Home › Practice questions › AVERAGE › Question 8

Excel AVERAGE Practice Question: Build a 3-month moving average. Using AVERAGE, fill C4 to C7 so each cell…

By Rinkesh Shah, founder of Cellgrids.

The question

Build a 3-month moving average. Using AVERAGE, fill C4 to C7 so each cell averages that month and the two before it.

The data

	A	B	C
1	Month	Sales	3-mo avg
2	Jan	100
3	Feb	120
4	Mar	110	?
5	Apr	130	?
6	May	150	?
7	Jun	140	?

The yellow cells are where your answer goes.

Show answer

Expected results:

C4 = 110
C5 = 120
C6 = 130
C7 = 140

How it works

Explanation: A moving average smooths out ups and downs. The range slides down one row each time, always covering three months.
Syntax: =AVERAGE(B2:B4)
C4: (100 + 120 + 110) / 3 = 110. C5: (120 + 110 + 130) / 3 = 120. C6: (110 + 130 + 150) / 3 = 130. C7: (130 + 150 + 140) / 3 = 140.

Try it yourself in the live sheet

Type your formula in the highlighted cell and get instant feedback. Free, no Excel install needed.

Try this question in the live sheet →

AVERAGE syntax

=AVERAGE(number1, [number2], ...)

Finds the mean of a set of numbers. AVERAGE is used in financial models and engineering-style calculations where precise numeric work is needed. Full AVERAGE guide.