assignment of ms excel

Excel Practice Exercises PDF with Answers

In this article, we will provide you with 11 Excel practice exercises in PDF format with answers. Additionally, you will get an Excel file where you can try to solve these problems yourself. These problems are mostly beginner friendly. However, a little bit of intermediate knowledge is required to solve a few problems. You will need to know about the SUM , AVERAGE , IF , VLOOKUP , INDEX , MATCH , ROUNDUP , UNIQUE , COUNTIF , LEFT , SEARCH , MID , RIGHT , LEN , FIND , SUBSTITUTE , AND , and SUMIF functions and the Data Bars feature of Excel. If you have Excel 2010 or later, you can solve these problems, except for the UNIQUE function, which is only available in Excel 2021 .

Download Practice Files

You can download the PDF and Excel files by filling out this form:

Eleven Practice Exercises with Solutions.pdf [/wpsm_box] [wpsm_box type="download" float="none" textalign="left"] Eleven Practice Exercises.xlsx [/wpsm_box] -->

Problem Overview

There are eleven problems in this PDF file, and the solutions to those problems are given after each problem. Here is a snapshot of the first two problems. The solutions to all problems are given in a separate sheet of Excel file.

Now, the eleven exercise problems are as follows:

Exercise 01. Class Performance Evaluation . You will find these values –
The total number for each student,
Their average on those subjects,
Based on the average score, you will return a GPA. For GPA calculation, less than 60 is B and higher is A .
You need to find the employee salary in the lookup table on the right side.
Exercise 03: Lookup Values (Any Direction) .
Here your task is the same as the second task. However, this time the lookup range is on the right side. Therefore, you cannot use the VLOOKUP function here.
You will need to round the sales generated values in this exercise.
You will need to add the first name and last name.
Your task is to create a Data Bar for the salary values and hide the salary values.
Firstly, you need to find the unique values in a list of names.
Then, you will find how many times that value occurred in that lis
You need to separate the three parts of a name from a given list.
You will need to find the total sales for a particular country.
Your objective is to ensure that users cannot type less than 0 in a column.
Your target is to determine whether a date is between two dates or not.

Here is a screenshot of the solutions to the first two problems. The solutions to these problems are provided in the PDF and Excel files.

Excel Practice Exercises PDF with Answers

Thank you for reading this article. We hope that with these practice exercises in PDF format with answers, you can test your Excel skills. You can find more articles similar to this on the ExcelDemy website. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment below. However, remember that our website implements comment moderation. Therefore, your comment may not be instantly visible. So, have a little bit of patience, and we will solve your query as soon as possible. Keep excelling!

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Rafiul Haq worked as an Excel and VBA Content Developer in Exceldemy for over two years and published almost 200 articles for the website. He is passionate about exploring new aspects of Excel and VBA. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Production Engineering (MPE) from the Islamic University of Technology. Rafiul furthered his education by obtaining an MBA in Finance from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) at the University of Dhaka. Apart from creating... Read Full Bio

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Practice And Learn Excel Online For Free

Here you can practice dozens of Excel exercises with full solutions and explanations. If you are new to excel, please check out our Excel Basics Tutorial!

The explanations can be found in the Answer tab in each of the exercises. Have fun 🙂

New! Excel Self Assessment – Test your Excel skills and understand what to learn next to be even better!

Basic Math and Percentages Exercise

SUM Function

SUM Tutorial and Practice
SUM Function – Exercise 1
SUM Function – Exercise 2
SUM Function – Exercise 3

COUNT, COUNTA & COUNTBLANK Functions

COUNT Tutorial and Practice
COUNTA Tutorial and Practice
COUNT & COUNTA Functions – Exercise 1
COUNT & COUNTA Functions – Exercise 2
COUNT, COUNTA & COUNTBLANK Functions – Exercise 3

AVERAGE Function

AVERAGE Tutorial and Practice
Average Function – Exercise 1
Average Function – Exercise 2
Average Function – Exercise 3

MIN/MAX Function

MIN Tutorial and Practice
MAX Tutorial and Practice
MIN/MAX Function (combined with AVERAGE)
MIN/MAX Function (combined with IF)

IF Function

IF Tutorial and Practice
IF Function – Exercise 1
IF Function – Exercise 2
IF Function – Exercise 3
IF Function – Exercise 4

Nested IF Function

Nested IF Tutorial and Practice
Nested IF – Exercise 1

VLOOKUP Function

VLOOKUP Tutorial and Practice
VLOOKUP Function – Exercise 1
VLOOKUP Function – Exercise 2
VLOOKUP with Approximate Match – Exercise 3

HLOOKUP Function

HLOOKUP Function – Exercise 1

SUMIF Function

SUMIF Tutorial and Practice
SUMIF Function – Exercise 1
SUMIF Function – Exercise 2

COUNTIF Function

COUNTIF Tutorial and Practice
COUNTIF Function – Exercise 1
COUNTIF Function – Exercise 2

SUMIFS Function

SUMIFS Tutorial and Practice
SUMIFS Function – Exercise 1
SUMIFS Function – Exercise 2

COUNTIFS Function

COUNTIFS Tutorial and Practice
COUNTIFS Function – Exercise 1
COUNTIFS Function – Exercise 2

Pivot Table

Pivot tables Tutorial and Practice
Pivot Table basics – Exercise 1

Practice Excel Exams and Tests

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Excel Exercises helps regular people learn Excel as quickly as possible.

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Beginning Excel 2019

(25 reviews)

Noreen Brown

Barbara Lave

Julie Romey

Last Update: 2019

Publisher: Open Oregon Educational Resources

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Ashley Hogan, Adjunct Instructor, Linn-Benton Community College on 3/22/24

This is a great basic Excel text. It also covers the mac users (something I have not found with other texts). read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is a great basic Excel text. It also covers the mac users (something I have not found with other texts).

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I saw no errors and found that the text is addresses multiple versions of Excel and multiple platforms.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The order of the content makes sense and is easy to navigate. Content can easily be updated as newer versions of the program come out.

Clarity rating: 5

Super easy to read and navigate. I love that there are screenshots of the program as well as text explaining what the read should be looking for.

Consistency rating: 5

Consistent terminology and content/layout.

Modularity rating: 5

The headings and subheadings make this text easy to navigate and pull out just what I need for a specific group/class or lesson.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is set up so that the reader gains more understanding and flows as the reader moves through the text. The reader doesn't need to flip between chapters to work through in a logical way.

Interface rating: 4

The interface is nearly perfect. Some of the screenshots are ever so slightly blurry (especially when the reader zooms in), but are discernable.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammar errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The text focuses on a business mindset and examples are the same (generic employee names and business content).

Overall, a very easy to use and navigate book. I will be using this text for my community education courses as well as Spreadsheet Analysis.

Reviewed by Xinyu Zhang, Teaching Assistant Professor, West Virginia University on 5/5/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book is comprehensive for Excel beginners from non-STEM major. It also includes instructions for Mac user, which is very useful for students using Mac. The examples and practice problems are largely related to financial and career decision making. This book doesn't have any science or engineering examples nor topics used frequently in scientific data analysis via Excel such as x-y scatter chart, logical functions (AND, OR, NOT), nested IF statement, functions like SUMPRODUCT, IFS, MATCH, INDEX, etc.

The accuracy of this book is good. But few figures missed the captions and some figures used very small font sizes thus difficult to verify the information.

The title indicates the book for Excel 2019. I suggest the author clarify the relationship between Excel 2019 and Excel 365 to avoid confusion for beginners since Excel 365 also appear in the texts.

The book is easy to follow.

The terminology is consistent. But there is an inconsistency in the headings. The assessment activities are called "scored assessment" in some chapters and "chapter scored" in other chapters. I suggest a consistent subheading and maybe a more self-explanatory subheading for the assessment activities.

The online version is easy to ready, but the pdf version can be improved . Sometimes the font sizes and spacing are not consistent or appealing for readers.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Overall, good organization. I would suggest covering absolute reference and relative reference together instead of splitting them. I would also suggest covering all the Print topic together instead of splitting into different chapters. Even though your current logic of splitting them makes sense, it makes the "Print" and "Cell reference" topics less easier to be used as independent subunits. The subheadings "Printing" and "Preparing to Print" are not self-explanatory before reading the content.

In the pdf version, font sizes of some figures are too small and the figure styles are not very consistent.

I did not found any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I didn't find anything relevant to this topic.

This is a good book for Excel beginners, particularly suitable for teaching Excel in a general elective course or business major. It would be better to have more practice and assessment problems in each chapter to for instructors to assign them as homework or self-practice activities.

Reviewed by Angel Escalona, Adjunct Professor, Middlesex Community College on 11/21/22

The book is clear and really easy to understand. read more

The book is clear and really easy to understand.

The book is highly accurate, I teach excel in my classes and I will be replacing the current book with this one.

Even though the book is made for excel 2019 It is still highly relevant since excel doesn't change a lot with the years, maybe a few thinks have changed since 2019 but it is still 99% relevant.

The book is clear, concise and detailed.

It is consistent, it maintains its quality through the chapters.

The book is divided into clear and short modules that provide a really clear workflow

Well organized, the chapters are arranged in a way that helps the reader learn in a systematic manner.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is presented in an organized and appealing way. Charts and images are properly labeled.

The text does not contain grammatical errors. Paragraphs are coherent.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

Reviewed by Nkechi Obodozie, Instructor, Eastern New Mexico University on 12/10/21

The book is for Beginners on Excel however will have appreciated if some of the BI tools used commonly at workplaces was covered in the book such as PivotTable. In addition there is no index nor glossary , or teacher's guide though it can be... read more

Yes content is accurate, mostly error-free and unbiased

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Content is relevant and easy to read and implement; basic and fundamental for Excel beginners. Again, in today's business landscape...some BI tools fundamentals in Excel should have been added in the book.

Text is simple, concise and easy to understand for Excel beginners

Consistency is maintained throughout the material. I will employ some of the content in my course content but because some BI are missing I will have to combine this material with another.

The text is sectioned in build-up contents for learning experience. Such a way that the learner builds on graduated blocks of practical exercises on Excel to mastery of the various components of the Excel as the learning progresses

Very logical, clear manner of presentation. I like that the difference between Excel for Mac and Windows were incorporated in the material allowing the student to learn along with either of the tool he or she possesses

Interface is user friendly and easy to navigate

No seen grammatical error

No cultural offensive content observed

I like the book, its simplicity of content as well as the fact that the author took cognizance of the variation between Excel in differnt operating systems. This enables the user to adapt learning to the PC of use, allowing learning across board for all. Some other books stuck to the Excel for Windows without adapting the learning process for MAC users. So this is a plus for this material. Absent the relevant BI tool fundamental in the book, it is a good work from the author

Reviewed by Geethalakshmi Shivanapura Lakshmikanth, Assistant Professor, Emporia State University on 10/18/21

The textbook is comprehensive enough for learners who are learning Excel for the first time, just as the textbook is intended to be. The pictures along the way are a big plus for self- learners and students. The students however need to be reminded that as the version of Excel changes, the pictures of actual pulldown menus or tabs might look different. But, that is common with any textbook that deals with a software tool.

The book's accuracy is good. Some places where Pivot Tables are explained need some work.

It is highly relevant, as Excel is highly multi-disciplinary and the content of this textbook addresses the many facets of application areas with their examples.

It is definitely clear with the pictures and transitions explained clearly in supporting text. A downloadable data set provided with this text with additional examples for exploration beyond the references to the textbook examples would have made it more clear. Also, another improvement suggestion is to add a few points on the pre-requisite knowledge required to read a particular chapter , outcomes from the chapter and suggestions on post-chapter topics for continuity would also improve clarity of flow.

It is definitely consistent as the first chapter flows into the successive ones very consistently with the same kind of explanation aids- Figures, Textual guidance and Pictures of the excel sheet.

The textbook is modular. Some feedback comments in the clarity section might also help with increasing Modularity.

Perfectly arranged!

I do not see any Interface issues. Version adaptability is always expected from readers.

Do not see any errors.

It can be made culturally more inclusive by tuning the examples.

Great recommendation to my students and I highly recommend this to any faculty member looking for an OER textbook for an introductory Excel course.

Reviewed by Maggie Schlerman, Associate Professor of Accounting, Central College on 6/4/21

The concepts covered range from beginner to intermediate and are appropriate for undergraduate coursework. However, the online version does not have an index or glossary, both of which would be helpful for a learner who may be unfamiliar with the terms used in the text. Although there is a search function that acts like an index, it does not take the student directly to the reference (it goes to the top of the section).

Chapters 5 and 6 had a few errors that I suspect happened when updating to Excel 2019. In chapter 5, the screenshots for the pivot table don’t match the correct values while in progress, although the final screenshot does show the correct totals. Also, in chapter 5 the reader is told to place an image in the upper left corner, but the correct screenshot in the text is in the upper right corner. In chapter 6, the text gave some check figures that did not tie out with the totals from the data given. Since the data file for chapter 6 was called ‘Data File-New,’ the check totals likely did not get updated when a new data file was created. None of these would keep me from using this book, but I would point them out to students to decrease their frustration level.

This text will likely need to be continually updated as new versions of Excel are released. However, it appears the authors are doing a great job of continually updating.

Clarity rating: 4

In general, the instructions are clear and straight-forward. There were a few times that extra explanation would have been helpful. For example, the text didn’t explain what TRUE and FALSE means in VLOOKUP instructions until Chapter 5. Before that, the reader was simply told to use one or the other without an explanation. There were several instances in which instructions didn’t match with given data sets and/or screenshots. For example, the reader was asked to update a chart with a title that did not yet exist, and several screenshots included formatting and modified chart elements that weren’t explained. When asked to remove duplicates from a table, the instructions given did not produce the expected result. I had to use a different method to remove the duplicates, so I believe there was an instruction missing.

The text is very consistent in terminology. The textbook is not consistent about using the same method to complete a task. For example, at least four ways to create a footer are introduced. This is ideal, as awareness of multiple methods is important in finding ways to complete unfamiliar tasks.

This could be easily split up into smaller modules and taught in a different order. As other reviewers have noted, modularity is somewhat decreased because many of the skills taught scaffold on each other. In a future version, perhaps including prerequisite skills at the start of each chapter or section might assist with modularity.

I consider the content in chapter 6 to be introductory, so I would include it earlier in the book. However, this is a personal preference.

The table of contents is easy to navigate and the data sets are located within the text exactly when needed.

No grammatical errors noted.

No insensitive/offensive examples noted. Data sets often included names from many ethnicities and backgrounds.

I'm very happy with the quality and organization of the book. Some of my comments are probably pretty nit-picky, but I tried to do this as a student without much Excel experience. I've been the frustrated student trying to self-study before, so I empathize! I plan to incorporate this content into my classes.

Reviewed by Kris Ball, Associate Professor, Kansas City Kansas Community College on 4/14/21

The text is a good, comprehensive review of beginning Excel features, including fundamentals, math, formulas, functions, logical and lookup functions, charts, tables, and working with multiple worksheets. The book contains instructions for Windows... read more

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book incorporates images from Excel 2016 /2019. The icons have been updated in Office 365, so the instructor should keep that in mind as it will appear slightly different for students using Office 365.

The material is up-to-date and the problems are timeless and relevant to students. As noted earlier, the icons used in illustrations match Excel 2016/2019. They are basically in the same locations as Office 365, but they may appear different to the students.

I found the text to be straight-forward and clear, and the instructions were precise and accurate. The reading level is appropriate for high school or post-secondary students.

The chapters follow a consistent format and are easy to follow. Instructions are presented for both Windows and Mac users without feeling too bulky.

Chapters are further subdivided into sections which are easy to follow and allow for multiple starting and stopping points. The material is organized with all relevant content contained in a section, without the need to refer to other parts of the book.

The text follows a logical and direct pathway, with appropriate material grouped together. The earliest chapters explain the ribbon tasks from left to right, and offers tips on all functions.

The text is not overloaded with excess material--it presents information in a direct manner, without excess data to confuse the lessons.

No grammatical errors were detected.

No culturally insensitive or offensive material were evident. The student and employee names could have been more diverse.

This would be a good text for students with no Excel experience. It is easy to follow and filled with appropriate activities for gaining knowledge and skills in beginning Excel.

Reviewed by Mary Lebens, Assistant Professor, Metropolitan State University on 3/9/21, updated 6/1/21

This book is a fairly comprehensive overview of Excel for beginning students. I would like to see an expansion of the functions and formulas to include a few more commonly used functions and formulas. It would also be helpful to include a chapter... read more

The step-by-step procedures for using Excel and the practice labs at the end of the chapter were highly accurate. I used this text in my course with thirty students, and usually students discover quite a few errors that I've missed in textbooks. This was not the case with Beginning Excel, however. No students reported errors, which was amazing.

The authors have clearly made an effort to update this textbook to keep is relevant as new releases of Excel occur. Software textbooks are challenging to keep relevant, and the authors have done an excellent job of revising this textbook for the new version of Excel 2019.

This textbook describes how to use Excel in a very readable style. The chapters are short and to-the-point. This book is free of the unnecessary fluff that pads a lot of the expensive textbooks on Microsoft Office. The technical terminology used is appropriate for beginning students.

The book is highly consistent in terms of how the Excel terminology is used. The framework is consistent throughout the book. For example, a small icon is used throughout the book to indicate special steps for Mac users. The Excel screenshots are presented in a consistent manner which makes it easier to complete the labs.

The text is well-organized into smaller modules to make it easier for students to digest. The blocks of text are concise, clearly labeled, and illustrated with screenshots from Excel to help students understand the concepts described in the text.

The topics in the textbook are presented in a logical fashion within the chapters. I would recommend covering workbooks with multiple worksheets earlier in the text than the final chapter, since this topic is easier than pivot tables, formulas, and functions, which are covered early in the book. However, since this book is an eBook, I found it easier to assign chapters "out-of-order" for my students since I could include links to the chapters in the course schedule.

The interface for the textbook works well, and seems to be completely free of navigation issues. The Table of Contents on the left side of the screen contains convenient links to the chapters and sub-chapters, making it easy to navigate the textbook.

I did not find an grammatical errors in this textbook. Overall, the book seems to be proofread thoroughly and free of any significant typos. This is important for a software textbook, since small mistakes in the labs can make it difficult for students to complete their work.

There was nothing in the textbook that seemed culturally insensitive or offensive. Since it is a software-based book, there isn't a discussion of social issues, such as race or ethnicity, in this textbook. The spreadsheets that are provided use real-life data examples that students from a variety of backgrounds may find familiar, like calculating a monthly budget or a car payment.

I used this textbook to provide review material for students in a beginning data analytics course, so that they could brush up their Excel skills prior to attempting more challenging data analysis assignments. The book worked very well in that context. Students had positive feedback about this textbook and appreciated being able to access the textbook for free.

Reviewed by Robin Gilcrist, Associate Professor, University of Alaska, Southeast on 11/18/20, updated 12/16/20

The text covers to each topic thoroughly and with tips for PC and Mac users. The glossary is helpful for getting to specific content quickly. Each chapter builds on the prior chapter, providing an excellent sequence for learning the program. This... read more

To the best of knowledge, the book is accurate and unbiased.

The only reason to give this book a 4 rating in relevance has nothing to do with the content but more with the changes that occur as programs are updated. This is always a problem when teaching software programs. Although Excel has not change significantly over the years this is a 2019 version that will need to be updated as the program is updated.

The authors have done a great job of using text and screen capture to add clarity and provide accurate information. I appreciate this style of guidance and so do my students. This is as close to using a video tutorial as you can get with a text book. The only jargon used in the text is that which is directly related to the program and this is carefully explained at each occurance

Very consistent layout from chapter to chapter. The terminology is also consistent, as far as I could tell from the overview I completed.

The modules are easy to follow and are in a sensible order for the learner. Each chapter has good written descriptions augmented with screen captures that provide scaffolding of skills as the learner goes from one chapter to the next. It will be an excellent resource for any course that requires the use of Excel since each chapter can basically stand alone.

The book is organized in a logical order. The text is easy to read, clear and concise, and uses screen captures to illustrate the skills being introduced. The combination of text and illustration allow for easy searching for specific commands or functions.

I found no issues with the navigation, or distortion of images and charts. There are no distracting images or text that would cause confusion for the reader.

I found no grammatical errors.

The text is not culturally insensitive, however this not the type of text that offers any opinion or views on inclusion.

This text will be an excellent resource for many different disciplines. The construction technology program requires an estimating course for which this text will be very beneficial to beginning students who will need to use excel. Thank you for making this an open resource. I know the students will be grateful for the guidance, and for not having to spend additional funding on yet another textbook.

Reviewed by Micheline Al Harrack, Visiting Faculty, Marymount University on 7/31/20

This textbook covers basic Excel topics relevant for an introductory spreadsheet course. It is well produced. It is designed for students freshly exposed to excel/spreadsheets or needing a review. It can also be incorporated as a reference book in Statistics courses. The six chapters cover the basics of Excel necessary for a student pursuing a Bachelor's degree or for professionals needing to refresh their skills. A table of contents lays out the topics clearly. Definitions and summaries are included in each chapter where relevant. No glossary is present but it does not impact the value or relevance of the book.

The book covers the different topics accurately and concisely. It is cleanly written with no fillers.

This book is still relevant. Even though it references Excel 2016 however, the functionalities are similar in different versions of Excel. If any updates are needed later, they would be easy to incorporate or add. Probably, chapter practices or assessments can be updated after few years or some alternative ones included.

All content is clear and easy to follow and read. Any jargon used is defined and simplified for the readers with visual aids as applicable.

The framework is consistent as well as the design and terminology used.

The textbook cab be easily broken down into smaller topics that can be incorporated into an introductory Excel course or a Statistics Course. It is clearly labeled with the text flowing easily. The Instructor can reorganize the units to fit into their course and subject.

This book is well organized. It starts with an introductory overview chapter, then covers formulas, functions, charts, and tables in subsequent chapters. Each chapter starts with well defined learning objectives, then covers each topic in specific sections with examples and step-by-step tutorials. Shortcuts definitions and instructions are provided within each chapter in the relevant section. Multiple data files are offered for homework/practice. Each chapter ends with a practice exercise and a scored assessment.

The interface is free from errors. Charts, graphs, and tutorials are clear, readable and understandable. The book can benefit from an automatic Table of Contents to facilitate reading and switching between different chapters and sections, instead of scrolling or looking for a page number. However, this is a minor issue.

The book is free from grammatical errors. The style is sharp and clean. It is easy to read and understand. Terminology used is defined in plain English.

The book is culturally relevant. No insensitive content was found within. Examples provided are universal and in no way offensive.

The data files provided are an excellent companion for a hands-on introductory course. While time-saving, they provide well prepared material for in-class use.

Reviewed by Eunju Lee, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell on 6/27/20

This book is comprehensive and well-organized with detailed explanations and screenshots. Learning Objectives at the beginning of each section helps readers understand the key topics of the section, and useful tips are additionally provided in each chapter through Integrity Check, Skill Refreshers, and Key Takeaways. Practice exercises at the end of each chapter are well presented with datasets, leading students to check their understanding and review what they learned. All chapters are connected smoothly so that students happen to acquire solid knowledge by the time they finish reading the book. Also, it describes functional differences between different Excel versions, which is very useful for beginners. Overall, this book is recommended for beginner excel classes or students who want to learn Excel without taking classes.

The content is accurate. I have not found any errors throughout the book.

The book is based on Excel 2016, but the content is still applicable to a newer version (Excel 2019). I have not found any issues reviewing this book with a slightly older or newer version of Excel. This book also contains helpful explanations on differences between different versions. However, charts and datasets need to be updated with recent dates and figures.

All examples and explanations are clear and easy to follow.

The content is consistent within and across the chapters. Concepts and applications are clearly explained step by step. All related topics are well organized under the same umbrella.

The book categorizes basic concepts and their practical applications independently as well as organically. All chapters and sections flow well, so students do not need to waste time going back and forth unnecessarily.

Again, the book is well-organized and reads well. Even students who have not been exposed to Excel before can easily learn it with this book.

I have not found any interface issues. The text and figures are presented neatly.

No grammatical errors were found.

I have not found any cultural sensitivity issues in this book.

Overall, this is a well-structured excel book for beginners. Although the book introduces all useful shortcuts throughout, a summary table containing all the shortcuts will be beneficial for students and instructors who do not want to read back and forth when looking up a specific key. Also, there are several alternative ways of completing a task in Excel. For example, I can calculate the sum of a and b by typing “=a+b” or using the sum function. If the book enumerates these alternative ways for a certain goal and further explains differences among the approaches if any, it will enhance readers’ ability to use different approaches flexibly. The inclusion of a glossary will give readers easy access to specific terms.

Reviewed by Jerome Socolof, Associate Professor, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on 5/27/20

This book covers the ins and outs that all but the most advanced users of Excel will need. For a fairly succinct text, it establishes a sound foundational knowledge of the program, including formulas, formatting, conditional formatting, and shortcuts. All of this information is structured such that a new user could conceivably be making conditionally-formatted charts with ease and confidence by the time they are done with the book.

The content was accurate and error-free as best as I can tell.

This text is written for users of Excel 2016, but a newer edition (Excel 2019) has come out since its publication. However, because the design of the program and the core functions don't change too much from one edition to the next, I had no trouble following along and completing all of the exercises as written in Excel 2019. It is conceivable that a future iteration of the program may require an update of the pictures demonstrating where various features are located, but otherwise, this text looks to be relevant for a good long while.

The prose is clear throughout and uses appropriate terminology without being overly jargon-y. The procedures included in the text are both written as step-by-step instructions and demonstrated with well-labeled pictures. The clarity of the text is akin to having a knowledgable and amiable Excel user sitting next to you and helping you figure it out.

Terminology, formatting, and even chapter structure are consistent throughout.

Each chapter is a clearly delineated and sequentially structured topic unto itself, and each is then subdivided into sections that explain and demonstrate concepts relevant to the chapter topic. In the case of these longer sections, they are themselves subdivided so that one could easily pluck a particular function of the program out to share with students and the students would not feel as though they were missing out.

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion that uses previous concepts to build up to new ones. Rather than a reference text, this is built as a teaching text which will build a skill.

The text does not seem to have any interface issues. Navigation is a snap, images rendered well on both a laptop and a phone, and the display is clean and easy to read.

There are no evident grammatical errors.

One would not think that a book on using Excel would be a prime example of cultural sensitivity, but the example names and businesses used throughout reflect a wide array of cultural backgrounds. It is a low-key thing to include, but it is a very important inclusion.

This is an incredibly thorough and well-structured book that can take a new user from 0 to 60 by the end. This would be a great addition to any intro-level finance, accounting, or management survey class so that students have a strong base level of familiarity with Excel before starting in classes for which it is a necessity. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Nikki (Felecia) May, Assistant Professor, LSUE on 4/29/20

This book is detailed, comprehensive, and teaches concepts in a step-by step manner. All menus and functions are covered in detail. read more

This book is detailed, comprehensive, and teaches concepts in a step-by step manner. All menus and functions are covered in detail.

I found the content to be accurate and error-free.

The content is based on Excel 2016, but still applies to the current version. I completed the tasks using Excel 2019 and didn't have any issues following along. As newer versions of Excel are released, the book would have to be reviewed to make sure there aren't substantial changes.

The step-by-step instructions are very clear. Terms and concepts are simply explained. Illustrations are used extensively and are very helpful.

The book is consistent throughout.

Content is introduced followed by hands-on steps for the user to apply what was discussed. This is done in small sections and is easy to grasp, especially for beginners.

The topics are organized in a logical, clear way. There are downloadable data files for the student to practice each skill. The content and exercises are easy to follow.

Illustrations with labels, tables, text boxes, and main text are displayed well. No interface issues seen.

No errors found.

The examples are nondiscriminatory.

This is a very good book for beginners. Personally, I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts, and this book does a great job of presenting keyboard shortcuts throughout the book. I would like to suggest having an appendix that lists all of the keyboard shortcuts that were presented throughout the book.

Reviewed by Jason Lucas, Associate Director, Radford University on 1/31/20

This book is very comprehensive for all MS Excel basics. It covers basic formatting, formulas, conditional formatting, PivotTables, and even shortcuts. I have used MS Excel and taught MS Excel for over 20 years. This book covers all basics I... read more

All the text appeared accurate but I was unable to check data files and data file names. Some images are unable to be viewed clearly in the book. It is not crucial to the text but impossible to verify accuracy.

This book focuses on MS Excel 2016. It was written in 2017. Currently MS Excel 2019 is available, soon to be something even newer. MS Excel does not change that much year to year so this book is still fairly relevant. It will not be relevant in 5 years but for now it is still well worth utilizing. This is at no fault to the publishers of this book - no books written on an always updating software can be 100% relevant and up-to-date.

The book is quite clear and easy to navigate. Chapters are well defined with terms, figures, and important terms are clearly marked and bold. By the nature of the book it can be somewhat unclear navigating between text and the actual software on a computer but again that is at no fault to the textbook.

The textbook uses the exact same format and terminology definitions throughout. The figures and directions are consistent throughout each chapter. The assignments and tasks are clearly numbered for each chapter. Very easy to follow throughout the textbook.

The text flows easily from chapter to chapter and from section to section in each chapter. The textbook uses scaffolding to build the student's knowledge and skill set from each chapter to chapter and each section to section within each chapter. Many other texts jump too quickly into advanced MS Excel tasks without building a knowledge base. This textbook scaffolds skills at an appropriate pace for a beginner.

The text is organized easily from chapter to chapter and from section to section in each chapter. The textbook uses scaffolding to build the student's knowledge and skill set from each chapter to chapter and each section to section within each chapter. This textbook is well organized for a beginner working through the entire book. It lacks the ability to easily focus on one particular skill. The table of contents does not fully designate all that each chapter covers. This may be difficult to locate a particular skill or task, i.e. PivotTable, without using the appendix to find multiple entries.

Interface rating: 3

The text is perfectly clear and easy to read. Some images are blurred or too dark to see exactly what the student should have on their MS Excel spreadsheet. This contains many charts, graphs, and images. The issue pertains to approximately 10% of the images.

There are no apparent grammatical errors. Multiple images, figures, and charts use abbreviations.

Cultural references do not apply to this textbook on MS Excel. The examples used in the text appear to be from a wide range of gender, race, and ethnicity.

This is a very thorough and comprehensive textbook for beginning MS Excel. The book is easy to follow and scaffolds skills at an appropriate pace for a beginner. The only downside to the book is the quickly dated material. This is the case with all textbooks pertaining to software. I would see no issues using this text for a first and second semester MS Excel course. Unfortunately I could not review the data files for content, clarity or accuracy.

Reviewed by Mindy Bean, Faculty, Linn-Benton Community College on 6/19/18

This book covers the basics of Microsoft Excel 2016. It includes all the basic skills necessary to create most documents in excel. It uses the terminology well so it can be translated precisely. The practical uses of logical and lookup functions,... read more

The book is accurate, the modern take on the assignments that are logical in career application makes it a good addition to any course needing to teach Excel to first-timers.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

Microsoft Excel updates on a trend every three years. It usually takes most businesses/schools a few years before they fully adapt to a newer version. This will stay updated for a two years at least, depending on how different the newer version is.

The books purpose is to introduce Microsoft Excel to a first-time user. Students can learn Microsoft Excel from the learn guide with the program, but this text teaches Excel with its most common practical uses. It expands more on each application or function it reviews within its section.

The book uses consistent language that makes it easy to follow.

This is actually one of the only pieces of work I have been able to find where it teaches Microsoft Excel 2016, that makes it easy to divide into sections. A lot of work out there has each assignment build up slowly for at least 10 or more pages. This keeps assignments clear and concise but also using different skills.

The ideal method of any work written for Microsoft Excel 2016 is that it slowly introduces every basic functionality of uses. The text does a nice job of moving through a little quicker to get to the practicality of using the functions.

The visuals are useful in the work, since it can show where to go from time to time. I did have issues scrolling through and having pages go blank. I would have to re-scroll multiple times back and forth to get the page to show up. The pictures when they showed did a nice job of showing exactly where you need to go to understand how to do a certain function.

I did not find any grammatical errors in the book.

There is no culturally insensitive or offensive material in this book. The book is written well to translate.

Reviewed by Fay Gallacher, Senior Advisor, The Open Univeristy on 2/1/18

The book is covering all of the essential areas which a person will need when starting to use Excel. read more

The book is covering all of the essential areas which a person will need when starting to use Excel.

I have not come across any errors within the book.

The content is based on Excel 2016 which is the most current package. The only issue is that this will need to be reviewed each time a new version of MS Office is released.

It is writing in plain language which is easy to understand.

The text remains consistent throughout.

The sections are presented in a logical order and items are easy to find within specific categories.

The structure has been well thought out and laid out in the right way.

No interface issues which I could identify.

Not applicable in the context of Excel.

Very good books and facility to have available.

Reviewed by Beth Bjerregaard, Professor, UNC-Charlotte on 2/1/18

The book is fairly comprehensive for a beginning book. I would not expect it to cover much more. The table of contents clearly describes the topics covered in each chapter. read more

The book is fairly comprehensive for a beginning book. I would not expect it to cover much more. The table of contents clearly describes the topics covered in each chapter.

The book seems accurate. I did not see any issues.

The version of excel is a bit dated and the text focuses on the Windows version of excel. I was still able to work through most of the examples and the information presented is not really version specific, so most of the information should be alright

The book was easy to follow. Things were well explained and the authors provided breakout boxes and screen shots to help the reader follow.

The terminology was consistent and each chapter followed a consistent pattern.

Modularity rating: 4

The text flows easily from section to section. Many of the sections could be assigned independent of the others, however, due to the nature of the material, you will need to understand the beginning chapters before tackling the later chapters.

The text was organized in a logical manner that was easy to follow.

I did not have any difficulties navigating the text. The screenshots were helpful and rendered fine.

I did not find grammatical errors.

There was nothing offensive. Cultural sensitivity is not really relevant.

I think the book would be useful for an introductory class in Excel or for a supplement in a class using Excel. I liked the fact that each of the chapters provided data for the students to follow along with the exercises and had summary practice exercises for students.

Reviewed by Walter Lambert, Adjunct, Metropolitan State University on 2/1/18

This reviewer’s interest in this text is as a detailed self-paced supplement for students studying business and finance. All of the Excel topics related to those studies are included in a sequence and format that would allow students to review established skills and learn new skills using a split computer screen and a learn by example mode. The detailed hyperlinked Table of Contents was more than adequate for finding search topics.

There are too many versions of Excel in daily use to expect a single book to be completely accurate with items such as screen shots and still be practical. The various versions, however, are close enough to each other to allow a student to pick up the necessary skills while accommodating to whichever version of Excel is available. Otherwise, this text is an accurate tutorial for expanding a student’s skill set.

This text is highly relevant to the computational requirements of the business and finance courses of interest to this reviewer. Recent press releases imply that future versions of Excel might be of even greater use. Longevity is another matter. The continual updating of Excel within and between platforms will make this text too outdated in a few years unless periodic updating is maintained.

This text is sufficiently clear by style and detailed content to allow students to master Excel on their own. This is particularly important to students who need to upgrade their Excel skill set in parallel with handling coursework for which Excel is a necessary support.

The nature of the topic imposes a high degree of consistency. The clear, detailed format used for skill building accommodates to the inherent consistency of the subject matter in a useful manner that supports strong self-learning.

Modularity, in terms of self-standing sections and subsections, is limited by the need to learn various sub-skills in sequence. Introductory material needs to be mastered before more advanced topics can be addressed. The result is that early chapters need to be studies in sequence, but later chapters can be rearranged or skipped depending on the needs of the supported course.

The book’s organization follows the logical sequence of skill building in Excel. Therefore, an individual learner should start at the front and work to the back spending time and effort in inverse proportion to existing Excel skill levels. This reviewer tested this strategy and was pleased with the results.

User interface for the reviewed version of this text appears to depend on the user’s computer (Mac or PC), on which version of Excel is available, and on which format is selected for reading the book. This reviewer used the online format rather than the pdf format on a 2008 iMac, for example, because the links to data files worked with the online format but not with the pdf format. Other than that, the user interface for both formats were free of distortions and distractions. This would facilitate using a split screen on which both the text and example exercises could be displayed together. This is a particularly effective method for Excel skill building. Using dual screens is even better.

No spelling or grammar errors were recognized by this reviewer.

This textbook is cultural neutral.

It would be convenient to mention somewhere in the early sections that Mac users might want to set a keyboard preference for using function keys as standard function keys so many of the shortcuts such as stipulating absolute references are easy to do. It might also be helpful to mention that most of the text’s material applies to other popular spreadsheet programs including recent versions of Excel for the Mac, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and Google Sheets, recognizing that differences in screen layout and maybe the availability of some formulas and commands might require a small degree of translation from one application to another by the learner. This reviewer will likely recommend this text to future classes as a convenient Excel review tool.

Reviewed by Veronica Gibson, Assistant Professor, Virginia State University on 6/20/17

Very good outline/table of content layout and coverage of basic skills needed. read more

Very good outline/table of content layout and coverage of basic skills needed.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

Unable to check accuracy for Assignments and Test sections for each chapter (was not able to open).

Content is not considered obsolete and could be quickly updated with just changing numbers and wording on Assignments & Test sections for each chapter.

I see no issues with clarity.

I see no issues with consistency.

The text was broken down into appropriate skill sets for the reader to grasp.

I am very pleased with the books' organization/structure/flow.

Images were a little distorted but not to the point of being unreadable.

I did not see any issues with grammar.

I am not aware of any issues with cultural relevance in this text.

I could not open the Assignments and Tests links to check visually and to go through instructions assigned to the assessments. I I would like to see a comprehensive Assignments & Tests (covering all chapters). Overall, I am very pleased with the content, organization, modular breakdown, and the basic skill sets covered.

Reviewed by Paul Ewell, Department Chair , Virginia Wesleyan College on 2/8/17

This is an extremely comprehensive book that provides a significant level of detail guiding the user from the very introductory stages of how to use the software program through more advanced applications. I was particularly appreciative of the level of specific detail that the author used in describing even the most basic of steps. One of the biggest complaints that I've heard from students who use technology textbooks is that authors sometimes assume that students know more than they actually do. This author is clearly not neglected the basics and no minor detail has been left out.

I also particularly like that the author has made the program relevant to a variety of different types of users. This description of Excel is pertinent for students of business who will be using this type of program in their careers but it is also pertinent to students from other majors in that it includes examples such as how to manage personal financial scenarios. Thus, the reach of this textbook goes far beyond just business students.

I was a little disappointed that this book does not include a table of contents nor does it include a glossary. While hyperlinks are included within each chapter that refer the student to other chapters, having a table of contents would help students not only see the broad picture of what the text actually covers but would also provide the opportunity for students to be able to easily access sections that they need to improve on such as in the case where there using the textbook as a reference source.

It is also worthy to note that the book provides a significant number of graphics that actually show students where to click how to click and where certain components are found in the program as well as providing step-by-step instructions on how to perform various steps. The graphics are substantial and frequent and really adds a significant extra dimension to the coverage.

The textbook appears to be very accurate in that the directions provided in each of the assignments appear to be. I can only imagine how much of a challenge that must be given each new edition of the software program. I also found no evidence of any bias although it is difficult to infuse bias into a software manual.

The content in this book is very current and certainly relevant but as I mentioned in the previous section I would hope the author would be able to update as new additions or versions of the software are developed. Much of the material or the processes covered in the book are fairly standard and I believe will not become obsolete at least not in the near future. Generally with the development of new Microsoft programs, minor changes such as the location of the tab or other tool or the addition of minor functionalities seem to be about the norm. I don't suspect it would be very difficult than to update this textbook to reflect those minor changes. The exception, of course, would be if a completely revamped version of the program was developed. I think back to the rollout of Microsoft Vista and how different Vista was from previous operating systems. While most will agree that Vista was not a good product, much of the consternation resulted from the drastic differences that existed with the new rollout.

Again, spreadsheet software, whether it be Excel or a Google worksheet generally maintain standard functionalities so updating a book such as this should be terribly difficult.

I think this book is extremely clear and how it is written and in how the material is laid out. There is an appropriate blend of text, listed instructions and graphics along with appropriate hyperlinks that allow for ease of navigation within the document. I think this is certainly appropriate for an online text book and I think most students would find this to be very user-friendly. Again, as I mentioned in my original narrative beginning of this assessment, one of the things I particularly like about this book is that it is written in a simple and easily understandable or met such that even the most novice of computer users could follow along and master the skills and concepts covered. I think this is a real competitive advantage with this book whether it is being used as a textbook as part of a formal class or if it was being used as a textbook to serve as reference material. Again, adding a table of contents and a glossary and/or Index at the end would make the book complete.

This textbook seems very consistent in how it's formatted and it is difficult to see any variations in either chapter layout, writing style or level of detail from the beginning to the end. The terminology is extremely basic and clear which again makes this textbook ideal for both the novice or the more advanced learner to use as a reference source. I also particularly like the starter files and the links used to access the starter files really blending the chapter material to actual worksheets.

This is a particularly important formatting issue for me because I understand that many students don't necessarily read a textbook from page 1 to the end and given that this textbook has 407 pages I find it highly likely they would do so here. For example, in section 4.41 could easily understand that this section is about using charts or integrating charts with Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint and it is not imperative that one have just finished reading the previous section to be able to refer to the section and very quickly learn how to use charts in this format. Again, that makes the reference capability of this textbook extremely important.

The organizational flow of this textbook is appropriate, especially for an entry-level textbook. It begins with the most basic elements of using Microsoft Excel such as how to open the program or even where to find the program in the start menu. You may be surprised to find the number of students who, when setting down to a computer for the first time, cannot figure out how to open a Microsoft program unless that program specifically has an icon on the desktop. This author starts the very basics in getting students to be able to understand how to even get the program open where to look for it. The text then, at an appropriate pace, develops the students understanding of Excel in a very thorough yet realistic manner. There is little doubt that, again based on the organizational structure of the book, beginning students who have no experience with Excel and maybe even feel very uncomfortable with computers in general, will find the pace appropriate for any level of expertise.

I found no navigational problems. The links, more specifically the hyperlinks, seem to work appropriately and all of the Excel links were present.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

It's really difficult to answer this in terms of cultural relevance technology textbook that is being used to develop the skill set so there is very little cultural relevance that should be evaluated.

In summary, I find this book to be an excellent tool that can be used in either classroom or in a reference setting. When I was trying to decide on which book to review, this book stood out because, at least initially, I noticed the graphics and I noticed a very clear sustained how to format of the chapter sections. It is highly likely that I would use this book in future classes.

Reviewed by Ihab AbuZayda, Assistant Professor, Reynolds Community College on 2/8/17

This textbook is very well-written. It is comprehensive and covers a wide spectrum of important spreadsheet software topics. Nonetheless, there are topics I cover in my class, which are not covered in this textbook (e.g., Excel tables,... read more

I have not found any errors in the content.

The text does a good job explaining spreadsheet software. On the other hand, it uses EXCEL 2010, an older version of EXCEL as we are currently using EXCEL 2016 (as of this writing). This is a typical problem with technical textbooks as technology evolves quickly.

The content is clear, accessible, and easy to follow. I suggest using a sans-serif font throughout the e-book and also additional font colors in the paragraphs to enhance clarity.

The text is of a pleasing level of consistency and conformity.

The text is divided into logical sections that are independent. The e-book's components may be separated and recombined, without presenting much disruption to the reader.

The structure is clear and the organization is well-thought-out.

No interface issues. The navigation is simple and easy to follow. However, many of the figures are outdated.

I have not found any grammatical errors.

Cultural relevance is not applicable in this context and, therefore, cannot be evaluated.

I appreciate the overall quality of this text. The author utilized many means (e.g., screenshots, videos, text) to explain various EXCEL topics. Good job!

I suggest updating the material to show the most recent version of EXCEL, incorporating additional topics, and adding a teacher's reference guide and solution files.

Reviewed by Joni Meisner, Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/21/16

The textbook provides comprehensive coverage of the fundamental skills of Excel, including mathematical computations, logical and lookup computations and presenting data with charts. The scope and sequence of the material is sufficiently detailed and logically organized. The step-by-step instructions are clearly written and easy to follow. The content includes screenshot examples and skill refresher and lesson videos which add value to the overall comprehensiveness of the content. The textbook does not cover working with tables which is a required components of our curriculum. There isn’t a glossary or index in the textbook.

The textbook content is accurate, error free and unbiased.

The textbook uses Windows 7 and Excel 2010 which are not the current versions of either, so modifications would be necessary for some sections of the text. With some modifications along with additional supplemental materials, students could complete the chapters and assignments from this text regardless of the version of Windows or Excel being used.

The text is written in clear, understandable language. Terminology is further clarified through the use of screen shots and in many of the skill refresher and lesson videos

The textbook is consistent in terms of both terminology and framework. Each chapter begins with detailed learning objectives followed by an introduction of the chapter content. Each chapter is embedded with guided practice exercises, ‘Integrity Checks’ which are tips to help students avoid and recognize errors, ‘Key Takeaways,’ which summarize the key components of the lesson, ‘Skill Refresher’ videos which quickly demonstrate smaller components within the lesson, and ‘Video Lessons’ (chapter lecture/demonstrations). Section exercises are included which provide multiple choice questions so students can check their understanding of the content as they progress through the chapter, and end of chapter assignments ranging from easy to difficult are provided so students can apply the skills learned. Hands on chapter tests are also included for each chapter.

The text is divided into smaller reading sections within each chapter which could easily be pulled out and used independently.

Each chapter is built around skills which are presented in a logical and clear order. The topics introduced build on each other moving the student from simple understanding to complex application of the skills being taught.

The text is free from any significant interface issues. The text and images are clear and easy to read. Images are appropriately labeled.

I did not find any grammatical errors in the text.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. The content is based on business/personal business examples that are culturally unbiased.

While requiring some updating, this text covers most of the bases for a beginning Excel class. Due to the abundant use of screen shots and video components, the text may need to be evaluated for accessibility in order to accommodate students who require educational accommodations.

Reviewed by Carrie Pedersen, Instructor, Portland Community College on 1/7/16

Learning objectives are provided for each section. Review questions are available. Chapter review assignments and chapter tests are provided for evaluation. Comprehensive coverage of the material is provided, but a glossary/index are not.... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The content is straightforward and without bias or opinion. A high number of instructional graphics are provided with clear indication of relevance. Screenshots provide visual reference to display direction to the student as the student completes the instructional steps.

The textbook refers to Windows 7 (currently 2 versions behind - Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10) and Excel 2010 (currently 2 versions behind - Excel 2013 and Excel 2016). Also, many students are now using Office 365 which not only provides cloud service for the software and files, but automatically updates the software to current versions without student effort.

The verbiage used in this text is on par with the technical data provided. The jargon and technical terminology used are vital to the learning the material. However, the instructions are clear and easy to understand. Terms are linked to provide further explanation.

The correct terms are used to describe actions and Excel functions. Steps are clearly relayed and easy to follow. The procedure for completing lessons is consistent throughout the text providing a framework for students to follow and understand.

Lessons are broke into small sections reviewing a specific skill. Students are able to complete the task before moving on. The text has the ability to be separated into sections. Each lesson starts with a new document file as if the student had completed the previous section. Students are able to use either their own file or the one provided. This also provides a checkpoint for the student to compare their work with the data file provided.

Topics are presented in a form that builds based upon the assumed knowledge of the learner. The lessons begin in a simple format with short, precise direction and basic terms. As the chapters progress, assignments become longer and more complex, building on the previous learning. The tasks become more complicated and complex to display a higher level of learning.

The pages are clear and easy to read. The graphics are displayed well with limited use of colors and extraneous material. Each graphic is clickable to display a larger, higher definition display. Pages are uncluttered and easy to scroll through. Printing may be an issue due to the high use of graphics and shading of text. A clickable link to just the assignment directions for printing would be useful for students to complete more complex assignments without the need to "click" back and forth.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The grammar used is easy to understand and accurate. There are various typing errors that do not detract from the meaning of the lesson presented. Sentence structure is at an appropriate level for a college freshman course.

There are few instances of cultural relevance. The lack of cultural integration in the text does not detract from the skills performed by the student. The context is data driven and does not provided opportunity for a great deal of cultural integration.

The entertainment value of the material is fair to low. The directions are simple and easy to follow, but lack a degree of interest. Completing the material for long periods at a time could lead to a lack of focus on the part of the student. The comprehensive nature of the text compensates for this issues and would interest the motivated student.

Reviewed by Diane Shingledecker, Full Time Computer Applications Instructor, Portland Community College on 1/7/16

The skills covered in the text are very comprehensive including a lot of screen prints. Unfortunately, we teach tables and working with multiple sheets/files in our Beginning Excel class, and these topics are not included. read more

I have not found any errors in the text. The directions are accurate and error-free.

My concern with the text is that it is written for Excel 2010, and we are already teaching Excel 2013. At first, I thought this was a major drawback; but I worked through parts of the book in Excel 2013, and it worked fine. The only chapter that would not work in it's entirety is the charts chapter since charts changed significantly in 2013. Thinking about it some more, I think we could possibly teach the basics of charts with the chapter and then use other materials to teach the specific features of charts in 2013.

I plan on testing the book with Excel 2016 which I just installed on my laptop. If most of the text will work with this new version, that would mean the book is largely "version-free", and that's what we're looking for!

I think the text is written is accessible language for students. It has a good deal of business concepts in chapters 2 and 3, but they are explained well. The videos that accompany the book are very easy to understand and the technical language is not overdone.

I really like the framework of the text. Every section has Learning Objectives, Skill Refreshers, Key Takeaways, and Multiple Choice Exercises at the end of each section. At the end of each chapter, there are three levels of skills review and a Level 2 test.

The modularity of the text was good. I felt we could take portions of the text and use them without having to use a whole chapter or the whole text. The videos, exercises, and tests could also be pulled out and use as stand alone resources which is a big plus in computer classes.

As stated in question 5, the consistent layout of each section and chapter made the text flow logically.

The video and data file links did not work in the current copy of the book in www.Saylor.org. This would need to be fixed in order for the book to be useable in our classes.

The screen prints were clear and easily read.

The examples in the book were business-oriented vs. people-oriented, so they were not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

I was pleasantly surprised about the possibilities of using this text with its videos and data files in classes taught in various versions of Excel.

Reviewed by Chuck McGill, Teaching Specialist, University of Minnesota on 6/10/15

This book is extremely detailed and comprehensive. It teaches Fundamental Skills, Mathematical Computations, Logical and Lookup Functions, and Presenting Data with Charts in a step-by step fashion and to a detailed level. This level of skill... read more

The book is very accurate and this reviewer found no errors.

The book refers and applies to Excel 2010 on the Windows 7 platform exclusively. It does not refer to other versions, platforms, or operating systems. The relevance and longevity depends on the user’s tolerance for interpreting instructions and graphics that may vary slightly from what is on the user’s screen.

The step-by-step instructions are very clear. Most, though not quite all, terms and jargon are explained. The clearly-labeled screenshots help immensely with the clarity.

The chapters and sections are very consistent, as are the end-of-chapter exercise and test materials.

The 4 chapters are each divided into 4 or 5 clear sections, each with its own objectives and exercises. Each chapter has a sections of exercises and tests at different difficulty levels. These different modules could easily be assigned at different points during a course.

The structure is highly organized. There are downloadable Follow-along Files for the student to practice each skill. The objectives, tips, exercises and tests are all easy to follow.

All screenshots with labels, tables, text boxes, and main text are displayed well.

This reviewer found no grammatical errors.

The personal finance section deals with mortgage payments, but does not assume home ownership in a culturally insensitive way.

The description on the Open Textbook Library site refers to Video Lessons, but this reviewer could not find any or access any through the text book either on PDF or HTML. If they exist, this reviewer could not find them.

Chapter 1 - Fundamental Skills
Chapter 2 - Mathematical Computations
Chapter 3 - Formulas, Functions, Logical and Lookup Functions
Chapter 4 - Presenting Data with Charts
Chapter 5 - Tables
Chapter 6 - Multiple Sheet Files

Ancillary Material

About the book.

This textbook was written for a community college introductory course in spreadsheets utilizing Microsoft Excel. While the figures shown utilize Excel 2019, the textbook was written to be applicable to other versions of Excel as well. The book introduces new users to the basics of spreadsheets and is appropriate for students in any major who have not used Excel before. This textbook includes instructions for Excel for Mac also.

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Microsoft Excel Tutorials : Including Free Practice Exercises!

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Excel Beginner Exercises

In this article, I’m going to walk you through a couple of Excel exercises that are perfect for beginners. We will slowly ramp up the difficulty from beginner to advanced so if things are too easy for you, just scroll down a bit.

Getting started with formulas

‘Formulas?!’ You may be thinking. ‘That’s way too advanced for a first Excel beginner exercise.’ It’s not really. Let me explain why: formulas and functions are the bread and butter of Excel. If you want to work with Excel, it is wise to at least know what a formula looks like and why a formula is handy. That’s why we’re starting with this. Don’t worry, they are really not as complicated as they sound.

So let’s jump into it. We will be calculating the result of 32+57. However, we won’t be doing that ourselves, we will be making Excel do the hard work for us.

To start with a formula in Excel, we have to fill in the equals sign = into a cell. After that, we add our formula, so 32+57 in this case. The resulting cell content becomes =32+57 .

Note: all of our exercises have a Show answer button in the top-right that you can click if you cannot figure out what the answer has to be. After clicking Show answer , you can click on the cell to see the formula that was used in the formula bar. You can also reset the editor back to its default contents using the Reset button.

I hope the number 89 is showing in cell A1 of the spreadsheet editor above. The cool thing about this is that you can substitute the + for a minus – and it will also work. Or you can use the asterisk * to multiply. Or the slash / to divide. You can try all of these different calculations in the editor above if you want.

And just like that, you have learned how Excel formulas work! You can now get rid of your calculator 😉

Using Excel beginner functions: SUM

Now that we’ve seen how to include formulas in Excel spreadsheets, we can get to the real deal: functions. Functions are basically formulas with names. It’s easiest to understand with an example:

The SUM function will sum the values that you give it. We can recreate the formula that we created in the exercise above ( =32+57 ), but using the SUM function. That would look like this:

=SUM(32,57)

If you write this in a cell, it will show 89 . Exactly as you may expect. But you can add more numbers (separated by commas) to the function: =SUM(32,57,1) will result in 90, for example.

In this next exercise, we will combine the SUM function with another interesting Excel feature: references. So what are references? Once again, an example will explain this very quickly. Look at the following formula:

=SUM(A1,A2)

What do you think the result will be? The answer is: it depends. That’s because the formula uses references to cells A1 and A2 .

We know the SUM function will sum the values that you give it, but in this case we give it references to cells. When you do that, it will instead sum the contents of the cells that you reference. So the result will be different depending on the values in cells A1 and A2 . If cell A1 contains 1 and cell A2 contains 2 , then the result will be 3 .

These references can be super handy because they update automatically if the contents of the cells change. Whenever you edit the value in cell A1 , the result of =SUM(A1, A2) will also automatically update! And that’s why references are so ridiculously useful.

Now, let’s get to the exercise. We will be using the SUM function to calculate our total monthly income after expenses.

Calculating income using SUM

I hope that wasn’t too difficult. Or if it was a little difficult, that when you looked at the answer, it made sense.

Note about the answer: if you looked at the answer to the above exercise, you saw a notation that you may not have seen before. =SUM(B2:B5) . The colon : is used to mean a cell range . In this case, that means cells B2 up to and including B5 . So it is equivalent to using =SUM(B2,B3,B4,B5) . In Excel, there are often multiple ways of solving the same problem. I’d encourage you to use the solution that is most intuitive to you.

A step up: Average

Calculating the average of a group of numbers is quite simple: you sum them all up and divide by how many number you have. For example, the average of the number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 is: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 divided by 5, because there are 5 numbers.

You could do this in Excel by typing =SUM(1,2,3,4,5)/5 into a cell. But there is an easier way. You can simply use the AVERAGE function. Let’s do so in an Excel exercise.

Note: you may have noticed by now that both of these functions are written in all-caps. That’s just the way function names in Excel are. So it may look like I’m screaming SUM at you, but that’s just how it is written.

More practical: Concatenate

We’ve seen functions that use numbers, now let’s look at another type of function: text functions. They are functions that take text as input or that result in text output (or usually both).

Before we get to the exercise, you need to know something about text in Excel formulas. Texts in Excel formulas are almost always surrounded by double quotes “. That’s just the way to let Excel know that it is a text.

Concatenate first and last names exercise

For the fourth of our Excel beginner exercises, we will be combining the contents of two cells. The first cell will have a first name, the second cell will have a last name in it. We would like to fill the third cell with the first name, then a space and then the last name.

We can do this using the CONCATENATE function. The CONCATENATE function looks like this: =CONCATENATE("text1","text2","text3") . If we would run this function, it would result in text1text2text3 . So it just combines the texts that you give it.

More Excel Exercises

That was it for our Excel beginner exercises. I hope you’ve learned something new today. If you just can’t get enough of these types of exercises, we have an Excel exercises page filled to the brim with exercises to dig your teeth into.

5 thoughts on “Excel Beginner Exercises”

Pingback: How to Learn Excel Fast: 3 Principles to Learn Excel Quickly

Helpful and clear for beginners.

Written with very clear instructions except with the CONCATENATE. Unfortunately I cannot figure this simple formula.

This is awesome

Basic tasks in Excel

Excel is an incredibly powerful tool for getting meaning out of vast amounts of data. But it also works really well for simple calculations and tracking almost any kind of information. The key for unlocking all that potential is the grid of cells. Cells can contain numbers, text, or formulas. You put data in your cells and group them in rows and columns. That allows you to add up your data, sort and filter it, put it in tables, and build great-looking charts. Let’s go through the basic steps to get you started.

Create a new workbook

Excel documents are called workbooks. Each workbook has sheets, typically called spreadsheets. You can add as many sheets as you want to a workbook, or you can create new workbooks to keep your data separate.

Click File , and then click New .

Under New , click the Blank workbook .

Enter your data

Click an empty cell.

For example, cell A1 on a new sheet. Cells are referenced by their location in the row and column on the sheet, so cell A1 is in the first row of column A.

Type text or a number in the cell.

Press Enter or Tab to move to the next cell.

Apply cell borders

Select the cell or range of cells that you want to add a border to.

On the Home tab, in the Font group, click the arrow next to Borders, and then click the border style that you want.

For more information, see Apply or remove cell borders on a worksheet .

Apply cell shading

Select the cell or range of cells that you want to apply cell shading to.

For more information about how to apply formatting to a worksheet, see Format a worksheet .

Use AutoSum to add your data

When you’ve entered numbers in your sheet, you might want to add them up. A fast way to do that is by using AutoSum.

Select the cell to the right or below the numbers you want to add.

Click the Home tab, and then click AutoSum in the Editing group.

AutoSum adds up the numbers and shows the result in the cell you selected.

For more information, see Use AutoSum to sum numbers

Create a simple formula

Adding numbers is just one of the things you can do, but Excel can do other math as well. Try some simple formulas to add, subtract, multiply, or divide your numbers.

Pick a cell, and then type an equal sign (=).

That tells Excel that this cell will contain a formula.

Type a combination of numbers and calculation operators, like the plus sign (+) for addition, the minus sign (-) for subtraction, the asterisk (*) for multiplication, or the forward slash (/) for division.

For example, enter =2+4 , =4-2 , =2*4 , or =4/2 .

Press Enter.

This runs the calculation.

You can also press Ctrl+Enter if you want the cursor to stay on the active cell.

For more information, see Create a simple formula .

Apply a number format

To distinguish between different types of numbers, add a format, like currency, percentages, or dates.

Select the cells that have numbers you want to format.

Click the Home tab, and then click the arrow in the General box.

Pick a number format.

If you don’t see the number format you’re looking for, click More Number Formats . For more information, see Available number formats .

Put your data in a table

A simple way to access Excel’s power is to put your data in a table. That lets you quickly filter or sort your data.

Select your data by clicking the first cell and dragging to the last cell in your data.

To use the keyboard, hold down Shift while you press the arrow keys to select your data.

Click Tables , move your cursor to the Table button to preview your data, and then click the Table button.

To filter the data, clear the Select All check box, and then select the data you want to show in your table.

Select All box in the Sort and Filter gallery

To sort the data, click Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A .

Sorting commands in the Sort and Filter gallery

For more information, see Create or delete an Excel table

Show totals for your numbers using Quick Analysis

The Quick Analysis tool (available in Excel 2016 and Excel 2013 only) let you total your numbers quickly. Whether it’s a sum, average, or count you want, Excel shows the calculation results right below or next to your numbers.

Select the cells that contain numbers you want to add or count.

Click Totals , move your cursor across the buttons to see the calculation results for your data, and then click the button to apply the totals.

Add meaning to your data using Quick Analysis

Conditional formatting or sparklines can highlight your most important data or show data trends. Use the Quick Analysis tool (available in Excel 2016 and Excel 2013 only) for a Live Preview to try it out.

Select the data you want to examine more closely.

Explore the options on the Formatting and Sparklines tabs to see how they affect your data.

For example, pick a color scale in the Formatting gallery to differentiate high, medium, and low temperatures.

Data with a color scale conditional format

When you like what you see, click that option.

Learn more about how to analyze trends in data using sparklines .

Show your data in a chart using Quick Analysis

The Quick Analysis tool (available in Excel 2016 and Excel 2013 only) recommends the right chart for your data and gives you a visual presentation in just a few clicks.

Select the cells that contain the data you want to show in a chart.

Click the Charts tab, move across the recommended charts to see which one looks best for your data, and then click the one that you want.

Note: Excel shows different charts in this gallery, depending on what’s recommended for your data.

Learn about other ways to create a chart .

Sort your data

To quickly sort your data

Select a range of data, such as A1:L5 (multiple rows and columns) or C1:C80 (a single column). The range can include titles that you created to identify columns or rows.

Select a single cell in the column on which you want to sort.

To sort by specific criteria

Select a single cell anywhere in the range that you want to sort.

On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, choose Sort .

The Sort dialog box appears.

In the Sort by list, select the first column on which you want to sort.

In the Sort On list, select either Values , Cell Color , Font Color , or Cell Icon .

In the Order list, select the order that you want to apply to the sort operation — alphabetically or numerically ascending or descending (that is, A to Z or Z to A for text or lower to higher or higher to lower for numbers).

For more information about how to sort data, see Sort data in a range or table .

Filter your data

Select the data that you want to filter.

On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click Filter .

The Sort and Filter group on the Data tab

To select by values, in the list, clear the (Select All) check box. This removes the check marks from all the check boxes. Then, select only the values you want to see, and click OK to see the results.

For more information about how to filter data, see Filter data in a range or table .

Save your work

Click the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar , or press Ctrl+S.

If you’ve saved your work before, you’re done.

If this is the first time you've save this file:

Under Save As , pick where to save your workbook, and then browse to a folder.

In the File name box, enter a name for your workbook.

Click Save .

Print your work

Click File , and then click Print , or press Ctrl+P.

Preview the pages by clicking the Next Page and Previous Page arrows.

Next and Previous buttons in the Print Preview pane

The preview window displays the pages in black and white or in color, depending on your printer settings.

If you don’t like how your pages will be printed, you can change page margins or add page breaks .

Click Print .

Activate and use an add-in

On the File tab, choose Options , and then choose the Add-Ins category.

Near the bottom of the Excel Options dialog box, make sure that Excel Add-ins is selected in the Manage box, and then click Go .

In the Add-Ins dialog box, select the check boxes the add-ins that you want to use, and then click OK .

If Excel displays a message that states it can't run this add-in and prompts you to install it, click Yes to install the add-ins.

For more information about how to use add-ins, see Add or remove add-ins .

Find and apply a template

Excel allows you to apply built-in templates, to apply your own custom templates, and to search from a variety of templates on Office.com. Office.com provides a wide selection of popular Excel templates, including budgets.

For more information about how to find and apply templates, see Download free, pre-built templates .

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Excel formulas

Basic Excel formulas & functions with examples

The tutorial provides a list of Excel basic formulas and functions with examples and links to related in-depth tutorials.

Being primarily designed as a spreadsheet program, Microsoft Excel is extremely powerful and versatile when it comes to calculating numbers or solving math and engineering problems. It enables you to total or average a column of numbers in the blink of an eye. Apart from that, you can compute a compound interest and weighted average, get the optimal budget for your advertising campaign, minimize the shipment costs or make the optimal work schedule for your employees. All this is done by entering formulas in cells.

This tutorial aims to teach you the essentials of Excel functions and show how to use basic formulas in Excel.

The basics of Excel formulas

Before providing the basic Excel formulas list, let's define the key terms just to make sure we are on the same page. So, what do we call an Excel formula and Excel function?

Function is a predefined formula already available in Excel. Functions perform specific calculations in a particular order based on the specified values, called arguments, or parameters.

For example, instead of specifying each value to be summed like in the above formula, you can use the SUM function to add up a range of cells: =SUM(A2:A4)

Clicking the function's name will turn it into a blue hyperlink, which will open the Help topic for that function.

Tip. You don't necessarily have to type a function name in all caps, Microsoft Excel will automatically capitalize it once you finish typing the formula and press the Enter key to complete it.

10 Excel basic functions you should definitely know

What follows below is a list of 10 simple yet really helpful functions that are a necessary skill for everyone who wishes to turn from an Excel novice to an Excel professional.

The first Excel function you should be familiar with is the one that performs the basic arithmetic operation of addition:

In the syntax of all Excel functions, an argument enclosed in [square brackets] is optional, other arguments are required. Meaning, your Sum formula should include at least 1 number, reference to a cell or a range of cells. For example:

=SUM(B2:B6) - adds up values in cells B2 through B6.

=SUM(B2, B6) - adds up values in cells B2 and B6.

If necessary, you can perform other calculations within a single formula, for example, add up values in cells B2 through B6, and then divide the sum by 5:

=SUM(B2:B6)/5

To sum with conditions, use the SUMIF function: in the 1st argument, you enter the range of cells to be tested against the criteria (A2:A6), in the 2nd argument - the criteria itself (D2), and in the last argument - the cells to sum (B2:B6):

=SUMIF(A2:A6, D2, B2:B6)

Useful resources:

Excel Sum formula examples - formulas to total a column, rows, only filtered (visible) cells, or sum across sheets.
Excel AutoSum - the fastest way to sum a column or row of numbers.
SUMIF in Excel - formula examples to conditionally sum cells.
SUMIFS in Excel - formula examples to sum cells based on multiple criteria.

The Excel AVERAGE function does exactly what its name suggests, i.e. finds an average, or arithmetic mean, of numbers. Its syntax is similar to SUM's:

Having a closer look at the formula from the previous section ( =SUM(B2:B6)/5 ), what does it actually do? Sums values in cells B2 through B6, and then divides the result by 5. And what do you call adding up a group of numbers and then dividing the sum by the count of those numbers? Yep, an average!

The Excel AVERAGE function performs these calculations behind the scenes. So, instead of dividing sum by count, you can simply put this formula in a cell:

=AVERAGE(B2:B6)

To average cells based on condition, use the following AVERAGEIF formula, where A2:A6 is the criteria range, D3 is he criteria, and B2:B6 are the cells to average:

Excel AVERAGE - average cells with numbers.
Excel AVERAGEA - find an average of cells with any data (numbers, Boolean and text values).
Excel AVERAGEIF - average cells based on one criterion.
Excel AVERAGEIFS - average cells based on multiple criteria.
How to calculate weighted average in Excel
How to find moving average in Excel

MAX & MIN

The MAX and MIN formulas in Excel get the largest and smallest value in a set of numbers, respectively. For our sample data set, the formulas will be as simple as:

=MAX(B2:B6)

MAX function - find the highest value.
MAX IF formula - get the highest number with conditions.
MAXIFS function - get the largest value based on multiple criteria.
MIN function - return the smallest value in a data set.
MINIFS function - find the smallest number based on one or several conditions.

COUNT & COUNTA

If you are curious to know how many cells in a given range contain numeric values (numbers or dates), don't waste your time counting them by hand. The Excel COUNT function will bring you the count in a heartbeat:

While the COUNT function deals only with those cells that contain numbers, the COUNTA function counts all cells that are not blank , whether they contain numbers, dates, times, text, logical values of TRUE and FALSE, errors or empty text strings (""):

For example, to find out how many cells in column B contain numbers, use this formula:

=COUNT(B:B)

To count all non-empty cells in column B, go with this one:

=COUNTA(B:B)

In both formulas, you use the so-called "whole column reference" (B:B) that refers to all the cells within column B.

Excel COUNT function - a quick way to count cells with numbers.
Excel COUNTA function - count cells with any values (non-empty cells).
Excel COUNTIF function - count cells that meet one condition.
Excel COUNTIFS function - count cells with several criteria.

Judging by the number of IF-related comments on our blog, it's the most popular function in Excel. In simple terms, you use an IF formula to ask Excel to test a certain condition and return one value or perform one calculation if the condition is met, and another value or calculation if the condition is not met:

For example, the following IF statement checks if the order is completed (i.e. there is a value in column C) or not. To test if a cell is not blank, you use the "not equal to" operator ( <>) in combination with an empty string (""). As the result, if cell C2 is not empty, the formula returns "Yes", otherwise "No":

IF function in Excel with formula examples
How to use nested IFs in Excel
IF formulas with multiple AND/OR conditions

If your obviously correct Excel formulas return just a bunch of errors, one of the first things to check is extra spaces in the referenced cells (You may be surprised to know how many leading, trailing and in-between spaces lurk unnoticed in your sheets just until something goes wrong!).

There are several ways to remove unwanted spaces in Excel, with the TRIM function being the easiest one:

For example, to trim extra spaces in column A, enter the following formula in cell A1, and then copy it down the column:

Excel TRIM function with formula examples
How to delete line breaks and non-printing characters
How to remove non-breaking spaces ( )
How to delete a specific non-printing character

Whenever you want to know the number of characters in a certain cell, LEN is the function to use:

Wish to find out how many characters are in cell A2? Just type the below formula into another cell:

Want to get the total count of characters in a range or cells or count only specific characters? Please check out the following resources.

Excel LEN formulas to count characters in a cell
Count the number of characters in cells and ranges

AND & OR

These are the two most popular logical functions to check multiple criteria. The difference is how they do this:

AND returns TRUE if all conditions are met, FALSE otherwise.
OR returns TRUE if any condition is met, FALSE otherwise.

While rarely used on their own, these functions come in very handy as part of bigger formulas.

For example, to check the test results in columns B and C and return "Pass" if both are greater than 60, "Fail" otherwise, use the following IF formula with an embedded AND statement:

=IF(AND(B2>60, B2>60), "Pass", "Fail")

If it's sufficient to have just one test score greater than 60 (either test 1 or test 2), embed the OR statement:

IF formulas with embedded AND/OR statements

Excel AND function with formula examples
Excel OR function with formula examples

CONCATENATE

In case you want to take values from two or more cells and combine them into one cell, use the concatenate operator (&) or the CONCATENATE function:

For example, to combine the values from cells A2 and B2, just enter the following formula in a different cell:

=CONCATENATE(A2, B2)

To separate the combined values with a space, type the space character (" ") in the arguments list:

How to concatenate in Excel - formula examples to combine text strings, cells and columns.
CONCAT function - newer and improved function to combine the contents of multiple cells into one cell.

TODAY & NOW

To see the current date and time whenever you open your worksheet without having to manually update it on a daily basis, use either:

=TODAY() to insert the today's date in a cell.

=NOW() to insert the current date and time in a cell.

How to insert today's date in Excel - different ways to enter the current date in Excel: as an unchangeable time stamp or automatically updatable date and time.
Excel date functions with formula examples - formulas to convert date to text and vice versa, extract a day, month or year from a date, calculate the difference between two dates, and a lot more.

Best practices for writing Excel formulas

Now that you are familiar with the basic Excel formulas, these tips will give you some guidance on how to use them most effectively and avoid common formula errors.

Do not enclose numbers in double quotes

Any text included in your Excel formulas should be enclosed in "quotation marks". However, you should never do that to numbers, unless you want Excel to treat them as text values.

For example, to check the value in cell B2 and return 1 for "Passed", 0 otherwise, you put the following formula, say, in C2:

=IF(B2="pass", 1, 0)

Copy the formula down to other cells and you will have a column of 1's and 0's that can be calculated without a hitch.

Now, see what happens if you double quote the numbers:

=IF(B2="pass", "1", "0")

Enclose text values in double quotes, but not numbers

Don't format numbers in Excel formulas

Match all opening and closing parentheses, copy the same formula to other cells instead of re-typing it.

Note. After copying the formula, make sure that all cell references are correct. Cell references may change depending on whether they are absolute (do not change) or relative (change).

How to delete formula, but keep calculated value

When you remove a formula by pressing the Delete key, a calculated value is also deleted. However, you can delete only the formula and keep the resulting value in the cell. Here's how:

Select all cells with your formulas.
Press Ctrl + C to copy the selected cells.
Right-click the selection, and then click Paste Values > Values to paste the calculated values back to the selected cells. Or, press the Paste Special shortcut: Shift+F10 and then V .

Make sure Calculation Options are set to Automatic

If all of a sudden your Excel formulas have stopped recalculating automatically, most likely the Calculation Options somehow switched to Manual . To fix this, go to the Formulas tab > Calculation group, click the Calculation Options button, and select Automatic .

This is how you make and manage basic formulas in Excel. I how you will find this information helpful. Anyway, I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week.

410 comments

A VERY BIG THANKS .

I need the Excel formula number combination

One hundred and ten units (HTF) : 345,345,678,890,567

Summary of analysis results from 5 data If there is no incorrect information 036-037-046-047-056-057-058-158-258-358 368-369-378-379-458-468-469-478-479-558 568-569-578-579-588-589 (26 sets / total 26 sets)

Sorry, I have no idea exactly what the task is. It's hard to tell exactly what you're asking for as it's currently written.

For me personally It's clear that actually "seeing" something written down is easier to understand and remember than "hearing" it, but both together is even better.

Excel Practice 1

Since Microsoft Excel is widely used in industry, and we are using Microsoft Windows, we will focus on Excel going forward. There are many similarities across spreadsheet software, so the skills we are learning can be translated to other software and apps. The following ‘Practice It’ assignments are designed to be completed using Microsoft Excel in Office 365 on a PC with Windows 10 or higher.

We will use Excel to perform complex calculations, analyze data so that we can make intelligent decisions, and create visually interesting charts and graphs that help us understand the data. Since Excel is used for Data Analysis, it is best to use a keyboard and mouse or touchpad rather than the touchscreen.

In Excel, data is stored in a cell . Cell content is anything that is stored in the cell and can be either a constant value or a formula. The most commonly used values are text values and number values . Values can also be a date or time. A text value is also referred to as a label.

Here is a video demonstrating the skills in this practice. Please note it does not exactly match the instructions:

Complete the following Practice Activity and submit your completed project.

For our first assignment in Excel, we will create a spreadsheet with monthly expenses. This spreadsheet will provide us with an overall picture of our financial health by helping us understand where we are spending our hard-earned money. We will start with a new blank Excel Spreadsheet.

Start Excel. Click Blank Workbook.
Select File, Save As, Browse, and then navigate to your Excel folder on your flash drive or other location where you save your files. Name the workbook as Yourlastname_Yourfirstname_Excel_Practice_1.

Notice the vertical and horizontal scroll bars. Use the arrows to practice scrolling on the page.
In cell A1, type My Budget By Month and press Enter.
In cell A2 Type For the First Quarter and press Enter.
In the Name Box, change A3 to A4 and then press Enter. Notice how the active cell changed to A4.
Misc Expenses
Monthly Total
In cell B3, type January and press Enter.
Select cell B3 and use the fill handle to drag to cell D3. Notice how the names of the months automatically generate. The fill handle enables auto fill , which generates and extends a series of values into adjacent cells based on the value of other cells.

Adjust the column width for column A to 136 pixels by dragging the right boundary (between columns A and B) to the right.
Select the range B3:D3 and center the text.
In cell B4, type 1200 and enter the remaining numbers as shown:
In cell B8, type =b4 + b5 + b6 + b7 and press Tab.
In cell C8, type =c4 + c5 + c6 + c7 and press Tab.
A quicker way to enter in a formula is with a function . We will use the SUM function next. In cell D8, click AutoSum on the Home Tab, Editing Group and press Enter.
In cell E3, type Total and then press Enter.
Click in cell E4, Press Alt + =. This is a keyboard shortcut that enters the Sum function. If the keyboard shortcut does not work (this is common due to variations in keyboards), use the AutoSum technique from step 16.
Click the Enter button on the Formula Bar which is the green or blue check mark.
With Cell E4 selected, drag the fill handle in cell E4 down through cell E8.
Click in cell F3, type Trend and press Enter.
Click in cell A1, and drag your cursor to the right to select the range A1:F1. On the Home tab, in the Alignment Group, choose Merge and Center . The title should be Merged and centered in the range A1:F1.
Using the same technique, Merge and Center the title in the range A2:F2.
Apply the Title style to cell A1 and the Heading 1 style to cell A2. Cell styles are on the Home Tab, Styles Group, then choose the arrow next to cell styles .
Apply the Heading 4 style to the ranges B3:F3 and A4:A8. You can select the first range, hold down the CTRL key, and select the second range, then apply the cell style. Or apply, one at a time.
Apply the Accounting number format to the ranges B4:E4 and B8:E8. The number format is located on the Home Tab, Number Group. Select the arrow to view a drop down list of all number formats.
Apply the Comma number style to the range B5:E7. This is located on the Home Tab, Number Group, and select the comma.
Apply the Total number style to the range B8:E8. Cell styles are on the Home Tab, Styles Group, then choose the arrow next to cell styles.
AutoFit column D. Select column D by clicking on the D Column Header. Then, double click the line between the D and E. Or, with Column D selected, on the Home Tab, Cells Group, click the arrow next to Format and choose auto fit for the Column.
Apply the Slice theme to the Workbook. On the Page Layout Tab, in the Themes Group, choose Slice. If necessary, adjust the total cells, or any other cells to ensure you can see all of the cell content.
Select the range A3:D7.
On the Insert tab, in the charts group, click Recommended Charts, click All Charts, select Clustered Column chart and then click OK.
With the chart selected, under the Chart Design Tab, in the Chart Layouts Group, Choose the Add Chart Element and ensure the Chart Title is ‘Above Chart’. Change the Chart Title to My Budget.
Drag the chart by clicking and holding any of the chart outer lines using the four-sided arrow mouse pointer. Move the chart so that the upper left corner is inside cell A10.
Ensure the chart is still selected, and apply Chart styles, Style 6. Chart styles are located on the Chart Design Tab, under Chart Styles. Click the down arrow (“more” button, which is the upside-down triangle with the line above it) to see all of the Chart Styles.
Using Change Colors select Colorful Palette 4. The Change Colors button is located on the Chart Tools, Design Tab, under Chart Styles
Select the range B4:D4 and insert a Line sparkline in cell F4. Be sure to not include the totals in the sparkline range. Sparklines are located on the Insert Tab, Sparklines group, then choose Line. The sparkline will display in cell F4. For the location range, click in cell F4.
With cell F4 selects, on the Sparklines, Design Toolbar, in the Show group choose the checkbox next to Markers.
Apply the Dark Green, Sparkline Style Colorful #4 style (or similar). Styles are located on the Sparkline Design toolbar in the Style group. Choose the down arrow to view more styles.
With cell F4 selected, use the fill handle to fill the sparkline to cells F5:F7.
On the Page Layout Tab, Sheet Options Group, click the arrow to launch the Page Setup Dialog Box. Notice how it opens to the Sheet tab. Go to the Margins tab and click the checkbox to center the data and chart horizontally on the page.
With the Page Setup Dialog Box still open, go to the Header/Footer tab. Choose Custom Footer and insert the File Name in the left section of the footer. The file name will show in the Print Preview and also when the spreadsheet is printed. This is a field , so if the file name is changed, it will automatically update the footer with the new file name.
Title: Excel Budget
Subject: OFTEC 108 and Section #
Author: Your First and Last Name
Keywords: Sums, Charts, Budget, Excel
Click the back arrow to exit backstage view. Click the Save shortcut button and ensure your file is saved in a safe location.
Select the range A2:F5 and then press Ctrl + F2. This is the keyboard shortcut that displays Print Preview . If you do not have the shortcut key, click File to enter Backstage View, Print and view the Print Preview.
Change the print settings option to Print Selection and notice how the Print Preview changes. Printing of this assignment is not required, but if you needed to print a copy, you would click Print.
Exit Backstage view and Save your file.
On the Formulas tab, in the Formulas Auditing group, Show the Formulas. This is a toggle button, so press it once to show the formulas. Press it again to remove show formulas. Notice how row 8 and column D display the formulas rather than the result when the show formulas is turned on. Turn show formulas off.
On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, Change to Landscape orientation and Scale the data to fit on one page. This is on the Page Tab of the Page Layout Dialog Box.
Run spelling and grammar check from the Review tab using the Spelling button in the Proofing group, making any spelling corrections as necessary. Compare your file to the image below and make all necessary corrections.

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How-To Geek

Lied on your resume about excel expertise 8 concepts you need to learn right now.

A whistle-stop tour of Microsoft Excel's must-knows.

Quick Links

The excel interface, order of operations, cell references, key data analysis formulas, filtering and ordering ranges and tables, pivot tables, macros and vbas.

Can you explain what a ribbon is? Do you know the three types of cell references? Do you know how to convert a number to a currency? If not, then look no further, as we take you through some key Excel features you need to know to show your expertise.

First, let's take a look at what Excel looks like, what its key elements are called, and what each of those elements do.

The ribbon and tabs —Excel has hundreds of different menus and drop-downs, and they're all accessible through the ribbon, which is the area above where you do your work. The ribbon choices labeled number 1 in the screenshot above—such as Home and Insert—are the tabs. Anytime you want to make things happen, you first need to go to the ribbon and make sure you have opened the correct tab. For example, for formatting, you'll need the Home tab on the ribbon, and if you want to add a chart, you'll need the Insert tab.
The groups —Once you have opened a tab on the ribbon, you'll see the different groups in that tab. These groups are designed to clump together similar functions, making it easier for you to find the function that you're looking for. For example, in the Home tab on the ribbon, you can see the Font group, where you can embolden your text, change the typeface, or make your font larger.
The name box —If you select a cell or range of cells, this box shows you the cell reference. In the screenshot above, the name box reads A1, because this is the cell we have selected in this worksheet. The name box is useful for jumping to a specific cell or range of cells you have named , especially handy if your workbook has lots of tabs.
The formula bar —When you type a formula into a cell, the formula bar is where you'll see what you have typed and, if needed, edit your formula. Essentially, the cells show you the final product, and the formula bar shows you the formula you have used to create it.
Columns and rows —The columns (A, B, C, and so on) run vertically in your sheet, while the rows (1, 2, 3, etc.) go across.

Remember your math lessons in school when you were told that you had to follow a certain order to make sure your equations worked correctly? Well, because Excel doubles up as an advanced calculator, it also has a particular order that it follows when dealing with your formulas, and it's important to know what this order is so that you know what to expect when performing calculations.

At its most basic level, Excel follows the PEMDAS order—parentheses, then exponents (also known as indices), then multiplication and division, and finally, addition and subtraction.

There are other elements in a formula that Excel has to follow (including cell references, percentages, and logical operators), but knowing PEMDAS will be enough to show you understand how Excel's calculation process works.

A cell reference is the name of a cell or range of cells in your Excel workbook, and you can use these in formulas. For example, if you click cell A1 and type

=SUM(A2+A3)

into the formula bar, you're telling Excel to reference cells A2 and A3, and add their values together.

There are three types of cell references in Excel— relative, absolute, and mixed .

A relative reference (the default reference type in Excel), refers to the relative position of the cell. If you type a formula in cell A1 that involves A2, you're referencing the cell that is one below where you're typing. If you were to copy the formula to another cell, the reference would automatically perform the same relative action as in its previous location.

An absolute reference does not change if you copy the formula into another cell. For example, if you type a formula that references cell A1 using an absolute reference, it will always reference cell A1, regardless of where you copy that formula to. To create an absolute reference, we place the dollar ($) symbol in front of the column and row reference: $A$1 (or press F4 after having typed the reference).

A mixed reference combines relative and absolute references at the same time. For example, $A1 is a mixed reference that tells Excel to continually refer to column A, but switch the row number relative to where the formula is located.

There are many different types of data that can be entered into an Excel cell, and the importance of having the right data type is that it helps Excel to perform the correct operation according to the type of data. Before you enter any data into a cell, the data type is set to General by default—this is Excel's way of telling you it's waiting for something to be entered into the cell so that it can then read what you enter and change the data type accordingly.

The data type can be seen in the Number group of the Home tab on the ribbon, and you can click the drop-down arrow to see the different data types available.

If you were to type $12 into a cell, Excel would see the dollar symbol and automatically change the data type to Currency. Likewise, if you typed Apr 14 , Excel would read this as a date. If Excel doesn't identify the correct data type, you can change it manually using this drop-down list.

On top of the most basic formulas, such as SUM and AVERAGE , some of Excel's formulas are particularly handy for data analysis. Here are some that you might need to know if asked about important Excel formulas:

IF —The IF function returns different values depending on whether a condition is true or false.
COUNT and COUNTIF —The COUNT lets you count the number of cells in a range that contain numbers, and COUNTIF counts all the cells in a range that match a condition or multiple conditions.
VLOOKUP —This function searches a table by row to extract certain information.
CONCATENATE —The CONCATENATE function lets you join two or more strings of data into one place, useful for keeping your key information in once place.

Knowing the many useful data-entry functions is essential if you want to show off your Excel knowledge.

Knowing how to handle data in Excel is crucial for anyone looking to manage the spreadsheet's numbers, and filtering and sorting the data is one way to do this. There are three ways to filter and order data in Excel—use the Filter icon, format a table, or right-click the data.

If you have an unformatted data set, you can add a filter and sort function by selecting the header row before clicking the Filter icon in the Data tab on the ribbon.

This will create a filter button at the top of each column in your data, which you can click to filter or sort your data.

Another way to filter and sort your data is by formatting your data into a table. Select all your data (including the header row), and click "Format As Table" in the Home tab on the ribbon.

Then, choose an appropriate table style, and make sure you check the "My Table Has Headers" box in the dialog box that appears. When you click "OK," your data will be formatted in a table with a filter button running across the header row of your table.

Finally, you can sort and filter a specific series of data by selecting and right-clicking your data. Then, choose between the Filter and Sort options in the menu that appears.

Even if you haven't used one in the past, anyone with Excel expertise will know the huge benefits of a pivot table . A pivot table is a tool that lets you quickly convert large amounts of data into a readable and useful table. You can use a pivot table to display specific criteria in a table, control your charts and graphs, and analyze numerical data in detail.

The pivot table option is accessed through the Insert Tab on the ribbon.

Once created, a sidebar appears to the right of your screen, where you can manipulate and choose the data you want to analyze in your table.

Macros and VBAs are ways to automate data in Excel, useful for data managers who want to save time when working with large volumes of data. They also help you to avoid errors that might have occurred had you completed the tasks manually.

As with pivot tables, knowing what they do is the first step to demonstrating Excel expertise—and you're even more likely to impress if you can demonstrate you know how to use them . Macros and VBAs are closely related:

Macros —These are fantastic lines of code for automating actions you do repeatedly in Excel, saving you have to go through a series of clicks every time you want a certain action to occur. For example, if you want to turn a certain cell red and change the text color to white, you can create a button within your spreadsheet that lets you do this, especially useful if you have to go through this process repeatedly.
VBA —Short for Visual Basic for Applications, VBA is the scripting language used to create macros.

If this is sounds a little too technical for you, the key thing to note is that macros and VBAs are useful tools in Excel to create automation.

As well as the tips listed in this article, you might also find knowing how to create a form , a checklist , or a dynamic chart helpful when convincing others of your above-average Excel knowledge.

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50 Ms Excel Assignments Pdf For Practice Free Download
##### 50 Ms Excel Assignments Pdf For Practice Free Download ##### Assignment - Use of Formulas Sum, Average, If, Count, Counta, Countif & Sumif. Roll No Student Name Hindi English Math Physics Chemistry Total Average Grade 1 RAM 20 10 14 18 15 77 15 A 2 ASHOK 21 12 14 12 18??? 3 MANOJ 33 15 7 14 17???
Excel Practice Online
Practice And Learn Excel Online For Free. Welcome to Excel Practice Online! On this website, you will learn and practice Excel functions and tools! Now you can practice Excel everywhere! You can even practice on your mobile phone! Every function and tool has an explanation followed by an online excel exercise which can be solved within the page ...
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Excel Practice Worksheets. Excel Practice Exercises. Download our 100% fre e Excel Practice Workbook. The workbook contains 50+ automatically graded exercises. Each exercise is preceeded by corresponding lessons and examples. Download.
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Lied On Your Resume About Excel Expertise? 8 Concepts You Need to Learn
Cell References. A cell reference is the name of a cell or range of cells in your Excel workbook, and you can use these in formulas. For example, if you click cell A1 and type. =SUM(A2+A3) into the formula bar, you're telling Excel to reference cells A2 and A3, and add their values together. There are three types of cell references in Excel ...