Core Excel Formulas (Must-Know)
Basic Math
• =SUM(A1:A10) → Adds numbers.
• =AVERAGE(A1:A10) → Mean.
• =MEDIAN(A1:A10) → Median.
• =ROUND(A1,2) → Rounds to 2 decimals.
• =ROUNDUP(A1,0) / =ROUNDDOWN(A1,0).
• =POWER(A1,2) or =A1^2.
Conditional Logic
• =IF(A1>50,"Pass","Fail") → Basic condition.
• =IFS(A1>90,"A",A1>75,"B",A1>60,"C",TRUE,"F").
• =IFERROR(A1/B1,"Error") → Handles errors.
Lookups & Search
• =VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table, col_index, FALSE) → Vertical lookup.
• =HLOOKUP(lookup_value, table, row_index, FALSE) → Horizontal lookup.
• =XLOOKUP(lookup, lookup_array, return_array, "Not Found") → Modern
replacement for VLOOKUP.
• =INDEX(range, row, col) + =MATCH(value, range,0) → Flexible lookup combo.
Text Handling
• =CONCAT(A1,B1) / =TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,A1:A3).
• =LEFT(A1,4) → First 4 characters.
• =RIGHT(A1,3) → Last 3 characters.
• =MID(A1,3,5) → Extract 5 chars from position 3.
• =LEN(A1) → Length of text.
• =TRIM(A1) → Removes extra spaces.
• =PROPER(A1) / =UPPER(A1) / =LOWER(A1).
• =SUBSTITUTE(A1,"old","new").
• =SEARCH("word",A1) or =FIND("word",A1) → Position of text.
Date & Time
• =TODAY() → Current date.
• =NOW() → Current date & time.
• =EDATE(A1,3) → 3 months after date in A1.
• =DATEDIF(A1,A2,"d") → Difference in days.
• =TEXT(A1,"dd-mmm-yyyy") → Custom date format.
• =WEEKDAY(A1,2) → Returns day number (Mon=1).
Statistics & Data Analysis
• =COUNT(A1:A10) → Counts numbers only.
• =COUNTA(A1:A10) → Counts all non-empty.
• =COUNTIF(A1:A10,">50") → Conditional count.
• =COUNTIFS(range1,cond1, range2,cond2).
• =RANK(A1,$A$1:$A$10,0) → Ranking.
• =CORREL(A1:A10,B1:B10) → Correlation.
• =STDEV(A1:A10) / =VAR(A1:A10).
Financial (handy in data tasks)
• =PMT(rate,nper,pv) → Loan payments.
• =NPV(rate, values) / =IRR(values).
Excel Tips & Tricks
Data Cleaning
• Use Text to Columns (Data → Text to Columns) for splitting data.
• Remove Duplicates (Data tab).
• Use Filters & Advanced Filters for quick analysis.
• Use Flash Fill (Ctrl+E) to auto-complete patterns.
Data Validation & Entry
• Data Validation → Dropdown lists.
• Protect sheet/workbook (Review tab).
Formatting & Visualization
• Conditional Formatting (highlight cells based on rules).
• Custom Number Formatting (0.00%, #,##0, etc.).
• Insert Sparklines (tiny charts inside cells).
Efficiency Shortcuts
• Ctrl+T → Convert range to Table.
• Ctrl+Shift+L → Add filters.
• Alt+ = → Auto SUM.
• Ctrl+Arrow Keys → Jump to end of range.
• Ctrl+Shift+Arrow Keys → Select data range.
Data Analysis Tools
• Pivot Tables → Summarize large datasets.
• Power Query → Clean & transform big datasets.
• What-If Analysis → Scenario Manager, Goal Seek, Data Tables.
Pro Tricks for Large Data
• Use Structured References in Tables → =SUM(Table1[Sales]).
• Combine formulas: =INDEX(A:A,MATCH(MAX(B:B),B:B,0)) → Find name with max
value.
• Dynamic Ranges with =OFFSET() or =FILTER().
• Named Ranges for cleaner formulas.
• Dynamic Arrays (Excel 365+):
o =SORT(A1:A10)
o =UNIQUE(A1:A10)
o =FILTER(A1:C10, B1:B10="Yes").
