MATCH function in Excel - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the formula to find the position of the value 50 in the range A1:A10.

Excel

=MATCH(50, A1:A10, [1])

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

A0

B1

C-1

DTRUE

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 1 or -1 instead of 0 causes approximate matches.

Leaving the third argument blank defaults to 1, which requires sorted data.

The third argument in MATCH specifies the match type. Use 0 for an exact match.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the formula to find the position of "Apple" in the range B2:B20 with an exact match.

Excel

=MATCH("Apple", B2:B20, [1])

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

A0

B1

C-1

DFALSE

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using TRUE or 1 when data is not sorted.

Using FALSE instead of 0.

Use 0 for exact match. Although FALSE coerces to 0, MATCH expects numeric -1, 0, or 1 for match_type.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the formula to find the position of 100 in C1:C15 with exact match.

Excel

=MATCH(100, C1:C15, [1])

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

ATRUE

BFALSE

C1

D0

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using FALSE instead of 0; prefer numeric values.

Using TRUE or 1 without sorted data causes wrong results.

The third argument must be 0 for exact match. Although FALSE coerces to 0, use the numeric value.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to find the position of the value in cell D5 within range E1:E20 with exact match.

Excel

=MATCH([1], [2], 0)

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

AD5

BE1:E20

CD6

DA1:A10

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Swapping the lookup value and range.

Using a wrong cell or range reference.

The first argument is the lookup value (D5). The second is the lookup range (E1:E20).

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to find the position of the text in cell F3 within range G1:G30 with approximate match.

Excel

=MATCH([1], [2], [3])

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

AF3

BG1:G30

C1

D0

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 0 instead of 1 for approximate match.

Using wrong cell or range references.

Use F3 as lookup value, G1:G30 as range, and 1 for approximate match.

Practice

1. What does the MATCH function do in Excel?

easy

A. Adds numbers in a range

B. Sorts data alphabetically

C. Finds the position of a value in a list or range

D. Deletes duplicate values

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of MATCH

   The MATCH function searches for a value in a range and returns its position number.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Options A, C, and D describe different functions (SUM, SORT, Remove Duplicates), not MATCH.

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the position of a value in a list or range -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   MATCH locates position [OK]

Hint: MATCH returns position, not the value itself [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing MATCH with SUM or LOOKUP
• Thinking MATCH returns the value found
• Assuming MATCH sorts data

2. Which of these is the correct syntax for the MATCH function to find an exact match?

easy

A. MATCH(range, value, 1)

B. MATCH(value, range, 0)

C. MATCH(value, range)

D. MATCH(range, value, -1)

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall MATCH syntax

   The correct syntax is MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, match_type). For exact match, match_type is 0.

2. Step 2: Check options

   MATCH(value, range, 0) uses correct order and match_type 0. Others have wrong order or missing match_type.

3. Final Answer:

   MATCH(value, range, 0) -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Exact match uses 0 as third argument [OK]

Hint: Exact match always uses 0 as third argument [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping value and range arguments
• Omitting the match_type argument
• Using 1 or -1 for exact match

3. Given the list {10, 20, 30, 40, 50} in cells A1:A5, what is the result of =MATCH(30, A1:A5, 0)?

medium

A. 3

B. 2

C. 30

D. Error

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the position of 30 in the list

   The list is 10 (pos 1), 20 (pos 2), 30 (pos 3), 40 (pos 4), 50 (pos 5). 30 is at position 3.

2. Step 2: Understand MATCH with exact match

   MATCH returns the position number, so it returns 3.

3. Final Answer:

   3 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Position of 30 in list = 3 [OK]

Hint: MATCH returns position, not the value itself [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Returning the value 30 instead of position
• Confusing position with index starting at 0
• Getting error due to wrong match_type

4. What is wrong with this formula: =MATCH(25, A1:A5, 0) if A1:A5 contains {10, 20, 30, 40, 50}?

medium

A. No error, returns 3

B. Syntax error due to missing parentheses

C. Returns 2 because 20 is closest

D. Returns #N/A because 25 is not found

Solution

1. Step 1: Check if 25 exists in the list

   The list has 10, 20, 30, 40, 50. 25 is not present.

2. Step 2: Understand MATCH with exact match

   With match_type 0, if value not found, MATCH returns #N/A error.

3. Final Answer:

   Returns #N/A because 25 is not found -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exact match missing value returns #N/A [OK]

Hint: Exact match returns #N/A if value missing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming MATCH returns closest value position
• Thinking MATCH returns syntax error
• Ignoring #N/A error handling

5. You have a sorted list of prices in A1:A10. Which MATCH formula finds the position of the largest price less than or equal to 75?

hard

A. MATCH(75, A1:A10, 1)

B. MATCH(75, A1:A10, 0)

C. MATCH(75, A1:A10, -1)

D. MATCH(A1:A10, 75, 1)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand match_type for approximate match

   match_type 1 finds largest value less than or equal to lookup_value in ascending sorted list.

2. Step 2: Check options for correct match_type

   MATCH(75, A1:A10, 1) uses 1, correct for this case. MATCH(75, A1:A10, -1) is for descending order, MATCH(75, A1:A10, 0) is exact match, MATCH(A1:A10, 75, 1) has wrong argument order.

3. Final Answer:

   MATCH(75, A1:A10, 1) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Approximate match ascending uses 1 [OK]

Hint: Use 1 for largest value ≤ lookup in ascending list [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 0 for approximate match
• Using -1 for ascending sorted list
• Omitting match_type argument