Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program for storing, organizing, calculating, analyzing, and visualizing data. You work in grids of rows and columns to perform formulas/functions, build tables, charts, and pivot tables, and prepare results for printing or sharing.

The Interface at a glance

• Workbook: The whole file (.xlsx).

• Worksheet/Sheet: One page (tabs at the bottom).

• Cell: Single box (e.g., B3).

• Range: Group of cells (e.g., B3:D10).

• Name Box: Shows active cell or named range.

• Formula Bar: Type/edit formulas here.

• Ribbon Tabs: Home, Insert, Page Layout, Formulas, Data, Review, View.

• Status Bar: Sum/Avg/Count of selected cells, zoom.

Core concepts (the “Excel basics”)

1) Data types

• Text (labels), Numbers, Dates/Times, Booleans (TRUE/FALSE), Errors.

• Number formats: General, Number, Currency/Accounting, Percentage, Date/Time, Text.

2) Formulas & Functions

• Every formula starts with =.

• Operators: + - * / ^ (power), & (join text), comparison = > < >= <= <>.

• Cell references:

• Relative (A1) – changes when filled down/right.

• Absolute ($A$1) – fixed.

• Mixed (A$1, $A1) – row or column fixed.

• Quick toggle with F4 while editing a reference.

Examples

• =A2+B2 (add)

• =A2*10% (percent)

• =SUM(B2:B12) (total)

• =IF(C2>=40,"Pass","Fail")

3) Fill Handle & AutoFill

Drag the little square at the cell’s bottom-right to copy formulas, fill series (days, months), or pattern values.

4) Named ranges

Select a useful range → Name Box → type a name (e.g., Sales2025) → use it in formulas (=SUM(Sales2025)).

Formatting for readability (Home tab)

• Number format: Currency, %, Date; Increase/Decrease decimals.

• Alignment: Left/Center/Right; Wrap Text; Merge & Center (use sparingly).

• Font/Fill/Borders: Emphasize headers; use Cell Styles for consistency.

• Column width/Row height: Double-click edge to AutoFit.

• Freeze Panes: Keep headers visible while scrolling (View → Freeze Panes).

Working with data

1) Sort & Filter (Data tab)

• Sort A→Z / Z→A for text, smallest→largest for numbers, oldest→newest for dates.

• Custom Sort by multiple columns (e.g., Department, then Name).

• Filter adds drop-downs to hide/show rows by criteria.

2) Excel Table (super useful)

• Select data → Ctrl+T → “My table has headers”.

• Benefits: automatic formatting, structured references (=SUM(Table1[Amount])), auto-expanding formulas, easy Total Row, Slicers.

3) Remove Duplicates / Data Validation

• Remove Duplicates to clean lists.

• Data Validation: restrict entries (e.g., list of choices, whole numbers 0–100), add input messages/error alerts.

Must-know functions (exam-friendly)

Math & Stats: SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT (numbers), COUNTA (non-blank), ROUND, SUMIF/SUMIFS, COUNTIF/COUNTIFS.
Logic: IF, IFS, AND, OR, NOT.
Lookups:

• XLOOKUP (modern): =XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array)

• VLOOKUP (legacy): =VLOOKUP(value, table, col, FALSE)

• INDEX + MATCH (flexible).
  Text: LEFT, RIGHT, MID, LEN, TRIM, UPPER/LOWER/PROPER, CONCAT/TEXTJOIN, &.
  Date/Time: TODAY(), NOW(), DATE, EDATE, EOMONTH, NETWORKDAYS.
  Errors: IFERROR(value, "fallback").

Analysis & visualization

1) Conditional Formatting

Highlight cells or rows based on rules (greater than, top 10, duplicates), or set Data Bars, Color Scales, Icon Sets.

2) Charts (Insert tab)

• Choose the right chart:

• Column/Bar (compare categories), Line (trends over time), Pie (part of whole—few categories), Scatter (XY relation).

• Steps: Select data → Insert → Recommended Charts → pick chart → add Chart Elements (titles, axis, legend, data labels) → format.

3) PivotTable (quick summaries)

• Select table/range → Insert → PivotTable.

• Drag fields to Rows, Columns, Values, Filters.

• Change Value Field Settings (Sum/Count/Average).

• Add PivotChart for visuals; use Slicers to filter interactively.

Printing & sharing

• Page Layout view and Print Preview (Ctrl+P).

• Margins/Orientation/Scaling (“Fit Sheet on One Page”).

• Set Print Area, Repeat Header Rows, Show Gridlines if needed.

• Export to PDF for clean sharing.

Common errors & fixes

• #DIV/0! divide by zero → check denominators.

• #VALUE! wrong type (text in a number formula).

• #NAME? misspelled function/name → correct spelling.

• #REF! invalid reference (deleted cells).

• #N/A lookup not found → check key/spaces.

• Dates look wrong: ensure cells are true dates, not text; change Number format to Date.

• Formula shows as text: cell formatted as Text → switch to General and re-enter.

Collaboration & safety

• Save to OneDrive/SharePoint for co-authoring and version history.

• Protect Sheet/Workbook (Review tab) to lock structure/cells; use cell locking with care.

• Keep a backup before heavy edits.

Keyboard shortcuts (time savers)

• Navigation: Ctrl+Arrow (jump to edge), Ctrl+Home/End.

• Select region: Ctrl+Shift+Arrow.

• Insert row/column: Ctrl+Shift+= / Delete: Ctrl+-.

• Sum: Alt+= (auto-SUM).

• Edit in cell: F2.

• Absolute refs toggle: F4.

• Create table: Ctrl+T.

• Find/Replace: Ctrl+F / Ctrl+H.

• Go To / Special: Ctrl+G / F5 (then Special for blanks, formulas).

Typical uses of Excel (with tiny examples)

• Accounting & Finance: Budgets, cashbooks, profit/loss (SUMIF/SUMIFS, Pivot by month).

• Education: Marksheets, attendance, grading (AVERAGE, IF, Conditional Formatting for pass/fail).

• Business lists: Customers/products/inventory with Data Validation and Remove Duplicates.

• Data analysis: Clean & summarize data with Tables, Filters, PivotTables, charts.

• Reporting: Monthly KPI dashboards; link charts to PowerPoint/Word.

• Mail merge source: Keep clean address lists (for Word Mail Merge).

Mini practice (do these once)

1.   Create a marksheet with columns: Name, Eng, Math, Sci → Total (=SUM), Average, Result (=IF(Avg>=40,"Pass","Fail")) → Conditional format Fail = red fill.

2.   Turn the data into a Table (Ctrl+T), add a Total Row, and Filter by Result.

3.   Build a PivotTable to summarize Avg by Result and by Class/Section if present.

4.   Insert a Column chart for subject totals; add Data Labels and Chart Title.

5.   Set Print Area, Repeat top row, and Fit to one page; export to PDF.

Exam-friendly Q&A

1.   Define workbook, worksheet, cell, and range.
Ans: Workbook = Excel file; Worksheet = one sheet tab; Cell = single box (e.g., B3); Range = group of cells (B3:D10).

2.   Difference between a formula and a function.
Ans: Formula is any expression you write (e.g., =B2+C2); function is a built-in operation (e.g., =SUM(B2:C2)).

3.   What are relative and absolute references? Why use $?
Ans: Relative adjusts when copied; absolute stays fixed; $ locks row/column (F4 toggles).

4.   List any four commonly used Excel functions.
Ans: SUM, AVERAGE, IF, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, COUNTIF, MAX (any four).

5.   How do you create a chart from data?
Ans: Select data → Insert → Recommended Charts → choose type → add titles/labels.

6.   What is a PivotTable used for?
Ans: To quickly summarize, group, and analyze large datasets without writing formulas.

7.   Two benefits of converting data to an Excel Table.
Ans: Auto-expanding formulas/formatting and structured references; easier filtering/totals.

One-page recap

• Excel = spreadsheet for calculation + analysis + charts.

• Know cells/ranges, formulas/functions, relative/absolute refs, tables, sort/filter, conditional formatting, charts, PivotTables.

• Format numbers/dates correctly; use AutoFill, F4, Alt+=.

• Clean data with Remove Duplicates and Data Validation.

• Print via Page Layout and Fit to page; export PDF.

• Common errors: #DIV/0!, #VALUE!, #REF!, #N/A, #NAME?—know quick fixes.