TODAY and NOW functions in Excel - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

📊 Formula Result

intermediate

What is the output of =TODAY() in Excel?

If today is June 15, 2024, what value will the formula =TODAY() show in a cell?

Excel

=TODAY()

A The current date without time, e.g., 6/15/2024

B The current date and time, e.g., 6/15/2024 14:30

C The current time only, e.g., 14:30

D A static date that never changes

💡 Hint

Remember, TODAY() returns only the date part, no time.

The TODAY() function returns the current date without any time. It updates automatically each day.

📊 Formula Result

intermediate

What does =NOW() display in Excel?

If the current date and time is June 15, 2024, 3:45 PM, what will =NOW() show?

Excel

=NOW()

A The current date and time, e.g., 6/15/2024 3:45 PM

B Only the current time, e.g., 3:45 PM

C Only the current date, e.g., 6/15/2024

D A fixed timestamp that never changes

💡 Hint

NOW() includes both date and time.

The NOW() function returns the current date and time, updating whenever the sheet recalculates.

❓ Function Choice

advanced

Which function should you use to get only the current date without time?

You want a formula that updates daily to show the current date but does not show the time. Which function is correct?

A NOW()

B TIME()

C DATE()

D TODAY()

💡 Hint

Think about which function excludes the time part.

TODAY() returns only the date. NOW() returns date and time. DATE() and TIME() require arguments.

🎯 Scenario

advanced

You want to calculate the number of days since a project started using TODAY()

If cell A1 has the project start date (e.g., 5/1/2024), which formula correctly calculates how many days have passed until today?

A =A1 - TODAY()

B =NOW() - A1

C =TODAY() - A1

D =DATEDIF(A1, NOW(), "d")

💡 Hint

Subtract the start date from today's date to get days passed.

Subtracting the start date from TODAY() gives the number of days passed. NOW() includes time, which can cause decimals. DATEDIF with NOW() is less common here.

❓ data_analysis

expert

Analyzing formula outputs: What is the difference between =NOW() and =TODAY() in Excel?

You enter =NOW() and =TODAY() in two cells at 9:30 AM on June 15, 2024. What is the difference in their numeric values?

A NOW() and TODAY() return exactly the same numeric value

B NOW() value is TODAY() value plus a fractional part representing time (e.g., 0.3958 for 9:30 AM)

C TODAY() value is NOW() value plus a fractional part representing time

D NOW() returns a text string, TODAY() returns a number

💡 Hint

Excel stores dates as whole numbers and times as fractions of a day.

TODAY() returns the date as a whole number (days since 1/1/1900). NOW() adds the time as a decimal fraction of the day. For example, 9:30 AM is 9.5/24 = 0.3958.