Excel for Beginners Course 2026

This course is for people who are new to Excel or want to fill gaps before starting an office, retail or warehouse job. It covers cells and ranges, formatting, formulas and basic functions, cell references, sorting and tables, and charts, printing and sharing. Study each lesson, try its topic quiz, then take the timed final assessment. Score 80% or more to earn a certificate of completion.

Course
Canada
100 questions
Checked October 13, 2026
Fact-checked October 13, 2026

Quick answer

This free course has about 120 minutes of lessons, 6 untimed topic quizzes (100 questions in all) and a timed final assessment of 30 questions drawn at random. Score 80% or more on the final assessment to download a certificate of completion (private, not accredited). Checked against official sources on October 13, 2026.

Start with the lessonsExcel for Beginners Course: Lessons: about 120 minutes of reading. Every test question is covered in the lessons.

What you will learn

Find your way around workbooks, worksheets, cells and ranges
Enter, edit and format numbers, dates, money and text
Write formulas with SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, COUNTIF, ROUND and IF
Use relative and absolute references and fill formulas with AutoFill
Sort, filter and total data in an Excel table
Make a simple chart, print a sheet neatly and share a workbook

Score 80% or more to download your certificate.

Your study plan

Read each lesson, take its topic quiz (untimed, with explanations), then the timed final assessment. A new mix of questions is drawn every time. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Topic quiz 1: Workbooks, worksheets, cells and ranges

Question 1 of 16
What is the name of the cell where column C meets row 4?
- 4C
- C:4
- C4
- D3
Show answer
Answer: C. C4
A cell name is the column letter followed by the row number, so column C and row 4 give C4.
Question 2 of 16
In the sheet below, which cell contains the word "Radios"?
A B C D
1 Item Category Qty Unit cost
2 Safety vests PPE 42 12.50
3 Hard hats PPE 15 24.00
4 Flashlights Tools 8 18.75
5 Radios Electronics 6 149.00
6 Batteries (AA) Electronics 120 0.85
7 Gloves PPE 64 4.20
8 Traffic cones Site 30 16.40
- A5
- A4
- B5
- E1
Show answer
Answer: A. A5
"Radios" is in column A on row 5, so the cell is A5.
Question 3 of 16
How many worksheets does a new blank workbook have by default in current versions of Excel?
- 10
- 1
- 2
- 3
Show answer
Answer: B. 1
Microsoft lists the default number of sheets in a new workbook as 1. You can add more at any time.
Question 4 of 16
Which keyboard shortcut creates a new blank workbook?
- Ctrl+W
- Ctrl+N
- Ctrl+B
- Ctrl+L
Show answer
Answer: B. Ctrl+N
Ctrl+N opens a new blank workbook. You can also open Excel and select Blank workbook.
Question 5 of 16
How do you add a new worksheet with the mouse?
- Select the Data tab, then select Filter
- Select the + icon next to the sheet tabs
- Select View, then Freeze Panes
- Double-click cell A1 and press Enter
Show answer
Answer: B. Select the + icon next to the sheet tabs
The plus (+) icon next to the sheet tabs at the bottom adds a new worksheet.
Question 6 of 16
What is a quick way to rename a worksheet?
- Select the column letter and press F4 to type a name
- Press Ctrl+N and type the new name
- Double-click its sheet tab and type a name
- Double-click cell A1 and type the new name
Show answer
Answer: C. Double-click its sheet tab and type a name
You can double-click a sheet tab (or right-click it and choose Rename) and type a new name.
Question 7 of 16
How many cells are in the range B2:B6?
- 2
- 5
- 4
- 6
Show answer
Answer: B. 5
The range runs from row 2 to row 6 in one column: rows 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 make 5 cells.
Question 8 of 16
What does the range B15:E15 refer to?
- Columns B to E on every row of the sheet
- Column B, from row 15 down to row E
- Row 15, from column B to column E
- Only the two cells B15 and E15
Show answer
Answer: C. Row 15, from column B to column E
A colon joins the first and last cell of a range. B15:E15 is row 15, columns B through E.
Question 9 of 16
In the sheet below, the data (without the header row) is in A2:D8. How many cells is that?
A B C D
1 Item Category Qty Unit cost
2 Safety vests PPE 42 12.50
3 Hard hats PPE 15 24.00
4 Flashlights Tools 8 18.75
5 Radios Electronics 6 149.00
6 Batteries (AA) Electronics 120 0.85
7 Gloves PPE 64 4.20
8 Traffic cones Site 30 16.40
- 28
- 24
- 11
- 32
Show answer
Answer: A. 28
The range has 4 columns (A to D) and 7 rows (2 to 8), so 4 × 7 = 28 cells.
Question 10 of 16
What does the reference 5:10 mean in a formula?
- All cells in rows 5 through 10
- Only the cell in column E, row 10
- All cells in columns E through J
- Cells A5 to A10 only
Show answer
Answer: A. All cells in rows 5 through 10
A reference made of two row numbers, such as 5:10, means every cell in those whole rows.
Question 11 of 16
Which of these sheet names will Excel refuse?
- Week 1 and 2
- Week_1_2
- Week 1/2
- Week 1-2
Show answer
Answer: C. Week 1/2
Sheet names can't contain the characters / \ ? * : [ or ]. The slash makes "Week 1/2" invalid.
Question 12 of 16
What is the longest name a worksheet tab can have?
- 64 characters
- 31 characters
- 15 characters
- 255 characters
Show answer
Answer: B. 31 characters
Excel limits sheet names to 31 characters, and a name can't be blank.
Question 13 of 16
Which sheet name can't be used, even though it has no forbidden characters?
- History
- Payroll
- Inventory
- Summary
Show answer
Answer: A. History
Excel reserves the name "History" for its own use, so you can't give a sheet that name.
Question 14 of 16
How many rows does one Excel worksheet have?
- 1,000,000
- 16,384
- 1,048,576
- 65,536
Show answer
Answer: C. 1,048,576
A worksheet has 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns.
Question 15 of 16
A formula contains Sales!B2:B9. What does the exclamation point (!) do?
- It separates the sheet name from the cell range
- It means "not equal to" in Excel
- It makes the reference absolute when copied
- It tells Excel to ignore any errors in those cells
Show answer
Answer: A. It separates the sheet name from the cell range
In a reference to another sheet, the ! separates the worksheet name from the cells, so Sales!B2:B9 is B2:B9 on the Sales sheet.
Question 16 of 16
You want a formula that uses cell A1 on a sheet named March Hours. Which reference is written correctly?
- March Hours!A1
- (March Hours)!A1
- 'March Hours'!A1
- "March Hours"!A1
Show answer
Answer: C. 'March Hours'!A1
When a sheet name has a space, put it inside single quotation marks (apostrophes) before the exclamation point.

	A	B	C	D
1	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost
2	Safety vests	PPE	42	12.50
3	Hard hats	PPE	15	24.00
4	Flashlights	Tools	8	18.75
5	Radios	Electronics	6	149.00
6	Batteries (AA)	Electronics	120	0.85
7	Gloves	PPE	64	4.20
8	Traffic cones	Site	30	16.40

	A	B	C	D
1	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost
2	Safety vests	PPE	42	12.50
3	Hard hats	PPE	15	24.00
4	Flashlights	Tools	8	18.75
5	Radios	Electronics	6	149.00
6	Batteries (AA)	Electronics	120	0.85
7	Gloves	PPE	64	4.20
8	Traffic cones	Site	30	16.40

What to know before the test

Every Excel formula starts with an equal sign (=).
Excel multiplies and divides before it adds and subtracts, so =5+2*3 returns 11 but =(5+2)*3 returns 21.
A dollar sign makes a reference absolute: $A$1 stays the same wherever you copy the formula. Press F4 to switch reference types.
AVERAGE ignores empty cells and text in a range, but it includes cells that contain zero.
A number format changes only how a value looks. Excel calculates with the stored value, which you can see in the formula bar.
A table's Total Row uses SUBTOTAL, so totals skip rows hidden by a filter.
One worksheet has 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns.

Frequently asked questions

What certificate do I get, and what is it not?

If you score 80% or more on the final assessment, you can download a certificate of completion for this course. It shows that you finished a general skills course. It is not a Microsoft certification such as Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), and it is not an accredited qualification.

Which version of Excel does this course use?

The lessons describe Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows and Excel for the web. Most steps are the same on a Mac, but some keyboard shortcuts are different.

Do I need Excel installed to take the course?

No. You can read the lessons and answer the quizzes in your browser. To try the practical exercises, use Excel on a computer or Excel for the web, and copy the practice data into a new workbook.

How does the final assessment work?

It has 30 questions picked at random from the course's question bank, and you have 40 minutes. You get a new mix of questions each time you try.

Why does the invoice exercise use 5% GST?

It is an example only. Sales tax rates differ by province and territory. Some places charge 5% GST only, and others charge HST, such as 13% in Ontario.

Is the certificate accredited or officially recognised?

No. It is a private certificate of completion for knowledge only. It is not recognised, accredited or approved by any government, licensing body, regulator or educational institution, and it does not replace any licence, certification or training required by law.