IF Function in Excel
with
Don Schechter
The 'if' function in Microsoft Excel is perfect for projects such as doing grades for a pass/fail course. Find out how to add it to your spreadsheet.
Transcript: IF Function in Excel
Hi, I'm Don Schechter for About.com Computing. Today, I'll show you how conditional statements work in Excel.Open a Spreadsheet
First, open Excel. I'll open a saved spreadsheet to practice my 'if' function. The conditional statement--if this, then that--works particularly well when doing grades for a pass/fail course. As you can see, that's exactly what I'm going to do.Add an If Function
To add an "if" function, go to the first cell, C2, and type 'equals, if' in uppercase letters, open parenthesis. You'll notice a little screen tip come up to help you remember how to write the 'if' statement.Now I'll type 'B2,' then a greater than symbol. For this class, 65 is a passing grade.
Next, we need to type in 'If B2 is greater than 65, it is passing.' So I'll type a comma, and in quotes, the word 'Pass.'
And now, we need to give a value to if B2, if the statement is false. So I'll type a comma, and in quotes the word 'Fail.' Now I'll close the parenthesis.
Check the If Function
This is the entire 'if' function. It tells Excel that if the grade is greater than 65, it will automatically put 'Pass' in the cell. If it is less than 65, you will see 'Fail.'Now let's see who passed and who didn't. I'll just drag this down the column to see how they did.
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