Sorting (single and multi-column) in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows a list of people with their Age and Score.

Cell	Value
A1	Name
B1	Age
C1	Score
A2	Alice
B2	30
C2	85
A3	Bob
B3	25
C3	90
A4	Charlie
B4	30
C4	75
A5	Diana
B5	25
C5	95

Formula Trace

=SORT(A2:C5, 2, TRUE, 3, FALSE)

Step 1: Range to sort: A2:C5

Step 2: Sort by column 2 (Age) ascending

Step 3: Within same Age, sort by column 3 (Score) descending

Step 4: Final sorted array

Cell Reference Map

    A       B       C
1 | Name  | Age   | Score
2 | Alice | 30    | 85   
3 | Bob   | 25    | 90   
4 | Charlie| 30   | 75   
5 | Diana | 25    | 95   

Formula references range A2:C5 for sorting by columns B and C.

The formula uses the data in cells A2 to C5. It sorts by column B (Age) ascending, then by column C (Score) descending.

Result

    A       B       C
1 | Name  | Age   | Score
2 | Diana | 25    | 95   
3 | Bob   | 25    | 90   
4 | Alice | 30    | 85   
5 | Charlie| 30   | 75   

The sorted result shows Diana first because she has the lowest Age (25) and highest Score (95) among age 25.

The sorted table shows names ordered by Age ascending and Score descending within the same Age.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What is the first row after sorting with =SORT(A2:C5, 2, TRUE, 3, FALSE)?

A Bob, 25, 90

B Diana, 25, 95

C Alice, 30, 85

D Charlie, 30, 75

Key Result

SORT(range, sort_column1, ascending1, sort_column2, ascending2) sorts data by multiple columns in specified order and directions.