Download the Excel practice workbook (.xlsx). It contains four worksheets, editable inputs, working formulas and the original expected answers. All names, orders and requests are fictional. The file has no macros, external data connections or customer information.
Use a fresh copy when starting a lesson. Yellow cells contain inputs; the original-answer columns describe the starting data and deliberately stay fixed when you change an input. Compare the calculated result with the rule being tested, rather than expecting the original answer to remain correct after every change.
Choose an exercise
| Worksheet | First check | Change to try | Expected changed result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lookups | E103 returns Sales; reverse search over the duplicate returns Support | Change lookup code G6 to E999 | All three lookup results show Not found |
| Lookups | Sales and Feb return 175 | Change department G15 to Finance | 100 |
| IFS | 24 is Small, 25 is Medium, 100 is Large | Put -1 in guarded input G6 | Check units |
| Copilot data | Completed orders total 2,750: West 1,500 and East 1,250 | Enter A106, West, Completed, 200 in the blank row 12 | West 1,700; completed total 2,950 |
| Request log | Four Open requests, 110 minutes and two overdue | Change R106 to Closed | Three Open requests, 85 minutes and one overdue |
Restore the starting values before comparing with the original-answer columns. The workbook places data in labelled areas; its cell coordinates differ from some article examples. Use the formulas already in the workbook, or follow the article’s placement instructions when building a blank worksheet yourself.
Start with a small, complete lesson
The lookup lesson explains exact matching, missing values, duplicates and two-way lookups. The IFS lesson explains why rule order matters and how to test boundaries. The Copilot lesson uses the order data to compare an AI answer with independently calculated totals. The request-log task and rubric combines filtering, totals and a missing-date check.
For the full workbook, use Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2021 or Excel 2024. Microsoft documents XLOOKUP availability and IFS availability. The INDEX MATCH example is available for older-version practice; XLOOKUP will not calculate in perpetual Excel 2016 or 2019. Regional settings can change the formula argument separator.
Copilot access is separate from the workbook. You can complete its manual data checks without Copilot. If you do have access, confirm the account, file and application requirements in the Copilot guide before trying its prompt.
Download the data only
CSV files contain the source rows, without the workbook’s formatting, formulas or multiple worksheets. Import them into a blank workbook, confirm numeric and date types, then follow the matching lesson. For the Copilot exercise, make the imported order range a Table named Orders before using structured-reference formulas.
- Employee lookup data (.csv)
- Department and month data (.csv)
- IFS order quantities (.csv)
- IFS ticket rules (.csv)
- Copilot order data (.csv)
- Administrative request log (.csv)
How the answers were checked
The workbook’s formulas were recalculated with a spreadsheet calculation tool and checked against 39 initial, changed-input and edge-case expectations. The checks include a missing lookup, threshold boundaries, blank/text/negative inputs, changed order status and changed request status. The file was also rendered for a layout review. It has not been executed in Microsoft Excel or Copilot, so check the results in your own supported application before adapting the examples.
These are self-study exercises. Use the course comparison and your actual work requirements to discuss training; the exercises do not award a credential or determine a course placement.
Work through the same example yourself: download the practice workbook. No sign-up required.