Excel Competency Exam Practice Test
The contents of this exam are based on the topics provided here:
https://www.bauer.uh.edu/departments/undergraduate-advising-center/current-
students/excel_topics.php
Solutions provided at the end of this document.
Topic 1:
1. The AutoAdd function adds up numbers in a column or row you specify.
a) True
b) False
2. "AAA" is an example of a ____ in Excel.
a) cell reference
b) column heading
c) name box
d) row heading
3. _______ quickly highlight(s) important information in a spreadsheet that match your criteria by
applying formatting options, data bars, color scales, or icon sets.
a) cell references
b) conditional formatting
c) Excel tables
d) pivot tables
Topic 2:
4. The best formula to calculate Profits for January is:
a) =SUM(B2:B3)
b) =B2-B3
c) =B4-(B2+B3)
d) =A4-(A2+A3)
e) =SUBTRACT(B2:B3)
5. The best formula to calculate the Average for Profits is:
a) =(B4+C4+D4)/3
b) =MEAN(B4:E4)
c) =AVERAGE(B4:D4)
d) =AVERAGE(B4:E4)
6. As a general rule, Excel will _____-align numbers.
a) right
b) left
c) top
d) bottom
Topic 3:
7. Cell D4 contains the formula =C1+C2. What formula will see when you paste this into cell E5?
a) =C1+C2
b) =$C1+$C2
c) =D2+D3
d) =E6+E7
8. When you copy a formula that contains an absolute reference to a new location, the reference ____.
a) is updated automatically
b) does not change
c) becomes bold
d) has a dotted outline in its cell
9. Which of the following is a logical function?
a) AVERAGE
b) IF
c) SUMPRODUCT
d) VLOOKUP
Topic 4:
10. The image above shows a:
a) Column chart
b) Bar graph
c) Line Chart
d) Pie Chart
11. Excel will reference the chart’s data source above as:
a) A1:B7
b) $A1:B7$
c) A$1:$B7
d) $A$1:$B$7
12. The words "Pre-sales" and “Conference Attendance” in the image above are called the chart ______:
a) accent
b) key
c) labels
d) legend
Topic 5:
13. ____ order arranges content in reverse alphabetical order, from Z to A.
a) Reverse
b) Major
c) Ascending
d) Descending
14. _______ are a powerful tool to quickly group, summarize, and rearrange larger datasets.
a) Cell references
b) Functions
c) Pivot tables
d) Ranges
15. Selecting the “Food” button on the slicer on the right will mean that the data table on the left will:
a) Show items that match “Food” only.
b) Show items that match everything except for “Food”.
c) Not be impacted by the “Food” slicer at all.
d) All of the above.
Topic 6:
16. A worksheet ____ is a collection of two or more selected worksheets.
a) index
b) roster
c) group
d) cluster
17. A reference that refers to the same cell or range on multiple sheets is called a(n) __________
reference.
a) 3-D
b) Clustered
c) Indexed
d) Pivotal
Topic 7:
18. A(n) _______________ helps automate repetitive tasks in Excel by recording your steps.
a) formula
b) macro
c) solver
d) process
19. You can use data ___________ to restrict the type of data or the values that users enter into a cell.
a) auditing
b) checking
c) tracking
d) validation
Topic 8:
20. The ______ function returns TRUE if any of its arguments evaluate to TRUE, and returns FALSE if all
of its arguments evaluate to FALSE.
a) AND
b) OR
c) SOME
d) LOOKUP
21. To determine the number of sales people by region who have 50 or more orders, we use the:
a) COUNT
b) COUNTA
c) COUNTIF
d) COUNTIFS
Topic 9:
22. _____________ calculates the payment for a loan based on constant payments and a constant
interest rate.
a) CPMT
b) LOAN
c) PMT
d) PPMT
23. A ________ analysis is the process of changing the values in cells to see how those changes will
affect the outcome of formulas on the worksheet.
a) Change
b) Performance
c) Pivotal
d) What-if
Topic 10:
24. Returns the number of characters you specify from the right side of a string.
a) CHAR
b) LEN
c) RIGHT
d) RSTRING
25. Removes all spaces from text except for single spaces between words.
a) CODE
b) CLEAN
c) TRIM
d) SUBSTITUTE
Solutions
1. False
2. b
3. b
4. b
5. c
6. a
7. c
8. b
9. b
10. a
11. d
12. d
13. d
14. c
15. a
16. c
17. a
18. b
19. d
20. b
21. d
22. c
23. d
24. c
25. b