Practice by topic / Excel / Fundamentals
Every Excel formula is built from the same basics: cell references, operators and the order Excel calculates them in. Get these right and the rest of Excel stops feeling like guesswork. These 10 exercises build up step by step, starting with add two prices, subtract expenses from income, multiply quantity by price.
10 of 10 free · no sign-up needed · graded on the formula you write
A1 and A2 hold two item prices. Write a formula in A3 that adds them together.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12.5 |
| 2 | 7.25 |
| 3 | ? |
Reference both cells with a plus sign: =A1+A2
Right — =A1+A2 references the cells directly instead of retyping the numbers, so it updates automatically if either price changes.
Expected result in A3: 19.75
A1 holds income, A2 holds expenses. Write a formula in A3 that returns the remaining balance.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5000 |
| 2 | 3200 |
| 3 | ? |
Use =A1-A2 to subtract expenses from income.
Good — subtracting cell references keeps the balance live if either income or expenses change.
Expected result in A3: 1800
A1 holds a quantity, B1 holds a unit price. Write a formula in C1 that returns the total cost.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 15 | ? |
Multiply the two cells: =A1*B1
Exactly — multiplying quantity by unit price is the core of most cost formulas.
Expected result in C1: 60
A1 holds a total bill, B1 holds the number of people. Write a formula in C1 that returns each person's share.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 120 | 4 | ? |
Divide the bill by the number of people: =A1/B1
Right — dividing the total by the count gives an even split.
Expected result in C1: 30
A1, A2, and A3 each hold a separate cost. Write a formula in A4 using plus signs (not SUM) that adds all three.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 20 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | ? |
Chain the cells together: =A1+A2+A3
Good — chaining plus signs works fine for a small, fixed number of cells like this.
Expected result in A4: 35
A1 holds a price, B1 holds a flat discount amount. Write a formula in C1 that returns the discounted price.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80 | 15 | ? |
Subtract the discount from the price: =A1-B1
Right — subtracting the discount amount directly gives the new price.
Expected result in C1: 65
A1 and A2 hold two test scores. Write a formula in A3 that returns their average using addition and division (not AVERAGE).
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 82 |
| 2 | 90 |
| 3 | ? |
Add the two scores and divide by 2: =(A1+A2)/2
Nice — parentheses around the sum make sure the addition happens before the division.
Expected result in A3: 86
A1 holds revenue, B1 holds cost. Write a formula in C1 that returns profit.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2500 | 1800 | ? |
Subtract cost from revenue: =A1-B1
Exactly — revenue minus cost is the simplest profit formula.
Expected result in C1: 700
A1 holds a number. Write a formula in A2 that returns double that value using multiplication.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 37 |
| 2 | ? |
Multiply by 2: =A1*2
Right — multiplying by 2 is the direct way to double a value.
Expected result in A2: 74
A1 holds a price, B1 holds a tax amount already calculated. Write a formula in C1 that returns the final total.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 | 3.6 | ? |
Add the two cells together: =A1+B1
Good — adding the pre-calculated tax to the price gives the final total.
Expected result in C1: 48.6