𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿:
You have 2 minutes to solve this Excel problem.

You have the following data:

Employee Sales

John 12,000
Sarah 18,000
Mike 15,000
David 20,000
Alice 10,000

Find the running total of sales for each employee.

𝗠𝗲: Challenge accepted! 💪

=SUM(B2:B2)

Copy the formula down.

💡 Explanation:
The formula calculates a cumulative total as you move down the rows.
B2 keeps the starting cell fixed.
B2 changes as the formula is copied down.

Each row adds the current employee's sales to all previous sales.

🎯 Expected Output Example

Employee Sales Running Total

John 12,000 12,000
Sarah 18,000 30,000
Mike 15,000 45,000
David 20,000 65,000
Alice 10,000 75,000

🚀 Bonus — Using Excel Table References
If your data is formatted as an Excel Table named SalesData:

=SUM(INDEX(SalesData[Sales],1):[@Sales])

This approach automatically expands as new rows are added to the table.

🚀 Tip for Excel Job Seekers:
Running-total questions are common in Excel interviews because they test whether you understand cell references and cumulative calculations.

Also practice:
• Running totals
• Running averages
• Monthly cumulative sales
• YTD calculations
• Cumulative percentages

These are frequently used in real-world reporting and dashboards.

❤️ React with ❤️ for more Excel interview challenges!