All your MOS World Championship questions—answered.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What is Certiport’s Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship?
A. The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students’ skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship. At the World Championship event, each student competes for World Champion in their category Microsoft Word (Office 2019), Microsoft Excel (Office 2019), Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2019), Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps), Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps), or Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps).

To qualify, students are required to participate in a regional event as well, and the winners of that event compete in the World Championship.

*Individual countries may have additional published rules. Please contact your Certiport Authorized Partner or refer to your specific regional competition rules for details.

Q. How do I participate?
A. Students can participate in the Championship by taking a qualifying MOS certification exam and entering their score into the MOS World Championship. Students have two options: 1) entering their exam when they test or 2) after they complete their exam.

1. Enter an exam at the time of testing: While sitting for a qualifying MOS exam, you will be prompted to participate in the Championship. Before the exam begins, a screen will appear with competition information and an opt-in checkbox. To submit your exam to the Championship, check the box and then select the OK button. If you pass, your exam will automatically be submitted to the Championship. If you do not want to submit your exam, then you can opt-out of the competition by not checking the box.

2. Enter an exam you’ve already completed: Did you complete and pass a qualifying exam but did not select to enter the Championship? You can still enter your exam for a chance to be the next World Champion! Simply follow these steps:

  • Login to your Candidate Home Page
  • Click on the Championship link
  • Select the exam you would like to enter

If you have questions about whether your score has been received, please email us at MOSChampionship@pearson.com.

Q. Where can I take a qualifying MOS certification exam?

A. Eligible exams can be taken at any academic Certiport Authorized Testing Center.

Q. How many times can I take an eligible exam for the Championship?

A. There is no limit to the number of times a student may sit for any eligible exam as long as they are not in violation of the Microsoft Office Specialist exam retake policy. Students who fail to abide by the Microsoft Office Specialist exam retake policy will be immediately disqualified from the Championship. Certiport retains the right to disqualify students for appropriate cause.

Q. How many different types of eligible exams can I submit?

A. During the qualifying round, a student can participate in multiple exam tracks. For example, they can submit both a Microsoft Excel (Office 2019) and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps) score. However, if they qualify to participate in a regional/country round or the final round, they can only compete in one exam track.

Q. Who can participate in the Championship?
A. Anyone may participate in the qualification round of testing, but to participate in the World Championship, candidates must be students that are enrolled in an approved, degree-seeking academic institution recognized by the state or country in which it operates. Students must also be thirteen years of age or older at the time they took a qualifying exam and be 22 years of age or younger before August 1, 2026. Students participating in the World Championship must be able to provide proof of age and student status upon request.

Employees of Certiport, the sponsoring Certiport Authorized Partner, their affiliates, subsidiaries, parent and related companies and agencies and those individuals living in the same household as employees are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. By taking an eligible Exam and entering this Championship, participants agree to abide by all terms of these Official Rules.

Previous participants of the World Championship round ARE eligible for the 2026 Championship. However, they cannot compete in the exam they previously competed in during a World Championship round. For example, a student who competed in Microsoft Word (Office 2016) or Microsoft Word (Office 2019) during the previous year’s World Championship round, can compete in Microsoft Excel® or PowerPoint® in the Qualifying round and the World Championship round of this year’s competition.

Please review full rules for additional guidelines and participation rules.

Q. What versions of Microsoft Office will the 2026 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship include?
A. The 2026 World Championship will include the following six (6) tracks:

    • Microsoft Word (Office 2019)
    • Microsoft Excel (Office 2019)
    • Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2019)
    • Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps)
    • Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps)
    • Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps)

Q. What prizes are awarded?
A. The first place champion receives $8,000 along with a trophy, medal of achievement, and certificate. The second place winner receives $4,000 along with a medal of achievement and certificate. The third place winner receives $2,000 along with a medal of achievement and certificate.

Q. When is the Championship taking place in my country?
A. Although this Championship is available worldwide, availability, rules, and dates vary by country. During the qualifying round, countries all around the world are hosting local competitions to determine regional/country champions. For more details about participation within your country, contact your Certiport Solution Provider, or email Certiport at MOSchampionship@pearson.com.

Q. How are the Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® Country Champions selected?
A. Country Champions will be selected in one of two ways by the Certiport competition operator in each country*:

  1. Top Score Method: Competition Operator reviews the competition results for the country and selects the student with the top score for Word per track, the student with the top score for Excel® per track and the student with the top score for PowerPoint® per track. These students represent the country at the World Championship Event. Certiport retains the right to review local Competition Operator selections.
  2. Country Final Method: Competition Operator reviews the competition results for the country and invites several top students, to compete at a country finals event. The winners of the country finals event (in Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®) represent the country at the World Championship Event. Certiport retains the right to review Competition Operator selections.

For more details about participation within your country and how country champions are selected, contact your Certiport Solution Provider, or email Certiport at MOSchampionship@pearson.com.

Q. How are the World Champions in Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® selected?
A. All regional/country champions will be invited to the World Championship event to compete for the title of the World Champion in Microsoft Word (Office 2019), Microsoft Excel (Office 2019), Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2019), Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps), Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps), Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps).

At the World Championship, all regional and country champions will compete in their designated track. Students are typically required to compete only once; however, in rare cases, Certiport may require a second round of testing.

All participants in the World Championship will be responsible for preparing themselves to compete in their respective exam track. Certiport and/or Certiport’s Authorized Partners may provide students with preparation materials to help facilitate each student’s training on the software.

Q. What kind of exam do students take at the competition? Is it the same as the certification exam?
A. No. Students will complete a completely new assessment, which may include an exam portion, a project portion, or both. While it is project-based like the certification exam, it is designed for the most advanced students and may include topics beyond those covered in standard certification exams. We encourage students to prepare by exploring advanced skills and, where applicable, reviewing MOS Expert-level content for Word and Excel.

Q. How is the winner selected?
A. The assessments completed during the competition will be evaluated by a panel of judges. All components (exam and/or project) will be considered together to determine the winner. In the event that two students achieve the same score, the finalist who completed in the shortest amount of time will be declared the winner. Judges’ decisions are final. Winners will be announced during the student awards ceremony. The odds of winning depend on the number of students competing in each division.

Q. Can I take an exam in any language?
A. Yes. During the qualifying round of the Championship, students may participate in any of the eligible exams regardless of the language. However, during the World Championship, all finalists will be required to test using a specially designed version of Microsoft Word (Office 2019), Microsoft Excel (Office 2019), Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2019), Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps), Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps), Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps). The final championship exams are available in a limited number of languages. All country champions will be required to test in one of these languages at the World Championship event regardless of native or first language.

Please email MOSChampionship@pearson.com to find out which languages will be offered at the 2026 MOS World Championship.