What do employers hand you in an Excel interview?

Candidates commonly describe messy data, a few questions to answer about it, and a summary of what you found, either in the room or as a take-home. We have no source on how employers score these, so ask what they will look at: correct answers, method, or how you explain it.

What should I clean first in a messy workbook?

Look for stray spaces, numbers stored as text, mixed date formats and duplicates before analyzing. TRIM, Text to Columns and Remove Duplicates handle most of it. Keep the original data on its own sheet so you can show what you changed.

Should I use a PivotTable or formulas?

Either can be right, so say which you chose and why. SUMIFS gives you a total you can audit cell by cell, and a PivotTable summarizes faster when the question changes. PivotTables are not in our simulator yet, so practice them in Excel.

How do I check my numbers?

Get the total a second way: a SUMIFS total against a PivotTable total, or the sum of the parts against the grand total. A mismatch usually means a stray space, a text number or a filtered row.

Is there a timed practice case here?

Not yet. An interview-case format is planned. For now, set your own timer and work a case end to end using the lessons and how-to pages.

Practice tests

Practice for the job interview Excel test

No interview-case practice yet. Use the lessons, how-to pages and the general mock today.

Our practice replicates common formats, not any employer's actual content.

Take the free sampler See what is available

Practice available today

There is no Interview case-style mock yet. The general employment mock and the free sampler are the closest formats we have; the details are below.

What this test usually is

Some employers skip the testing platforms and hand you a workbook instead, either in the interview room or as a take-home. Candidates commonly describe the same shape: some messy data, a few questions to answer about it, and a summary of what you found. Analyst, finance and operations roles are often mentioned. We have no source that describes how any employer scores these, so ask what they will look at.

What is available today

An interview-case practice format is planned; there is no date yet. What you can use today:

The general employment mock, which mixes hands-on tasks and multiple choice under a 30-minute clock.
The free sampler, which uses the general format.
The function guides and how-to pages, each with practice you can try in the grid.

How to prepare

Get comfortable with the cleaning tools first: TRIM, Text to Columns, Remove Duplicates, and consistent date formats.
Then the analysis tools: SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, XLOOKUP or INDEX and MATCH. PivotTables are not in the simulator yet, so practice those in Excel itself.
Do a practice case of your own end to end with a timer on, and check your numbers a second way.

What this page does and does not claim

We have no interview-case practice yet, and nothing here is taken from any employer’s interview. When one is built, it will be our own content and we will say how it is scored.

Skills to practice

TRIM Cleans doubled and stray spaces so that names and IDs match across lists.
SUMIFS Totals one column by several conditions at once, such as one region and one product.
XLOOKUP Looks up a value and returns from any column, with an if-not-found result you choose. Available in Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021.
IFERROR Replaces an error with a value you choose. Use it deliberately, because it can hide a real mistake.
UNIQUE Returns the distinct values in a list, which is a quick way to check how many customers or products you actually have. Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021.

3 sample items with answers

Our own items, written to show the kind of work this format involves. They are not taken from any test.

1. Clean this name so it matches the customer list.

Clean this name so it matches the customer list.. The formula =TRIM(A2) in cell B2 returns Ana Lee.
	A	B
1	Raw name
2	Ana Lee	Ana Lee

TRIM removes the leading and trailing spaces and reduces the three spaces between the words to one. Lookups against the customer list fail when stray spaces differ, which is why cleaning comes first.

2. Total the East region sales of Pens.

Total the East region sales of Pens.. The formula =SUMIFS(C2:C5,A2:A5,"East",B2:B5,"Pens") in cell E2 returns 160.
	A	B	C	D	E
1	Region	Product	Sales
2	East	Pens	120		160
3	West	Pens	80
4	East	Ink	60
5	East	Pens	40

SUMIFS adds the sales in C2:C5 only where the region is East and the product is Pens. Rows 2 and 5 qualify: 120 plus 40 is 160. The order of arguments is the range to add first, then each range and its condition.

3. Look up the sales for an ID that is not in the list and show Not found.

Look up the sales for an ID that is not in the list and show Not found.. The formula =XLOOKUP(E2,A2:A4,B2:B4,"Not found") in cell F2 returns Not found.
	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	ID	Sales			Look up
2	101	500			999	Not found
3	102	300
4	103	450

XLOOKUP searches A2:A4 for the ID typed in E2. The ID 999 is not there, so instead of #N/A it returns the fourth argument, Not found. Choose that text carefully: a visible Not found is easier to review than a zero.

Free sampler

Five items in the general employment format, the closest we have today, with a skill-by-skill report at the end. No account needed.

Start the sampler

A free sampler in progress: item 1 of 5, no timer, the task on the left, and the practice grid on the right with =C2*D2 being typed into E2 and its two references outlined in color. — The general employment sampler: 5 items, untimed. Sample item.

Questions about the Interview case test

What do employers hand you in an Excel interview?: Candidates commonly describe messy data, a few questions to answer about it, and a summary of what you found, either in the room or as a take-home. We have no source on how employers score these, so ask what they will look at: correct answers, method, or how you explain it.
What should I clean first in a messy workbook?: Look for stray spaces, numbers stored as text, mixed date formats and duplicates before analyzing. TRIM, Text to Columns and Remove Duplicates handle most of it. Keep the original data on its own sheet so you can show what you changed.
Should I use a PivotTable or formulas?: Either can be right, so say which you chose and why. SUMIFS gives you a total you can audit cell by cell, and a PivotTable summarizes faster when the question changes. PivotTables are not in our simulator yet, so practice them in Excel.
How do I check my numbers?: Get the total a second way: a SUMIFS total against a PivotTable total, or the sum of the parts against the grand total. A mismatch usually means a stray space, a text number or a filtered row.
Is there a timed practice case here?: Not yet. An interview-case format is planned. For now, set your own timer and work a case end to end using the lessons and how-to pages.