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You can test your Excel skills with W3Schools' Exercises.
We have gathered a variety of Excel exercises (with answers) for each Excel Chapter.
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Welcome to the fun, hands-on way to learn Excel! My name is Jake and I'm known as a spreadsheet wizard around my office, but it wasn't a fast or easy process to get here. I watched several hours worth of Excel training videos, but found I didn't really master a formula until I actually got my hands dirty and used the formula at work. It took me a few years of working in finance and consulting- using Excel nearly every day- to internalize all the keyboard shortcuts and functions. I started wondering why there wasn't an easier and faster way to master Excel.
Like I mentioned before, I spent hours watching Excel training videos, but they were honestly kind of boring. I'd find myself zoning out and would need to rewind and re-watch each video two or three times. And without immediately putting the techniques from the videos into practice, I'd forget the techniques right after watching the video.
Excel Practice For Real People
Practice Excel the right way - in small, bite-sized, engaging lessons, rather than falling asleep reading a lengthy article or daydreaming through a long video. This is Excel practice for those who learn by doing, not by watching. There's a reason thousands of people are choosing to get their Excel practice from Excel Exercises: because it works. Each lesson is designed to keep you engaged and entertained while walking you through new concepts, so that you can't advance if you're not absorbing the information. That's just one of the ways Excel Exercises helps you learn more efficiently and maximize your practice time.
Excel Exercises Solves the "Boring Video" Problem
We walk you through all the Excel functions that you need to know, forcing you to type through practice exercises to get hands-on and commit them to memory. You'll also practice keyboard shortcuts on your own keyboard to build muscle memory and get faster at manipulating spreadsheets. Through hands-on repetition and smart skills targeting, I've distilled all the skills I've learned from years of working with Excel to a program that can be completed in a matter of days.
Have Fun While You Learn With Excel Exercises
These practice exercises aren't just engaging; they are actually fun. Score points by answering questions correctly and advance through the levels as you learn, rather than relying on boring memorization. You'll start by practicing some easy skills and work your way up to practicing more advanced techniques. By gradually introducing new concepts for you to practice, we make it easy to learn all the techniques you need to become an Excel master. Whether you're searching for easy Excel practice exercises or more advanced formula practice, Excel Exercises offers a fun learning experience for all skill levels - it doesn't even feel like learning!
Thousands of people have already used Excel Exercises to practice Excel skills and advance their careers. Solid Excel skills are critical for most finance, accounting, consulting, and other data-oriented jobs. And let's be honest - if your shortcut game is on point you'll impress anyone watching over your shoulder. Learn Excel the fun way today and get your career moving in the right direction.
Use Excel Exercises to Excel-erate Your Career
Almost any job in Finance, Accounting, Data Science, Consulting, or any other quantitative industry will require you to use spreadsheets. By mastering Excel you can give yourself an edge by completing your work faster and better than your peers. Many jobs today also require an Excel test as part of the application and interview process. Whether you're applying for an internship or you're already an executive, Excel mastery is a tangible and noticeable skill that can help you get the offer, earn more money, and make yourself indispensable.
Today's job market demands strong spreadsheet skills like never before. Everything from simple data entry to advanced data analysis will require proficiency with Excel in order to pass the interview process and perform with the speed and quality necessary to thrive in your new job. Luckily, there are now more resources than ever available to help you learn Excel online. Excel Exercises is the first web-based Excel practice resource that simulates real Excel practice exercises right in your browser. Let Excel Exercises be your new secret weapon to master Excel and get a new job or move up in your current role.
No sign up necessary. If you love it, you can create an account and join thousands of others who are already using their new Excel skills to stand out and get ahead in their careers.
Hands-on Exercises
Most people can't learn new skills simply by watching. There's a reason you hear that the best way to learn Excel is just to use it at work for a few years. But when you don't have years to learn Excel, your best option is the curated simulations offered by Excel Exercises. We walk you through new skills and let you write the actual formulas and tap out the keyboard shortcuts to build muscle memory and learn by doing. By focusing on one skill at a time, you'll get enough reps to commit the skill to memory before moving on.
Excel Exercises for Beginners and Experts
Whether you already have some Excel experience or you've never written a "sum" function in your life, this site will teach you the tools to stand out at work as the Excel Master. It starts easy with simple functions to build a solid foundation. Then it becomes more challenging as the lessons incorporate new concepts, shortcuts, and advanced functions to build your skills, boost your efficiency, and expand on what you thought was possible with Excel. Whether you're a beginner or advanced, there is always a new Excel skill you can learn.
Excel Practice Exercises PDF with Answers
To solve the following exercises, 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. You can use Excel 2010 or later, except for the UNIQUE function, which is only available in Excel 2021 .
Download the 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
Here is a snapshot of the first two problems. The solutions to all problems are given in a separate sheet.
- 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.
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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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Advanced Excel Exercises with Solutions PDF
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
Want to test yourself? check out our Excel Practice Tests Page
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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.
To sort the data, click Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A .
For more information, see Create or delete an Excel table
Show totals for your numbers using Quick Analysis
The Quick Analysis tool (Excel 2016) 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 (Excel 2016) 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.
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 (Excel 2016) 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 .
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.
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 Tutorial: How To Organize Assignments In Excel
Introduction.
When it comes to managing assignments, Excel can be a powerful tool to keep everything organized and easily accessible. Whether you're a student, a teacher, or a project manager, using Excel for assignments can help streamline your workflow and increase productivity.
Excel provides a range of features for organizing, sorting, and analyzing data, making it an ideal platform for managing assignments of all kinds. This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up an Excel spreadsheet to effectively manage and track assignments, helping you stay on top of deadlines and priorities.
Key Takeaways
- Excel is a powerful tool for managing assignments and increasing productivity for students, teachers, and project managers.
- Understanding the basics of Excel, including the layout and functions, is essential for effective assignment organization.
- Creating a new spreadsheet and inputting data with proper formatting sets the foundation for organized assignment management.
- Utilizing formulas, functions, and visual enhancements such as color-coding and charts can further enhance assignment organization in Excel.
- By practicing and implementing the tips provided in this tutorial, users can effectively track deadlines and priorities in Excel, ultimately improving their workflow.
Understanding Excel Basics
When it comes to organizing assignments in Excel, it is important to have a good understanding of the basics of the software. This will ensure that you are able to utilize its features effectively and efficiently. In this chapter, we will explore the layout of an Excel spreadsheet, the different tabs and their functions, and provide some tips for navigating and selecting cells in Excel.
Rows and Columns
An Excel spreadsheet is made up of rows and columns. The rows are denoted by numbers and the columns are denoted by letters. This creates a grid structure that allows for easy organization of data.
Each intersection of a row and column is referred to as a cell. This is where you will input your data, formulas, and other information.
An Excel file can consist of multiple worksheets, each of which contains its own grid of cells. This allows you to organize different sets of data within the same file.
The Home tab contains the most commonly used commands for formatting and manipulating data, such as changing fonts, aligning text, and applying borders.
The Insert tab allows you to add various elements to your spreadsheet, such as tables, charts, shapes, and hyperlinks.
Formulas Tab
The Formulas tab is where you can find all the functions and formulas that Excel offers, allowing you to perform calculations and manipulate data.
The Data tab provides tools for sorting and filtering data, as well as importing and exporting data from external sources.
The Review tab contains tools for proofreading and collaborating on your spreadsheet, such as spell check, comments, and protection.
The View tab allows you to customize the way your spreadsheet is displayed, such as adjusting zoom, freezing panes, and showing or hiding gridlines.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Learning keyboard shortcuts can greatly improve your efficiency in Excel. For example, pressing Ctrl + Home will take you to the first cell of the spreadsheet, while Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Key will allow you to quickly select a range of cells.
Using the Name Box
The Name Box, located next to the formula bar, displays the name of the selected cell or range of cells. You can use this to quickly navigate to a specific cell by entering its reference in the Name Box.
Mouse Navigation
Clicking on a cell will select it, and clicking and dragging will allow you to select a range of cells. You can also use the scroll bars to navigate around the spreadsheet.
Creating a New Spreadsheet
When it comes to organizing assignments in Excel, the first step is to create a new spreadsheet. This can be done by following a few simple steps.
To open a new Excel workbook, start by opening Microsoft Excel on your computer. Once the program is open, you can either click on "File" in the top left corner and select "New" to create a new workbook or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + N. This will open a new blank spreadsheet for you to work with.
Formatting Options:
- Adjusting column width and row height to accommodate data
- Applying cell borders and shading for better visual organization
- Using formatting tools for fonts, colors, and text alignment
Once the new spreadsheet is open and formatted to your preference, it's time to input the assignment data.
- Start by selecting the cell where you want to input the data
- Type the assignment details, such as the assignment name, due date, and any other relevant information
- Continue inputting data into subsequent cells for each assignment
Organizing Assignment Data
When managing multiple assignments in Excel, it's essential to keep the data organized for easy access and reference. By utilizing the following methods, you can streamline your workflow and stay on top of your tasks effectively.
A. Use of headers and subheaders for assignment details
When creating your assignment spreadsheet, it's crucial to use clear and descriptive headers to outline the assignment details. This includes task name , due date , subject , priority level , and any other relevant information. By using subheaders, you can further categorize specific details within each assignment, such as subtasks , additional notes , or attached files .
B. Examples of how to categorize assignments
Excel offers various ways to categorize assignments, making it easier to manage and prioritize your workload. You can categorize assignments by due date , subject , or priority level by creating separate columns for each category. For example, you can use the due date column to sort assignments by their deadline, the subject column to group assignments by course or project, and the priority level column to identify urgent tasks.
C. Benefits of using filters and sort functions
Utilizing Excel's filter and sort functions can greatly enhance the organization of your assignments. By applying filters, you can quickly narrow down specific assignments based on criteria such as subject or priority level . The sort function allows you to arrange assignments in ascending or descending order based on the due date or any other relevant category, providing a clear overview of your upcoming tasks.
Using Formulas and Functions
One of the key features of Excel is its ability to perform calculations and automate processes using formulas and functions. In the context of organizing assignments, these tools can be incredibly useful for tracking deadlines, progress, and grades.
Sum and Average:
Weighted average:, today's date:, conditional formatting:, progress tracker:, deadline reminders:, adding visual enhancements.
Visual enhancements can help make your Excel spreadsheet more engaging and easier to navigate. Here are some tips for adding visual elements to your assignment organization:
Formatting options such as bolding, italicizing, and underlining can help draw attention to important information in your spreadsheet. Additionally, adjusting font styles and sizes can help make your spreadsheet more visually appealing and easier to read.
Color-coding can be a powerful tool for visually organizing your assignments. By assigning different colors to different categories or priorities, you can quickly identify and differentiate between various tasks. Conditional formatting, on the other hand, allows you to automatically apply formatting based on specific criteria, making it easier to highlight important data or trends.
Charts and graphs can help provide a visual representation of your assignment data, making it easier to identify patterns, trends, and discrepancies. Consider using pie charts, bar graphs, or line graphs to effectively communicate your assignment information in a visually appealing way.
In conclusion, we have discussed the key points of how to organize assignments in Excel, including using tabs and color-coding to keep track of different tasks, and utilizing formulas for automating calculations and deadlines. Excel is an invaluable tool for organizing assignments due to its flexibility, efficiency, and customization options, making it a great choice for students and professionals alike.
We highly encourage our readers to practice using Excel for their assignment organization, as it can greatly streamline their workload and improve their productivity. For those who want to further enhance their Excel skills, there are numerous online resources, tutorials, and courses available to help you master this powerful tool.
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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:
- 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")
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.
You may also be interested in
- How to make formulas in Excel
- Microsoft Excel formulas with examples
- Excel formulas not working, not updating, not calculating
Table of contents
411 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.
Post a comment
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
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VLOOKUP Practice Example File [With Solutions]
What is vlookup.
Vlookup stands for Vertical Lookup and is part of a group of functions that I like to call "Lookup Functions". A Lookup Function's sole purpose is to pull in information from a table of data based on a unique identifier (I will refer to these as “IDs”).
It’s like telling your dog to find your yellow ball ( Lookup Value ID ) and that it's somewhere in the backyard ( Table Array ). Okay, give your dog a little more help because you have a REALLY BIG backyard!
You then specify it’s on the left side of the backyard ( Column Reference ) and that he has to bring back the exact ball you asked for ( Range Lookup ).
Kind of make sense? For a simple spreadsheet-based example let’s look at the data below:
In Table 1 we have a data table with an Employee ID, Last Name, & First name field. Let’s say that we received Table 2 from the Payroll department and we need to fill in the last name associated with the Employees ID.
With the small amount of data in this example, you probably could get away with manually looking up each person’s ID number and copying/pasting their last name into Table 2 , however, there would be two things that would prevent you from wanting to do this:
- The solution is manual and therefore time-consuming
- You are keying in data by hand which should always be avoided if possible
Plus, what if you had to fill in the last names of a thousand employees? This would turn into an all-day exercise! Luckily we can use an Excel Lookup function to do this search for us. Watch the below animation to see how quickly I can use the VLOOKUP function to pull in the data I want.
VLOOKUP Function Inputs
There are 3 required and 1 optional input in the VLOOKUP function. The below table describes all four inputs.
Required | This is your ID. The text or number that is unique to the line item you are searching for and is not repeated anywhere else in your data set. This value must be located in the column of your . | |
Required | The range of your table that you want to retrieve data from. The one requirement to this range is that your ID column must be the first column in the range. | |
Required | A number input that references the column you want your formula to search in. | |
Optional | This input is technically optional but Microsoft chose to make the default the option that no one uses, so I'm saying it's required because 99% of the time you are NOT going to use the default (I don't think I ever have). Anyways....this option tells the Vlookup function whether you want it to find an exact match or make a guess (the default) when trying to match up your ID value ( ). If you have your unique ID setup correctly you will have no need to have the Vlookup make a typically inaccurate guess. So just make it easy on yourself and ALWAYS MAKE THIS or you can also use the number (0 stands for false in binary code) instead. |
Possible Errors That Can Occur
There are 3 different errors that can occur if your VLOOKUP function cannot find a match or is set up improperly.
- #REF! - If your function's Col_Index_Num is larger than the number of columns in your Table_Array , your VLOOKUP function will return a #REF! error.
- #VALUE! - If your function's Col_Index_Num is less than 1, your VLOOKUP function will return a #VALUE! error.
- #N/A - If you input FALSE (or 0) for your Range_Lookup parameter and no exact match can be found, your VLOOKUP function will return a #N/A error. You can hand this by wrapping an IFERROR function around your VLOOKUP function.
VLOOKUP Function Practice Examples
Here is an Excel file you can download to see ways you can apply the VLOOKUP Function in your spreadsheets!
There are both working tabs and solution tabs provided within the Excel file so you can reference the answers if you can’t solve the task on the first try.
Example 1: Add First/Last Name From Another Table
In this practice example, you are asked to add the first and last name of the employee to a Pay Report . You will need to use the Employee ID to Vlookup the name columns from another table so you don’t have to manually type out all the names.
Example 2: Vlookup From Multiple Tables
In this practice example, you will need to reference two separate data table sources in order to complete the requested Pay Report .
Example 3: Vlookup Using Approximate Matching
In this practice example, you will need to utilized VLOOKUP’s approximate match capability to categorize each employee to their proper payroll pay band based on the amount they are being paid.
Why You Should Learn VLOOKUP
I currently sit right across from the Human Resources department and I always find myself listening in on the questions that our hiring managers ask prospective hires over the phone. Over time I recognized that certain questions were always asked to size up abilities pertaining to their analytic abilities. I found it really fascinating that computer skills (especially Excel) could be analyzed by one very simple question: Do you have experience using VLOOKUP?
VLOOKUP seems to be that one function that basic users (including myself at one point) have never heard of and that even recognizing the function’s name puts you into a category of an “experienced Excel user”. While I can agree that VLOOKUP is an essential function to know, I probably would not categorize all people who know how to use it as experienced users, but it is definitely a stepping-stone towards becoming one.
Understanding how to use VLOOKUP was the pinnacle moment in my Excel experience where I realized that there was way more to spreadsheets than adding and multiplying numbers. Hopefully, the information on this page has helped you get a grasp of what Vlookup is and how it can be used.
Other Lookup Functions To Learn
Microsoft Excel has additional Lookup functions that you can use within your spreadsheets. Each function has its own pros and cons.
- XLOOKUP (New!)
- INDEX/MATCH
XLOOKUP was released in 2020 and was created to be an all-in-one solution for lookup needs. This is the function I would recommend you learn next as it has the most diversity in its use cases.
You can learn more about this function in my dedicated XLOOKUP guide which will teach you everything you need to know.
Additional Vlookup Resources
- The Vlookup Formula: Why Your Employer Wants you to Know How to Use It
- VLOOKUP Explained in Simple Terms at Starbucks
Learn my best Excel chart design hacks. These will turn your ugly charts into professionally crafted graphics, leaving your boss speechless!!!
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Chris Newman
Chris is a finance professional and Excel MVP recognized by Microsoft since 2016. With his expertise, he founded TheSpreadsheetGuru blog to help fellow Excel users, where he shares his vast creative solutions & expertise. In addition, he has developed over 7 widely-used Excel Add-ins that have been embraced by individuals and companies worldwide.
How to Organize Assignments In Excel
- / How to Organize Assignments In Excel
In today’s fast-paced world, effective organization and time management are crucial for success, especially when dealing with numerous assignments and tasks. Microsoft Excel, a powerful and versatile spreadsheet application, can be an invaluable tool for organizing assignments.This article will delve into the significance of organizing assignments in Excel, provide a step-by-step guide on how to organize assignments in excel, and discuss the pros and cons of using Excel for this purpose.
Significance of Organizing Assignments in Excel
Organizing assignments in Excel offers several benefits:
Enhanced Productivity:
With a clear overview of tasks, deadlines, and progress, you can manage your time more efficiently and prioritize effectively.
Improved Time Management:
Excel allows you to set deadlines and reminders, ensuring that you stay on track and meet your targets.
Customization:
Excel’s flexibility enables you to tailor your assignment tracker to fit your specific needs and preferences.
Data Analysis:
By organizing your assignments in Excel, you can easily analyze patterns and trends, helping you to optimize your workflow and identify areas for improvement.
Centralized Information:
Having all your assignments in one place reduces the risk of losing track of tasks and ensures that all relevant information is easily accessible.
Step-by-Step Process to Organize Assignments in Excel
Step 1: create a new workbook.
Open Excel and create a new workbook. This workbook will serve as your assignment tracker.
- Open Excel.
- Click on “File” in the top left corner.
- Select “New” and choose “Blank Workbook.”
Step 2: Set Up Your Spreadsheet
Create a structured layout for your assignments by setting up columns for essential information. Common columns include:
- Assignment Name : The title or description of the assignment.
- Due Date : The deadline for the assignment.
- Priority : The importance level of the assignment (e.g., high, medium, low).
- Status : The current status of the assignment (e.g., not started, in progress, completed).
- Notes : Any additional information or comments about the assignment.
In your blank workbook, label the columns in the first row:
Step 3: Enter Assignment Details
Begin entering the details of your assignments into the respective columns. For example:
Step 4: Apply Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting can help you quickly identify high-priority tasks and approaching deadlines.
- Select the cells you want to format (e.g., the “Due Date” column).
- Click on “Home” in the top menu.
- Select “Conditional Formatting.”
- Choose “Highlight Cells Rules” and then “Less Than.”
- Enter a date that is a few days from today to highlight approaching deadlines.
You can also use conditional formatting to color-code priorities. For instance, high-priority tasks can be highlighted in red, medium in yellow, and low in green.
Step 5: Add Data Validation
To maintain consistency and accuracy, use data validation for columns like “Priority” and “Status.”
- Select the cells in the “Priority” column.
- Go to “Data” in the top menu.
- Click “Data Validation.”
- In the “Settings” tab, choose “List” from the “Allow” dropdown menu.
- Enter your priority options (e.g., High, Medium, Low) in the “Source” box.
- Repeat these steps for the “Status” column with options like “Not Started,” “In Progress,” and “Completed.”
Step 6: Create a Dashboard
A dashboard provides a visual summary of your assignments, helping you to monitor progress at a glance.
- Create a new sheet in your workbook and name it “Dashboard.”
- Use charts and graphs to display key metrics, such as the number of assignments per priority level or the percentage of completed tasks.
- To insert a chart, go to “Insert” in the top menu, select “Chart,” and choose the type of chart that best represents your data (e.g., pie chart, bar chart).
Step 7: Automate with Formulas
Excel’s formulas can automate calculations and updates, saving you time and reducing errors.
- SUM: Calculate the total number of assignments.
- COUNTIF: Count assignments based on their status.
Step 8: Set Up Reminders
Use Excel’s built-in features to set up reminders for upcoming deadlines.
- Highlight the “Due Date” column.
- Apply conditional formatting to change the cell color when the due date is approaching.
- Alternatively, integrate Excel with Outlook to receive email reminders for upcoming deadlines.
Pros and Cons of Organizing Assignments in Excel
Versatility:.
Excel’s flexibility allows for a high degree of customization, enabling you to create a tracker that meets your specific needs.
Excel’s powerful data analysis tools, such as pivot tables and charts, help you identify trends and optimize your workflow.
Centralization:
Keeping all your assignments in one place reduces the risk of losing track of tasks and ensures easy access to all relevant information.
Automation:
Excel’s formulas and macros can automate repetitive tasks, saving you time and reducing errors.
Collaboration:
Excel supports collaboration, allowing multiple users to update and manage the assignment tracker simultaneously.
Learning Curve:
For beginners, Excel’s vast array of features can be overwhelming, and it may take time to learn how to use the application effectively.
Complexity:
As the number of assignments grows, the spreadsheet can become complex and difficult to manage.
Manual Updates:
Although Excel supports automation, some updates and entries may still need to be done manually, which can be time-consuming.
Limited Notifications:
Unlike dedicated task management software, Excel does not have built-in notification features, which means you may need to rely on external reminders.
File Management:
Managing multiple Excel files or sharing them across different devices and platforms can sometimes be cumbersome.
Conclusion:
- Understanding how to organize assignments in excelis a powerful method for managing tasks, enhancing productivity, and improving time management. By following a structured approach and leveraging Excel’s features, you can create an effective assignment tracker that meets your needs.
- While Excel offers numerous benefits, it is essential to be aware of its limitations and consider complementary tools or strategies to address these challenges.
- With practice and customization, Excel can become an indispensable tool in your assignment management toolkit.
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#1 Excel tutorial on the net
- Assignment Problem
Formulate the Model | Trial and Error | Solve the Model
Use the solver in Excel to find the assignment of persons to tasks that minimizes the total cost.
Formulate the Model
The model we are going to solve looks as follows in Excel.
1. To formulate this assignment problem , answer the following three questions.
a. What are the decisions to be made? For this problem, we need Excel to find out which person to assign to which task (Yes=1, No=0). For example, if we assign Person 1 to Task 1, cell C10 equals 1. If not, cell C10 equals 0.
b. What are the constraints on these decisions? Each person can only do one task (Supply=1). Each task only needs one person (Demand=1).
c. What is the overall measure of performance for these decisions? The overall measure of performance is the total cost of the assignment, so the objective is to minimize this quantity.
2. To make the model easier to understand, create the following named ranges .
Range Name | Cells |
---|---|
Cost | C4:E6 |
Assignment | C10:E12 |
PersonsAssigned | C14:E14 |
Demand | C16:E16 |
TasksAssigned | G10:G12 |
Supply | I10:I12 |
TotalCost | I16 |
3. Insert the following functions.
Explanation: The SUM functions calculate the number of tasks assigned to a person and the number of persons assigned to a task. Total Cost equals the sumproduct of Cost and Assignment.
Trial and Error
With this formulation, it becomes easy to analyze any trial solution.
For example, if we assign Person 1 to Task 1, Person 2 to task 2 and Person 3 to Task 3, Tasks Assigned equals Supply and Persons Assigned equals Demand. This solution has a total cost of 147.
It is not necessary to use trial and error. We shall describe next how the Excel Solver can be used to quickly find the optimal solution.
Solve the Model
To find the optimal solution, execute the following steps.
1. On the Data tab, in the Analyze group, click Solver.
Note: can't find the Solver button? Click here to load the Solver add-in .
Enter the solver parameters (read on). The result should be consistent with the picture below.
You have the choice of typing the range names or clicking on the cells in the spreadsheet.
2. Enter TotalCost for the Objective.
3. Click Min.
4. Enter Assignment for the Changing Variable Cells.
5. Click Add to enter the following constraint.
Note: binary variables are either 0 or 1.
6. Click Add to enter the following constraint.
7. Click Add to enter the following constraint.
8. Check 'Make Unconstrained Variables Non-Negative' and select 'Simplex LP'.
9. Finally, click Solve.
The optimal solution:
Conclusion: it is optimal to assign Person 1 to task 2, Person 2 to Task 3 and Person 3 to Task 1. This solution gives the minimum cost of 129. All constraints are satisfied.
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Real Excel Exercises with Solutions
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A real Excel project focused on data validation and data manipulation in Finance. It includes 15 Excel exercises for practice based on the daily routines that banking analysts and finance consultants have to carry out in order to prepare worksheets before doing their analysis. This Excel assignment is split into three main parts: 1) Clean, edit and prepare the worksheet to execute the validation. Easy. 2) Analysis and validation/reconciliation of data. You will have to compare columns to find differences or retrieve data from one sheet to another: Advanced 3) Modification and data manipulation: Intermediate. It consists of the classic reconciliation and validation tasks every finance professional has to carry out on a daily basis. All Excel practice questions included in the project are real, very common while working with spreadsheets. The advantage of working with real Excel projects like this one, is that you learn how to use Excel to solve specific problems and what formulas or functions are the most suitable in each scenario. That is the main difference with regular exercises. It is a simulation of what you will confront in the real world.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
1) Data querying formulas, in particular Vlookup . You will learn about the business applications of Vlookup as well as the different situations where you may execute it. The second part of the project is all about vlookup. 2) Commonly used functions: IF statements, nested formulas, concatenate(), exact(), etc. 3) Cell editing and formatting features. 4) Navigation on the spreadsheet, keyboard shortcuts, filters, etc. 5) Page set up: Insert/delete rows/columns, copy, paste options, etc. 6) Print out spreadsheets.
REQUIREMENTS
These Excel exercises for practice are aimed at beginners, but it requires a minimum knowledge of Excel. Students must have attended an introduction course of Excel . All spreadsheets included in the project have been done in Excel 2013. It is compatible with Excel 2007, Excel 2010 and Excel 2016.
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD / CONTENT
You will receive a Zip folder in the confirmation email sent after purchase. It is also available on your Practity account. The file includes 2 PDFs and 5 Excel files: 1) PDF with the instructions. 2) PDF (20 pages) with the project solutions. You will receive detailed explanations about the formulas required to complete each exercise. You will also see images showing where the requested features and tools are located in the Excel layout. 3) Three Excel files with data. 120 rows and 19 fields. 4) Two spreadsheets with the Excel exercises solved.
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Excel Practice Exercises PDF with Answers. To solve the following exercises, 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. You can use Excel 2010 or later, except for the UNIQUE ...
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The model we are going to solve looks as follows in Excel. 1. To formulate this assignment problem, answer the following three questions. a. What are the decisions to be made? For this problem, we need Excel to find out which person to assign to which task (Yes=1, No=0). For example, if we assign Person 1 to Task 1, cell C10 equals 1. If not ...
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It includes 15 Excel exercises for practice based on the daily routines that banking analysts and finance consultants have to carry out in order to prepare worksheets before doing their analysis. This Excel assignment is split into three main parts: 1) Clean, edit and prepare the worksheet to execute the validation. Easy.
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