6/16/2004 -- Recently, Microsoft quietly debuted its second 2003 Office Specialist exam: Excel (Core).

According to the Microsoft Web site, the exam is now live and available at select IQ testing centers worldwide. Testing prices vary per location. Objectives for the new exam can be found here.

Microsoft debuted the first 2003 Office Specialist exam, Word (Core), in October. Certiport, the company that develops the Office Specialist exams for Microsoft, announced at that time that the rollout of the exams in this track would take longer than with previous versions due to a switch from live application testing to a simulated testing environment.

Debut dates for the rest of the track's exams have yet to be announced.

More information on the Office Specialist 2003 program can be found here. -Becky Nagel