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.
40 exercises — for Finance
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.
Pin down what $ changes about a reference, and what it does not.
Subtract cost from revenue to find what each order actually earned.
Work out what a customer pays after their contracted discount.
Divide actual sales by target to get an achievement percentage.
Calculate the mean value of a set of customer orders.
AVERAGE
Divide campaign spend by the leads it generated.
Count how many rows meet a numeric condition.
COUNTIF
Identify the extremes in a column of values.
MAX · MIN
Pick out the second-cheapest supplier quote rather than simply the cheapest.
SMALL
Add up only the rows matching a text condition.
SUMIF
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
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
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
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
Add up the top three values without sorting the data or using a helper column.
LARGE
| # | Exercise | Functions | Difficulty | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 15 | What does the dollar sign actually do?Conceptual question — no dataset | — | Beginner | 3 min | 15 pts |
| 17 | Work out gross margin per orderHarbor Supply — order profitability | — | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 19 | Apply a percentage discount to a list priceHarbor Supply — contracted distributor pricing | — | Beginner | 5 min | 15 pts |
| 21 | Calculate achievement against targetHarbor Supply — Q3 rep performance | — | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 23 | Find the average order value with AVERAGEHarbor Supply — October orders | AVERAGE | Beginner | 3 min | 10 pts |
| 26 | Work out cost per leadHarbor Supply — spend and leads by campaign | — | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 27 | Count orders above a threshold with COUNTIFHarbor Supply — October orders | COUNTIF | Beginner | 5 min | 15 pts |
| 28 | Find the largest and smallest orderHarbor Supply — October orders | MAX · MIN | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 31 | Find the second-lowest quote with SMALLHarbor Supply — pallet contract tender | SMALL | Beginner | 4 min | 10 pts |
| 33 | Total sales for one region with SUMIFHarbor Supply — October orders by region | SUMIF | Beginner | 6 min | 15 pts |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 83 | Total the three biggest ordersHarbor Supply — order values, unsorted export | LARGE | Advanced | 10 min | 35 pts |