Chapter 7: MO-210 Practice Exam
Learning Objectives
- Complete MO-210-style projects within the exam's time limit.
- Turn result-based task wording into the right Excel commands and functions.
- Identify the objectives you still need to review, and use your AI assistant to understand each task you missed.
This chapter is a full practice exam for MO-210. Like the real exam, it has six projects with about six tasks each, and it covers every MO-210 objective, including the ones Introduction to Excel teaches. Take it once you've worked through chapters 2–6 and can do their Practice tasks without looking anything up.
7.1 How to take this practice exam
Treat it as the real thing. Your score only tells you how ready you are if you take it the way you'll take the exam.
- Set aside 50 minutes in one sitting. Start a timer and stop when it runs out, even if you haven't finished.
- Use no notes, no book and no web searches. You won't have them on the exam.
- Work the projects in order. Read all of a project's tasks before you start it.
- Mark and skip any task you can't do within about two minutes, and come back to it if you have time at the end.
- Do exactly what each task says. Don't add formatting, helper cells or extra changes.
When time is up, check your work. Each project shows which tasks you got right, and for each task you missed, it builds a prompt you can paste into your AI assistant to find out why.
| Project | Workbook | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocean Breeze Café | Managing worksheets and workbooks |
| 2 | Summit Fitness | Managing data cells and ranges |
| 3 | Greenway Hardware | Managing tables and table data |
| 4 | Northfield School Fundraiser | Formulas and functions |
| 5 | Tri-County Transit | Managing charts |
| 6 | Maple Street Clinic | Sharing and distributing workbooks |
7.2 Project 1: Ocean Breeze Café
Simmy assessment goes here. Project 1 of the MO-210 practice exam: managing worksheets and workbooks. When a student misses a task, Simmy builds the AI prompt (the task as worded, what the student did, and the correct result).
Starting data. Workbook Ocean Breeze Café with sheets Menu, Sales and Contacts.
Menu (A1:D16): headings Item, Category, Price, Cost; 15 items (for example, "Clam Chowder, Soup, 7.50, 2.10"; "Fish Tacos, Entrée, 13.00, 4.40"; "Key Lime Pie, Dessert, 6.00, 1.35"). A named range Desserts refers to Menu!A13:D16. Column widths are default (8.43), so long item names are cut off.
Sales (A1:H40): daily sales, row 1 headings Date, Weekday, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Catering, Total, Notes; 39 rows of data.
Contacts: empty.
Text file suppliers.txt (tab-delimited, header row): Supplier, Product, Phone, Email; 6 rows (for example, "Bayside Seafood, Fresh fish, 555-0141, orders@baysideseafood.example").
Tasks.
- Import the data from the suppliers.txt file into the Contacts worksheet, starting at cell A1. Use the first row of the file as headings. Expected result: table on Contacts at A1 with 4 columns and 6 data rows. Objective: Import data from text files.
- On the Menu worksheet, change the width of column A so that every item name is fully visible. Expected result: column A autofit (wide enough for the longest item name). Objective: Adjust row height and column width.
- In cell F1 of the Menu worksheet, insert a link that goes to the Desserts range. Display the text See desserts. Expected result: Menu!F1 is a hyperlink to
Dessertswith display text "See desserts". Objective: Insert and remove hyperlinks. - On the Sales worksheet, ensure that rows 1 and 2 and column A remain visible as you scroll. Expected result: panes frozen at B3. Objective: Freeze worksheet rows and columns.
- On the Sales worksheet, add a header that shows the file name in the center section and the current date in the right section. Expected result: center header
&[File]; right header&[Date]. Objective: Customize headers and footers. - Change the Sales worksheet's margins to Narrow and center the worksheet horizontally on the page. Expected result: Narrow margins (0.25" left/right, 0.75" top/bottom); Center on page horizontally checked. Objective: Modify page setup.
- Set the Company property of the workbook to Ocean Breeze Café LLC. Expected result: Company property = "Ocean Breeze Café LLC". Objective: Modify built-in workbook properties.
7.3 Project 2: Summit Fitness
Simmy assessment goes here. Project 2 of the MO-210 practice exam: managing data cells and ranges. When a student misses a task, Simmy builds the AI prompt (the task as worded, what the student did, and the correct result).
Starting data. Workbook Summit Fitness with sheets Members and Archive.
Members (A1:H12). A1 "Membership by Plan". Row 3 headings: Plan (A), Jan (B), and C3:G3 empty; H3 "Trend". Rows 4–9:
| Plan | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 412 | 398 | 421 | 435 | 447 | 452 |
| Plus | 286 | 301 | 315 | 322 | 330 | 341 |
| Premium | 143 | 150 | 148 | 156 | 162 | 170 |
| Student | 198 | 220 | 231 | 214 | 176 | 152 |
| Senior | 87 | 91 | 94 | 96 | 99 | 103 |
| Corporate | 64 | 64 | 70 | 70 | 78 | 81 |
(Only B3 holds "Jan"; C3:G3 headings are blank. Values in B4:G9 are present.) Row 10: "Total" in A10 with =SUM(B4:B9) in B10 copied to G10. Column J holds monthly fees: J3 "Fee", J4:J9 = 29, 39, 59, 19, 24, 34.
Archive: empty.
Tasks.
- Complete the month headings in C3:G3 so that they continue the series in cell B3. Expected result: C3:G3 = Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun. Objective: Fill cells by using Auto Fill.
- Merge and center the title in cell A1 across columns A through H, and apply the Title cell style. Expected result: A1:H1 merged and centered; style Title. Objective: Merge and unmerge cells; Apply cell styles.
- Insert two blank columns to the left of column J. Expected result: two new columns at J:K; fee data now in column L. Objective: Insert and delete multiple columns or rows.
- In H4:H9, insert column charts that each fit in one cell and show the monthly membership for each plan. Highlight the lowest value in each. Expected result: column sparklines in H4:H9 with data B4:G9; Low Point shown. Objective: Insert Sparklines.
- Apply a built-in conditional format to B4:G9 that shows a gradient-filled bar in each cell proportional to its value. Expected result: Data Bars (Gradient Fill) on B4:G9. Objective: Apply built-in conditional formatting.
- Create a name for cells B10:G10 called Monthly_Total. Expected result: defined name Monthly_Total = Members!$BG$10. Objective: Define a named range.
- Copy A3:G10 to cell A1 of the Archive worksheet so that the totals appear as fixed numbers and keep their number formatting. Expected result: Archive!A1:G8 holds values (no formulas) with source number formats. Objective: Paste data by using special paste options.
7.4 Project 3: Greenway Hardware
Simmy assessment goes here. Project 3 of the MO-210 practice exam: managing tables and table data. When a student misses a task, Simmy builds the AI prompt (the task as worded, what the student did, and the correct result).
Starting data. Workbook Greenway Hardware with sheets Inventory and Orders.
Inventory (A1:F13), a plain range (not a table):
| SKU | Item | Department | Qty | Unit Cost | Reorder Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GH-101 | Claw hammer | Tools | 42 | 11.50 | 20 |
| GH-102 | Tape measure | Tools | 18 | 8.25 | 25 |
| GH-103 | Deck screws (1 lb) | Fasteners | 130 | 6.75 | 60 |
| GH-104 | Wood glue | Adhesives | 35 | 4.90 | 30 |
| GH-105 | Cordless drill | Power Tools | 9 | 89.00 | 10 |
| GH-106 | Paint roller | Paint | 56 | 5.40 | 40 |
| GH-107 | Exterior latex (gal) | Paint | 22 | 31.00 | 25 |
| GH-108 | Drywall anchors | Fasteners | 210 | 3.20 | 100 |
| GH-109 | Circular saw | Power Tools | 6 | 124.00 | 5 |
| GH-110 | Utility knife | Tools | 64 | 7.80 | 30 |
| GH-111 | Caulk tube | Adhesives | 47 | 4.15 | 40 |
| GH-112 | Wood screws (1 lb) | Fasteners | 88 | 6.25 | 60 |
Orders: a table named Orders (A1:D9) with columns OrderID, SKU, Qty, Status, and a style applied.
Tasks.
- Format the data on the Inventory worksheet as a table with headers. Apply the Medium 4 table style. Expected result: table covering A1:F13 with header row; style TableStyleMedium4. Objective: Create Excel tables from cell ranges; Apply table styles.
- Add a column named Value to the table that multiplies each item's quantity by its unit cost. Use structured references. Expected result: G1 "Value"; calculated column
=[@Qty]*[@[Unit Cost]]. Objective: Use structured references in formulas; Add or remove table rows and columns. - Configure the table to show the total of the Value column in a row below the table, and remove the shading from alternate rows. Expected result: total row on with Sum in Value; Banded Rows off. Objective: Insert and configure total rows; Configure table style options.
- Sort the table by Department in alphabetical order, then by Qty from smallest to largest. Expected result: two-level sort: Department A–Z, then Qty ascending. Objective: Sort data by multiple columns.
- Filter the table to show only items in the Fasteners and Power Tools departments. Expected result: Department filter = Fasteners, Power Tools; 5 records visible. Objective: Filter records.
- Remove the Status column from the table on the Orders worksheet, then convert the table to a normal range. Expected result: Orders has columns OrderID, SKU, Qty only, and is no longer a table. Objective: Add or remove table rows and columns; Convert tables to cell ranges.
7.5 Project 4: Northfield School Fundraiser
Simmy assessment goes here. Project 4 of the MO-210 practice exam: formulas and functions. When a student misses a task, Simmy builds the AI prompt (the task as worded, what the student did, and the correct result).
Starting data. Workbook Northfield School Fundraiser with one sheet, Sales (A1:H17). B1 holds the label "Commission rate" and C1 holds 0.08. Row 3 is headings; rows 4–17 hold 14 students:
| Student ID | First | Last | Grade | Homeroom | Boxes Sold | Amount | Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nf-2041 | maya | Torres | 6 | Room 12 | 18 | 270 | |
| nf-2042 | liam | Okafor | 7 | Room 15 | 25 | 375 | |
| nf-2043 | ava | Chen | 6 | Room 12 | |||
| nf-2044 | noah | Patel | 8 | Room 21 | 31 | 465 | |
| nf-2045 | zoe | Lindqvist | 7 | Room 15 | 12 | 180 | |
| nf-2046 | eli | Brooks | 8 | Room 21 | 22 | 330 | |
| nf-2047 | isla | Romero | 6 | Room 9 | 9 | 135 | |
| nf-2048 | owen | Fitzgerald | 7 | Room 15 | |||
| nf-2049 | ruby | Nakamura | 8 | Room 21 | 27 | 405 | |
| nf-2050 | leo | Adeyemi | 6 | Room 9 | 15 | 225 | |
| nf-2051 | maya | Kowalczyk | 7 | Room 18 | 20 | 300 | |
| nf-2052 | finn | Gallagher | 8 | Room 21 | 34 | 510 | |
| nf-2053 | ivy | Delgado | 6 | Room 12 | 11 | 165 | |
| nf-2054 | jack | Huang | 7 | Room 18 | 19 | 285 |
Blank cells in F and G mean the student hasn't turned in an order form. Cells K3:K8 hold labels for a summary: Average boxes, Most boxes, Fewest boxes, Students, Forms missing, Top seller.
Tasks.
- In H4, enter a formula that calculates the student's commission by multiplying the amount by the commission rate in cell C1. Copy the formula to H5:H17 so every row uses cell C1. Expected result: H4 =
=G4*$C$1(or=G4*C$1), copied to H17. Objective: Insert relative, absolute, and mixed references. - In L3, L4 and L5, enter formulas that return the average, highest and lowest number of boxes sold. Expected result: L3
=AVERAGE(F4:F17); L4=MAX(F4:F17); L5=MIN(F4:F17). Objective: Perform calculations by using AVERAGE(), MAX(), MIN(). - In L6, enter a formula that counts the students listed in column A. In L7, enter a formula that counts the students who have not turned in an order form. Expected result: L6
=COUNTA(A4:A17)(14); L7=COUNTBLANK(F4:F17)(2). Objective: Count cells by using COUNT(), COUNTA(), COUNTBLANK(). - In I4, enter a formula that displays "Prize" if the student sold 20 or more boxes and nothing otherwise. Copy it to I5:I17. Expected result: I4
=IF(F4>=20,"Prize",""), copied down. Objective: Perform conditional operations by using IF(). - In J4, enter a formula that combines the student's first and last names with a space between them, with the first name capitalized correctly by a function. Copy it to J5:J17. Expected result: J4 such as
=CONCAT(UPPER(LEFT(B4,1)),MID(B4,2,LEN(B4))," ",C4)or=TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,UPPER(LEFT(B4,1))&MID(B4,2,LEN(B4)),C4); result "Maya Torres". Objective: Format text by using LEFT(), MID(), UPPER(), LEN(), CONCAT(), TEXTJOIN(). - In N3, enter a formula that returns each homeroom once, sorted alphabetically. Expected result: N3
=SORT(UNIQUE(E4:E17))spilling Room 12, Room 15, Room 18, Room 21, Room 9. Objective: Sort data by using SORT(); Get unique values by using UNIQUE(). - In cell A20, enter a formula that returns the student ID from cell A4 in capital letters. Expected result: A20
=UPPER(A4)→ "NF-2041". Objective: Format text by using UPPER(), LOWER(), and LEN().
7.6 Project 5: Tri-County Transit
Simmy assessment goes here. Project 5 of the MO-210 practice exam: managing charts. When a student misses a task, Simmy builds the AI prompt (the task as worded, what the student did, and the correct result).
Starting data. Workbook Tri-County Transit with one sheet, Ridership (A1:G6), and an existing line chart on the sheet plotting A1:F5 (2022–2026, four routes) titled "Chart Title".
| Route | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 1 Downtown | 412,000 | 438,500 | 461,200 | 478,900 | 502,300 |
| Route 4 Airport | 186,300 | 214,700 | 239,800 | 251,100 | 268,400 |
| Route 7 University | 298,400 | 305,900 | 322,600 | 330,100 | 341,700 |
| Route 9 Hospital | 144,200 | 150,800 | 158,300 | 161,900 | 170,500 |
| Route 12 Lakeshore | 98,700 | 102,300 | 109,600 | 118,400 | 126,900 |
Tasks.
- Create a clustered bar chart that compares the 2026 ridership of all five routes. Place it on the Ridership worksheet. Expected result: a new clustered bar chart with categories A2:A6 and one series F2:F6 (name F1). Objective: Create charts.
- Add the Route 12 Lakeshore data to the existing line chart. Expected result: line chart has five series; Route 12 values = B6:F6. Objective: Add data series to charts.
- On the line chart, change the title to Annual Ridership by Route and add a vertical axis title that reads Riders. Expected result: chart title text as given; primary vertical axis title "Riders". Objective: Add and modify chart elements.
- Change the line chart so that each year is a separate series and the routes appear on the horizontal axis. Expected result: rows/columns switched: categories are routes; series are years. Objective: Switch between rows and columns in source data.
- Apply Layout 9 and the Monochromatic Palette 4 colors to the line chart. Expected result: Quick Layout 9; color set Monochromatic Palette 4. Objective: Apply chart layouts; Apply chart styles.
- Add the alternative text "Line chart of annual ridership for five routes, 2022 to 2026" to the line chart. Expected result: alt text description matches exactly. Objective: Add alternative text to charts for accessibility.
- Move the bar chart to a new sheet named 2026 Ridership. Expected result: chart sheet "2026 Ridership" holds the bar chart. Objective: Create chart sheets.
7.7 Project 6: Maple Street Clinic
Simmy assessment goes here. Project 6 of the MO-210 practice exam: sharing and distributing workbooks, plus mixed cell skills. When a student misses a task, Simmy builds the AI prompt (the task as worded, what the student did, and the correct result).
Starting data. Workbook Maple Street Clinic with sheets Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Schedule and Sheet5.
Week 1–Week 3 each have the same layout: A1 "Patient Visits" (unformatted); row 3 headings Day, Doctor, Visits, Wait (min); 25 rows of data; C4:C28 in General format. Week 2 has a red-fill conditional formatting rule on D4:D28 (Greater than 30).
Schedule (A1:F20): staff schedule. Cell B6 has a note from "Front Desk": "Confirm Dr. Ito's Friday hours." Cell E4 holds =RANDBETWEEN(1,5) (should be a room number).
Sheet5: a list of 10 staff extensions, no formatting.
Tasks.
- Apply the Heading 1 cell style to cell A1 and the Comma [0] number format to C4:C28 on the Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 worksheets at the same time. Expected result: on all three sheets, A1 style Heading 1 and C4:C28 style Comma [0]; sheets ungrouped afterward. Objective: Format multiple worksheets by grouping; Apply cell styles.
- Remove the conditional formatting from the Week 2 worksheet. Expected result: no conditional formatting rules on Week 2. Objective: Remove conditional formatting.
- On the Schedule worksheet, convert the note in cell B6 to a comment, and reply to it with "Confirmed: 8 to 2." Expected result: B6 has a threaded comment with the original text and the reply; no note. Objective: Manage comments and notes.
- On the Schedule worksheet, replace the formula in cell E4 with its current result. Expected result: E4 holds a constant (1–5) and no formula. Objective: Paste data by using special paste options; Generate numeric data by using RANDBETWEEN().
- Display the Schedule worksheet so you can see two separate parts of it at the same time, each part scrolling independently, divided above row 11. Expected result: window split at row 11 (horizontal split only). Objective: Change window views.
- Check the workbook for accessibility issues. Fix the error by renaming Sheet5 to Extensions. Expected result: sheet name Extensions. Objective: Inspect workbooks and correct issues.
- Save the Schedule worksheet as a CSV (UTF-8) file named Schedule Export in the default folder. Expected result: Schedule Export.csv contains the Schedule sheet's values. Objective: Save and export workbooks in alternative file formats.
7.8 Reviewing your results
When time runs out, check your work, project by project. Count the tasks you completed correctly. As a rough guide, getting about 80 percent of the tasks right in the time allowed means you're ready to schedule the exam. If you finished with time to spare and got almost everything right, you're well prepared.
7.8.1 Use the AI prompt for every missed task
For each task you missed, use the prompt the project builds for you. It tells your AI assistant what the task asked, what you did and what the correct result was, and asks why your answer was wrong and how to do the task correctly. Paste it into your own assistant, read the explanation, then redo the task yourself in Excel. Reading an explanation isn't the same as being able to do it under time pressure.
Watch for patterns in what you missed:
- Misread tasks. If you knew the skill but did something slightly different, such as the wrong range, the wrong sheet, or rows instead of columns, slow down and use the four-step method from chapter 1 on every task.
- Couldn't name the feature. If you didn't recognize what a task was describing, reread the chapter that covers it and pay attention to the tips about task wording.
- Ran out of time. If you didn't finish, practice the chapters' tasks until the common ones take less than a minute each, and remember to mark and skip hard tasks.
7.8.2 Where to review
| Project | If you missed tasks on… | Review |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Importing, navigation, hyperlinks, freezing, headers and footers, page setup, properties | Chapter 2. Managing Workbooks and Worksheets; Chapter 3. Preparing Workbooks to Print and Share |
| 2 | Auto Fill, merging, cell styles, inserting columns, sparklines, named ranges, Paste Special | Chapter 4. Formatting Cells and Ranges; Lesson 8 of Introduction to Excel for conditional formatting |
| 3 | Tables, total rows, style options, sorting, filtering, structured references | Chapter 5. Table and Formula Details; Lesson 7 of Introduction to Excel |
| 4 | References, AVERAGE/MAX/MIN, counting, IF, text functions, SORT and UNIQUE | Lessons 2–5 of Introduction to Excel; Chapter 5. Table and Formula Details |
| 5 | Creating charts, chart sheets, series, elements, layouts, styles, alt text | Lesson 6 of Introduction to Excel; Chapter 6. Chart Details |
| 6 | Grouped sheets, comments and notes, window views, inspecting, file formats | Chapter 4. Formatting Cells and Ranges; Chapter 3. Preparing Workbooks to Print and Share |
Once you can finish this practice exam comfortably within 50 minutes, schedule MO-210. After you pass, continue with chapter 8 to start preparing for MO-211.