Excel MATCH Practice Question: Find which column number (counting from January as 1) March is in, using MATCH…
The question
Find which column number (counting from January as 1) March is in, using MATCH on the month headings, and put it in B6.
The data
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May |
| 2 | Pen | 10 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 14 |
| 3 | Book | 8 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
| 4 | Bag | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | Position of Mar | ? |
The yellow cell is where your answer goes.
Show answer
Answer in B6: 3
How it works
Explanation: MATCH on a row of headings tells you which column to read. This is the building block of a flexible lookup.
Syntax: =MATCH("Mar",B1:F1,0)
The headings in B1:F1 are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May. Mar is the 3rd, so the answer is 3.
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 →MATCH syntax
Finds the position of a value within a range — usually paired with INDEX. Finding exactly where a value sits in a list, so INDEX can pull the matching row. Full MATCH guide.
More MATCH practice questions
- Using MATCH, find the position of Pune in the city list and put it in D2.
- Find the position of the code typed in E2 in the code list and put it in F2.
- Using MATCH, find at which position the student who scored exactly 78 appears and put it…
- The slab starts are sorted from small to large. Using MATCH with an approximate match,…
- The pass marks are listed from highest to lowest. Using MATCH with match type -1, find…
- Using MATCH with a wildcard, find the position of the first product whose name starts…
- Using MATCH with MAX, find the position of the highest mark in the list and put it in D2.
- Check whether the invoice number typed in E2 is in the list. Show Found if it is and…
All practice questions · Excel exercises · Interview prep · Cheat sheet