Excel Interview Questions: Basic to Intermediate Level

30 October 2025

4 min read

Basic Excel Interview Questions

1. What are the distinguishing characteristics of Excel?

Interviewers usually start with general questions. An excellent response would emphasize:

Data entry and data storage in rows and columns.
Built-in formulas and functions
Charting and graphing capabilities
Data filtering and sorting
To summarize data: PivotTables and PivotCharts
Conditional formatting
Integration with other MS Office applications

2. What is the difference between a workbook and a worksheet?

Workbook: This is an entire Excel file, which may consist multiple sheets.
Worksheet: A page in the workbook onto which you have typed and edited your data.

3. What are cell references in Excel?

Cell references are ways to identify and use the value of a cell in formulas:

Relative reference (A1): Changes when copied to another cell.
Absolute reference ($A$1): Fixed and doesn’t change when copied.
Mixed reference (A$1 or $A1): Partially fixed.

4. What are Excel functions, and can you give examples?

Functions are pre-built formulas that simplify calculations. Examples include:

=SUM(A1:A10) → Adds values in the range
=AVERAGE(B1:B10) → Finds the average
=IF(C1>50,"Pass","Fail") → Logical test
=VLOOKUP(101, A2:D20, 3, FALSE) → Searches for a value

5. What is the difference between a formula and a function?

Formula: User-defined expressions (e.g., =A1+B1).
Function: Predefined operations (e.g., =SUM(A1:B1)).

6. How do you protect a worksheet in Excel?

You can protect worksheets to prevent unauthorized editing:

Go to Review → Protect Sheet
Set a password and select permissions

Intermediate Excel Interview Questions

7. What is Conditional Formatting?

Conditional formatting involves styles (colours, an icon or bold lettering) that are automatically activated in selected cells based on certain rules. Example: Color all sales that are above $10,000 in green.

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8. Explain the difference between VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP.

VLOOKUP: Searches vertically (columns). Example: =VLOOKUP(101, A2:D20, 3, FALSE)
HLOOKUP: Searches horizontally (rows). Example: =HLOOKUP("Q1", A1:D5, 3, FALSE)

9. What is the difference between VLOOKUP and INDEX-MATCH?

VLOOKUP is simple but limited—it only searches from left to right.
INDEX-MATCH is more flexible:

=INDEX(ColumnToReturn, MATCH(LookupValue, LookupColumn, 0))

Works in both directions (left or right lookup).

10. How do PivotTables work?

A PivotTable summarizes large amounts of data quickly by grouping, aggregating, and filtering information. Interviewers might ask you to:

Drag fields into Rows, Columns, Values, and Filters areas
Summarize data (sum, average, count, etc.)
Apply filters or slicers for interactive analysis

11. What is the difference between COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTIF, and COUNTIFS?

COUNT: Counts only numbers (=COUNT(A1:A10)).
COUNTA: Counts non-empty cells, including text.
COUNTIF: Counts based on a single condition. Example: =COUNTIF(A1:A10,"Pass").
COUNTIFS: Counts based on multiple conditions. Example: =COUNTIFS(A1:A10,">50",B1:B10,"Yes").

12. What is Data Validation in Excel?

Data validation limits what is possible to be entered in a cell. For example:

Only whole numbers to be entered between 1-100
The design of dropdown lists in order to provide uniformed and consistent input

13. What is the difference between Find and Replace vs. Filter?

Find and Replace: To search and replace the values of data.
Filter: Hides rows that don’t meet specific conditions, allowing users to view subsets of data.