DATE function in Google Sheets - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

📊 Formula Result

intermediate

What date does this formula produce?

Given the formula =DATE(2024, 2, 29) in a cell, what is the displayed date?

Google Sheets

=DATE(2024, 2, 29)

A February 29, 2024

B March 1, 2024

C Error: Invalid date

D February 28, 2024

💡 Hint

Remember 2024 is a leap year.

The DATE function creates a date from year, month, and day. 2024 is a leap year, so February 29 is valid.

📊 Formula Result

intermediate

What date is shown by this formula?

What date does =DATE(2023, 13, 1) produce in Google Sheets?

Google Sheets

=DATE(2023, 13, 1)

A January 13, 2023

B December 1, 2023

C Error: Invalid month

D January 1, 2024

💡 Hint

Months over 12 roll over to next year.

Month 13 means 1 month after December 2023, so January 1, 2024.

❓ Function Choice

advanced

Which formula correctly creates March 15, 2025?

Choose the formula that produces the date March 15, 2025 in Google Sheets.

A =DATE(2025, 3, 32)

B =DATE(2025, 15, 3)

C =DATE(2025, 3, 15)

D =DATE(2025, 2, 45)

💡 Hint

Check month and day values carefully.

Only option C uses valid month and day values for March 15, 2025.

🎯 Scenario

advanced

Calculate the date 45 days after January 10, 2024

You want to find the date 45 days after January 10, 2024. Which formula using DATE and arithmetic gives the correct date?

A =DATE(2024, 1, 10 + 45)

B =DATE(2024, 1, 10) + 45

C =DATE(2024, 1, 55)

D =DATE(2024, 2, 24)

💡 Hint

Adding days to a date works by adding numbers to the date value.

Adding 45 to the date value of January 10, 2024, correctly calculates the date 45 days later.

❓ data_analysis

expert

How many valid dates are created by these formulas?

Given these formulas in cells:

=DATE(2024, 2, 29)
=DATE(2023, 2, 29)
=DATE(2024, 13, 1)
=DATE(2024, 0, 15)

How many of these produce valid dates without error?

A 3

B 2

C 4

D 1

💡 Hint

Check leap year and month overflow rules carefully.

DATE(2024,2,29) is valid (leap year). DATE(2023,2,29) is invalid (no Feb 29 in 2023). DATE(2024,13,1) is valid (month 13 = Jan next year). DATE(2024,0,15) is valid (month 0 = Dec previous year). So 3 valid dates.