Managing rule priority in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This data shows student scores in column A. We want to assign grades in column B based on score ranges with priority rules.

Cell	Value
A1	Score
A2	85
A3	70
A4	55
A5	40
B1	Grade
B2
B3
B4
B5

Formula Trace

=IF(A2>=80, "A", IF(A2>=60, "B", IF(A2>=50, "C", "F")))

Step 1: A2>=80

Step 2: 85>=80

Step 3: IF(TRUE, "A", IF(A2>=60, "B", IF(A2>=50, "C", "F")))

Cell Reference Map

    A       B
1 | Score | Grade
2 |  85   |  -> formula here
3 |  70   | 
4 |  55   | 
5 |  40   | 

Arrow points from A2 to formula in B2.

The formula in B2 uses the value in A2 to decide the grade.

Result

    A       B
1 | Score | Grade
2 |  85   |  A
3 |  70   | 
4 |  55   | 
5 |  40   | 

The formula in B2 returns 'A' because 85 is >= 80.

The grade 'A' appears in B2 because the score 85 meets the highest priority condition.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What grade will a score of 70 get with this formula?

A A

B B

C C

D F

Key Result

Nested IF statements check conditions in order, returning the first TRUE condition's result to manage priority.