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 — for Consultant
Divide leavers by average headcount to get a turnover percentage.
Pick out the second-cheapest supplier quote rather than simply the cheapest.
SMALL
Reach the paste-special dialog to drop formulas and keep results.
Clean inconsistent spacing and casing so values can be matched.
Pick the right summary statistic for a set with one huge outlier.
AVERAGE · MEDIAN
Mark a campaign only when it overspends by more than a tolerance.
IF
Guard a division so cancelled lines do not fill the report with errors.
IF
Check whether a salary falls below or above its grade band.
OR · IF
Combine INDEX and MATCH to look up a value without a fixed column number.
INDEX · MATCH
Produce a summary line combining count, total and average for one region.
COUNTIF · SUMIF
Return a readable message instead of #N/A when a lookup finds nothing.
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
Return a name from one column based on a ranked value in another.
INDEX · MATCH · SMALL
Add up the top three values without sorting the data or using a helper column.
LARGE
| # | Exercise | Functions | Difficulty | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Calculate the annual turnover rateHarbor Supply — annual turnover summary | — | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 31 | Find the second-lowest quote with SMALLHarbor Supply — pallet contract tender | SMALL | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 37 | Paste the numbers, not the formulasNo dataset — this one is about your hands | — | Intermediate | 4 min | 20 pts |
| 41 | Standardise messy codes with TRIM and UPPERHarbor Supply — supplier feed, uncleaned | — | Intermediate | 7 min | 25 pts |
| 44 | Average or median for this data?Conceptual question — no dataset | AVERAGE · MEDIAN | Intermediate | 4 min | 20 pts |
| 47 | Flag campaigns over budget by a marginHarbor Supply — campaign budget versus actual | IF | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 49 | Work out fill rate without a divide errorHarbor Supply — fill rate by line, some cancelled | IF | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 56 | Flag salaries outside their bandHarbor Supply — pay band audit | OR · IF | Intermediate | 8 min | 25 pts |
| 66 | Find a value with INDEX and MATCHHarbor Supply — commission rates by rep | INDEX · MATCH | Intermediate | 10 min | 25 pts |
| 71 | Build a regional summary from raw ordersHarbor Supply — raw October order export | COUNTIF · SUMIF | Advanced | 16 min | 40 pts |
| 73 | Handle missing lookups gracefullyHarbor Supply — orders including a new customer | XLOOKUP | Advanced | 10 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 |
| 81 | Name the third-fastest supplierHarbor Supply — supplier lead times | INDEX · MATCH · SMALL | Advanced | 13 min | 40 pts |
| 83 | Total the three biggest ordersHarbor Supply — order values, unsorted export | LARGE | Advanced | 10 min | 35 pts |