Excel for first-year uni
Most first-year commerce and business units expect you to use Excel, but few of them spend long teaching it.
These are the lessons I'd do in first year, in roughly the order your accounting, stats and finance units get to them. Each one is a short task on a spreadsheet with your formula checked as you go. A lesson takes about ten minutes, so each session below is around half an hour.
Session 1: The basics
If you've hardly used Excel before, start here. All three are free.
- LESSON 1 · OPENYour first formulas: SUM, AVERAGE, MAXTotals, averages and the biggest number in a list.OPEN
- LESSON 2 · FREE ACCOUNTCopying formulas and locking references with $Copying a formula down a column without the references moving.FREE
- LESSON 4 · FREE ACCOUNTShortcuts: move, select and sum without the mouseMoving around and selecting with the keyboard, which is a lot quicker than the mouse.FREE
Session 2: Percentages
Intro accounting and economics use a lot of percentages, and a formula that looks right can still be out.
- LESSON 3 · FREE ACCOUNTPercentages and GST: from till takings to revenueTaking GST out of sales and working out each store's share.FREE
- LESSON 7 · PASSPercentage change and marginsGrowth on last year and profit margins.PASS
- LESSON 5 · PASSOperators and order of operationsWhere the brackets go, and the BODMAS mistake that gives the wrong answer.PASS
Session 3: Counting and simple stats
In business stats you get a dataset and have to describe it. These lessons cover the formulas you start with.
- LESSON 9 · PASSMIN, MAX and simple statsThe smallest and biggest values, and how many there are.PASS
- LESSON 10 · PASSCounting things: COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTBLANKCounting numbers, filled cells and blanks, like replies that haven't come back.PASS
- LESSON 8 · PASSRounding properlyRounding to the number of decimal places a question asks for.PASS
Session 4: Answering questions about a table
A lot of assignment questions ask how many or how much for one group in a table, like sales in one region.
- LESSON 16 · PASSIF, COUNTIF and SUMIF: screening acquisition targetsCounting and adding up only the rows that meet a test.PASS
- LESSON 12 · PASSCOUNTIFS and SUMIFS: several conditions and date rangesThe same with more than one test, like one region in one year.PASS
- LESSON 14 · PASSAVERAGEIFS, MINIFS and MAXIFS: averages and extremes with conditionsThe average, smallest and largest value for one group.PASS
Session 5: Finance maths
First-year finance spends a lot of time on the time value of money. You'll still need the formulas on paper for the exam, but in Excel each one is a single function.
- LESSON 31 · PASSCompounding and FV: what cash set aside today grows toWhat money grows to with compound interest.PASS
- LESSON 32 · PASSPresent value and discount factors: what an earn-out is worth todayWhat a future amount is worth today.PASS
- LESSON 34 · PASSPMT: repayments on equipment finance, in arrears, in advance and with a balloonRepayments on a loan.PASS
- LESSON 37 · PASSNPV: valuing a project, and the year 0 trap in Excel's NPVWhether a project is worth doing, and where the year 0 cash flow goes.PASS
It's worth reading the set-up tips too (a few settings that make the shortcuts work properly), and keeping the shortcut list open while you practise.
Questions
Do I need Excel in first-year commerce?
Usually, yes. Accounting, business stats and finance units tend to assume you can use it, and most don't spend long teaching it. You don't need anything advanced, though. The lessons above cover what comes up.
Can I buy a MacBook Neo for uni?
Yes. Excel runs fine on it and it's plenty for first-year spreadsheets. The formulas are the same as on Windows and only the shortcuts are different. Pick Mac in the settings at the top of this page and every lesson shows the Mac keys. A few advanced features, like Power Pivot, are Windows only, but you won't need them in first year. If a unit outline lists other software, check it runs on a Mac before you buy. Also, it goes hard.
Do I have to pay for Excel?
Probably not. Most unis give students Microsoft 365, which includes Excel, free while they're enrolled. Your uni's IT pages will say how to get it.
Can I use Google Sheets instead?
For practice, yes. Most lessons have a Google Sheets version, which you can switch to in the settings at the top of the page. Check your unit outline before you hand anything in, though, because some assignments have to be Excel files.
How long does it take?
About ten minutes a lesson, so half an hour a session. You could do the first two sessions before semester starts.
Semester pass
Lesson 1 is free to try and lessons 2 to 4 need a free account. The pass unlocks every lesson on this page and the rest, in Excel and Google Sheets. A$49 every six months; cancel any time. Terms and refunds.