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.
18 exercises — Beginner · for Operations
Turn separate year, month and day columns into a real date Excel understands.
DATE
Join a category prefix and an item number into a single SKU.
CONCAT
Use LEN to validate that product codes are the right length.
LEN
Divide a unit count by the case size to see how many cases were ordered.
Count how many people sit in a single department on a staff list.
COUNTIF
Open a cell for editing without reaching for the mouse or the formula bar.
Copy the cell above into the cells you have selected, without dragging.
Add up a column of daily sales figures to get the monthly total.
SUM
Stamp the current date into a cell as a fixed value.
Pin down what $ changes about a reference, and what it does not.
Read an error code as a diagnosis rather than a failure.
Subtract leave taken from entitlement to see what each person has left.
Combine separate address fields into one line, skipping blanks.
TEXTJOIN
Use COUNT to find how many rows contain a numeric value.
COUNT
Locate a keyword inside a longer description without worrying about capitals.
SEARCH
Count how many rows meet a numeric condition.
COUNTIF
Pick out the second-cheapest supplier quote rather than simply the cheapest.
SMALL
Mark an order when either of two independent conditions is true.
OR · IF
| # | Exercise | Functions | Difficulty | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assemble a delivery date with DATEHarbor Supply — inbound delivery schedule | DATE | Beginner | 5 min | 15 pts |
| 2 | Build a product code with CONCATHarbor Supply — new catalogue load | CONCAT | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 7 | Check code length with LENHarbor Supply — product code import | LEN | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 8 | Convert loose units into full casesHarbor Supply — pick list, units to cases | — | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 9 | Count the headcount in one departmentHarbor Supply — staff list by department | COUNTIF | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 10 | Edit the cell you are standing onNo dataset — this one is about your hands | — | Beginner | 2 min | 10 pts |
| 11 | Fill a formula down a columnNo dataset — this one is about your hands | — | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 13 | Total a month of sales with SUMHarbor Supply — daily sales, first week of October | SUM | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 14 | Type today's date without typing itNo dataset — this one is about your hands | — | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 15 | What does the dollar sign actually do?Conceptual question — no dataset | — | Beginner | 3 min | 15 pts |
| 16 | What is Excel telling you with #N/A?Conceptual question — no dataset | — | Beginner | 3 min | 15 pts |
| 18 | Work out remaining leave daysHarbor Supply — annual leave tracker | — | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 20 | Build a mailing address with TEXTJOINHarbor Supply — customer addresses | TEXTJOIN | Beginner | 6 min | 15 pts |
| 22 | Count how many orders shipped with COUNTHarbor Supply — shipment status | COUNT | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 24 | Find where a word starts with SEARCHHarbor Supply — supplier product descriptions | SEARCH | Beginner | 5 min | 15 pts |
| 27 | Count orders above a threshold with COUNTIFHarbor Supply — October orders | COUNTIF | Beginner | 5 min | 15 pts |
| 31 | Find the second-lowest quote with SMALLHarbor Supply — pallet contract tender | SMALL | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 32 | Flag orders needing special handling with ORHarbor Supply — warehouse pick list | OR · IF | Beginner | 5 min | 15 pts |