to making charts, running Monte Carlo simulations, and applying various statistical modeling tools.

• Microsoft Excel 2013 Building Data Models with PowerPivot (Business Skills) 1st Edition, by Alberto Ferrari and Marco Russo

  If you have limited experience utilizing PowerPivot, reading this book will be greatly beneficial before sitting for the actual exam. You can learn to transform your data into tangible results by creating your own BI solutions with the help of Microsoft Excel. The authors of this book are business intelligence (BI) experts who will help you understand PowerPivot functionality for Excel 2013, with real-world scenarios, problem-solving, and data modeling.

Conclusion

Working with Microsoft Excel 2013 requires from you to possess top skills. That’s why it’s a wise choice to prepare for the 77-427 exam. So, check the official website, choose the books covered above, and master your skills to become a competent professional in working with Microsoft Excel 2013. Wish you success!