IntermediateStatistical Functions
Measure the spread, ignoring the extremes
Compare the second-best and second-worst weeks to get a fairer range.
LARGE · SMALL
7 min25 points
LARGE practice exercises
Returns the nth largest value — the third-best rep, not just the best. Below are 3 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
LARGE(array, k)
Need a refresher? Learn LARGE — syntax, a worked example and where it goes wrong.
Practise LARGE
Ordered from most approachable to hardest.
- AdvancedData Analysis
Name the second-best rep with LARGE and INDEX
Combine ranking with a lookup to return a name, not just a number.
LARGE · INDEX · MATCH
14 min40 points - AdvancedStatistical Functions
Total the three biggest orders
Add up the top three values without sorting the data or using a helper column.
LARGE
10 min35 points
When LARGE is the right tool
Returns the nth largest value — the third-best rep, not just the best. It belongs to the statistical functions family, and it shows up constantly in real work — which is why it is worth being genuinely fluent rather than merely familiar.
Before this one, it helps to be comfortable with MAX. The exercises below assume that ground is covered.
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 LARGE and producing it from memory, correctly, on data you have not seen before, only closes by doing it.
Related functions
Questions about LARGE
How do I practise LARGE without Excel installed?
Every exercise on this page runs in your browser. You type the LARGE formula into a real spreadsheet grid and get told immediately whether it works — no download, no account.
What does LARGE do?
Returns the nth largest value — the third-best rep, not just the best. The syntax is LARGE(array, k). The exercises below put it to work on realistic business data rather than abstract examples.
How long does it take to learn LARGE?
Most people can write a working LARGE 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.