🔵 Easy 12 minbeginner path
SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, COUNTA, MIN, MAX
The six workhorse aggregate functions of Excel. Learn them well and 40% of daily spreadsheet work becomes instant.
Learning objectives
- Aggregate a numeric column six different ways.
- Know when to reach for COUNT vs. COUNTA.
Step-by-step
1. SUM
=SUM(A2:A100) adds numbers. Ignores text and blanks.
2. AVERAGE
=AVERAGE(A2:A100) is the arithmetic mean. Blanks are ignored, but zeros count.
3. COUNT vs. COUNTA
COUNT counts numbers only. COUNTA counts anything not blank — use it to count filled rows in a text column.
4. MIN / MAX
=MIN(range) and =MAX(range) return the smallest/largest number. Great for range sanity checks.
Key takeaways
- Aggregate a numeric column six different ways.
- Know when to reach for COUNT vs. COUNTA.
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