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.
19 exercises — Intermediate · for Finance
Work out how many days old each invoice is.
TODAY
Cycle a reference through its absolute and relative forms while editing.
Combine date arithmetic with a conditional label.
IF · TODAY
Reach the paste-special dialog to drop formulas and keep results.
Require two conditions to be true at once.
IF · AND
Return one of three labels depending on where a value falls.
IF
Count rows that satisfy several criteria at once.
COUNTIFS
Mark a campaign only when it overspends by more than a tolerance.
IF
Return the right rate from several tiers without nesting.
IFS
Combine two logical tests so one condition can override the other.
AND · OR · IF
Check whether a salary falls below or above its grade band.
OR · IF
Add up spend for a single channel out of a mixed campaign list.
SUMIF
Sum the orders that beat the average, without typing the average in yourself.
SUMIF · AVERAGE
Add up overtime for a single team out of a mixed timesheet.
SUMIF
Apply two conditions at once to a conditional sum.
SUMIFS
Recall the argument order that differs between SUMIF and SUMIFS.
SUMIF · SUMIFS
Combine INDEX and MATCH to look up a value without a fixed column number.
INDEX · MATCH
Match a weight to a rate band, where the weight will never appear in the table.
VLOOKUP
Identify the one situation VLOOKUP genuinely cannot handle.
VLOOKUP · XLOOKUP
| # | Exercise | Functions | Difficulty | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Calculate invoice age with TODAYHarbor Supply — open invoices | TODAY | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 35 | Add the dollar signs without typing themNo dataset — this one is about your hands | — | Intermediate | 4 min | 20 pts |
| 36 | Flag overdue invoices with IF and TODAYHarbor Supply — aged debt | IF · TODAY | Intermediate | 9 min | 25 pts |
| 37 | Paste the numbers, not the formulasNo dataset — this one is about your hands | — | Intermediate | 4 min | 20 pts |
| 43 | Approve orders with ANDHarbor Supply — order approval queue | IF · AND | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 45 | Band orders by size with nested IFHarbor Supply — October orders | IF | Intermediate | 9 min | 25 pts |
| 46 | Count orders meeting two conditionsHarbor Supply — orders across regions | COUNTIFS | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 47 | Flag campaigns over budget by a marginHarbor Supply — campaign budget versus actual | IF | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 50 | Apply commission tiers with IFSHarbor Supply — Q3 sales by rep | IFS | Intermediate | 10 min | 25 pts |
| 55 | Flag accounts for review with AND and ORHarbor Supply — accounts receivable review | AND · OR · IF | Intermediate | 9 min | 30 pts |
| 56 | Flag salaries outside their bandHarbor Supply — pay band audit | OR · IF | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 59 | Total marketing spend for one channelHarbor Supply — campaign spend by channel | SUMIF | Intermediate | 7 min | 25 pts |
| 60 | Total only the orders above averageHarbor Supply — October order values | SUMIF · AVERAGE | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 61 | Total overtime hours for one teamHarbor Supply — overtime by team | SUMIF | Intermediate | 7 min | 25 pts |
| 62 | Total sales for a region and month with SUMIFSHarbor Supply — orders across regions and months | SUMIFS | Intermediate | 9 min | 25 pts |
| 65 | Which range does SUMIFS want first?Conceptual question — no dataset | SUMIF · SUMIFS | Intermediate | 3 min | 20 pts |
| 66 | Find a value with INDEX and MATCHHarbor Supply — commission rates by rep | INDEX · MATCH | Intermediate | 10 min | 25 pts |
| 67 | Look up a shipping band with VLOOKUPHarbor Supply — carrier rate card by weight band | VLOOKUP | Intermediate | 10 min | 30 pts |
| 69 | When can VLOOKUP not do the job?Conceptual question — no dataset | VLOOKUP · XLOOKUP | Intermediate | 3 min | 20 pts |