Texas Christian University Excel Certification Requirement
Neeley School of Business · MO-210
Every TCU business major has to pass a Microsoft Office Specialist Excel exam in their first year, or they cannot continue as a business student. Here is which exam it is, what it costs, and how to be ready for it.
Requirement details verified against TCU’s own pages on August 26, 2026. Always confirm your deadline with Neeley School of Business.
What TCU requires
The Neeley School of Business requires Microsoft Office 365 certification of all business majors. Students must pass both the Excel and the PowerPoint exam during their first year, by the deadline published for the semester they entered. Neeley's own wording is that passing is what lets a student continue as a business student beyond the first year.
The Excel exam is also a gate on coursework, not only on standing in the major. Neeley lists it as a prerequisite for INSC 20153, and the TCU undergraduate catalog states that students must complete the Microsoft Office Basic Excel Exam before they are eligible to enroll in Statistical Analysis. Miss it and part of the business core stalls behind it.
Neeley accepts Microsoft Office 365 certifications only. A certification on an older version of Office does not satisfy the requirement, including one earned in high school.
At a glance
Why passing on the first attempt matters
- Every attempt at TCU costs $75, so a failed first attempt is a real expense on top of a deadline that does not move.
- The Excel exam gates enrollment in Statistical Analysis, so failing it can push a required course, and everything sequenced behind it, into a later semester.
- Neeley's own guidance is that students who prepare have significantly higher first-attempt pass rates. Their prep class is optional and costs $125 on top of the exam fee.
- MO-210 is performance-based: you complete tasks in a live Excel workbook rather than answering multiple-choice questions about Excel. Reading about Excel does not prepare you for that.
Neeley requires a PowerPoint certification alongside Excel, on its own deadline. Excel Experts Certify builds practice exams for Excel only. We would rather say so than let you believe passing our practice exams finishes your requirement.
How we help you pass MO-210
Take a full, timed MO-210 practice exam and get a score out of 1000 with per-task feedback — the same scoring shape as the real exam, where 700 is the usual pass mark. Your first practice exam is free and needs no card.
You do the tasks in your own desktop Excel and upload the workbook. We grade what you did, task by task, and show you which tasks cost you points, so your next attempt is aimed at something specific instead of at studying Excel in general.
Neeley sends students to the Microsoft 365 Excel objectives document, which is the skills-measured outline for MO-210. Our practice exams are built against that document, and our MO-210 exam guide reproduces the objective domains and their weightings so you can see what is actually tested.
Neeley lets you take the exam at any Certiport testing center and send them an Authenticated Digital Transcript of Certifications afterward. Excel Experts is a Certiport Authorized Test Center in the Dallas–Fort Worth area for the official MO-210 and MO-211 exams. Get in touch if you would like to test with us.
TCU Excel certification FAQ
Which Excel exam does TCU Neeley require?
MO-210, Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps), which is the Associate-level exam. Neeley calls it the Basic Excel Exam, and the Excel objectives document it links students to is the MO-210 skills-measured outline. It is not MO-211, the Expert exam.
What happens if I miss the Excel deadline?
Neeley states that passing PowerPoint and Excel in the first year by the published deadline is what allows you to continue as a business student beyond the first year. Separately, the Excel exam is a prerequisite for INSC 20153 and for enrolling in Statistical Analysis.
Can I take the exam somewhere other than TCU?
Yes. Neeley allows testing at any Certiport testing center. After you pass, you download an Authenticated Digital Transcript of Certifications from your Certiport account and email the PDF to the Neeley MOS office with your TCU student ID. Neeley accepts Microsoft Office 365 certifications only.
I passed a Microsoft Excel certification in high school. Does it count?
It counts if it is a Microsoft Office 365 certification. Neeley does not accept certifications on older versions of Office. You submit it the same way as an outside test: an Authenticated Digital Transcript of Certifications from Certiport, emailed with your student ID.
How long is the exam and when do I get my score?
About 50 minutes. Neeley says you receive your results immediately on completing the test, along with a printed score report.
Do I have to take TCU's prep class?
No. Neeley describes the prep classes as optional but highly recommended, at $125 each, and says students who complete one have significantly higher first-attempt pass rates. Scholarships are available to cover prep-class costs — ask the Neeley MOS office.
Is Excel Experts Certify affiliated with TCU?
No. We are an independent Certiport Authorized Test Center and practice-exam provider in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Texas Christian University or the Neeley School of Business. Always confirm your own requirement and deadline with Neeley.
Sources
Every requirement, deadline and fee on this page comes from the pages below, read on August 26, 2026. TCU can change them at any time.
- Microsoft Certification requirements, deadlines and costs — TCU Neeley undergraduate resources
- BBA Core Curriculum Requirements — TCU undergraduate catalog
- Exam MO-210 skills measured — the Excel objectives document Neeley links
Excel Experts Certify is an independent practice-exam provider and a Certiport Authorized Test Center. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Texas Christian University or the Neeley School of Business. University names are used here only to identify whose requirement is described. This page is informational; your requirement, deadline and fees are whatever Neeley School of Business says they are.
Walk into MO-210 knowing your score
Take a full, timed practice exam, upload the workbook you built, and get a score out of 1000 with per-task feedback. Your first one is free.
No credit card. Add the free exam to your cart on the practice exams page.