Excel vs Google Sheets comparison - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the formula to sum cells A1 to A5 in Excel.

Excel

=SUM([1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AA1:A5

BA1-A5

CA1;A5

DA1+A5

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a dash '-' instead of a colon ':'

Using a semicolon ';' which is not valid for ranges

Adding cells with '+' instead of using a range

The correct way to sum a range in Excel is using a colon between the start and end cells, like A1:A5.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the formula to find the average of cells B1 to B10 in Google Sheets.

Excel

=AVERAGE([1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AB1:B10

BB1+B10

CB1;B10

DB1-B10

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a dash '-' instead of a colon ':'

Using a semicolon ';' which is invalid for ranges

Adding cells with '+' instead of using a range

In Google Sheets, like Excel, ranges use a colon ':' to specify the start and end cells.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in this Excel formula to count cells in C1 to C20 that are greater than 5.

Excel

=COUNTIF(C1:C20, [1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A>5

B5

C">5"

D"5"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Leaving out quotes around the criteria

Using just the number without operator

Using quotes incorrectly

The criteria in COUNTIF must be a text string with the comparison operator inside quotes, like ">5".

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a dictionary in Google Sheets using ARRAYFORMULA that maps words to their lengths.

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA([1], LEN([2])})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AA1:A5

BB1:B5

CA1:A10

DB1:B10

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using different ranges for words and LEN

Using ranges that don't match the data

Not using ARRAYFORMULA for array operations

To map words to their lengths, use the same range for both the words and LEN function. Here, A1:A5 is used for both.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a filtered list in Excel showing values from D1:D10 greater than 50.

Excel

=FILTER([1], [2] [3] 50)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AD1:D10

C>

D<

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using different ranges in blanks

Using < instead of >

Not repeating the range in the condition

The FILTER function takes the range and a condition. Here, we filter D1:D10 for values greater than 50 using >.

Practice

1. Which of the following is a key advantage of Google Sheets compared to Excel?

easy

A. It has more advanced data analysis tools offline.

B. It allows easy online collaboration in real-time.

C. It supports macros with VBA code.

D. It requires installation on your computer.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand collaboration features

   Google Sheets is designed for easy sharing and real-time collaboration online.

2. Step 2: Compare with Excel features

   Excel is powerful offline but does not natively support real-time online collaboration as easily.

3. Final Answer:

   It allows easy online collaboration in real-time. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Google Sheets = Online collaboration [OK]

Hint: Google Sheets = online collaboration, Excel = offline power [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing offline power with online collaboration
• Thinking Excel requires internet for collaboration
• Assuming Google Sheets supports VBA macros

2. Which formula syntax is correct and works the same in both Excel and Google Sheets?

easy

A. =SUM(A1;A5)

B. =SUM(A1 to A5)

C. =SUM(A1:A5)

D. =SUM(A1-A5)

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall correct SUM syntax

   The correct syntax uses a colon to specify a range: SUM(A1:A5).

2. Step 2: Check compatibility

   Both Excel and Google Sheets use =SUM(A1:A5) for summing a range.

3. Final Answer:

   =SUM(A1:A5) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   SUM range uses colon ':' [OK]

Hint: Use colon ':' for ranges in SUM formulas [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using semicolon instead of colon for ranges
• Writing 'to' instead of colon
• Using subtraction sign inside SUM

3. Given this formula in cell B1: =IF(A1>10, "High", "Low"), what will be the output if A1 contains 8 in both Excel and Google Sheets?

medium

A. "Low"

B. "High"

C. TRUE

D. Error

Solution

1. Step 1: Evaluate the condition A1>10

   Since A1 is 8, 8 > 10 is FALSE.

2. Step 2: Apply IF formula logic

   IF condition is false, so formula returns the "value_if_false" which is "Low".

3. Final Answer:

   "Low" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   8 > 10 is false, so output = "Low" [OK]

Hint: IF returns second value if condition is false [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 8 > 10 is true
• Confusing TRUE/FALSE outputs
• Expecting error for text outputs

4. You try to use this formula in Google Sheets: =VLOOKUP(100, A1:B5, 3, FALSE). It returns an error. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The column index 3 is outside the table range A1:B5.

B. VLOOKUP does not exist in Google Sheets.

C. The FALSE parameter is invalid in Google Sheets.

D. The lookup value 100 must be text, not number.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check table range columns

   Range A1:B5 has only 2 columns (A and B).

2. Step 2: Check column index parameter

   Column index 3 is invalid because it exceeds the number of columns in the range.

3. Final Answer:

   The column index 3 is outside the table range A1:B5. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Column index must be ≤ number of columns [OK]

Hint: Column index ≤ table columns in VLOOKUP [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking VLOOKUP is missing in Google Sheets
• Believing FALSE is invalid parameter
• Assuming lookup value type causes error

5. You want to create a shared budget sheet that updates automatically when multiple team members edit it. Which tool and feature combination is best?

hard

A. Excel with VBA macros and offline saving

B. Excel with Power Query and manual sharing

C. Google Sheets with offline mode only

D. Google Sheets with real-time collaboration and cloud saving

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify collaboration needs

   Multiple team members editing simultaneously requires real-time collaboration.

2. Step 2: Match tool features

   Google Sheets supports real-time collaboration and cloud saving automatically.

3. Step 3: Compare other options

   Excel offline or VBA macros do not support automatic real-time updates for multiple users.

4. Final Answer:

   Google Sheets with real-time collaboration and cloud saving -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Real-time multi-user editing = Google Sheets [OK]

Hint: Use Google Sheets for live multi-user editing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing Excel for real-time multi-user editing
• Confusing offline mode with collaboration
• Assuming VBA macros enable live sharing