Excellence with Excel – Quiz Questions
1. For which of the following items would it be beneficial to create a NAMED CELL in a model?
a. Tax rate
b. Year 2 revenue
c. Revenue growth %
d. Days in year
e. Company name
2. What combination of shortcuts did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot to
the “After” screenshot?
Before:
After:
a. Ctrl + C then Ctrl + V
b. Ctrl + C then Ctrl + X
c. Del then Ctrl + Z
d. Ctrl + X then Ctrl + V
3. You are working in Excel in File A and realize you need some information from another Excel
file, File B. However, you accidentally open File C. What shortcut would you use to close File C
while keeping File A open, and while also keeping Excel open?
a. Ctrl + O
b. Ctrl + N
c. Ctrl + F4
d. Alt + F4
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4. What shortcut did you use to select all of the data in the worksheet below?
a. Ctrl + F
b. Ctrl + A
c. Alt + F
d. Alt + A
5. You have a worksheet with data in cells A1:G25. You are in cell C6. What is the quickest way to
navigate to cell G1?
a. Up Arrow five times, then Right Arrow four times
b. Right Arrow five times, then Up Arrow four times.
c. Ctrl + Up Arrow, then Ctrl + Down Arrow
d. Ctrl + Up Arrow, then Ctrl + Right Arrow
e. Ctrl + Up Arrow, then Ctrl + Left Arrow
f.
Ctrl + Left Arrow, then Ctrl + Down Arrow
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6. What combination of keystrokes did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot
shown below to the “After” screenshot?
After:
Before:
a. Ctrl + A
b. Ctrl + Right Arrow + Down Arrow
c. Shift + Right Arrow + Down Arrow
d. Shift + Ctrl + Right Arrow + Down Arrow
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7. How can you select the three non-adjacent cell ranges shown below?
a. Use Shift + Arrow Keys to select the first range, and then use the Arrow Keys to move to
the start of the next range and repeat.
b. Use Shift + Ctrl + Arrow Keys to select the first range, and then use the Arrow Keys to
move to the start of the next range and repeat.
c. Use Shift + Arrow Keys to select the first range, press Shift + F8, and then use the Arrow
Keys to move to the start of the next range and repeat.
d. Use Shift + Arrow Keys to select the first range, then press Ctrl + F8, then use the Arrow
Keys to move to the start of the next range and repeat.
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8. When starting in cell B2, you pressed Ctrl + Spacebar to make the selection shown below.
a. True
b. False
9. Starting from the screenshot below, which answer represents the outcome of using the
keystrokes Alt + I + R?
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a.
b.
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c.
d.
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10. You just used a keystroke shortcut to insert a column in a worksheet, but you would like to
insert four more columns. What is the best way to accomplish this using ONLY the keyboard?
a. Alt + I + C four more times
b. Alt + I + R four more times
c. F8 four times
d. F4 four times
11. Ctrl + X then Ctrl + V accomplishes the same thing as Ctrl + X then Right Mouse Button + E.
a. True
b. False
12. What combination of shortcuts did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot
shown below to the “After” screenshot?
Before:
After:
a. F2 then Ctrl + Right Arrow then Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow
b. F2 then Ctrl + Left Arrow then Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow
c. F2 then Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow then Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow
d. F2 then Shift + Left Arrow then Ctrl + Left Arrow
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13. In the screenshot below, how were you able to list the items on new lines within the cell?
a. Ctrl + 1, then “Wrap Text” under the Alignment tab (or Alt + H + W in recent versions of
Excel)
b. Ctrl + 1, then “Merge Cells” under the Alignment tab (or Alt + H + M in recent versions of
Excel)
c. Alt + Tab
d. Alt + Enter
14. If your data is in columns that extend further than what can be shown on your screen, and it
also contain several items that are not very relevant, then it makes sense to group and hide
the non-relevant columns.
a. True
b. False
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15. What happened to rows 5 – 15 in the screenshot below?
a. The rows have been hidden.
b. The rows have been grouped.
c. The rows have been grouped then hidden.
d. The rows have been deleted.
16. In the screenshot below, what shortcuts did you use to group columns C through D?
a. Alt + D + G + S
b. Alt + D + G + G
c. Shift + Alt + Right Arrow
d. Ctrl + 0
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17. Why would you choose to group columns or rows instead of simply hiding them?
a. You should group them when the data is relevant and needs to be referred to often, and
you should hide them when the data is completely irrelevant and never needs to be
referred to again.
b. You should group them when the irrelevant data is in adjacent columns/rows, but hide
them when the irrelevant data is in non-adjacent columns/rows.
c. Grouping is rarely preferable to hiding because it creates unnecessary “+” and “-“
symbols that clutter your workbook.
d. Grouping is almost always preferable to hiding because it allows you and others to easily
see that something is hidden.
18. What combination of shortcuts did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot to
the “After” screenshot?
Before:
After:
a. Alt + W + F + F
b. Alt + W + F + R
c. Alt + W + F + C
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19. What shortcut can you use to zoom in or out on a worksheet?
a. Alt + V + Z
b. Alt + W + Q (More recent versions of Excel)
c. Ctrl + Mouse Wheel Scroll
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
20. You would like to print the three worksheets listed in the tabs below. What is the best way to
do this?
a. Ctrl + Shift + PgDn then Ctrl + P
b. Ctrl + Shift + PgDn + PgDn then Ctrl + P
c. Ctrl + Shift + PgUp + PgUp then Ctrl + P
d. Ctrl + A then Ctrl + P
21. In the workbook below, you would like to delete the sheet titled “DCF” and then insert a sheet
titled “BS” in between the “IS” and “CFS” sheets. Select the two keyboard shortcuts that will
allow you to 1) delete the “DCF” worksheet and 2) insert a new worksheet in its place.
a. Ctrl + N
b. Alt + E + M
c. Alt + E + L
d. Alt + F + A
e. Ctrl + Tab
f.
Shift + F11
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22. What combination of shortcuts did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot
shown below to the “After” screenshot?
Before:
After:
a. Shift + F11
b. Ctrl + N
c. Ctrl + F11
d. Alt + N
e. Alt + E + D
23. Without using the mouse, how can you rename a worksheet?
a. Use the keyboard shortcut Alt + O + H + H (Alt + H + O + U + S in recent versions of Excel)
b. Use the keyboard shortcut Alt + O + H + U (Alt + H + O + U + H in recent versions of
Excel)
c. Use the keyboard shortcut Alt + O + H + R (Alt + H + O + R in recent versions of Excel)
d. Use the keyboard shortcut Alt + O + H + T (Alt + H + O + T in recent versions of Excel)
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24. As shown in the screenshot below, worksheet tabs can be colored. Why might this be useful?
a. Colors can be used to separate tabs into different categories, such as source data vs.
financial statements.
b. Colors can be used to denote tabs that are unfinished, partially complete, and complete.
c. Colors can indicate who on your team is responsible for each section of a model.
d. None of the above – colors are unprofessional and should not be used in Excel models.
25. Cells can be named using the shortcut Ctrl + F3. How can you quickly navigate to one of the
cells that you have named?
a. F2
b. F5
c. F10
d. Ctrl + F2
e. Ctrl + F5
f.
Ctrl + F10
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26. What combination of shortcuts did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot to
the “After” screenshot?
a. F5
b. Shift + F8
c. F5, Alt + S + O + X
d. F5, Alt + S + F + X
27. What is the keyboard shortcut for sorting data sets in Excel?
a. Alt + F + D
b. Alt + D + F
c. Alt + S + D
d. Alt + D + S
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28. Which of the following screenshots shows the data set below correctly sorted by last name,
from A to Z?
a.
b.
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c.
d.
29. When sorting the data shown below, what is the best way to ensure that Row 1 is not sorted?
a. Reselect the area so that it includes only Row 2 through 11.
b. Select “My data has headers” in the Sort dialog box.
c. After sorting, cut and paste Row 1 so that it moves back to the top
d. Unselect “My data has headers” in the Sort dialog box.
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30. What combination of shortcuts did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot
shown below to the “After” screenshot?
Before:
After:
a. Ctrl + V
b. Ctrl + X
c. Ctrl + C
d. Alt + E + S + A
e. Shift + Ctrl + Down Arrow Key
f.
Ctrl + Down Arrow Key
g. Alt + E + S + F
h. Alt + E + S + V
i.
Shift + Ctrl + PgDn
j.
Alt + E + S + T
31. You would like to format a number as a percentage. What keyboard shortcut will allow you to
do this?
a. Shift + Ctrl + !
b. Shift + Ctrl + @
c. Shift + Ctrl + #
d. Shift + Ctrl + $
e. Shift + Ctrl + %
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32. In the screenshot below, Column C is too large. What is the easiest way to decrease its size,
but ensure that all of the data in the column will still fit?
a. Alt + O + C + A
b. Alt + O + R + A
c. Alt + O + C + W
d. Right click the column and select “Column Width”
e. Drag the border between Columns C and D to the left
33. Starting from the cell shown below, which answer shows the result of pressing Ctrl + B + U?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
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34. What combination of shortcuts did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot to
the “After” screenshot?
Before:
After:
a. Ctrl + Shift + &
b. Ctrl + &
c. Ctrl + Shift + –
d. Ctrl + –
e. Ctrl + 1, B, Alt + T + B + L + R
35. Starting from the blank cell shown below, which answer shows the result of pressing Ctrl + 1,
B, Atl + T + L (or, alternatively, Alt + H + B + P and Alt + H + B + L in recent versions of Excel)?
a.
b.
c.
d.
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36. Which one of the following is best accomplished by using custom number formatting?
a. Changing all numbers in a worksheet to percentages instead
b. Ensuring that an “x” follows all valuation multiples, e.g. 12.0 should appear as 12.0x
c. Making numbers greater than 1 colored blue and numbers less than 1 colored red
d. Making constants colored blue and the results of formulas colored black
37. Each of the cells below only contains the number “100.” How is it possible that they each
appear differently?
a. Each cell uses different conditional formatting
b. Each cell uses different custom number formatting
c. Each cell uses different font formatting
d. Each cell uses different alignment formatting
e. Each cell uses different fill formatting
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38. You receive the poorly formatted data shown below from a client. What is the best way to
separate the address, city, state, and zip codes into different columns?
a. Ask the client for a new file that has the information in different columns
b. Retype the information manually
c. Copy and paste the data into three new columns and then delete the unnecessary
information
d. Use the text to columns feature in Excel (Shortcut: Alt + D + E, or Alt + A + E in recent
versions of Excel)
e. Use the TRIM function to remove unnecessary information from the beginning or end of
the cell
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39. What formula did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot to the “After”
screenshot?
Before:
After:
a. =TRIM
b. =LEFT
c. =RIGHT
d. =CAPITALIZE
e. =PROPER
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40. Starting from the data set shown below, which of the following demonstrates a use of
conditional formatting?
a.
b.
c.
d.
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41. Conditional formatting was used to change the color of the cells below based on their values:
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. Numbers below two are colored red.
b. Numbers less than three are colored yellow.
c. Numbers greater than three are colored green.
d. Numbers below one are colored red.
42. You would like to print a large spreadsheet that will fill several pages. The first row of your
spreadsheet contains the title for each column. What is the best way to ensure that these
titles are printed at the top of each page?
a. Create a header in the Page Setup dialog that will be printed on each page.
b. Use the Page Setup dialog to fit your data so that it will all print on one page.
c. Select View, and then Page Break Preview to see where new pages will start. Then, copy
and insert the first row of your spreadsheet each place where a new page starts.
d. Use the Page Setup dialog to have the first row repeated at the top of each page.
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43. You have finished working on a spreadsheet and would like to print it. However, the print
preview dialog shows that some of your data will print on a second page. What is the best
way to fix this and print all of your data on one page?
a. Delete or hide the less relevant data to make room for the important data.
b. Use the “Legal Paper” setting to fit everything on one page.
c. Use Excel’s Zoom Out function to make the data smaller.
d. Select “Fit Sheet on One Page” in the Print Dialog.
e. Decrease the font size of the data until it fits on one page.
f.
Decrease the size of your sheet’s rows and columns.
44. Which formula can be entered into cell C2 and copied into cells C3:C6 in order to display the
percentage of total revenue contributed by each product?
a. =B2/B6
b. =$B$2/B6
c. =B2/$B$6
d. =$B$2/$B$6
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45. As shown in the two screenshots below, we wrote a formula in cell C2 and then used the
shortcut Alt + E + S + F to copy it into cells C3:C6. What is the MOST likely reason that the
formula is not providing the correct results?
Before:
After:
a. The shortcut only copied the values.
b. The shortcut only copied the formats.
c. The formula anchored the numerator instead of the denominator.
d. Automatic calculations are turned off, and we need to turn them on or press F9 to
refresh the worksheet.
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46. The formula in cell C4 was copied into cell C5, as shown below. What is the MOST likely way
that this was done?
Before:
After:
a. Ctrl + D
b. Ctrl + C, then Alt + E + S + F
c. Ctrl + C, then Alt + E + S + T
d. It was entered directly.
47. In which of the following cases might it be BETTER to use Ctrl + R to copy formulas across a
row rather than Alt + E + S + F?
a. If you want to copy the formulas, but preserve the formatting of all the cells that you’re
copying over.
b. If you have a border midway through the area that you’re copying over, and you do NOT
want to preserve it.
c. If you have a border midway through the area that you’re copying over, and you DO
want to preserve it.
d. If you are working in a mostly unformatted, “raw data” worksheet and need to finish
copying the formulas quickly.
e. If you’re copying the formulas down a column rather than across a row.
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48. Below is a table of cash inflows and outflows. Positive numbers represent distributions
(outflows), while negative numbers represent investments (inflows). Which formula
represents the best way to calculate the total DISTRIBUTIONS?
a. =SUM(B2:B9)
b. =B3+B4+B6+B8+B9
c. =SUM(B3:B4,B6,B8:B9)
d. =SUMIF(B2:B9,”<0”)
e. =SUMIF(B2:B9,”>0”)
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49. What happens to the screenshot shown below after you press Alt + =?
a.
b.
c.
d.
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50. You’re analyzing a company where sales representatives receive a 20% commission on the
sales they generate, but only if they exceed a quota of $50,000. Which formula that can be
written in cell C2 and copied into cells C3:C5 will correctly calculate commissions?
a. =B2*B8
b. =B2*$B$8
c. =IF(B2>B7,B2*B8,0)
d. =IF(B2<B7,B2*B8,0)
e. =IF(B2>$B$7,B2*$B$8,0)
f.
=IF(B2<$B$7,B2*$B$8,0)
51. Why do we need to enable iterative calculations to deal with circular references in some
models?
a. Without using iterative calculations, Excel “freezes” and does not correctly calculate the
result when the input to a formula depends on the output of the formula.
b. This is not strictly true – iterative calculations may make some calculations more
accurate, but they’re not necessarily required.
c. Circular references appear in every calculation, and iterative calculations should always
be enabled.
d. Circular references only appear when there is an error in your model, and enabling
iterative calculations allows you to continue working without fixing the error.
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52. In the table below, sales representatives earn a 20% commission on sales if they exceed the
quota of 50,000. What shortcut did you most likely use to go from the “Before” screenshot to
the “After” screenshot, which shows the cells with results that depend on the commission
percentage?
Before:
After:
a. Alt + T + U + T (or Alt + M + P in recent versions of Excel)
b. Alt + T + U + D (or Alt + M + D in recent versions of Excel)
c. Ctrl + {
d. Ctrl + }
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53. You have calculated Net Income in the screenshot below by starting with Revenue and then
subtracting all the other items (Cost of Goods Sold, Operating Expenses, Depreciation &
Amortization, Interest Expense, and Taxes). However, you’re not sure that your formula
correctly captured all these items. What is the MOST efficient way to see whether or not your
formula is correct?
a. Alt + T + U + T (or Alt + M + P in recent versions of Excel)
b. Alt + T + U + D (or Alt + M + D in recent versions of Excel)
c. Ctrl + {
d. Ctrl + }
54. As the red arrow in the screenshots below indicates, there is a comment in cell D4. What
shortcut key can you use to edit the comment, as shown in the “Before” and “After”
screenshots below
Before:
After:
a. Alt + I + M (or Alt + R + C in recent versions of Excel)
b. Shift + F2 (or Alt + R + T in recent versions of Excel)
c. Alt + E + A + M (or Alt + R + D in recent versions of Excel)
d. F2
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55. As indicated by the red arrows, the data set below contains several comments. What is the
best way to delete all of the comments?
a. Navigate to each cell containing a comment and press Del.
b. Navigate to each cell containing a comment and press Alt + E + A + M (or Alt + R + D).
c. Use the shortcut Alt + E + A + M (or Alt + R + D) to delete all comments.
d. Press F5, Alt + S + C and then press Del.
e. Press F5, Alt + S + C and then press Alt + E + A + M (or Alt + R + D).
56. You want to get a list of all of a client company’s customers. To help you with this task, the
client has given you a list of all orders, which includes the customer name, the product
ordered, the dollar amount paid, and the order date. This results in the same customer being
listed multiple times, once for each separate order they have placed. What is the BEST way to
get a list of unique customers, so that each customer is only listed once?
a. Use Alt + D + S (or Alt + A + SS in recent versions of Excel) to sort the data, and then
delete the duplicate entries.
b. Use Alt + D + F + A (or Alt + A + Q in recent versions of Excel) to filter the data so that it
contains unique records only.
c. Ask the client for a different file that will serve your purpose.
d. Use Alt + D + L (or Alt + A + V + V in recent versions of Excel) to use data validation to
only allow certain customer names.
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57. What is the BEST shortcut key / Excel feature that you can use to go from the “Before”
screenshot to the “After” screenshot shown below
Before:
After:
a. Alt + D + F + A (or Alt + A + Q in recent versions of Excel) and the Advanced Data Filter
feature to allow only whole numbers between 1 and 4.
b. Alt + D + L (or Alt + A + V + V in recent versions of Excel) to Validate Data and only allow
whole numbers between 1 and 4.
c. Alt + D + L (or Alt + A + V + V in recent versions of Excel) to Validate Data and only allow
the list contained in cells A1:A4.
d. There’s no built-in Excel feature that lets you do this, but you can write a macro or use
VBA to create this drop-down menu.
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58. You are creating the data table shown below. List the cells, in order, that should be in the ???
cell in the top-left corner of the table, the Row Input Cell for the data table, and the Column
Input Cell for the data table.
a. D1, D2, D3
b. D2, D3, D1
c. D3, D1, D2
d. D1, D3, D2
e. D3, D2, D1
f.
D2, D1, D3
59. True or False: When using the CHOOSE function to model scenarios, you have to add in
another choice to each formula if you wanted to add another scenario to your model.
a. True
b. False
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60. In the screenshot below, cell A7 contains an OFFSET function that uses A1 as the reference.
What is the correct formula, based on the contents of cell A7 and the rest of the data on this
page?
a. =OFFSET(A1,2,2)
b. =OFFSET(A1,3,3)
c. =OFFSET(A1,2,3)
d. =OFFSET(A1,3,2)
61. True or False: When using the VLOOKUP function, you need to specify BOTH the row and the
column of the data that you are looking for.
a. True
b. False
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62. Which formula will return Camila Krause’s age in the data set below?
a. =VLOOKUP(“Krause”, A1:F16, 3)
b. =VLOOKUP(“Krause, Camila”, A1:F16, 3)
c. =VLOOKUP(“Krause”, A1:F16, 4)
d. =VLOOKUP(“Krause, Camila”, A1:F16, 4)
e. =VLOOKUP(“Krause”, D1:D16, 3)
f.
=VLOOKUP(“Krause”, D1:D16, 4)
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63. Below is a data set that contains orders by company. As shown below, the data includes the
name of the company placing the order, the state in which the company is located, how many
products they ordered, and the price that they paid per product.
Which of the pivot tables below shows the total NUMBER of products sold in each state?
a.
b.
c.
d.
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64. When is the BEST time to record and use a macro in Excel?
a. When you want to repeat an action, but cannot do so using F4.
b. When you want to create a shortcut for a simple data manipulation, such as deleting a
row.
c. When you want to create a shortcut for a complex data manipulation, such as deleting
both a row and a column along with sorting data.
d. When you want to create a shortcut for making simple formatting changes, such as
making the font bold.
e. When you want to create a shortcut for making complicated formatting changes, such
as changing the font size, alignment, and color and changing the cell’s border and fill.
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65. You have pressed Alt + T + M + R (or Alt + W + M + R in recent versions of Excel) to bring up the
dialog shown below to start recording a macro. When you’re finished, what shortcut key
should you press to stop recording the macro?
a. Alt + T + M + R (or Alt + W + M + R in recent versions of Excel)
b. Alt + T + M + S
c. Alt + T + M + M (or Alt + W + M + V in recent versions of Excel)
d. Alt + T + M + U
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66. As shown below, you’ve just added “Fill Color” to the Quick Access Toolbar. How can you
access this custom keyboard shortcut?
a. Ctrl + 1
b. Alt + 1
c. Alt + O + F
d. Ctrl + 1, Alt + F
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