9/21/2005 -- The Outlook 2003 exam for Microsoft's Office Specialist certification program will be released Oct. 17, according to a recent announcement made by Certiport, the company that manages the Office Specialist program for Microsoft.

Passing the exam allows candidates to earn the title of Microsoft Office Specialist: Outlook 2003. It is also an elective requirement for the program's Microsoft Office Master 2003 title.

This is the last of the 2003 suite of exams to be released. Previously, the company had announced that the exam would be delayed due to the complexity of testing Outlook 2003 in a hands-on environment using the live application. All Office Specialist exams test candidates skills in a hands-on format.

Further exam details have yet to be announced. For more information on the Microsoft Office Specialist program, use the link above. -Becky Nagel