What Is Excel?
Microsoft Excel is a software that you can use to organize data for your work and everyday life.
Microsoft Excel can be an incredibly powerful tool to learn for your career, with benefits for
everyone from data analysts, to social media marketers. It has capabilities for the everyday user
to create charts, graphs, and more to organize and visualize data.
OR MS Excel is a spreadsheet program where one can record data in the form of tables. It is
easy to analysis data in an Excel spreadsheet.
How to open MS Excel?
To open MS Excel on your computer, follow the steps given below:

Click on Start

Then All Programs

Next step is to click on MS Office

Then finally, choose the MS-Excel option
Alternatively, you can also click on the Start button and type MS Excel in the search
option available.
What is a cell?
A spreadsheet is in the form of a table comprising rows and columns. The rectangular
box at the intersection point between rows and columns forms a cell. Given below is an
image of a cell:
What is Cell Address?
The cell address is the name by which is cell can be addressed. For example, if row 7 is
interested in column G, then the cell address is G7.
Features of MS Excel
Various editing and formatting can be done on an Excel spreadsheet. Discussed below
are the various features of MS Excel.
The image below shows the composition of features in MS Excel:

Home

Comprises options like font size, font styles, font colour, background colour,
alignment, formatting options and styles, insertion and deletion of cells and editing
options


Insert

Comprises options like table format and style, inserting images and figures, adding
graphs, charts and sparklines, header and footer option, equation and symbols


Page Layout

Themes, orientation and page setup options are available under the page layout
option


Formulas

Since tables with a large amount of data can be created in MS excel, under this
feature, you can add formulas to your table and get quicker solutions


Data

Adding external data (from the web), filtering options and data tools are available
under this category


Review

Proofreading can be done for an excel sheet (like spell check) in the review category
and a reader can add comments in this part


View

Different views in which we want the spreadsheet to be displayed can be edited here.
Options to zoom in and out and pane arrangement are available under this category
For those willing to learn more about MS Excel, can refer to the video given below and
understand every small aspect of this program in detail.
Benefits of Using MS Excel
MS Excel is widely used for various purposes because the data is easy to save, and
information can be added and removed without any discomfort and less hard work.
Given below are a few important benefits of using MS Excel:

Easy To Store Data: Since there is no limit to the amount of information that can be saved
in a spreadsheet, MS Excel is widely used to save data or to analyse data. Filtering
information in Excel is easy and convenient.

Easy To Recover Data: If the information is written on a piece of paper, finding it may take
longer, however, this is not the case with excel spreadsheets. Finding and recovering data is
easy.

Application of Mathematical Formulas: Doing calculations has become easier and less
time-taking with the formulas option in MS excel

More Secure: These spreadsheets can be password secured in a laptop or personal
computer and the probability of losing them is way lesser in comparison to data written in
registers or piece of paper.

Data at One Place: Earlier, data was to be kept in different files and registers when the
paperwork was done. Now, this has become convenient as more than one worksheet can be
added in a single MS Excel file.

Neater and Clearer Visibility of Information: When the data is saved in the form of a table,
analysing it becomes easier. Thus, information is a spreadsheet that is more readable and
understandable.
MS Excel – Points To Remember
There are certain things which one must know with respect to MS Excel, its applications
and usage:

An MS Excel file is saved with an extension of .xls

Companies with large staff and workers use MS Excel as saving employee information
becomes easier

Excel spreadsheets are also used in hospitals where the information of patients can be
saved more easily and can be removed conveniently once their medical history is cleared

The sheet on which you work is called a Worksheet

Multiple worksheets can be added in a single Excel file

This is a data processing application
Introduction Charts
A chart is a tool you can use in Excel to communicate data graphically. Charts allow
your audience to see the meaning behind the numbers, and they make
showing comparisons and trends much easier. In this lesson, you'll learn how
to insert charts and modify them so they communicate information effectively.
Types of charts
Click the arrows in the slideshow below to view examples of some of the types of charts
available in Excel.
o
Excel has a variety of chart types, each with its own
advantages. Click the arrows to see some of the different
types of charts available in Excel.
o
Column charts use vertical bars to represent data. They
can work with many different types of data, but they're
most frequently used for comparing information.
o
Line charts are ideal for showing trends. The data points
are connected with lines, making it easy to see whether
values are increasing or decreasing over time.
o
Pie charts make it easy to compare proportions. Each
value is shown as a slice of the pie, so it's easy to see
which values make up the percentage of a whole.
o
Bar charts work just like column charts, but they use
horizontal instead of vertical bars
o
Area charts are similar to line charts, except the areas
under the lines are filled in.
o
Surface charts allow you to display data across a 3D
landscape. They work best with large data sets,
allowing you to see a variety of information at the
same time.
To create a chart:
1. Select the cells you want to chart, including the column titles and row
labels. These cells will be the source data for the chart.
2. Click the Insert tab.
3. In the Charts group, select the desired chart category (Column, for
example).
4. Select the desired chart type from the drop-down menu (Clustered
Column, for example).
5. The chart will appear in the worksheet.
To switch row and column data:
Sometimes when you create a chart, the data may not be grouped the way you want. In
the clustered column chart below, the Book Sales statistics are grouped by Fiction
and Non-Fiction, with a column for each year. However, you can also switch the row
and column data so the chart will group the statistics by year, with columns for Fiction
and Non-Fiction. In both cases, the chart contains the same data—it's just organized
differently.
1. Select the chart.
2. From the Design tab, select the Switch Row/Column command.
3. The chart will readjust.
Basic Excel formulas & functions with examples

Formula is an expression that calculates values in a cell or in a range of cells.
For example, =A2+A2+A3+A4 is a formula that adds up the values in cells A2 through A4.

Function is a predefined formula already available in Excel. Functions perform specific
calculations in a particular order based on the specified values, called arguments, or
parameters.
For example, instead of specifying each value to be summed like in the above formula,
you can use the SUM function to add up a range of cells: =SUM(A2:A4)
You can find all available Excel functions in the Function Library on the Formulas tab:
There exist 400+ functions in Excel, and the number is growing by version to version. Of
course, it's next to impossible to memorize all of them, and you actually don't need to.
The Function Wizard will help you find the function best suited for a particular task,
while the Excel Formula Intellisense will prompt the function's syntax and arguments
as soon as you type the function's name preceded by an equal sign in a cell:
Clicking the function's name will turn it into a blue hyperlink, which will open the Help
topic for that function.
10 Excel basic functions you should definitely know
What follows below is a list of 10 simple yet really helpful functions that are a necessary
skill for everyone who wishes to turn from an Excel novice to an Excel professional.
SUM
The first Excel function you should be familiar with is the one that performs the basic
arithmetic operation of addition:
SUM(number1, [number2], …)
In the syntax of all Excel functions, an argument enclosed in [square brackets] is
optional, other arguments are required. Meaning, your Sum formula should include at
least 1 number, reference to a cell or a range of cells. For example:
=SUM(B2:B6)
- adds up values in cells B2 through B6.
=SUM(B2, B6)
- adds up values in cells B2 and B6.
AVERAGE
The Excel AVERAGE function does exactly what its name suggests, i.e. finds an
average, or arithmetic mean, of numbers. Its syntax is similar to SUM's:
AVERAGE(number1, [number2], …)
The Excel AVERAGE function performs these calculations behind the scenes. So,
instead of dividing sum by count, you can simply put this formula in a cell:
=AVERAGE(B2:B6)
MAX & MIN
The MAX and MIN formulas in Excel get the largest and smallest value in a set of
numbers, respectively. For our sample data set, the formulas will be as simple as:
=MAX(B2:B6)
=MIN(B2:B6)
COUNT & COUNTA
If you are curious to know how many cells in a given range contain numeric
values (numbers or dates), don't waste your time counting them by hand. The Excel
COUNT function will bring you the count in a heartbeat:
COUNT(value1, [value2], …)
While the COUNT function deals only with those cells that contain numbers, the
COUNTA function counts all cells that are not blank, whether they contain numbers,
dates, times, text, logical values of TRUE and FALSE, errors or empty text strings (""):
COUNTA (value1, [value2], …)
For example, to find out how many cells in column B contain numbers, use this formula:
=COUNT(B:B)
To count all non-empty cells in column B, go with this one:
=COUNTA(B:B)
In both formulas, you use the so-called "whole column reference" (B:B) that refers to all
the cells within column B.
IF
Judging by the number of IF-related comments on our blog, it's the most popular
function in Excel. In simple terms, you use an IF formula to ask Excel to test a certain
condition and return one value or perform one calculation if the condition is met, and
another value or calculation if the condition is not met:
IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])
TRIM
If your obviously correct Excel formulas return just a bunch of errors, one of the first
things to check is extra spaces in the referenced cells (You may be surprised to know
how many leading, trailing and in-between spaces lurk unnoticed in your sheets just
until something goes wrong!).
There are several ways to remove unwanted spaces in Excel, with the TRIM function
being the easiest one:
TRIM(text)
For example, to trim extra spaces in column A, enter the following formula in cell A1,
and then copy it down the column:
=TRIM(A1)
LEN
Whenever you want to know the number of characters in a certain cell, LEN is the
function to use:
LEN(text)
Wish to find out how many characters are in cell A2? Just type the below formula into
another cell:
=LEN(A2)
Please keep in mind that the Excel LEN function counts absolutely all characters including spaces:
AND & OR
These are the two most popular logical functions to check multiple criteria. The
difference is how they do this:


AND returns TRUE if all conditions are met, FALSE otherwise.
OR returns TRUE if any condition is met, FALSE otherwise.
While rarely used on their own, these functions come in very handy as part of bigger
formulas.
For example, to check the test results in columns B and C and return "Pass" if both are
greater than 60, "Fail" otherwise, use the following IF formula with an embedded AND
statement:
=IF(AND(B2>60, B2>60), "Pass", "Fail")
If it's sufficient to have just one test score greater than 60 (either test 1 or test 2), embed
the OR statement:
CONCATENATE
In case you want to take values from two or more cells and combine them into one cell,
use the concatenate operator (&) or the CONCATENATE function:
CONCATENATE(text1, [text2], …)
For example, to combine the values from cells A2 and B2, just enter the following
formula in a different cell:
=CONCATENATE(A2, B2)
To separate the combined values with a space, type the space character (" ") in the
arguments list:
=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2)
MS Excel Questions and Answers
Given below are a few sample questions based on MS Excel which will help candidates
preparing for competitive exams to score more in the Computer Awareness section.
Q 1. The address that is obtained by the combination of the Row number and the
Column alphabet is called ________.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Worksheet
Cell
Workbox
Cell Address
Column Address
Answer: (4) Cell Address
Q 2. Where is the option for page border given in the MS Excel spreadsheet?
1. Home
2. Insert
3. Format
4. View
5. Page Border cannot be added in excel worksheet
Answer: (5) Page Border cannot be added in excel worksheet
Q 3. Excel workbook is a collection of _______ and _______.
1. Worksheet and charts
2. Graphs and images
3. Sheets and images
4. Video and audio
5. None of the above
Answer: (1) Worksheet and charts
Q 4. What type of chart is useful for comparing values over categories?
1. Bar Graph
2. Column Chart
3. Pie Chart
4. Line Graph
5. Such charts cannot be created in Excel
Answer: (2) Column Chart
Q 5. There is an option to add comments in an Excel worksheet, what are the cells
called in which comments can be added?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cell Tip
Comment Tip
Smart Tip
Point Tip
5. Query Tip
Answer: (1) Cell Tip
Q 6. Which of the following symbols needs to be added in the formula bar, before
adding a formula?
1. *
2. $
3. %
4. +
5. =
Answer: (5) =
Q 7. Which keyboard key is used for Help in MS Excel?
1. ctrl+H
2. F2
3. F1
4. shift+H
5. Alt+ctrl+home
Answer: (3) F1
Q 8. How can you activate a cell in MS Excel?
1. By clicking on it
2. By pressing the arrow keys
3. By pressing Tab key
4. All of the above
5. None of the above
Answer: (4) All of the above