Excel Formulas and Functions: Free Course

About this course

Make Excel formulas easier to understand, choose and check. This free Simon Sez IT course combines five substantial classes covering introductory formulas, logical functions and more advanced calculation techniques. The curriculum is useful for learners who want to move from copying expressions to explaining how a spreadsheet produces its answer.

Course at a glance

What you’ll learn

• Relate a spreadsheet question to a suitable formula and identify the inputs that determine its result.
• Use logical and conditional functions to express decisions, counts and totals with clearly defined criteria.
• Compare lookup and calculation techniques presented in the advanced classes rather than applying a function by habit.
• Check formula behaviour with changed inputs, boundary cases and independent calculations before relying on the workbook.

Skills you’ll gain

• Excel formulas
• Logical functions
• Conditional calculations
• Lookup functions
• Formula interpretation
• Spreadsheet checking

Course Overview

The source course includes an overview of useful formulas, a dedicated logical-functions class, a beginner formulas lesson and two advanced classes. The named topics include IF, IFS, AND, OR, COUNTIF, SUMIF, INDEX, MATCH, SUMPRODUCT, XLOOKUP, OFFSET, CHOOSE and additional lookup, forecasting and statistical functions. These are extended classes, not five short formula definitions. Work through an example with its input data visible, then change an input and check whether the result still makes sense. A function name is only the starting point; references, conditions and assumptions determine whether the calculation is reliable.

How to study the course

• Start with the beginner class if you need a refresher on entering formulas and reading cell references. Rebuild a small example before tackling a longer calculation.
• Study the logical-functions class as a connected set of decision tools. Write the condition in plain language before translating it into Excel.
• Use the advanced classes to compare alternatives. Keep a note of the assumptions and Excel-version requirements behind a chosen function.

Use the searchable classroom lesson list to revisit a specific explanation. Pause after a useful demonstration, reproduce a small example and explain the result in your own words. Keep a short note of what worked, what changed and what you still need to understand before moving on.

Who is this for?

This course is for Excel users in administration, analysis, reporting and other spreadsheet-based work. It suits learners who know the basic interface and want stronger calculation skills, including those revisiting an unfamiliar function.

Before you start

Basic workbook navigation is helpful. Access to an appropriate Excel version is needed for hands-on practice; function availability varies between versions. The free video course does not include a Microsoft software license.

Put the lessons into practice

Build a small order tracker using invented data. Include an amount, category and status for each order. Write a conditional total, a count based on a stated criterion and a lookup that returns a related value. Check each result manually for a few rows, then try a blank input, an unmatched lookup value and a boundary amount. Explain the conditions in a short note beside the table. Compare two approaches from the videos and choose the one you can maintain and verify most clearly.

This optional activity is provided by WikiFree for independent practice. It is not a graded assignment from the instructor. Keep your working notes, check the result against the task you defined and return to the relevant lesson when an assumption or technique is unclear.

Certificate / Assessment

Watching the public videos and using WikiFree progress tracking does not award a certificate, exam voucher, academic credit or instructor assessment.

Use your practice output to review what you can now explain and repeat independently. Completion tracking records your study progress; it does not replace an assessed qualification or professional experience.

Frequently asked questions

Provider: Simon Sez IT. Videos play from the Simon Sez IT channel on YouTube.