Hands-On Excel

Learn Excel by doing it.

Short challenges in a real spreadsheet, right in your browser. Get a formula wrong and you'll see exactly why.

The practice sheet

01 · SUM · Starter

Add it up

Your monthly expenses are listed below. In B7, write a formula that adds up every cost.

Every formula starts with =. Type =SUM(, then drag across B2 to B6 and press Enter.

expenses.xlsx
Ready

Write in the green cells, then press Check. Click a cell while typing to insert it, drag to select a range, F4 adds $, Esc cancels.

How it works

  1. One idea per challenge

    Each sheet teaches a single move: adding a column, locking a reference, a first IF. Small enough to finish over coffee.

  2. Mistakes explained

    Write =IF(B4>50, …) when the pass mark is 50 and we'll point out that Cem scored exactly 50, so you need >=. Any formula that gets the right answer passes. Typed-in numbers don't.

  3. Built for memory

    Typing =VLOOKUP( yourself teaches more than reading about it ten times. The keyboard shortcuts work like the real thing.

All challenges

  1. 01 Add it upSUM Starter · 3 min
  2. 02 Find the averageAVERAGE Starter · 3 min
  3. 03 Write once, fill downRelative references Starter · 3 min
  4. 04 Lock it with $Absolute references Core · 3 min
  5. 05 Lock just the row or the columnMixed references Advanced · 3 min
  6. 06 Percent of a totalPercentages Starter · 3 min
  7. 07 Up or down by how much?Percent change Core · 3 min
  8. 08 Select to the end in one moveCtrl + Shift + arrow Core · 3 min
  9. 09 Pass or fail?IF Core · 3 min
  10. 10 Both or either?AND, OR Core · 3 min
  11. 11 Grade bands with nested IFNested IF Core · 3 min
  12. 12 Count the ones that matchCOUNTIF Core · 3 min
  13. 13 Add up the ones that matchSUMIF Core · 3 min
  14. 14 Use a cell as the conditionCriteria in a cell Core · 3 min
  15. 15 Count with two conditionsCOUNTIFS Core · 3 min
  16. 16 Add up with two conditionsSUMIFS Core · 3 min
  17. 17 Look it upVLOOKUP Core · 3 min
  18. 18 Find the right bracketVLOOKUP approximate match Core · 3 min
  19. 19 XLOOKUP, the modern wayXLOOKUP Core · 3 min
  20. 20 Where is it in the list?MATCH Core · 3 min
  21. 21 INDEX and MATCH togetherINDEX + MATCH Advanced · 3 min
  22. 22 Catch the error, not the bugIFERROR Core · 3 min
  23. 23 Split first and last namesLEFT, MID + FIND Core · 3 min
  24. 24 Mistake hunt: #N/A everywhereFixing #N/A Core · 3 min
  25. 25 Mistake hunt: hard-coded numbersReferences instead of typed numbers Core · 3 min
  26. 26 Mistake hunt: numbers stored as textNumbers stored as text Core · 3 min

Pro · coming soon

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100+ challenges on lookups, pivot tables, dates and text cleanup, an interview track modeled on the Excel tests employers use, and your progress saved across devices.

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