{"id":1586,"date":"2023-05-14T12:50:58","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T17:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/?p=1586"},"modified":"2024-08-09T11:41:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T15:41:02","slug":"how-to-be-proficient-in-excel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/how-to-be-proficient-in-excel\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Be Proficient in Excel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microsoft developed Excel software that utilizes the power of spreadsheets by organizing numbers and data with formulas and functions. This program is used across business functionalities and is useful for businesses of all sizes. Becoming proficient in Excel can make attaining a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/excel-training-classes-certification.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microsoft Excel certification<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> easier.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Below, we detail everything you need to know about becoming proficient in the functions of Excel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Primary Use Cases Behind Excel<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microsoft Excel has numerous use cases. Some of the most notable ones include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data entry\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data management<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accounting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charting and graphing\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Programming<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excel can be beneficial for time or task management and can even use it for financial modeling. It can also assist with customer relationship management (CRM). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those who want to move from a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/what-is-the-beginner-level-in-excel\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">beginner level in Excel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to an advanced level, these are the key points to keep in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/excel-training-classes-certification.htm\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ONLC_BlogCTA_Excel_V1.jpg\" alt=\"onlc-courses-excel\" width=\"1575\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting Proficient in Excel: Everything You Need to Know<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are numerous skills that Excel users need to know, such as how to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/how-to-edit-a-pivot-table-in-excel\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">edit a pivot table in Excel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or utilize basic functions. Some of the most fundamental aspects include: mastering the shortcuts, importing data from a website, filtering results, calculating the sum, and utilizing the power of AutoCorrect or AutoFill. They also need to know the display formulas and how to manage the page layout. However, it doesn&#8217;t just end here.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Utilizing the Basic Functions<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few fundamental functions that everyone needs to know to be proficient in Excel:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SUM: This function helps users add individual values, cell references or ranges, or a mix of them. If users need to add a column or a row of numbers, Excel does the math for them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">COUNT: This function enables users to get the number of entries in a number field that is in a range of numbers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AVERAGE: This gives users the average of a range of numbers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PivotTables: These automatically group matching data and give users access to quick summaries from a giant table<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting comfortable with these basic functions is essential to building proficiency in Excel. Other tasks important for building proficiency in Excel include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saving the Excel workbook<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Completing data entry tasks<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building formulas using the commands mentioned above<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Presenting data summaries\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting Familiar With the Shortcuts<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To use Excel as effectively as possible, users will need to master shortcuts. Many users are likely familiar with some of the most basic shortcuts, such as \u2018CTRL+C\u2019 and \u2018CTRL+V,\u2019 that are used for copying and pasting data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, there are numerous other shortcuts, such as \u2018CTRL+Z\u2019 that undoes the last action, or \u2018CTRL+PgUP,\u2019 that allows users to switch between worksheet tabs. \u2018CTRL+A\u2019 enables users to select the entire worksheet, while \u2018CTRL+F\u2019 is used to find items. CTR+K can also be used for the inclusion of hyperlinks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moving Ahead to an Advanced Level<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best way to build proficiency is through regular practice. Users can learn how to become proficient in Excel by creating their own projects, enrolling in classes, or asking for help from professionals. Experimenting with Excel&#8217;s different formulas and combinations are two more ways to build proficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the basics are covered, users can focus on some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/how-to-become-an-excel-expert\/\">high-level skills in Excel<\/a> related to their specific field of work. They can simplify their accounting work, keep track of their business expenses, automate financial statements, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microsoft developed Excel software that utilizes the power of spreadsheets by organizing numbers and data with formulas and functions. This program is used across business functionalities and is useful for businesses of all sizes. Becoming proficient in Excel can make attaining a Microsoft Excel certification easier. Below, we detail everything you need to know about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-microsoft-excel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"modified_by":"Blue Tuskr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1586"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2627,"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1586\/revisions\/2627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onlc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}