Google Sheets Fundamentals Course 2026

This course is for people who use Google Sheets at work or want to learn it before starting an office, retail or site job. It covers the Sheets screen and importing CSV files, formatting, formulas and functions such as SUM, IF, COUNTIF, VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP, sorting and filtering, dropdowns and conditional formatting, and charts, sharing, comments and version history. 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 35 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 lessonsGoogle Sheets Fundamentals Course: Lessons: about 120 minutes of reading. Every test question is covered in the lessons.

What you will learn

Create, name, organize and import spreadsheets, including CSV files
Enter data and apply number formats, custom formats and autofill
Write formulas with SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, MAX, ROUND and absolute references
Use IF, COUNTIF, SUMIF, IFERROR, VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP to answer questions about data
Sort and filter data, add dropdowns and highlight rows with conditional formatting
Make a chart, share a file with the right role, use comments and restore an earlier version

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: The Sheets screen, files and importing

Question 1 of 16
What is the name of the cell where column D meets row 7?
- D7
- 7D
- D:7
- R7D
Show answer
Answer: A. D7
A cell name is the column letter followed by the row number, so column D and row 7 give D7.
Question 2 of 16
In the sheet below, which cell contains the word "Webcam"?
A B C D
1 Code Item Price Stock
2 K100 Keyboard 34.99 12
3 M220 Mouse 18.50 40
4 H310 Headset 59.00 7
5 C415 USB cable 9.25 65
6 W520 Webcam 72.00 0
- C6
- A6
- B6
- B5
Show answer
Answer: C. B6
"Webcam" is in column B on row 6, so the cell is B6.
Question 3 of 16
Which web address creates and opens a new blank spreadsheet?
- drive.google.com/save
- sheets.google.com/download
- sheets.google.com/create
- docs.google.com/sheet-new
Show answer
Answer: C. sheets.google.com/create
Google Help says you can create a new spreadsheet from the address sheets.google.com/create, or select the plus icon on the Sheets home screen.
Question 4 of 16
What name does Google give a new spreadsheet until you rename it?
- Untitled spreadsheet
- New spreadsheet (1)
- Sheet1
- Book1
Show answer
Answer: A. Untitled spreadsheet
New files get a default name such as "Untitled spreadsheet". Sheet1 is the name of the first tab inside the file, not the file name.
Question 5 of 16
How do you save your changes in Google Sheets when you are online?
- Select File, then Download, then pick a type
- Select the Share button and then click Send
- Nothing: Sheets saves changes automatically
- Press Ctrl+S after every change you make
Show answer
Answer: C. Nothing: Sheets saves changes automatically
Google saves your changes automatically as you type, so there is no save button. In Sheets, click outside the cell you typed in.
Question 6 of 16
You want a second tab in the same spreadsheet for next week's data. What do you click?
- Insert, then Chart, then the Setup tab
- Add sheet (+) at the bottom
- Create (+) on the Sheets home screen
- File, then Make a copy of the spreadsheet
Show answer
Answer: B. Add sheet (+) at the bottom
Add sheet at the bottom of the spreadsheet adds another tab to the same file. The Create button on the home screen makes a whole new file.
Question 7 of 16
How many cells are in the range A2:D6?
- 20
- 16
- 24
- 10
Show answer
Answer: A. 20
A2:D6 covers 4 columns (A to D) and 5 rows (2 to 6), and 4 × 5 = 20 cells.
Question 8 of 16
You want the heading row to stay on screen while you scroll down a long list. Which menu do you use?
- Format, then Merge cells
- Data, then Create a filter
- Insert, then Dropdown
- View, then Freeze
Show answer
Answer: D. View, then Freeze
Freezing pins rows or columns in place so you can see them when you scroll. Select View, then Freeze, and choose how many rows.
Question 9 of 16
You need a new empty row above row 5. What is one way to add it?
- Select View, then Group, then Group rows
- Select row 5 and then press Ctrl+D to fill it
- Right-click row 5, then Insert 1 row above
- Double-click the bottom edge of row 5
Show answer
Answer: C. Right-click row 5, then Insert 1 row above
Right-click a row, column or cell and choose the Insert option (for example Insert 1 row above). Double-clicking a row edge only resizes it.
Question 10 of 16
A formula must use cell B4 on a sheet named Week two. Which reference is written correctly?
- ='Week two'!B4
- =B4!'Week two'
- =Week two!B4
- ="Week two"!B4
Show answer
Answer: A. ='Week two'!B4
Write the sheet name, an exclamation point and the cell. A sheet name with a space must be inside single quotes, as in ='Week two'!B4.
Question 11 of 16
You need to pull a range of cells from a different spreadsheet file into your sheet. Which function does Google say you must use?
- VLOOKUP
- COUNTA
- XLOOKUP
- IMPORTRANGE
Show answer
Answer: D. IMPORTRANGE
To reference cells in another spreadsheet file, you must use the IMPORTRANGE function. Sheet!A1 references only work inside the same file.
Question 12 of 16
Your manager emails you a .csv file. Which menu in an open spreadsheet brings its data into Sheets?
- File, then Download
- Insert, then Chart
- Data, then Data validation
- File, then Import
Show answer
Answer: D. File, then Import
Select File, then Import, and choose the file. Sheets imports .csv, .tsv, .txt, .xlsx and other types. File, then Download does the opposite.
Question 13 of 16
You import a CSV file of this week's sales and want the new rows added under the data already on the current sheet. Which import location do you pick?
- Replace current sheet
- Replace data starting at selected cell
- Create new spreadsheet
- Append rows to current sheet
Show answer
Answer: D. Append rows to current sheet
Append rows to current sheet adds the imported data after the last row that has data. The Replace options remove what is already there.
Question 14 of 16
A text file from another system uses semicolons between values. Which separator setting can work this out for you when you import it?
- Replace data starting at selected cell
- Detect automatically
- Tab
- Comma
Show answer
Answer: B. Detect automatically
Detect automatically finds how to split the data, including files that use semicolons. You can also choose Custom and type the character.
Question 15 of 16
You uploaded an Excel (.xlsx) file to Google Drive and want to work on it as a Google Sheets file. What do you do?
- Open any spreadsheet and select File, then Download, then .xlsx
- Share the file with your own email address as an Editor
- Rename the file in Drive so that its name ends in .gsheet
- In Drive, right-click it and select Open with, then Google Sheets
Show answer
Answer: D. In Drive, right-click it and select Open with, then Google Sheets
After the upload, right-click the file in Drive and select Open with, then Google Sheets. Google notes that Microsoft files in Drive can also be updated without converting them.
Question 16 of 16
What is the largest spreadsheet that Google Drive lists for a file created in or converted to Google Sheets?
- Up to 20 million cells or 100 MB
- Up to 1 million cells or 10 MB
- Up to 5,000 rows on each sheet
- There is no limit
Show answer
Answer: A. Up to 20 million cells or 100 MB
Google Drive lists a limit of up to 20 million cells or 100 MB for spreadsheets created in or converted to Google Sheets.

	A	B	C	D
1	Code	Item	Price	Stock
2	K100	Keyboard	34.99	12
3	M220	Mouse	18.50	40
4	H310	Headset	59.00	7
5	C415	USB cable	9.25	65
6	W520	Webcam	72.00	0

What to know before the test

Google Sheets saves your changes automatically as you type when you are online, so there is no save button.
To use cells from a different spreadsheet file, you must use the IMPORTRANGE function. A sheet name with spaces goes in single quotes, as in ='Week two'!B4.
COUNTIF is not case sensitive, and it accepts the wildcards ? (one character) and * (any number of characters).
If you leave out is_sorted, VLOOKUP uses an approximate match (TRUE). Google recommends FALSE for an exact match.
XLOOKUP is available in Google Sheets. Its match_mode defaults to 0 (exact match), and it returns #N/A or your missing_value when nothing matches.
A filter is seen by everyone with access to the file, while a filter view lets each person sort and filter without changing what others see.
You need edit permission to see a file's version history. A spreadsheet can have up to 15 named versions.
Google Drive lists a limit of up to 20 million cells or 100 MB for a spreadsheet created in or converted to Google Sheets.

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 Google certification, an employer's or a government's certificate, or an accredited qualification.

Do I need a Google account to take the course?

No. You can read the lessons and answer the quizzes in your browser. To try the practical exercises, open Google Sheets with a Google account, or download the practice data as a CSV file and import it.

Which version of Google Sheets do the lessons describe?

The lessons describe Google Sheets in a web browser on a computer. Keyboard shortcuts are for Windows and Chromebook; on a Mac, use Cmd in place of Ctrl for most of them. Google sometimes moves menu items, so a label may look a little different.

How does the final assessment work?

It has 35 questions picked at random from the course's question bank, and you have 35 minutes. You get a new mix of questions each time you try.

Does Google Sheets have XLOOKUP?

Yes. Google Sheets has both VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP. XLOOKUP lets you name the result column directly, returns exact matches by default, and can return a value from a column to the left of the search column.

Why does the invoice exercise use 5% GST?

It is an example only. Sales tax rates differ by province and territory: for example, the rate is 5% GST in Alberta and 13% HST in Ontario. Always check the rate that applies to your sale.

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.