Basic Excel Formulas and Functions Tutorial

Excel is a powerful tool for organizing, analyzing, and visualizing data. Here’s a quick guide to some
essential formulas and functions to get you started:

1. Arithmetic Formulas

These are the building blocks for calculations in Excel:

 Addition: =A1 + B1

 Subtraction: =A1 - B1

 Multiplication: =A1 * B1

 Division: =A1 / B1

 Sum: =SUM(A1:A10) (Adds all values in a range)

 Average: =AVERAGE(A1:A10) (Calculates the mean)

2. Logical Functions

Logical functions help you make decisions in your data:

 IF: =IF(A1>10, "Yes", "No") (Returns "Yes" if A1 > 10, otherwise "No")

 AND: =AND(A1>10, B1<5) (Returns TRUE if both conditions are met)

 OR: =OR(A1>10, B1<5) (Returns TRUE if either condition is met)

3. Text Functions

Manipulate and clean text data:

 CONCATENATE: =CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1) (Joins text from A1 and B1 with a space)

 LEFT: =LEFT(A1, 5) (Extracts the first 5 characters from A1)

 RIGHT: =RIGHT(A1, 3) (Extracts the last 3 characters from A1)

 LEN: =LEN(A1) (Counts the number of characters in A1)

4. Lookup Functions

Retrieve data from a table or range:

 VLOOKUP: =VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

 HLOOKUP: =HLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, row_index_num, [range_lookup])

 INDEX: =INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

Work with dates and times effectively:

 TODAY: =TODAY() (Returns the current date)

 NOW: =NOW() (Returns the current date and time)

 DATEDIF: =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "unit") (Calculates the difference between two

6. Error Handling

Handle errors gracefully:

 IFERROR: =IFERROR(A1/B1, "Error") (Returns "Error" if there’s a division by zero)

Tips for Using Formulas

 Always start formulas with an = sign.

 Use parentheses () to control the order of operations.

 Use cell references (e.g., A1) instead of hardcoding values for flexibility.
COUNT Function

The COUNT function in Excel counts the number of cells that contain numbers in a given range.
Syntax:

COUNT(value1, [value2], …)

 value1, value2, … are the cells or ranges you want to count.

 Only numbers are counted; text or blank cells are ignored.

Example

Suppose we have a dataset of students’ marks:

Student Marks

Alice 85

Bob 90

Charlie 78

David

Emma 92

Frank 88

Grace 80

Henry

Ivy 75

Jack 82

We want to count how many students have marks entered (non-blank numbers).

Formula:

=COUNT(B2:B11)

Explanation:

 B2:B11 is the range of marks.

 COUNT will ignore blank cells and count only numeric values.

Result:

8
Student Marks COUNT (Numbers) COUNTIF (>80) COUNTA (Non-empty)

Alice 85 =COUNT(B2:B11) =COUNTIF(B2:B11,">80") =COUNTA(B2:B11)

Bob 90

Charlie 78

David

Emma 92

Frank 88

Grace 80

Henry

Ivy 75

Jack 82

How it works:

1. Paste the table into Excel.

2. Enter the formulas in row 2, in the corresponding columns.

3. Excel will automatically calculate:

o COUNT → 8

o COUNTIF (>80) → 5

o COUNTA → 8

Steps for Conditional Formatting in Excel

1. Select the Marks column:

o Click and drag to select B2:B11.

2. Go to Conditional Formatting:

o In the Excel ribbon → Home → Conditional Formatting → New Rule…

3. Set the Rule:

o Choose “Use a formula to determine which cells to format”

o Enter this formula:

o Click Format… → choose a fill color (e.g., light green) → OK

4. Apply the Rule:

o Click OK again.

o All cells in B2:B11 with marks greater than 80 will now be highlighted.

✅ Result

 Cells with Alice 85, Bob 90, Emma 92, Frank 88, Jack 82 will be highlighted.

 It’s an easy visual way to see which students scored above 80.

SUMIF Function

The SUMIF function adds the values in a range that meet a specific condition.

Syntax:

SUMIF(range, criteria, [sum_range])

 range → the cells to evaluate the condition

 criteria → the condition (e.g., ">80")

 sum_range → the cells to sum (optional, if different from range)

Example Table (10 Rows)

Student Marks Group

Alice 85 A

Bob 90 B

Charlie 78 A

David 45 B

Emma 92 A

Frank 88 B

Grace 80 A

Henry 55 B
Student Marks Group

Ivy 75 A

Jack 82 B

1️⃣ Example 1: Sum marks greater than 80

=SUMIF(B2:B11, ">80")

Explanation:

 Checks B2:B11 for numbers >80 and sums them.

Result:

85 + 90 + 92 + 88 + 82 = 437

2️⃣ Example 2: Sum marks for Group A

=SUMIF(C2:C11, "A", B2:B11)

Explanation:

 Checks C2:C11 for "A"

 Sums corresponding marks in B2:B11

Result:

85 + 78 + 92 + 80 + 75 = 410

3️⃣ Example 3: Sum marks for Group B above 80

=SUMIF(B2:B11, ">80", B2:B11*(C2:C11="B"))

In Excel, a simpler way is to use SUMIFS if multiple conditions are needed.

For multiple conditions, it’s better to use SUMIFS:

=SUMIFS(B2:B11, C2:C11, "B", B2:B11, ">80")

Result:

90 + 88 + 82 = 260

IF Function

The IF function checks a condition and returns one value if the condition is TRUE and another if it is
FALSE.
Syntax:

IF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false)

 condition → what you want to test (e.g., B2>=50)

 value_if_true → what to show if the condition is TRUE

 value_if_false → what to show if the condition is FALSE

Example Table (10 Rows)

Student Marks

Alice 85

Bob 90

Charlie 78

David 45

Emma 92

Frank 88

Grace 80

Henry 55

Ivy 75

Jack 40

1️⃣ Example 1: Pass/Fail

Pass if marks ≥50, otherwise Fail:

=IF(B2>=50, "Pass", "Fail")

Results:

Student Marks Result

Alice 85 Pass

Bob 90 Pass

Charlie 78 Pass
David 45 Fail
Emma 92 Pass
Frank 88 Pass
Grace 80 Pass
Henry 55 Pass
Student Marks Result

Ivy 75 Pass
Jack 40 Fail
2️⃣ Example 2: Grade Assignment

Assign grades based on marks:

 ≥90 → A

 80–89 → B

 70–79 → C

 <70 → D

Formula using nested IF:

=IF(B2>=90,"A",IF(B2>=80,"B",IF(B2>=70,"C","D")))

Results:

Student Marks Grade

Alice 85 B

Bob 90 A

Charlie 78 C

David 45 D

Emma 92 A

Frank 88 B

Grace 80 B

Henry 55 D

Ivy 75 C

Jack 40 D

Nested IF Function

A nested IF is an IF function inside another IF. It allows multiple conditions to be checked in a single
formula.

Syntax:

IF(condition1, value_if_true1, IF(condition2, value_if_true2, IF(condition3, value_if_true3,

Student Marks

Alice 85

Bob 90

Charlie 78

David 45

Emma 92

Frank 88

Grace 80

Henry 55

Ivy 75

Jack 40

Nested IF Example: Assign Grades

 ≥90 → A

 80–89 → B

 70–79 → C

 50–69 → D

 <50 → F

Formula:

=IF(B2>=90,"A",IF(B2>=80,"B",IF(B2>=70,"C",IF(B2>=50,"D","F"))))

Explanation:

1. Check if B2 >= 90 → If TRUE, return "A"

2. If FALSE, check if B2 >= 80 → If TRUE, return "B"

3. If FALSE, check if B2 >= 70 → If TRUE, return "C"

4. If FALSE, check if B2 >= 50 → If TRUE, return "D"

5. Otherwise → return "F"

Result Table

Student Marks Grade

Alice 85 B
Student Marks Grade

Bob 90 A

Charlie 78 C

David 45 F

Emma 92 A

Frank 88 B

Grace 80 B

Henry 55 D

Ivy 75 C

Jack 40 F
LOOKUP Function

The LOOKUP function is used to search for a value in a range and return a corresponding value from
another range.

Syntax (Vector Form):

LOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_vector, result_vector)

 lookup_value → the value you want to search for

 lookup_vector → the range where Excel searches the value

 result_vector → the range from which Excel returns a value

Note: LOOKUP requires the lookup_vector to be sorted in ascending order.

Example Table (10 Rows)

Student Marks

Alice 85

Bob 90

Charlie 78

David 45

Emma 92

Frank 88

Grace 80

Henry 55

Ivy 75

Jack 40

Example 1: Assign Grades using LOOKUP

Suppose we have a grade table:

Minimum Marks Grade

0 F

50 D

70 C

80 B

90 A
Formula to get grade for Alice (B2):

=LOOKUP(B2, {0,50,70,80,90}, {"F","D","C","B","A"})

Explanation:

 Looks up B2 (85) in {0,50,70,80,90}

 Finds the largest number ≤ 85 → 80

 Returns the corresponding grade from {"F","D","C","B","A"} → B

Result Table

Student Marks Grade (LOOKUP)

Alice 85 B

Bob 90 A

Charlie 78 C

David 45 F

Emma 92 A

Frank 88 B

Grace 80 B

Henry 55 D

Ivy 75 C

Jack 40 F

✅ Why use LOOKUP?

 Easier than nested IFs for multiple conditions

 Automatically finds the closest match without writing many IF statements

VLOOKUP Function

The VLOOKUP function searches for a value in the first column of a table and returns a value from
another column in the same row.

Syntax:
VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

 lookup_value → the value you want to search for

 table_array → the range containing your data

 col_index_num → the column number to return the value from (starting from 1)

 range_lookup → TRUE (approximate match) or FALSE (exact match)

Example Table (10 Students)

Marks Table:

Student Marks

Alice 85

Bob 90

Charlie 78

David 45

Emma 92

Frank 88

Grace 80

Henry 55

Ivy 75

Jack 40

Grade Table:

Min Marks Grade

0 F

50 D

70 C

80 B

90 A

Example 1: Assign Grades using VLOOKUP

Formula (for Alice, Marks in B2, Grade Table in E2:F6):

=VLOOKUP(B2, $E$2:$F$6, 2, TRUE)

1. B2 → Alice’s marks (85)

2. $E$2:$F$6 → the grade table

3. 2 → return the value from the 2nd column (Grade)

4. TRUE → approximate match (find the largest value less than or equal to 85)

Result for Alice: B

Result Table with Grades

Student Marks Grade (VLOOKUP)

Alice 85 B

Bob 90 A

Charlie 78 C

David 45 F

Emma 92 A

Frank 88 B

Grace 80 B

Henry 55 D

Ivy 75 C

Jack 40 F

✅ Why use VLOOKUP?

 Great for matching a value in a table and retrieving associated data

 Handles approximate or exact matches

 Less messy than multiple nested IFs