Cross-column conditional rules in Google Sheets - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

📊 Formula Result

intermediate

Conditional Formatting Formula Output

You apply this conditional formatting formula in cell C2:
=AND(A2>10, B2<5)
Given A2=12 and B2=3, what is the formula result in C2?

A 12

B TRUE

C FALSE

D Error

💡 Hint

AND returns TRUE only if all conditions are true.

Since A2 is 12 (greater than 10) and B2 is 3 (less than 5), both conditions are true, so AND returns TRUE.

❓ Function Choice

intermediate

Choose the Correct Formula for Cross-Column Check

You want to mark rows where the value in column A is greater than column B. Which formula should you use in column C?

A =IF(A2>B2, "Yes", "No")

B =IF(AND(A2, B2), "Yes", "No")

C =IF(A2=B2, "Yes", "No")

D =IF(A2<B2, "Yes", "No")

💡 Hint

You want to check if A2 is greater than B2.

Option A correctly uses IF to compare A2 and B2 and returns "Yes" if A2 is greater.

🎯 Scenario

advanced

Highlight Rows Where Sales Exceed Targets

You have sales data in column A and targets in column B. You want to highlight the entire row if sales exceed targets. Which conditional formatting custom formula should you use starting from row 2?

A =$A$2>$B$2

B =AND($A2>$B2, ROW()>1)

C =A2>B2

D =$A2>$B2

💡 Hint

Use absolute column references but relative row references.

Option D uses absolute columns and relative rows, so it adjusts for each row but compares columns A and B correctly.

📊 Formula Result

advanced

Formula Result with Mixed References

In cell D2, you enter:
=IF($A2>$B$1, "Pass", "Fail")
If A2=15 and B1=10, what is the result in D2?

A Pass

B Fail

C 15

D Error

💡 Hint

Check the values and the comparison carefully.

Since $A2 is 15 and $B$1 is 10, 15 > 10 is TRUE, so IF returns "Pass".

❓ data_analysis

expert

Count Rows Where One Column is Greater Than Another

You have data in columns A and B from rows 2 to 100. Which formula correctly counts how many rows have A>B?

A =COUNTIFS(A2:A100, ">"&B2:B100)

B =COUNTIF(A2:A100, ">"&B2:B100)

C =SUMPRODUCT(--(A2:A100>B2:B100))

D =SUM(IF(A2:A100>B2:B100, 1, 0))

💡 Hint

COUNTIF and COUNTIFS do not support array comparisons like this.

SUMPRODUCT with a logical test coerced to numbers counts rows where A is greater than B correctly.

Practice

1. In Google Sheets, you want to check if the value in column A is greater than the value in column B for the same row. Which formula correctly returns TRUE or FALSE for this condition in row 2?

easy

A. =A2>B2

B. =IF(A2, B2)

C. =A2+B2

D. =IF(A2<B2, TRUE, FALSE)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the comparison needed

   The question asks to check if the value in column A is greater than column B in the same row, which is a simple comparison.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct formula syntax

   The formula =A2>B2 directly compares the two cells and returns TRUE or FALSE accordingly.

3. Final Answer:

   =A2>B2 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Simple comparison formula =A2>B2 [OK]

Hint: Use direct comparison like =A2>B2 for cross-column checks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using IF without condition like IF(A2, B2)
• Adding values instead of comparing
• Using wrong comparison operators

2. Which of the following formulas correctly applies a conditional rule to return "Yes" if the value in column C is equal to the value in column D, otherwise "No", for row 3?

easy

A. =IF(C3=D3, "Yes", "No")

B. =IF(C3==D3, "Yes", "No")

C. =IF(C3=D3, Yes, No)

D. =IF(C3<>D3, "Yes", "No")

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the equality check syntax in Google Sheets

   Google Sheets uses a single equals sign = for comparison inside IF, not double equals.

2. Step 2: Check the correct use of text strings in IF

   Text values must be in quotes, so "Yes" and "No" are correct.

3. Final Answer:

   =IF(C3=D3, "Yes", "No") -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use single = and quotes for text in IF [OK]

Hint: Use single = for comparison and quote text in IF [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using double == which causes error
• Not quoting text strings
• Using <> instead of = for equality

3. Given the formula =IF(AND(A2>10, B2<5), "Pass", "Fail") in cell C2, what will be the result if A2=12 and B2=3?

medium

A. TRUE

B. "Fail"

C. "Pass"

D. FALSE

Solution

1. Step 1: Evaluate the AND condition with given values

   A2>10 is TRUE because 12>10, and B2<5 is TRUE because 3<5. AND(TRUE, TRUE) returns TRUE.

2. Step 2: Apply IF based on AND result

   Since AND is TRUE, IF returns "Pass" as specified.

3. Final Answer:

   "Pass" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   AND(TRUE, TRUE) = TRUE, so IF returns "Pass" [OK]

Hint: Check each condition inside AND before IF [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing AND logic with OR
• Ignoring comparison operators
• Expecting TRUE/FALSE instead of text output

4. You wrote this formula in cell D2: =IF(A2>B2, "Higher", "Lower"). But it always shows "Lower" even when A2 is greater than B2. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The formula uses wrong comparison operator

B. The IF function syntax is incorrect

C. The formula needs to be entered as an array formula

D. Cells A2 or B2 contain text, not numbers

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand why comparison might fail

   If A2 or B2 contain text (like numbers stored as text), the comparison A2>B2 may not work as expected.

2. Step 2: Check formula syntax and usage

   The formula syntax is correct and does not require array formula. The issue is likely data type mismatch.

3. Final Answer:

   Cells A2 or B2 contain text, not numbers -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Text in number cells breaks numeric comparisons [OK]

Hint: Check cell data types if comparisons fail [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming syntax error without checking data
• Trying array formula unnecessarily
• Using wrong operators like ==

5. You want to create a formula in column E that labels each row as "OK" if the value in column A is greater than column B and the value in column C is not empty. Otherwise, it should show "Check". Which formula correctly does this for row 2?

hard

A. =IF(A2>B2, IF(C2="", "OK", "Check"), "Check")

B. =IF(AND(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check")

C. =IF(AND(A2>B2, NOT(ISBLANK(C2))), "OK", "Check")

D. =IF(OR(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check")

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the conditions to combine

   The label "OK" requires both: A2>B2 and C2 not empty. This means both conditions must be true, so AND is needed.

2. Step 2: Check formula options for correct logic

   =IF(AND(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check") uses AND with A2>B2 and C2<>"" which means C2 is not empty. This matches the requirement exactly.

3. Final Answer:

   =IF(AND(A2>B2, C2<>""), "OK", "Check") -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use AND for all conditions, check non-empty with <>"" [OK]

Hint: Use AND and <>"" to check multiple conditions and non-empty cells [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using OR instead of AND
• Using ISBLANK incorrectly
• Nesting IF unnecessarily