BeginnerStatistical Functions
Find the second-lowest quote with SMALL
Pick out the second-cheapest supplier quote rather than simply the cheapest.
SMALL
4 min10 points
SMALL practice exercises
Returns the nth smallest value in a range. 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
SMALL(array, k)
Practise SMALL
Ordered from most approachable to hardest.
- 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 - AdvancedLookup & Reference
Name the third-fastest supplier
Return a name from one column based on a ranked value in another.
INDEX · MATCH · SMALL
13 min40 points
When SMALL is the right tool
Returns the nth smallest value in a range. 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 MIN. 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 SMALL and producing it from memory, correctly, on data you have not seen before, only closes by doing it.
Related functions
Questions about SMALL
How do I practise SMALL without Excel installed?
Every exercise on this page runs in your browser. You type the SMALL formula into a real spreadsheet grid and get told immediately whether it works — no download, no account.
What does SMALL do?
Returns the nth smallest value in a range. The syntax is SMALL(array, k). The exercises below put it to work on realistic business data rather than abstract examples.
How long does it take to learn SMALL?
Most people can write a working SMALL 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.