IntermediateLookup & Reference
Find a value with INDEX and MATCH
Combine INDEX and MATCH to look up a value without a fixed column number.
INDEX · MATCH
10 min25 points
INDEX practice exercises
Returns the value at a given row and column position in a range. Below are 2 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
INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])
Practise INDEX
Ordered from most approachable to hardest.
When INDEX is the right tool
Returns the value at a given row and column position in a range. It belongs to the lookup & reference 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 INDEX and producing it from memory, correctly, on data you have not seen before, only closes by doing it.
Related functions
Questions about INDEX
How do I practise INDEX without Excel installed?
Every exercise on this page runs in your browser. You type the INDEX formula into a real spreadsheet grid and get told immediately whether it works — no download, no account.
What does INDEX do?
Returns the value at a given row and column position in a range. The syntax is INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num]). The exercises below put it to work on realistic business data rather than abstract examples.
How long does it take to learn INDEX?
Most people can write a working INDEX 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.