Cellgrids Cellgrids
Home › Practice questions › INDEX › Question 5

Excel INDEX Practice Question: Using INDEX with COUNTA, return the most recent (last filled) log entry and…

By Rinkesh Shah, founder of Cellgrids.

The question

Using INDEX with COUNTA, return the most recent (last filled) log entry and put it in D2. The list will grow, so the range goes down to row 10.

The data

ABCD
1Log entryLatest
2Login?
3Upload
4Edit
5Review
6Approve
7Publish
8
9
10

The yellow cell is where your answer goes.

Show answer

Answer in D2: Publish

How it works

Explanation: COUNTA tells you how many entries are filled. Using that as the position returns the last one, and it updates as the list grows.
Syntax: =INDEX(A2:A10,COUNTA(A2:A10))
Six cells are filled, so the position is 6. The sixth entry is Publish.

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 →

INDEX syntax

=INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

Returns the value at a given row/column position within a range. Pulling the Nth item from a list — often paired with MATCH to look up in any direction. Full INDEX guide.

More INDEX practice questions

All practice questions · Excel exercises · Interview prep · Cheat sheet