🚀 Excel Interview Questions with Answers — Part 3

21. How do you write a basic arithmetic formula starting with =?

In Excel, every formula starts with the = sign.

Basic Arithmetic Operators:
Operator - Meaning
+ - Addition
• - Subtraction
** - Multiplication
/ - Division
^ - Power

Examples:
=A1+B1
=A1-B1
=A1*B1
=A1/B1

📌 Example:
If A1 = 10 and B1 = 5

Then:
=A1+B1
returns 15.

22. What are relative, absolute, and mixed references (A1, A1, A$1)?

Cell references control how formulas behave when copied.

Type - Example - Behavior

Relative - A1 - Changes row and column
Absolute - A1 - Fixed row and column
Mixed - A$1 or $A1 - Fixes either row or column

Relative Reference Example:
=A1+B1
When copied down one row:
=A2+B2

Absolute Reference Example:
=A1*D1
D1 remains fixed while copying.

📌 Common Use Case: Tax rate, commission %, constants.

23. How do you use SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, COUNTA?

These are the most commonly used Excel functions.

SUM
Adds numbers.
=SUM(A1:A10)

AVERAGE
Calculates mean.
=AVERAGE(A1:A10)

MIN
Returns smallest value.
=MIN(A1:A10)

MAX
Returns largest value.
=MAX(A1:A10)

COUNT
Counts numeric cells only.
=COUNT(A1:A10)

COUNTA
Counts non-empty cells.
=COUNTA(A1:A10)

📌 Example:
Useful in sales reports, attendance sheets, and KPI calculations.

24. How do you calculate percentage and percentage change?

Percentage Formula:
Percentage = Part/Total*100

Excel Formula:
=A1/B1
Format the result as %.

Percentage Change Formula:
Percentage Change = (New - Old)/(Old)* 100

Excel Formula:
=(B1-A1)/A1

📌 Example: Old Sales = 1000
New Sales = 1200

Result = 20% increase

25. How do you use ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN?

ROUND
Rounds to nearest value.
=ROUND(A1,2)
Example: 12.456 → 12.46

ROUNDUP
Always rounds upward.
=ROUNDUP(A1,1)
Example: 12.41 → 12.5

ROUNDDOWN
Always rounds downward.
=ROUNDDOWN(A1,1)
Example: 12.49 → 12.4

📌 Useful in financial calculations and reporting.

26. How do you calculate current date and time (TODAY, NOW)?

TODAY
Returns current date.
=TODAY()

NOW
Returns current date and time.
=NOW()

📌 Examples:
• Attendance tracking
• Invoice generation
• Automated timestamps

⚠️ These functions update automatically whenever the workbook recalculates.

27. How do you calculate the difference between two dates?

Basic Formula:
=B1-A1
Returns number of days.

📌 Example: 01-Jan-2026 to 10-Jan-2026 → 9 days

Using DATEDIF:
=DATEDIF(A1,B1,"D")
Units:
Unit - Meaning
"D" - Days
"M" - Months
"Y" - Years

28. How do you use IF for simple logical conditions?

The IF function checks conditions and returns different results.

Syntax:
=IF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false)
Example:
=IF(A1>=50,"Pass","Fail")
📌 If marks are 50 or more → “Pass”
Otherwise → “Fail”

29. How do you handle errors using IFERROR or IFNA?

IFERROR
Returns custom output when formula gives an error.

Example:
=IFERROR(A1/B1,"Error")
If division by zero occurs, it displays "Error" instead of #DIV/0!.

IFNA
Handles only #N/A errors.
=IFNA(VLOOKUP(A1,D:E,2,FALSE),"Not Found")
📌 Commonly used in lookup formulas.

30. How do you nest multiple IF statements?

Nested IF allows multiple conditions.

Example:
=IF(A1>=90,"A",IF(A1>=75,"B",IF(A1>=50,"C","Fail")))
Logic:
Marks - Grade
90+ - A
75–89 - B
50–74 - C
Below 50 - Fail

📌 Useful for grading systems, incentive slabs, and performance categories.

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