BeginnerLogical Functions
Flag reps below target with IF
Use IF to label each rep as meeting or missing their target.
IF
5 min15 points
IF practice exercises
Returns one value when a test is true and another when it is false. Below are 13 interactive exercises that put it to work on realistic business data — you write the formula, and get told exactly what went wrong when it does not work.
Syntax
IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false)
Need a refresher? Learn IF — syntax, a worked example and where it goes wrong.
Practise IF
Ordered from most approachable to hardest.
- BeginnerLogical Functions
Flag orders needing special handling with OR
Mark an order when either of two independent conditions is true.
OR · IF
5 min15 points - IntermediateLogical Functions
Band orders by size with nested IF
Return one of three labels depending on where a value falls.
IF
9 min25 points - IntermediateLogical Functions
Approve orders with AND
Require two conditions to be true at once.
IF · AND
8 min25 points - IntermediateDate & Time
Flag overdue invoices with IF and TODAY
Combine date arithmetic with a conditional label.
IF · TODAY
9 min25 points - IntermediateLogical Functions
Flag accounts for review with AND and OR
Combine two logical tests so one condition can override the other.
AND · OR · IF
9 min30 points - IntermediateData Cleaning
Spot duplicate order numbers with COUNTIF
Find rows whose order number appears more than once in the column.
COUNTIF · IF
9 min30 points - IntermediateLogical Functions
Work out fill rate without a divide error
Guard a division so cancelled lines do not fill the report with errors.
IF
8 min25 points - AdvancedLogical Functions
Fix a broken commission formula
Diagnose and correct a formula that returns the wrong answer.
IF
14 min40 points - AdvancedData Cleaning
Find which customers are missing from a list
Use COUNTIF to reconcile two lists and spot what is absent.
COUNTIF · IF
14 min40 points - AdvancedData Cleaning
Reconcile a list with hidden spaces
Match two lists where one side has trailing spaces you cannot see.
COUNTIF · IF
12 min35 points - IntermediateLogical Functions
Flag salaries outside their band
Check whether a salary falls below or above its grade band.
OR · IF
8 min25 points - IntermediateLogical Functions
Flag campaigns over budget by a margin
Mark a campaign only when it overspends by more than a tolerance.
IF
8 min25 points
When IF is the right tool
Returns one value when a test is true and another when it is false. It belongs to the logical functions family, and it shows up constantly in real work — which is why it is worth being genuinely fluent rather than merely familiar.
Reading about a function is not the same as being able to write it. The exercises on this page exist because the gap between recognising IF and producing it from memory, correctly, on data you have not seen before, only closes by doing it.
Related functions
Questions about IF
How do I practise IF without Excel installed?
Every exercise on this page runs in your browser. You type the IF formula into a real spreadsheet grid and get told immediately whether it works — no download, no account.
What does IF do?
Returns one value when a test is true and another when it is false. The syntax is IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false). The exercises below put it to work on realistic business data rather than abstract examples.
How long does it take to learn IF?
Most people can write a working IF formula within twenty minutes of practice. Getting it right under pressure — with edge cases, unsorted data and ranges that must survive being filled down — is what the harder exercises here are for.