Excel Skills Exercises, Entering Formulas & Linking Cells

Practice Exercises

Try the following tasks in a new workbook. Each exercise builds on the previous one.

Exercise1 Simple Calculations

1. Enter the numbers 12, 15, 22 in cells A2:A4.
2. In B2, write =A2*1.08 (add 8% tax). Copy down to B4.
3. In B6, calculate the total with =SUM(B2:B4).

Exercise2 Absolute References

1. Place the discount rate 0.10 in cell D1.
2. In C2, write =A2*(1-$D$1). Copy down to C4.
3. Notice how the reference to D1 stays fixed while the formula is copied.

Exercise3 Linking Sheets

1. Create two sheets named Data and Summary.
2. On Data, fill A1:A5 with any numbers.
3. On Summary, in B2 type =Data!A3. The value from A3 on Data appears on Summary.

Exercise4 Linking Workbooks

1. Save the current workbook as Source.xlsx.
2. Open a new workbook named Target.xlsx.
3. In Source.xlsx, put the value 250 in cell F5.
4. In Target.xlsx, in cell A1 type ='[Source.xlsx]Sheet1'!F5. The value 250 appears.
5. Close Source.xlsx and reopen Target.xlsx. Excel will prompt to update the link click Update.

Exercise5 Using IF with Linked Cells

1. In Data sheet, column B contains sales figures.
2. In Summary sheet, column C will show Good if sales 200, otherwise Low.
3. Enter in C2: =IF(Data!B2>=200,"Good","Low") and copy down.

These exercises illustrate how formulas, references, and links work together to create dynamic spreadsheets.

Tips & Common Errors

• Press F2 to edit a cell in place. This makes it easier to adjust references without leaving the cell.
• Use the NAME box. Click the box left of the formula bar, type a cell address (e.g., A1) and press Enter to jump quickly.
• Watch for circular references. Excel warns you when a formula refers to its own cell directly or indirectly.
• Keep paths short. Long folder names increase the chance of broken links when files are moved.
• Use Ctrl+` (grave accent) to toggle formula view. This lets you see every formula at once for auditing.

Common Error Messages