SORT and SORTN functions in Google Sheets - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

📊 Formula Result

intermediate

Output of SORT with multiple columns

Given the data in range A1:C4:

A1: Name, B1: Age, C1: Score
A2: Alice, B2: 30, C2: 85
A3: Bob, B3: 25, C3: 90
A4: Carol, B4: 30, C4: 80

What is the output of the formula =SORT(A2:C4, 2, TRUE, 3, FALSE)?

A [["Bob", 25, 90], ["Alice", 30, 85], ["Carol", 30, 80]]

B [["Bob", 25, 90], ["Carol", 30, 80], ["Alice", 30, 85]]

C [["Alice", 30, 85], ["Carol", 30, 80], ["Bob", 25, 90]]

D [["Carol", 30, 80], ["Alice", 30, 85], ["Bob", 25, 90]]

💡 Hint

SORT sorts first by the first column you specify, then by the second column.

The formula sorts by Age ascending (column 2), then by Score descending (column 3). Bob is youngest (25), so first. Alice and Carol both 30, but Alice has higher score (85) than Carol (80), so Alice comes before Carol.

❓ Function Choice

intermediate

Choosing between SORT and SORTN

You want to get the top 3 highest scores from a list of scores in column B (B2:B10). Which formula will correctly return the top 3 scores sorted from highest to lowest?

A =SORT(B2:B10, 1, TRUE)

B =SORTN(B2:B10, 3, 0, 1, FALSE)

C =SORTN(B2:B10, 3, 0, 1, TRUE)

D =SORT(B2:B10, 1, FALSE)

💡 Hint

SORTN can limit the number of results and sort order.

SORTN with 3 returns top 3 rows. The 4th argument '1' means sort by first column, and FALSE means descending order (highest first).

📊 Formula Result

advanced

Result of SORTN with ties and unique option

Given the data in A1:B5:

A1: Name, B1: Score
A2: John, B2: 90
A3: Jane, B3: 85
A4: Joe, B4: 90
A5: Jill, B5: 80

What is the output of =SORTN(A2:B5, 2, 1, 2, FALSE)?

Note: The 3rd argument '1' means unique rows based on the sort column.

A [["Jane", 85], ["Jill", 80]]

B [["John", 90], ["Joe", 90]]

C [["John", 90], ["Jill", 80]]

D [["John", 90], ["Jane", 85]]

💡 Hint

Unique option removes duplicate scores when sorting.

SORTN returns 2 rows, unique by the sort column (Score). Scores 90 and 85 are unique top scores. Joe has same score as John (90), but unique option keeps only first occurrence (John).

🎯 Scenario

advanced

Extracting top 5 salespeople by revenue with SORTN

You have a sales table in A1:C10:

A: Salesperson, B: Region, C: Revenue

You want to get the top 5 salespeople by Revenue, sorted descending, but only one salesperson per Region (no duplicates in Region). Which formula will achieve this?

A =SORTN(A2:C10, 5, 0, 3, FALSE)

B =SORTN(A2:C10, 5, 1, 2, FALSE)

C =SORTN(A2:C10, 5, 1, 3, FALSE)

D =SORTN(A2:C10, 5, 1, 1, FALSE)

💡 Hint

The 3rd argument '1' enforces unique rows based on the sort column. The 4th argument is the column to sort by.

Using 3rd argument as 1 enforces unique rows based on the sort column (Revenue). The 4th argument '3' means sort by Revenue column descending (FALSE). However, to get unique salespeople per Region, you need to enforce uniqueness on the Region column (column 2), so 3rd argument should be 1 and 4th argument should be 2. Option A uses 0 for unique, so it does not enforce uniqueness, but option A enforces uniqueness on Revenue, not Region. Therefore, none of the options perfectly enforce uniqueness on Region. The closest correct answer is B which returns top 5 by Revenue descending without uniqueness enforcement.

❓ data_analysis

expert

Analyzing SORTN output with multiple sort columns and unique option

Given the data in A1:D6:

A: Product, B: Category, C: Sales, D: Rating
A2: Pen, B2: Stationery, C2: 100, D2: 4.5
A3: Pencil, B3: Stationery, C3: 150, D3: 4.7
A4: Eraser, B4: Stationery, C4: 100, D4: 4.8
A5: Mug, B5: Kitchen, C5: 200, D5: 4.2
A6: Plate, B6: Kitchen, C6: 180, D6: 4.6

What is the output of:
=SORTN(A2:D6, 3, 1, 3, FALSE, 4, TRUE)

Note: The formula sorts first by Sales descending (column 3), then by Rating ascending (column 4), with unique rows based on the first sort column (Sales).

A [["Mug", "Kitchen", 200, 4.2], ["Pencil", "Stationery", 150, 4.7], ["Plate", "Kitchen", 180, 4.6]]

B ]]6.4 ,081 ,"nehctiK" ,"etalP"[ ,]7.4 ,051 ,"yrenoitatS" ,"licneP"[ ,]2.4 ,002 ,"nehctiK" ,"guM"[[

C [["Mug", "Kitchen", 200, 4.2], ["Plate", "Kitchen", 180, 4.6], ["Pencil", "Stationery", 150, 4.7]]

D ]]7.4 ,051 ,"yrenoitatS" ,"licneP"[ ,]6.4 ,081 ,"nehctiK" ,"etalP"[ ,]2.4 ,002 ,"nehctiK" ,"guM"[[

💡 Hint

Unique option keeps only one row per Sales value. Sorting is by Sales descending, then Rating ascending.

SORTN returns 3 rows, unique by Sales (column 3). Sales values descending: 200, 180, 150. For ties in Sales, it sorts by Rating ascending. So Mug (200,4.2), Plate (180,4.6), Pencil (150,4.7) in that order.

Practice

1. What does the SORT function do in Google Sheets?

easy

A. It arranges all data rows by one or more columns.

B. It picks only the top 3 rows from a data range.

C. It filters data based on a condition.

D. It sums up values in a column.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of SORT

   The SORT function organizes data rows by sorting them according to one or more columns.

2. Step 2: Compare with other functions

   Unlike functions that filter or sum data, SORT rearranges all rows based on column values.

3. Final Answer:

   It arranges all data rows by one or more columns. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   SORT = Arrange rows by column [OK]

Hint: SORT rearranges all rows by column values [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing SORT with filtering functions
• Thinking SORT picks only top rows
• Assuming SORT sums values

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax for the SORTN function to get the top 5 rows sorted by column B ascending from range A1:C10?

easy

A. SORTN(A1:C10, 5, 0, 2, TRUE)

B. SORTN(A1:C10, 5, 0, 2, FALSE)

C. SORTN(A1:C10, 5, 1, 2, TRUE)

D. SORTN(A1:C10, 5, 0, 1, TRUE)

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify SORTN parameters

   SORTN(range, n, display_ties_mode, sort_column, is_ascending) picks top n rows sorted by a column.

2. Step 2: Match parameters to question

   We want top 5 rows (n=5), no tie display (0), sort by column 2 (B), ascending (TRUE).

3. Final Answer:

   SORTN(A1:C10, 5, 0, 2, TRUE) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   SORTN syntax with correct params [OK]

Hint: Remember SORTN(range, n, 0, col, TRUE) for top n ascending [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 1 instead of 0 for display_ties_mode
• Sorting by wrong column number
• Setting ascending to FALSE when ascending needed

3. Given the data in A1:B5:
A1:B5
1, 50
2, 40
3, 60
4, 30
5, 70
What is the result of =SORT(A1:B5, 2, TRUE)?

medium

A. [5, 70], [3, 60], [1, 50], [2, 40], [4, 30]

B. [4, 30], [1, 50], [2, 40], [3, 60], [5, 70]

C. [1, 50], [2, 40], [3, 60], [4, 30], [5, 70]

D. [4, 30], [2, 40], [1, 50], [3, 60], [5, 70]

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SORT parameters

   SORT(range, sort_column, is_ascending) sorts rows by the specified column ascending if TRUE.

2. Step 2: Sort data by column 2 ascending

   Column 2 values: 50, 40, 60, 30, 70. Sorted ascending: 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. Corresponding rows: [4,30], [2,40], [1,50], [3,60], [5,70].

3. Final Answer:

   [4, 30], [2, 40], [1, 50], [3, 60], [5, 70] -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   SORT by column 2 ascending = sorted rows [OK]

Hint: Sort by column values ascending to reorder rows [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Sorting by wrong column
• Assuming descending order when TRUE means ascending
• Mixing row order with original data

4. You wrote =SORTN(A1:A10, 3, 0, 2, TRUE) but it returns an error. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The range A1:A10 has fewer than 3 rows.

B. The ascending parameter must be FALSE, not TRUE.

C. The sort column number 2 is outside the range columns.

D. The display_ties_mode parameter cannot be 0.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check range and sort column

   The range A1:A10 has 1 column (A). Sort column 2 is outside the range columns, causing an error.

2. Step 2: Rule out other options

   Fewer than 3 rows (A) returns available rows without error; TRUE (B) is valid for ascending; 0 (C) is valid for display_ties_mode.

3. Final Answer:

   The sort column number 2 is outside the range columns. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Sort column must be within range columns [OK]

Hint: Check if sort column number fits range columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using sort column number larger than columns in range
• Confusing display_ties_mode values
• Assuming TRUE must be FALSE for ascending

5. You have sales data in A2:C20 with columns: Product, Region, Sales. You want to find the top 3 sales amounts but only for the "East" region. Which formula correctly sorts and filters this data?

hard

A. =SORTN(A2:C20, 3, 0, 3, FALSE)

B. =SORTN(FILTER(A2:C20, B2:B20 = \"East\"), 3, 0, 3, FALSE)

C. =SORTN(FILTER(A2:C20, B2:B20 = \"East\"), 3, 0, 3, TRUE)

D. =SORT(FILTER(A2:C20, B2:B20 = \"East\"), 3, FALSE)

Solution

1. Step 1: Filter data by region "East"

   Use FILTER(A2:C20, B2:B20 = "East") to get only rows where Region is East.

2. Step 2: Use SORTN to get top 3 sales descending

   SORTN(filtered_data, 3, 0, 3, FALSE) picks top 3 rows sorted by Sales (column 3) descending (FALSE).

3. Final Answer:

   =SORTN(FILTER(A2:C20, B2:B20 = "East"), 3, 0, 3, FALSE) -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Filter then SORTN top 3 descending sales [OK]

Hint: Filter first, then SORTN top n descending [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Sorting ascending instead of descending
• Not filtering before sorting
• Using SORT instead of SORTN for top n