Data Analyst Interview Q&A
Basic Level Excel Questions (For Freshers & Fundamentals Check)
1. What is Microsoft Excel? What are its primary uses?
Answer: Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software that's widely used for data
entry, analysis, calculations, and creating reports. It helps organize large sets of
data using rows and columns, and you can use built-in formulas, charts, pivot
tables, and more to analyze that data efficiently. For data analysts like us, it’s a
powerful tool for cleaning data, finding trends, and making insights visual.
2. Explain the difference between a workbook and a worksheet.
Answer: A workbook is the entire Excel file—it can contain multiple worksheets.
A worksheet, on the other hand, is a single tab inside the workbook where we
actually enter and work with the data. Think of the workbook as a book and each
worksheet as an individual page in that book.
3. What are rows, columns, and cells in Excel?
Answer: Rows go horizontally and are labeled with numbers (like 1, 2, 3…), while
columns go vertically and are labeled with letters (A, B, C…). The intersection of
a row and a column is called a cell.
For example, cell B2 is where column B and row 2 meet. Cells are where we
enter data.
4. How many rows and columns are there in Excel 365?
Answer: Excel 365 supports up to 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns in a single
worksheet. The columns go from A to XFD. It’s more than enough for most data
analysis work.
5. What are the basic data types supported in Excel?
Answer: Excel mainly supports the following data types:
Text (strings)
Numbers
Dates and Time
Boolean (TRUE or FALSE)
Formulas and errors (like #DIV/0!)
These are the types we usually work with in data analysis.
6. What are some commonly used Excel file extensions?
Answer: The most common Excel file extensions are:
.xlsx – the default Excel file without macros
.xls – older Excel file format (Excel 97–2003)
.xlsm – Excel file that includes macros
.csv – comma-separated values, used for plain-text data sharing
We usually use .xlsx or .csv for data analysis tasks.
7. How do you save an Excel file as a PDF?
Answer: To save an Excel file as a PDF, go to File > Save As or File > Export, then
choose PDF from the list of file types. You can also use Ctrl + P and select
Microsoft Print to PDF from the printer list, then click Print to save it as a PDF.
8. What are relative, absolute, and mixed cell references?
Answer: Relative , Absolute, Mixed Reference are:
Relative Reference (e.g., A1): Changes when you copy the formula to
another cell.
Absolute Reference (e.g., $A$1): Stays fixed even when copied.
Mixed Reference (e.g., A$1 or $A1): Only the row or column stays fixed.
These are super helpful when working with formulas across large datasets.
9. How do you insert or delete rows/columns in Excel?
Answer: Right-click on the row number or column letter where you want to
insert or delete, then choose Insert or Delete. You can also use the Home >
Insert/Delete options on the ribbon. Keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + "+" (insert)
and Ctrl + "-" (delete) are also quick.
10. What is the use of the Fill Handle in Excel?
Answer: The Fill Handle is the small square at the bottom-right corner of a
selected cell. You can drag it to copy data, formulas, or continue a series like
dates, numbers, or even patterns. It’s a big time-saver when working with
repetitive entries.
