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Excel MIN and MAX practice

These are two weeks of daily sales. In E2, find the best day's sales. In E3, find the worst day's.

MAX(range) gives the largest number in a range and MIN(range) the smallest. They work like SUM: type =MAX(, then drag across the cells.

03 Smallest and largest MIN, MAX Starter

sales.xlsx
Ready

Click a cell while typing to insert it, drag to select a range, F4 adds $, Esc cancels.

Tap a cell while writing a formula to insert it, or slide across cells for a range. The strip above the keyboard has = ( ) : , $.

The MIN, MAX guide

=MAX(B2:B11) gives the largest number in a range and =MIN(B2:B11) the smallest. The usual mistake is a range that runs into the total row: the total is always the biggest number there.

StarterAbout 3 minutesBy Updated

Syntax

=MAX(number1, [number2], …)
=MIN(number1, [number2], …)

Give either one a range, like B2:B11, and it returns one number: the largest or the smallest in it. Blank cells and text are skipped.

Keep the total out

Most tables end with a total row. If the range runs into it, MAX returns the total, because the total is bigger than any single day. MIN happens to survive the same mistake, which is how it goes unnoticed in one cell and not the other. Stop the range at the last row of data.

Colon, not comma

=MAX(B2:B11) checks every cell from B2 to B11. =MAX(B2,B11) checks only those two cells. Both are valid formulas, so Excel won't warn you.

Which day was it?

MAX gives the number, not the row it's on. To get the day, look it up: =INDEX(A2:A11, MATCH(MAX(B2:B11), B2:B11, 0)). The category change challenge uses the same move.

Second best, third worst

=LARGE(B2:B11, 2) gives the second largest and =SMALL(B2:B11, 3) the third smallest. LARGE(range, 1) is the same as MAX.

Common mistakes

FAQ

How do I find the highest value in Excel?
Use =MAX( followed by the range, for example =MAX(B2:B11). For the lowest value, use =MIN(B2:B11).
Why does MAX return my total?
The range includes the total row, and the total is bigger than any single value. Stop the range at the last row of data.
Does MIN ignore blank cells?
Yes. MIN and MAX skip blank cells and text. A cell containing 0 counts, so MIN returns 0 if one is there.
How do I find which row has the highest value?
Combine MAX with a lookup: =INDEX(A2:A11,MATCH(MAX(B2:B11),B2:B11,0)) returns the label next to the largest number.

This task is in the timed office and admin and basic Excel practice tests. What Excel interview tests check

All challenges

  1. 01Starter, 3 min Add it upSUM
  2. 02Starter, 3 min Find the averageAVERAGE
  3. 03Starter, 3 min Smallest and largestMIN, MAX
  4. 04Starter, 3 min Count what's thereCOUNT, COUNTA, COUNTBLANK
  5. 05Starter, 3 min Write once, fill downRelative references
  6. 06Core, 3 min Lock it with $Absolute references
  7. 07Starter, 3 min Percent of a totalPercentages
  8. 08Starter, 3 min Make the numbers readableNumber formats
  9. 09Core, 3 min Up or down by how much?Percent change
  10. 10Core, 3 min What you see vs what's storedROUND
  11. 11Core, 3 min The typical valueMEDIAN
  12. 12Core, 3 min Select to the end in one moveCtrl + Shift + arrow
  13. 13Starter, 3 min Sort without breaking rowsSort
  14. 14Starter, 3 min Filter to what mattersFilter
  15. 15Starter, 3 min Copy and paste a formulaCtrl+C, Ctrl+V
  16. 16Core, 3 min Paste values onlyPaste Special → Values
  17. 17Core, 3 min Highlight what's over targetConditional formatting
  18. 18Core, 3 min Spot the duplicatesDuplicate Values rule
  19. 19Core, 3 min Pass or fail?IF
  20. 20Core, 3 min Both or either?AND, OR
  21. 21Core, 3 min Exactly one of the twoXOR
  22. 22Core, 3 min Grade bands with nested IFNested IF
  23. 23Core, 3 min Count the ones that matchCOUNTIF
  24. 24Core, 3 min Add up the ones that matchSUMIF
  25. 25Core, 3 min Use a cell as the conditionCriteria in a cell
  26. 26Core, 3 min Partial matches with * and ?SUMIF, COUNTIF with wildcards
  27. 27Core, 3 min Count with two conditionsCOUNTIFS
  28. 28Core, 3 min Add up with two conditionsSUMIFS
  29. 29Core, 3 min Look it upVLOOKUP
  30. 30Core, 3 min Find the right bracketVLOOKUP approximate match
  31. 31Core, 3 min XLOOKUP, the modern wayXLOOKUP
  32. 32Core, 3 min Where is it in the list?MATCH
  33. 33Advanced, 3 min INDEX and MATCH togetherINDEX + MATCH
  34. 34Advanced, 3 min Lock just the row or the columnMixed references
  35. 35Advanced, 3 min Growth per year (CAGR)CAGR with ^
  36. 36Core, 3 min Use a rate from another sheetReferences to other sheets
  37. 37Core, 3 min Catch the error, not the bugIFERROR
  38. 38Core, 3 min Which invoices are missing?Compare two lists
  39. 39Core, 3 min Reconcile the ledger with the bankXLOOKUP or VLOOKUP + IFNA
  40. 40Core, 3 min Join text together&, CONCAT, PROPER
  41. 41Core, 3 min Split first and last namesLEFT, MID + FIND
  42. 42Core, 3 min Stray spaces that break a countTRIM
  43. 43Core, 3 min Flag the bad entriesTRIM, LEN, EXACT
  44. 44Advanced, 3 min Clean a bank descriptionTEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, PROPER
  45. 45Core, 3 min Mistake hunt: #N/A everywhereFixing #N/A
  46. 46Core, 3 min Mistake hunt: hard-coded numbersReferences instead of typed numbers
  47. 47Core, 3 min Mistake hunt: numbers stored as textNumbers stored as text
  48. 48Core, 3 min One of each, then the totalsUNIQUE
  49. 49Core, 3 min Your first pivot tablePivot tables
  50. 50Advanced, 3 min Which category went up most?SUMIFS, change, lookup
  51. 51Core, 3 min How many days late?Date arithmetic
  52. 52Core, 3 min Turn text into real datesDATEVALUE
  53. 53Advanced, 3 min Month ends and working daysEOMONTH, NETWORKDAYS
  54. 54Core, 3 min Renewal datesEDATE
  55. 55Core, 3 min Days overdue and aging bandsDate difference, aging bands
  56. 56Core, 3 min How many late orders?Pick the tool
  57. 57Core, 3 min Sales per repPick the tool
  58. 58Core, 3 min Whose part is it?Pick the tool
  59. 59Core, 3 min Who gets the bonus?Pick the tool
  60. 60Core, 3 min Each region's sharePick the tool
  61. 61Advanced, 3 min Case: the supplier reportCase, five steps
  62. 62Advanced, 3 min Case: the monthly budgetCase, five steps
  63. 63Advanced, 3 min Case: the reorder listCase, five steps

The whole course, in order.

The challenges teach one move each. The course puts them in order and makes you do each one twice, the second time on data you haven't seen.

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