Free course · Excel Study

Learn Microsoft Excel, one short class at a time

160 short classes in 16 modules, from your first formula to pro-level tools. One topic per class, 1–2.5 minutes each, made as vertical videos for your phone. By Koshy Thomas Online Classes.

60 of 160 classes ready38%

Modules 1–6 are complete and module 7 (Dates & times) is under way. More classes coming.

Start with Class 1 →See all 16 modules

How every class is made

Real Excel, every time

Every cell, formula and result on screen is what Microsoft Excel actually displayed. Each class is replayed in real Excel before it is made.

An AI moment, checked

Each class has a prompt that works in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or Claude. The AI’s real answer is pasted in and checked in Excel. When the AI got it wrong, the class shows that, so you learn to test AI in Excel.

Windows and Mac

Shortcuts are shown for both. Feature and shortcut facts come from Microsoft’s own support pages, linked on every class page.

One topic, 1–2.5 minutes

Each class teaches one thing, as a vertical video made for your phone. Watch it on the bus, then try it in Excel.

The 16 modules

Basics → intermediate → advanced → pro. Tap a module to jump to its classes.

Module 110/10 ✓
First steps
BasicsClasses 1–10
Module 210/10 ✓
Entering & formatting data
BasicsClasses 11–20
Module 310/10 ✓
Decisions with IF
BasicsClasses 21–30
Module 47/7 ✓
Counting & summing with conditions
IntermediateClasses 31–37
Module 59/9 ✓
Text functions
IntermediateClasses 38–46
Module 69/9 ✓
Lookups
IntermediateClasses 47–55
Module 75/12
Dates & times
IntermediateClasses 56–67
Extra module0/13
Modern functions (Excel 2019+)
IntermediateClasses 68–80
Module 80/16
Dynamic arrays
AdvancedClasses 81–96
Module 90/12
Data tools
IntermediateClasses 97–108
Module 100/10
Charts & PivotTables
IntermediateClasses 109–118
Module 110/10
Statistics & maths
AdvancedClasses 119–128
Module 120/10
Money & finance
AdvancedClasses 129–138
Module 130/5
Errors & auditing
AdvancedClasses 139–143
Module 140/7
Speed & what-if
AdvancedClasses 144–150
Module 150/4
AI & power tools
ProClasses 151–154
Module 160/6
Real projects
ProClasses 155–160

Module 1 · Classes 1–10

First steps

10 of 10 ready

Class 1 · 1:54
Cells, rows & your first formula
Basics
Excel for complete beginners. Columns have letters, rows have numbers, and every cell has an address you can read in the Name Box.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 2 · 1:33
SUM & the AutoSum shortcut
Basics
Add a whole column in Excel with =SUM(B2:B7) — the colon means "to", so B2:B7 is every cell from B2 to B7. Faster still: AutoSum. Press Alt + = on Windows (Shift + Cmd + T on a Mac) and Excel writes the SUM formula for you.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 3 · 1:26
AVERAGE, MIN & MAX
Basics
Three of the most used Excel functions: =AVERAGE(B2:B8) for the mean, =MAX(B2:B8) for the highest value and =MIN(B2:B8) for the lowest. Change any score and all three update at once.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 4 · 1:24
COUNT, COUNTA & COUNTBLANK
Basics
Three ways to count in Excel. COUNT counts only numbers, COUNTA counts every cell that is not empty (text included), and COUNTBLANK counts the empty cells. Here: homework marks where one student is "Absent" and two cells are blank.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 5 · 1:41
Maths order: why brackets matter
Basics
Excel does maths in a fixed order: brackets first, then powers, then multiply and divide, then add and subtract. So =B2+C2*1.05 taxes only the delivery charge, while =(B2+C2)*1.05 adds 5% to price AND delivery.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 6 · 1:23
Fill handle: copy a formula down
Basics
Type a formula once, then drag the fill handle — the small square at the corner of the cell — to copy it down. Excel changes the references for each row by itself (B2*C2 becomes B4*C4 in row 4): that is a relative reference.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 7 · 1:46
Absolute references: the $ sign
Basics
Copy =B2*E2 down and it breaks: the next row asks for E3, which is empty. Lock the rate cell with dollar signs, =B2*$E$2, and every row uses E2. Press F4 right after typing the reference (Cmd + T on a Mac) to add the dollars.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 8 · 1:50
Percentage of total
Basics
What share of the total did each product bring in? Divide each value by the total and lock the total with F4: =B2/$B$7.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 9 · 1:53
Percentage change
Basics
Did sales grow or shrink, and by how much? Percentage change is new minus old, divided by old: =(C2-B2)/B2 — with brackets, so the subtraction happens first.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 10 · 1:40
ROUND, ROUNDUP & ROUNDDOWN
Basics
=ROUND(B2,2) rounds a number to 2 decimal places; ROUNDUP rounds away from zero and ROUNDDOWN toward zero (for a positive number: up and down). The second number is how many decimals to keep — 0 means a whole number.
AI prompt & answer →

Module 2 · Classes 11–20

Entering & formatting data

10 of 10 ready

Class 11 · 1:53
Number formats that look pro
Basics
Make a report look professional in seconds. Comma Style adds a thousands separator and two decimals, Currency adds your computer's own currency symbol, and Percent Style shows a share as a percentage — Increase Decimal adds one more digit.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 12 · 1:39
Dates are numbers
Basics
Every date in Excel is secretly a number: its day number, counting 1 January 1900 as day 1. That is why =B3-B2 gives the days between two dates. Switch a date's format to General and you see its number; Undo brings the date back.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 13 · 1:27
AutoFill: days, months, 1-2-3
Basics
Type Mon and drag the fill handle: Excel fills Tue, Wed … Sun. Months work the same way. A single number only copies itself — give Excel two numbers (1 and 2) and it continues the pattern: 3, 4, 5.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 14 · 1:31
Flash Fill (Ctrl+E)
Basics
Type ONE example of what you want — a first name next to the full name — and press Ctrl+E (Control+E on a Mac, or Data → Flash Fill). Excel spots the pattern and fills the whole column. Flash Fill arrived in Excel 2013.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 15 · 1:17
Wrap text & Center Across
Basics
A header too long for its column? Home → Wrap Text puts it on two lines and the row grows to fit. A title that hangs to the left?
AI prompt & answer →
Class 16 · 1:22
Freeze Panes: headers stay put
Basics
Long list? Scroll down and the headers vanish. View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row keeps row 1 on screen.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 17 · 1:32
Format as Table (Ctrl+T)
Basics
Click any cell in your data and press Ctrl+T (Cmd+T on a Mac): Excel turns the range into a table with striped rows and a filter button on every header.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 18 · 1:22
Sort data the right way
Basics
Click ONE cell in a column and choose Data → Sort A to Z (or Z to A): Excel sorts the whole list and every row moves together, so names keep their sales.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 19 · 1:13
Filter data
Basics
Click a cell in your list and choose Data → Filter: a button appears on every header. Open one, untick Select All, tick what you want, and OK — the other rows are hidden, not deleted (the row numbers jump).
AI prompt & answer →
Class 20 · 1:38
Remove duplicates
Basics
A list with repeats? First count them with one formula, and see why you should always test an AI's formula in Excel. Then Data → Remove Duplicates keeps the first of each and deletes later repeats for good, so copy your data first.
AI prompt & answer →

Module 3 · Classes 21–30

Decisions with IF

10 of 10 ready

Class 21 · 1:29
IF: pass or fail
Basics
The IF function makes a decision: it tests something, then shows one result when the test is true and another when it is false. Here: Pass when the marks are 40 or more, otherwise Fail.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 22 · 1:33
IF with numbers: a bonus
Basics
IF can give back a calculation, not just a word. If a salesperson's sales reach their target, the bonus is 10 percent of the sales; if not, the bonus is 0. One formula, filled down for the whole team.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 23 · 1:29
Nested IF: grades A, B, C
Intermediate
Three results need two decisions, so put an IF inside an IF. First test: 80 or more gives an A. Only if that is false does the second IF run: 60 or more gives a B, anything lower a C.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 24 · 1:36
AND & OR inside IF
Intermediate
AND is true only when every rule is true; OR is true when any one rule is true. Put them inside IF to decide with two rules at once: a course takes people aged 18 or more AND scoring 60 or more — with OR, at least one rule is enough.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 25 · 1:44
Not equal (<>) and NOT
Intermediate
"Not equal to" is written as a less-than sign followed by a greater-than sign. Use it inside IF to flag every invoice that is NOT Paid — Pending, Overdue, anything else.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 26 · 1:42
IFERROR: no more #DIV/0!
Intermediate
Divide by a quantity of zero and Excel shows ＃DIV/0!. Wrap the formula in IFERROR and you choose what shows instead — here a 0 — while every row that works keeps its normal result. IFERROR also catches ＃N/A, ＃VALUE!
AI prompt & answer →
Class 27 · 1:49
Is it blank? ISBLANK vs ""
Intermediate
ISBLANK is TRUE only when a cell is truly empty. Inside IF it turns a task list into a live tracker: Pending while the "done on" date is empty, Done the moment someone types a date.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 28 · 1:39
Does it contain? ISNUMBER + SEARCH
Intermediate
SEARCH finds a word inside a cell and gives its position, or an error when it isn't there. Wrap it in ISNUMBER and you get a clean TRUE or FALSE: does this note mention "late"?
AI prompt & answer →
Class 29 · 1:21
COUNTIF
Intermediate
COUNTIF counts the cells that match one condition: how many orders were Tea? Give it the range and what to look for, in quotes. Better still, point it at a cell that holds the word, so one formula answers for any product you type.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 30 · 1:23
COUNTIF with wildcards
Intermediate
Wildcards let COUNTIF match a pattern instead of one exact word. An asterisk stands for any number of characters, so "A*" counts every name starting with A.
AI prompt & answer →

Module 4 · Classes 31–37

Counting & summing with conditions

7 of 7 ready

Class 31 · 1:43
COUNTIFS: two conditions
Intermediate
COUNTIF counts with one condition. COUNTIFS counts the rows where every condition is true at once: how many orders came from North in January?
AI prompt & answer →
Class 32 · 1:34
SUMIF
Intermediate
SUMIF adds up only the rows that match a condition: how much did Priya sell, when her orders are spread across the list? Give it where to look, what to find, and what to add, in that order: the sum range comes last.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 33 · 1:41
SUMIFS: many conditions
Intermediate
SUMIFS adds up the rows where every condition is true: how much did Ravi sell in March? It starts with what to add, then takes pairs, a range and its condition, one pair per condition.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 34 · 2:03
AVERAGEIF & AVERAGEIFS
Intermediate
AVERAGEIF averages only the rows that match one condition: the average score of class 7A. It works like SUMIF, with what to average last.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 35 · 2:08
SUMPRODUCT: weighted totals
Intermediate
A café bill: each item has a price and a quantity. The long way multiplies every row in a helper column and then adds them up.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 36 · 1:38
Running total
Intermediate
A running total shows how much you have made so far, after each day. In C2: =SUM($B$2:B2). F4 locks the start at B2, the end stays free, so when you fill it down every row adds from the first day to its own day.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 37 · 2:08
Count unique values
Intermediate
Seven orders, but some customers ordered more than once — how many different customers are there? First COUNTIF shows how often each name appears.
AI prompt & answer →

Module 5 · Classes 38–46

Text functions

9 of 9 ready

Class 38 · 1:55
Join text: & and CONCATENATE
Intermediate
First names in one column, last names in another — how do you get the full name in one cell? The ampersand (&) joins text: =A2&B2. But Excel joins exactly what you give it, so you get PriyaNair. Add a space in quotes: =A2&" "&B2.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 39 · 1:54
LEFT, RIGHT & MID
Intermediate
An order code like IN-2024-0457 hides three things: the country, the year and the order number.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 40 · 1:49
LEN: count characters
Intermediate
Every staff ID should have 7 characters, but some were typed short. LEN counts the characters in a cell: =LEN(A2) gives 7 for EMP1042. Fill it down and the short ones stand out.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 41 · 2:06
TRIM: extra spaces gone
Intermediate
Names pasted from an email often carry extra spaces: before the name, between the words, or after it, where you cannot see them. LEN counts them for you. TRIM removes every space except single spaces between words: =TRIM(A2).
AI prompt & answer →
Class 42 · 1:42
UPPER, LOWER & PROPER
Intermediate
Names typed in a hurry come in random capitals. UPPER turns every letter into a capital, LOWER turns every letter small, and PROPER gives a capital at the start of each word and small letters for the rest: =PROPER(A2) turns mEI lIN into Mei Lin.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 43 · 2:11
FIND vs SEARCH
Intermediate
FIND and SEARCH both give the position of one piece of text inside another: in ravi@example.com the @ sign is character 5.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 44 · 1:50
SUBSTITUTE & REPLACE
Intermediate
SUBSTITUTE swaps the text you name: =SUBSTITUTE(A2,"-","") swaps every dash in a phone number for nothing, so only the digits are left.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 45 · 2:03
TEXT: numbers inside sentences
Intermediate
Join a name and an amount with & and Excel drops the number's format: the cell shows 4,250.50 but the sentence says Ravi paid 4250.5.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 46 · 2:24
Numbers stored as text
Intermediate
A total that comes out too small often means some numbers are stored as text: copied from another system, or typed with an apostrophe first. Real numbers line up on the right; text sits on the left, and SUM skips it.
AI prompt & answer →

Module 6 · Classes 47–55

Lookups

9 of 9 ready

Class 47 · 2:04
VLOOKUP: exact match
Intermediate
VLOOKUP finds a value in the first column of a table and brings back a value from the same row: =VLOOKUP(E2,A2:C7,3,FALSE) finds the code in E2 among the codes in column A and returns column 3 of the table, the price.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 48 · 2:20
VLOOKUP: approximate match
Intermediate
With TRUE as its last argument, VLOOKUP finds the band a value falls in: the largest band start that is not more than the value.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 49 · 2:17
Why VLOOKUP says #N/A
Intermediate
VLOOKUP shows #N/A when it cannot find what you asked for. Four everyday reasons, each made and fixed in Excel: a table range that slid when filled down, a number stored as text, a value not in the first column, and an extra space (TRIM).
AI prompt & answer →
Class 50 · 1:28
HLOOKUP
Intermediate
When a table runs across — months along the top, figures in the rows below — HLOOKUP finds the column whose top cell matches, then returns the value from the row number you give, counting from the top of the table.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 51 · 1:48
INDEX
Intermediate
INDEX returns the item at a position in a range: =INDEX(A2:A8, D2) gives the product at the position in D2. Positions count from the top of the range, not the sheet, so position 3 is row 4 here.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 52 · 1:45
MATCH
Intermediate
MATCH tells you WHERE an item is: =MATCH(D2, A2:A8, 0) returns the position of the name in D2 in the list. The 0 asks for an exact match, and the list can be in any order.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 53 · 1:40
INDEX + MATCH together
Intermediate
VLOOKUP can only return a value to the right of the column it searches. When the code is in column C and the product name is to its left in column A, put MATCH inside INDEX: MATCH finds the position of the code, INDEX returns the name in that position.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 54 · 1:43
Two-way lookup
Advanced
A two-way lookup finds a value by its row name AND its column name: the sales of one branch in one month.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 55 · 1:49
CHOOSE
Intermediate
CHOOSE picks a value from a list by its position: =CHOOSE(B2,"Cash","Card","Bank") shows Card when B2 is 2, because 2 picks the second value. Fill it down and every payment code becomes a word; change a code and the word follows.
AI prompt & answer →

Module 7 · Classes 56–67

Dates & times

5 of 12 ready

Class 56 · 2:09
TODAY & NOW
Intermediate
=TODAY() shows today's date and =NOW() the date and the time. Both are volatile: Excel works them out again every time it recalculates, so a sheet opened tomorrow shows tomorrow's date.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 57 · 2:08
DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY
Intermediate
YEAR, MONTH and DAY take a date apart: =YEAR(B2) gives its year, =MONTH(B2) its month number, =DAY(B2) its day.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 58 · 2:15
Age in years: DATEDIF
Intermediate
=DATEDIF(B3,$B$1,"Y") gives the complete years between a birth date and a cut-off date: the age on that day. The earlier date goes first.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 59 · 2:02
EDATE: add months
Intermediate
=EDATE(B2,C2) gives the date C2 months after the start date in B2 — a renewal, a due date, a contract end.
AI prompt & answer →
Class 60 · 1:57
EOMONTH: end of month
Intermediate
=EOMONTH(A2,0) gives the last day of the month of the date in A2, and =EOMONTH(A2,1) the last day of the next month — the due date when a client pays at the end of the following month.
AI prompt & answer →