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
MATCH practice exercises
Returns the position of a value within 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
MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])
Practise MATCH
Ordered from most approachable to hardest.
When MATCH is the right tool
Returns the position of a value within 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 MATCH and producing it from memory, correctly, on data you have not seen before, only closes by doing it.
Related functions
Questions about MATCH
How do I practise MATCH without Excel installed?
Every exercise on this page runs in your browser. You type the MATCH formula into a real spreadsheet grid and get told immediately whether it works — no download, no account.
What does MATCH do?
Returns the position of a value within a range. The syntax is MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type]). The exercises below put it to work on realistic business data rather than abstract examples.
How long does it take to learn MATCH?
Most people can write a working MATCH 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.