Many employers use an Excel test to check practical skills before offering a job. It might be a quiz, a live task, or a file to complete in a set time.
What hiring managers look for
- Accuracy: do your totals match the data?
- Speed: can you finish the task in the time allowed?
- Clean data habits: trimming spaces, fixing dates, no hard-coded numbers.
- Formula choice: using the right function, not a long workaround.
- Clear presentation: readable headings, number formats and simple charts.
Typical skills tested
- Basic functions: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, IF.
- Lookups: VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX and MATCH.
- Conditional totals: SUMIFS, COUNTIFS.
- Text and date functions: LEFT, TEXTJOIN, DATEDIF.
- PivotTables, sorting, filtering and charts.
How to prepare
- Practice formulas in a real spreadsheet, not just by reading.
- Do timed drills so speed becomes natural.
- Learn the key shortcuts.
- Try case studies built on business data, like sales, payroll and inventory.
On the day
Read the instructions fully, work on a copy of the file, check your totals and write short notes on any assumptions you made.