Tool
Excel
Still the world's most-used data tool
Learn Excel from the ground up — cells, formatting, formulas and functions, sorting and filtering, tables, charts, PivotTables, lookups, and what-if analysis.
19
Chapters
49
Hours (estimated)
1
Self-paced
Part-time
About 17 weeks
1 hour a day, 3 days a week
Full-time
About 6 weeks
3 hours a day, 3 days a week
Estimated from 19 chapters (notes, practice, labs, quiz, exercise, and challenge) plus the final exam. Go at your own pace.
Curriculum
19 chapters, each with a tutorial, a live example, a quiz, an exercise, a challenge, and class practice.
- 1
Introduction to Excel
The Excel window, workbooks and worksheets, saving and sharing, and how formulas make a spreadsheet work.
- 2
Cell Basics
Selecting, entering, and editing cells; cut, copy, and paste; drag and drop; the fill handle; and resizing rows and columns.
- 3
Formatting Cells & Numbers
Fonts, borders, fill, and alignment; number formats for currency, percentages, and dates; styles, Format Painter, and icons.
- 4
Worksheets, Find & Replace, and Printing
Managing multiple worksheets, Find & Replace, spell check, page layout, and printing.
- 5
Simple & Complex Formulas
Operators, building and editing formulas, order of operations, and reading formula errors.
- 6
Relative & Absolute References
How references change when copied, locking them with $, mixed references, and A1 vs R1C1 reference styles.
- 7
Functions
Function syntax and arguments, everyday functions, AutoSum, IF with AND/OR, and text functions.
- 8
Working with Data & Views
Structuring data well, navigation shortcuts, Freeze Panes and view options, and quick summaries with COUNTIF and SUMIF.
- 9
Sorting & Filtering
Sorting by one or more levels, custom sorts, filters, and advanced text, number, and date filters.
- 10
Groups & Subtotals
Grouping rows and columns into outlines, the Subtotal command, and outline levels.
- 11
Tables
Formatting a range as a table, table styles and options, the Total Row, structured references, and converting back to a range.
- 12
Charts
Choosing the right chart, inserting and modifying charts, chart elements, and sparklines.
- 13
Conditional Formatting
Highlight rules, top/bottom rules, data bars, color scales, icon sets, and formula-based rules.
- 14
PivotTables
Creating PivotTables, rows/columns/values/filters, value field settings, slicers, PivotCharts, and refreshing.
- 15
What-If Analysis
Goal Seek, Scenario Manager, and data tables for testing different inputs.
- 16
VLOOKUP & XLOOKUP
Looking up values across tables with VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, and handling missing matches.
- 17
Data Validation
Restricting what can be entered: drop-down lists, number and date rules, input messages, and error alerts.
- 18
Comments, Co-authoring & Protection
Comments and notes, co-authoring and version history, inspecting workbooks, and protecting sheets and files.
- 19
Macros Intro
Recording, running, and saving macros to automate repetitive tasks.
Excel is free to study, self-paced. Pass the final exam to earn an optional Certificate of Completion for $40.