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Excel variance analysis practice

The expense log mixes September and October. Fill in the summary: in F2:G5, each category's total for the month in row 1; in H2:H5, the change from September to October; and in F7, the name of the category that went up the most.

One SUMIFS fills the whole F2:G5 block if you lock the right parts: the month always comes from row 1 (F$1), the category from column E ($E2). A change is new minus old. For F7, find the largest change first, then the category on its row.

50 Which category went up most? SUMIFS, change, lookup Advanced

expenses.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 SUMIFS, change, lookup guide

Three steps on one sheet: SUMIFS totals each category for each month, new minus old gives the change, and INDEX with MATCH(MAX(…)) names the biggest increase. It's the kind of task Excel tests at interviews are made of.

AdvancedAbout 3 minutesBy Updated

The task

An expense log has September and October mixed together. The question is simple: which category went up the most? Getting there takes three steps, and each one has its own trap.

1. Totals: one formula for the whole block

=SUMIFS($C$2:$C$18, $A$2:$A$18, F$1, $B$2:$B$18, $E2)

Written once in F2 and filled right and down, this fills all eight totals. The log is locked both ways. The month comes from row 1, so only its row is locked: F$1. The category comes from column E, so only its column is locked: $E2. That is the same move as the mixed reference challenge.

2. Change: new minus old

=G2-F2. A positive number means the category went up. Reverse it and every increase looks like a drop.

3. Name the biggest increase

=INDEX(E2:E5, MATCH(MAX(H2:H5), H2:H5, 0))
=XLOOKUP(MAX(H2:H5), H2:H5, E2:E5)

MAX finds the largest change. The lookup returns the category on the same row. The task asks for a name, not a number.

"Changed most" vs "went up most"

In this log, Travel moves the most, but down. The biggest increase is the largest positive change. If the question were "changed most in either direction", you'd compare ABS values instead. Read the question twice: interview tests are often decided by that word.

Common mistakes

FAQ

How do I calculate month-over-month change in Excel?
Total each month (SUMIFS works when the data is a mixed log), then subtract: new month minus old month. Divide by the old month for a percent change.
How do I find which category has the highest value?
Look up the label on the row of the maximum: =INDEX(E2:E5,MATCH(MAX(H2:H5),H2:H5,0)), or in Excel 365 =XLOOKUP(MAX(H2:H5),H2:H5,E2:E5).
How do I write one SUMIFS that fills a whole table?
Lock the data ranges completely, the criteria in the header row with a row lock (F$1) and the criteria in the label column with a column lock ($E2). Then fill right and down.
What is variance analysis in Excel?
Comparing two periods, or plan against actual, line by line: the difference between the two, and often the percent change, to see what moved and why.

This task is in the timed finance and advanced 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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