This software is part of Microsoft e-learning courses. Idea is to provide a simple and effective way for you to learn at your own pace. This self-paced learning environment includes a variety of multimedia tools such as audio, video, simulation, animation etc and assessments.
Firstly, I must point out I use excel at work, so from my perspective it was very basic. This software is ideal for beginners or someone new to excel. I can see this type of software kept at colleges, schools etc, where it would very handy.
I gave it to my mother and she seemed to think it was good, the interface is easy and simple to use. The course material she liked. As a complete novice to excel, she became familiar with environment and how to run spreadsheets, graphs etc. She gave it a thumbs up.
personally, I would say if you know your way around excel already, then this software may not be for you. If your an absolute beginner and hate reading books, then dive in and buy it. The price is similar to a book. The online course matterial is good and with the 12 months of support you can't really go wrong.
About the exam, in all honesty I'm not sure a prospective employer would look at whether you have completed the excel exam or not.
Also the course does not cover things like complex number functions and bode plots etc. So, if you are looking for excel to help solve more mathematically complex problems, this product is not for you.