Completing the Microsoft Office Certificate has been very challenging for me personally due to the number of technical issues that I encountered when trying to download the software onto my laptop. It is only just now, 4 weeks later, that the technical issues have been fixed and I have been able to download the software to be able to practice for the exams. My exams are booked for the 21st, 22nd, and 28th of April which allows me time to be able to upload my results and feedback onto my portfolio, which I am very happy about. 

In terms of using the Word practice tests I found that even though I use Word at least once a week or more for my other university assessments, I was very surprised at the little knowledge I had of how to navigate the Word test documents. On the first test run that I did with Word, I had no choice but to apply the help button to get them correct. However, this was all part of the learning curve that I had to take and after doing this I have been able to complete more practice tests without the help button and with more confidence. Having now completed my Word exam I was thrilled to find out that I had passed, and my evidence of this can be found in the certification section of my portfolio. In the photographs section on my Blog, you will also find evidence of me posting about it on my LinkedIn page.

Then, I moved onto the Powerpoint practice tests which I felt more confident with due to the fact that I had used Powerpoint a lot at college. However, I did require help on some questions which again, I was surprised at since I thought I was a lot more knowledgeable with the software. Repeating from the Word section above, It was a new learning experience and I am now able to go through the practice tests seeking less help and still achieving the correct answer. Having completed my PowerPoint exam I was amazed to find out that I had passed, and my evidence of this can be found in the certification section of my portfolio. You will also be able to find evidence of me posting about my achievement on LinkedIn in the photographs section on my Blog.

As I continued to progress through Word and Powerpoint, I abstained from the Excel practice test. Using Excel has always felt a little daunting for me, I have had little to no experience with this software so I knew it was going to be a challenge. This is one of the reasons why I plan to do my Excel test last out of the three so that I can have more time to practice. I know that I have a long road ahead before I think I am capable of completing the practice test without the help button. However, I have now been focusing more on my Excel practice tests, as well as the others and I am gradually gaining more confidence with the practice tests. As I said at the beginning my Excel test was booked to be taken on the 28th of April however, the test did not go to plan and the results came back to say I have failed the exam. I was very disappointed with this result as I had been practicing a lot however, I knew I would be able to take it again and build even more on my confidence with the software. I now have a new test booked for the 4th of May and I am already feeling more confident from even more practice, so I am hopeful that the next test result will come back as a pass.