OR function in Excel - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

📊 Formula Result

intermediate

Output of OR with multiple conditions

What is the result of the formula =OR(A1>10, B1<5, C1=7) if the cell values are A1=8, B1=3, and C1=9?

A TRUE

B FALSE

C 8

D 3

💡 Hint

Remember OR returns TRUE if any condition is TRUE.

A1>10 is FALSE, B1<5 is TRUE, C1=7 is FALSE. OR returns TRUE if any condition is TRUE.

❓ Function Choice

intermediate

Choosing the correct OR formula

Which formula correctly checks if either cell A2 is empty or cell B2 is greater than 100?

A =OR(ISBLANK(A2), B2&gt;=100)

B =OR(A2="", B2&gt;100)

C =OR(ISBLANK(A2), B2&gt;100)

D =OR(A2="", B2&gt;=100)

💡 Hint

ISBLANK checks if a cell is empty.

Option C uses ISBLANK to check if A2 is empty and B2>100 correctly. Other options either check >=100 or use text comparison which may not be reliable.

📊 Formula Result

advanced

Result of OR with nested AND conditions

What is the result of =OR(AND(A1>5, B1<10), AND(C1=3, D1>0)) if A1=6, B1=12, C1=3, and D1=1?

A 6

B FALSE

C 12

D TRUE

💡 Hint

AND returns TRUE only if all conditions inside it are TRUE.

AND(A1>5, B1<10) is FALSE because B1=12 is not less than 10. AND(C1=3, D1>0) is TRUE because both are true. OR returns TRUE if any argument is TRUE.

🎯 Scenario

advanced

Using OR to highlight overdue or high priority tasks

You want to highlight tasks in a spreadsheet if the due date is before today or the priority is 'High'. Which conditional formatting formula should you use?

A =OR(A2&gt;TODAY(), B2="High")

B =OR(A2&lt;TODAY(), B2="High")

C =AND(A2&lt;TODAY(), B2="High")

D =AND(A2&gt;TODAY(), B2="High")

💡 Hint

OR highlights if either condition is true.

Option B correctly uses OR to check if due date is before today or priority is High. Other options use AND or wrong date comparisons.

❓ data_analysis

expert

Counting rows where OR condition is met

You have a table with columns Score1 and Score2. Which formula counts how many rows have Score1>80 or Score2>80?

A =SUMPRODUCT(--( (Score1&gt;80) + (Score2&gt;80) &gt; 0 ))

B =COUNTIFS(Score1, ">80") + COUNTIFS(Score2, ">80")

C =SUM(IF(OR(Score1&gt;80, Score2&gt;80),1,0))

D =COUNTIF(Score1&gt;80, TRUE) + COUNTIF(Score2&gt;80, TRUE)

💡 Hint

SUMPRODUCT can handle OR logic by adding boolean arrays.

Option A correctly counts rows where either Score1 or Score2 is greater than 80 by adding boolean arrays and checking if sum is greater than zero. Options A and D double count rows where both conditions are true. Option A is invalid syntax.

Practice

1. What does the OR function do in Excel?

easy

A. Returns FALSE if any condition inside it is TRUE

B. Returns TRUE if any condition inside it is TRUE

C. Returns TRUE only if all conditions inside it are TRUE

D. Counts how many conditions are TRUE

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the OR function purpose

   The OR function checks multiple conditions and returns TRUE if at least one condition is TRUE.

2. Step 2: Compare options with OR behavior

   Only Returns TRUE if any condition inside it is TRUE correctly states that OR returns TRUE if any condition is TRUE.

3. Final Answer:

   Returns TRUE if any condition inside it is TRUE -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   OR = TRUE if any condition TRUE [OK]

Hint: OR returns TRUE if any condition is TRUE, else FALSE [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking OR requires all conditions TRUE
• Confusing OR with AND function
• Assuming OR counts TRUE conditions

2. Which of these is the correct syntax for the OR function in Excel?

easy

A. =OR(A1>10, B1<5)

B. =OR(A1>10; B1<5)

C. =OR{A1>10, B1<5}

D. =OR[A1>10, B1<5]

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Excel function syntax

   Excel functions use parentheses () and commas , to separate arguments.

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   =OR(A1>10, B1<5) uses correct parentheses and commas. Options A, B, and C use incorrect separators or brackets.

3. Final Answer:

   =OR(A1>10, B1<5) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Excel functions use () and commas [OK]

Hint: Use parentheses and commas in Excel functions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using semicolons instead of commas
• Using curly or square brackets
• Missing parentheses

3. Given the formula =OR(A1>5, B1=10) with A1=3 and B1=10, what is the result?

medium

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

C. 3

D. 10

Solution

1. Step 1: Evaluate each condition

   A1>5 is 3>5 which is FALSE. B1=10 is 10=10 which is TRUE.

2. Step 2: Apply OR logic

   OR returns TRUE if any condition is TRUE. Since B1=10 is TRUE, OR returns TRUE.

3. Final Answer:

   TRUE -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   OR(FALSE, TRUE) = TRUE [OK]

Hint: If any condition is TRUE, OR returns TRUE [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming both conditions must be TRUE
• Confusing OR with AND
• Returning a cell value instead of TRUE/FALSE

4. The formula =OR(A1>5 B1=10) returns an error. What is the fix?

medium

A. Remove parentheses

B. Replace OR with AND

C. Add a comma between conditions: =OR(A1>5, B1=10)

D. Change > to >= in first condition

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify syntax error

   The formula misses a comma between conditions inside OR, causing a syntax error.

2. Step 2: Correct the syntax

   Insert a comma between conditions: =OR(A1>5, B1=10) to fix the error.

3. Final Answer:

   Add a comma between conditions: =OR(A1>5, B1=10) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   OR arguments must be comma-separated [OK]

Hint: Separate OR conditions with commas [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting commas between conditions
• Replacing OR with AND without reason
• Removing parentheses causing more errors

5. You want to mark a student as 'Pass' if their score in A1 is above 50 or if they have extra credit in B1 (marked TRUE). Which formula correctly does this?

hard

A. =IF(AND(A1>50, B1=TRUE), "Pass", "Fail")

B. =IF(A1>50 OR B1=TRUE, "Pass", "Fail")

C. =IF(OR(A1>50 B1=TRUE), "Pass", "Fail")

D. =IF(OR(A1>50, B1=TRUE), "Pass", "Fail")

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the condition

   The student passes if score > 50 OR extra credit is TRUE.

2. Step 2: Check formula correctness

   =IF(OR(A1>50, B1=TRUE), "Pass", "Fail") uses IF with OR and correct syntax. =IF(AND(A1>50, B1=TRUE), "Pass", "Fail") uses AND which requires both true, wrong logic. Options C and D have syntax errors (missing commas or wrong structure).

3. Final Answer:

   =IF(OR(A1>50, B1=TRUE), "Pass", "Fail") -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use IF with OR for either condition TRUE [OK]

Hint: Use IF with OR for either condition TRUE [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using AND instead of OR
• Missing commas inside OR
• Incorrect IF syntax