Real situations from working spreadsheets — sales targets, commission tiers, messy exports, aged invoices. Numbered in recommended order: start at 1 and work down, or filter to what you need.
15 exercises — Advanced
Pull a fixed-length value out of the middle of a code that varies in shape.
MID · FIND
Produce a summary line combining count, total and average for one region.
COUNTIF · SUMIF
Diagnose and correct a formula that returns the wrong answer.
IF
Return a readable message instead of #N/A when a lookup finds nothing.
XLOOKUP
Use absolute references so a lookup does not break when copied down a column.
XLOOKUP
Anchor one end of a range so it grows as the formula moves down the column.
SUM
Look up a value that only exists two tables away from what you started with.
XLOOKUP
Write one formula that stays correct filled both across and down a grid.
SUMIFS
Use COUNTIF to reconcile two lists and spot what is absent.
COUNTIF · IF
Repair a formula written in SUMIF's argument order instead of SUMIFS'.
SUMIFS
Combine ranking with a lookup to return a name, not just a number.
LARGE · INDEX · MATCH
Return a name from one column based on a ranked value in another.
INDEX · MATCH · SMALL
Match two lists where one side has trailing spaces you cannot see.
COUNTIF · IF
Add up the top three values without sorting the data or using a helper column.
LARGE
Diagnose a match failure where both values look identical on screen.
XLOOKUP
| # | Exercise | Functions | Difficulty | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Extract a lot number from a messy codeHarbor Supply — warehouse barcode strings | MID · FIND | Advanced | 12 min | 35 pts |
| 71 | Build a regional summary from raw ordersHarbor Supply — raw October order export | COUNTIF · SUMIF | Advanced | 16 min | 40 pts |
| 72 | Fix a broken commission formulaHarbor Supply — commission run with a bug | IF | Advanced | 14 min | 40 pts |
| 73 | Handle missing lookups gracefullyHarbor Supply — orders including a new customer | XLOOKUP | Advanced | 10 min | 40 pts |
| 74 | Lock ranges so a lookup survives fill-downHarbor Supply — orders and customer reference | XLOOKUP | Advanced | 12 min | 40 pts |
| 75 | Build a running total that fills downHarbor Supply — monthly sales, cumulative column | SUM | Advanced | 12 min | 35 pts |
| 76 | Chain two lookups with XLOOKUPHarbor Supply — orders, customers and credit terms | XLOOKUP | Advanced | 13 min | 40 pts |
| 77 | Fill a two-way summary with SUMIFSHarbor Supply — order log, two months | SUMIFS | Advanced | 14 min | 40 pts |
| 78 | Find which customers are missing from a listHarbor Supply — CRM customers versus billing records | COUNTIF · IF | Advanced | 14 min | 40 pts |
| 79 | Fix a SUMIFS with its arguments swappedHarbor Supply — regional totals, formula under repair | SUMIFS | Advanced | 11 min | 35 pts |
| 80 | Name the second-best rep with LARGE and INDEXHarbor Supply — Q3 sales by rep, unsorted | LARGE · INDEX · MATCH | Advanced | 14 min | 40 pts |
| 81 | Name the third-fastest supplierHarbor Supply — supplier lead times | INDEX · MATCH · SMALL | Advanced | 13 min | 40 pts |
| 82 | Reconcile a list with hidden spacesHarbor Supply — export vs master customer list | COUNTIF · IF | Advanced | 12 min | 35 pts |
| 83 | Total the three biggest ordersHarbor Supply — order values, unsorted export | LARGE | Advanced | 10 min | 35 pts |
| 84 | Why does a lookup fail on clean data?Conceptual question — no dataset | XLOOKUP | Advanced | 4 min | 30 pts |