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MS Excel

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Workbook, cells and references

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⏱ 5 min read🧩 4 question types🎯 18 practice Q
The idea in one minute

Excel is a spreadsheet program: data goes into cells at the crossing of rows and columns. A file = workbook; each tab = worksheet.

Dimensions (Excel 2007 onwards): rows 10,48,576 (2^20, numbered 1...1048576) x columns 16,384 (2^14, named A...XFD) = 17,17,98,86,928 cells per sheet. (Excel 2003 and earlier: 65,536 x 256, last column IV.)

References: a cell address = column letter + row number (C5). A range = top-left:bottom-right (A1:B5 covers 2 columns x 3 rows = 6 cells).

Reference typeFormWhat happens when copied
RelativeA1Row/column shift with the formula
Absolute$A$1Fully locked
Mixed$A1 or A$1Column locked, or row locked

F4 cycles A1 -> $A$1 -> A$1 -> $A1 while editing. Cross-sheet reference: Sheet2!B4; cross-workbook adds [Book1] before the sheet name. The Name Box (left of formula bar) shows/renames the active cell; the formula bar shows the cell's real content. The fill handle (small square at the active cell's corner) copies formulas or extends series (AutoFill). Formulas always begin with =.

01

What Excel is

Excel is the spreadsheet program of Microsoft Office. A spreadsheet is a giant grid made for numbers: marksheets, budgets, attendance, bills. The file is called a workbook and each tab inside it is a worksheet (or sheet).

02

The grid: rows, columns and cells

  • Rows are numbered 1, 2, 3... and columns are lettered A, B, C... Z, then AA, AB... up to XFD.
  • From Excel 2007 onwards there are 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns — about 17.18 billion cells per sheet. (Excel 2003 and older had only 65,536 rows and 256 columns — a favourite trap.)
  • A cell is one box at the crossing of a column and a row. Its cell address = column letter + row number: A1, C5, XFD1048576.
  • The active cell has a thick green border; the Name Box (top-left) shows its address and the Formula Bar shows what is really typed in it (text, number or formula).
  • A range is a rectangle of cells written with a colon: A1:B5 means A1 to B5.
03

References — what happens on copy

TypeWritten asWhen copied
RelativeA1changes with the new position
Absolute$A$1stays fixed (the dollar signs lock it)
Mixed$A1 or A$1only the unmarked part moves

While editing a formula, F4 cycles a reference through A1, $A$1, A$1 and $A1.

04

Working with sheets and data

  • A new workbook contains one worksheet by default (older versions had three). Add another with the + button or Shift+F11; rename by double-clicking the sheet tab.
  • Text aligns left, numbers align right automatically — a quick check of what Excel thinks your data is.
  • ##### in a cell only means the column is too narrow — widen it; nothing is broken.
  • Ctrl+A selects the whole sheet; Ctrl+Home jumps to A1; Freeze Panes (View tab) keeps headings visible while scrolling.
  • AutoFill — drag the tiny square (fill handle) at the corner of the active cell to copy content or continue a series (Jan, Feb, Mar...). Ctrl+D fills the cell above down; Ctrl+R fills the cell to the left rightwards.
  • Rows and columns can be hidden and unhidden (right-click the row number or column letter) — hidden is not deleted.
  • Wrap Text shows long text on several lines inside one cell; Merge and Centre joins selected cells into one wide cell.
05

Why the grid is powerful

Excel recalculates automatically: change one mark and every total, average and chart built on it updates at once. This single idea — formulas store relationships, not fixed numbers — is why spreadsheets replaced hand-written ledgers, and it is the idea behind most Excel questions: "if this cell changes, what does that formula show?"

06

Question types you will see

Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.

Type 1common4 practice Q

Grid arithmetic: rows, columns, cells

How to spot it:

'How many rows/columns does an Excel 2007+ sheet have?', 'the last column letter', or multiplication of rows and columns into total cells.

Method

  1. From Excel 2007: rows = 1,048,576; columns = 16,384 (last column XFD).

  2. Total cells = rows multiplied by columns (a calculator question, not memory).

  3. Excel 2003 and older: 65,536 rows, 256 columns (last column IV).

Try this

How many cells does one Excel 2016 worksheet contain?

Show solution

16,384 columns x 1,048,576 rows = 17,179,869,184 cells — about 17.18 billion.

Type 2very common4 practice Q

Reference behaviour on copy

How to spot it:

A formula like =A1*$B$1 is copied from one cell to another and the changed formula is asked — or the type (relative/absolute/mixed) of a written reference is asked.

Method

  1. Plain A1 is relative: both parts slide when copied. $A$1 is absolute: frozen. $A1 and A$1 are mixed: only the part without $ moves.

  2. Rewrite the row and column offsets, then rebuild the formula.

  3. F4 cycles A1 to $A$1 to A$1 to $A1 while the formula is being edited.

Try this

Cell C1 holds =A1+B1. It is copied to C3. What does C3 contain?

Show solution

=A3+B3 — both references are relative, so each moves down 2 rows with the copy.

Type 3very common4 practice Q

Workbook, worksheet and cell-address recall

How to spot it:

Direct recall: a file is a workbook, a tab is a worksheet, the address is column letter plus row number, the Name Box shows the address, the Formula Bar shows content.

Method

  1. Workbook = file; worksheet = tab inside it; cell = one box; range = A1:B5 with a colon.

  2. Name Box (left of formula bar) = address of the active cell; Formula Bar = its true content.

  3. Default worksheet count in new workbooks = 1 (older versions shipped 3).

Try this

In MS Excel, the intersection of a row and a column is called a —

Show solution

Cell, addressed by column letter then row number, e.g. B7.

Type 4common4 practice Q

Data type and display basics

How to spot it:

Questions on left/right alignment of text and numbers, what ##### means, or what Ctrl+A / Ctrl+Home do.

Method

  1. Text left-aligns, numbers right-align automatically.

  2. = column too narrow — widen it; the value is safe.

  3. Ctrl+A selects the sheet, Ctrl+Home jumps to A1, Freeze Panes pins headings.

Try this

A cell shows ###### instead of a number because —

Show solution

The column is too narrow to display the number — widen the column; it is a display notice, not an error.

07

Shortcuts that save time

⚡ Dollar locks

A $ before the letter locks the column; before the number locks the row. $A$1 = both locked ('dollar = padlock'). F4 taps through the four states.

Example

Which reference keeps the row fixed but lets the column change?

Show solution

Mixed reference like A$1.

⚡ Rows x Cols

2007+: 2^20 rows (10,48,576) x 2^14 columns (16,384); last column XFD. Old Excel: 65,536 x 256 ('256 = IV roman-ish, XFD = 16384').

Example

Last column heading in Excel 2019?

Show solution

XFD.

08

Mistakes to avoid

Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.

Mistake 01

Saying Excel 2019 has 65,536 rows - that ended with Excel 2003.

Mistake 02

Writing a range as A1-B5; the separator is a colon (A1:B5).

Mistake 03

Forgetting that F4 toggles references only while editing a formula (outside editing it repeats the last action).

09

Quick revision

Read this the night before the exam.

  • Workbook = file; worksheet = tab; cell = column letter + row number.

  • 2007+: 1,048,576 rows, 16,384 columns (XFD), ~17.18 billion cells.

  • $A$1 absolute (locked), A1 relative (moves), F4 toggles while editing.

  • Range separator = colon (A1:B5).

  • Text left, numbers right; ##### = narrow column, not an error.

10

Practice: 18 questions

Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.

Topic test · 10 questions

Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.

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