Microsoft Excel skills are highly valued in all industries. A number of professionals now consider Excel to be a must-have tool due to the growth of data analysis and data visualization responsibilities. When Microsoft Excel was first launched in 1985, they only wanted companies to use it. However, it has significantly changed to now cover almost all areas and domains, including official, private, academic, and commercial.
Beyond the typical spreadsheet functions, Microsoft Excel’s abilities span a broad range of real-world applications that keep emerging over time. The ability to master and improve your Microsoft Excel skills is always advantageous, regardless of your level of expertise with the program. To improve your skills, you must first have a grasp of the many different aspects and components that you can choose to master.
Here are the top six ways to become an Excel pro quickly and easily:
Ways to Sharpen Your MS Excel Skills
1. Learn how to use MS Excel formulas:
MS Excel relies heavily on mathematical and logical formulas. Microsoft Excel is a huge grid that stores data for later viewing and analysis. Therefore, a user of Excel would be wise to brush up on their skills and familiarize themselves with MS Excel’s many formulas, both simple and complex, such as the AutoSum, IF and ELSE, Count of Values, Sum of Values that Meet Criteria, Average Formula, Mod Formula, and many more.
2. Excel shortcuts:
Microsoft Excel offers a variety of shortcut options that make it easier to execute certain specialized tasks quickly. You can complete your duties faster by using these shortcuts than by manually inputting the necessary information. You’ll most likely use some of the following shortcuts:
- Shift + Space
- F3
- Ctrl + Space
- Shift + Home
- Ctrl + /
3. Utilize Pivot Table Tools:
The pivot table tool is one of Excel’s most prominent features. It assists in the summary, analysis, exploration, and visual presentation of data. Knowing how to use pivot table tools can enable you to create reports more quickly and present data graphically. For instance, Excel’s “Group” function makes use of pivot table capabilities to assist in the creation of monthly and quarterly reports.
Users can choose which data columns to analyze and how to change the data using this tool. It requires a straightforward formula, such as adding, computing the standard deviation, or averaging using Excel’s value field settings option.
Powerful Excel tools like the Power Pivot Table can quickly analyze enormous amounts of data and download large data sets from numerous sources. Power View, a function that works in conjunction with Power Pivot, is used by organizations today to construct dashboards. Power pivot is a hugely useful tool for digital marketing experts when combined with the flow since it makes it simple for them to sort through and see big data.
Also Read: 4 Advantages Gained by Attending Microsoft Excel Certification
4. Make Use of Table Formatting Tools:
Another ability that improves your knowledge of the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel is the ability to format tables in various ways. It becomes much simpler to convert unprocessed data and points into an interactive database once you master Excel’s table formatting tricks. Excel’s table formatting capabilities make it simple and effective for users to build unique table designs. It offers users a gallery-style user interface with a variety of options for formatting tables.
When converting a cell range to a table, an Excel user can also select any specified format. Users must take steps to ensure that the “My table has headers” checkbox is selected if any table contains a row that serves as a heading. Once the table is defined, it acquires special functions. MS Excel also includes the following table formatting tools:
• Tables in Microsoft Excel are provided with a function called Automatic Expansion that gives users the ability to automatically extend the table size based on the data that has been entered.
• The Automatic Reformatting function makes sure that the table automatically adapts to the requested formatting, taking the alternate shading into consideration.
• Automatic Chart and Object Adjustment is a further functionality. The ability to add additional rows to existing tables is provided by this feature. The necessary table data and any objects utilizing this feature are automatically added to the new data.
• Another effective technique for structuring tables is the Pivot Table’s Summarizing function. Pivot Table updates are made automatically using this tool. For instance, Excel will automatically expand the source range in the pivot table if new data is added to an existing table in order to represent the updated information.
5. Become familiar with AutoFill:
The AutoFill feature is another one of the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel. By using this function, Excel eliminates the need for you to manually enter numbered data into rows and columns. You could save the hours that manually entering this data would need. Formulas can be applied by using the AutoFill feature rather than typing them out by hand.
Make sure AutoFill is covered when you learn Excel formulas because it greatly simplifies work. The majority of Excel users don’t know about the AutoFill option, thus they waste time entering data in each column individually and work for hours on a single table. Enter data into the first cell that ends in a number before using this feature.
Next, drag that cell along the column by clicking and holding its bottom right corner. You will observe that every cell causes an automatic increase in the number in the right-hand column. Businesses and professionals can save a ton of time using AutoFill. When calculated on a yearly basis, it saves almost a full month.
Consider yet another instance where the Averaging formula can be used to determine the average of each value in a specific column. If you copy the formula from the bottom of each column and paste it into another table’s AutoFill function, the formula will be filled in by all of the columns in that table.
All you have to do is finish the calculation then click and hold the cell with the number of data written in the bottom right corner. Then type the selected formula and drag it to the right, across all of the columns. Every column will instantly have the accurate calculation for the adjacent column letter when you let go of the mouse.
6. Learn to Center Shapes, Objects, and Charts in a Spreadsheet:
In today’s data-driven environment, it’s crucial to report and visualize data using charts, diagrams, and graphs. As a result, you should concentrate on mastering the fundamental design ideas that MS Excel offers in the Align or Distribute option. Your data will be easier to grasp and more professional to look at if it is aligned for a large presentation.
For instance, by using alignment features, a user can scale a complete chart to the same size, say 3×6 inches, by taking the following actions:
• As you choose each chart, hold down the Ctrl key.
• Select Object on the Format tab.
• When prompted for a height and width, type 3 and 6 respectively into the respective boxes.
• Press Okay.
Now that you are aware of the Microsoft Excel abilities that will help in your mastery of the spreadsheet solution, it is time to sign up for a crash course in the program and practically comprehend each element.
Also Read: How to Get a Microsoft Excel Professional Certification in 2023