Excel Functions - SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, COUNT, COUNTIF, SUMIF

Q: What does the SUM function do in Excel, and how is it entered?

SUM adds values from a specified range. Enter a formula like =SUM(A1:A4) in the target cell and press Enter.

Q: How do MAX and MIN work with a cell range?

MAX returns the highest value in the range, such as =MAX(A1:A4). MIN returns the lowest value, such as =MIN(A1:A4).

Q: How do COUNTIF and SUMIF differ, and what examples are used?

COUNTIF counts cells in a range that meet a given criteria, such as counting “blue circle”. SUMIF adds only the cells that satisfy a condition, such as summing values less than 50,000 with =SUMIF(A1:A6,"<50000").

Nov 1, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Tutorial instructions explain how to apply common Excel functions using simple cell examples and step-by-step formulas. It covers SUM to add values across a range, AVERAGE to compute the mean, MAX and MIN to find the highest and lowest numbers, and COUNT to tally numeric cells. It also demonstrates COUNTIF for counting cells that match a criteria (e.g., specific text) and SUMIF for summing values that satisfy a condition such as being below a threshold.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Prerequisites

Typical Use and Related Skills

SUM

AVERAGE

MAX

MIN

COUNT

COUNTIF

SUMIF

Tutorial: Applying simple Excel functions: SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN , COUNT, COUNTIF, SUMIF Prerequisite: Be able to open Excel Type in information to the cells Typical Use Making spreadsheet Making grade sheet Related Skills Using Calculator Using Excel Function: SUM Step one: Type in the information to the cell to use the Excel function of “SUM”Example: A1: 100 A2: 50 A3: 50 A4: 75 Step two: Lets say you want to add up all the values from A1-A4 . Click on A5 and type in the formula: =SUM(A1:A4) The (=) sign states that you are inserting a formula. The (SUM) states that “adding” is part of the formula. The (A1:A4) states which values you want to add together . Then, press “enter .” You will now notice that the sum of A1-A4 is displayed in A5 . Using Excel Function: AVERAGE Step One: Type in the information to the cell to use the Excel function of “AVERAGE” Example: A1: 100 A2: 50 A3: 50 A4: 75 Lets say you want to find out the average of all the values from A1-A4 . Click on A5 and type in the formula: =AVERAGE(A1:A4) The (=) sign states that you are inserting a formula. The (AVERAGE) states that “AVERAGE” is part of the formula. The (A1:A4) states which values you want to find the average of. Then, press “enter .” You will now notice that the sum of A1-A4 is displayed in A5 . Using Excel Function: MAX Step one: Function of MAX is used to find the maximum value from all the data in a cell. Type in your data into the cell. Example: A1: 32 A2: 4 A3:19 A4:20 Step two: If you like to find out the maximum value between cell A1-A4 . Type in the formula:=MAX(A1:A4) in cell A5 Notice now that the maximum value between A1-A4 is listed in A5 with the value of 32. Using Excel Function: MIN Step one: Function of MIN is used to find the minimum value from all the data in a cell. Type in your data into the cell. Example: A1: 32 A2: 4 A3:19 A4:20 Step two: If you like to find out the minimum value between cell A1-A4 . Type in the formula:=MIN(A1:A4) in cell A5 Notice now that the minimum value between A1-A4 is listed in A5 with a value of 4. Using Excel Function: COUNT COUNT is used to count the number of cells that contain numbers and counts numbers within the list of arguments. Step one: Type in your data to the cells. Example: A1: 32 A2: 4 A3:19 Step two: If you like to count the number of cells that contains numbers between cell A1-A4 . Type in the formula: =COUNT(A1:A4) in cell A5 Notice now that in cell A5, the value of 4 is displayed. This means that between A1-A4, there are 4 numbers. Using Excel Function: COUNTIF COUNTIF is used to count the number of cells within a range that meet the given criteria. Step one: Type in your data in the cells. Example: A1: blue circle A2: red circle A3: blue circle A4: orange circle A5: purple circle If you want to find out how many time you have typed in “blue circle,” type in the formula: =COUNTIF(A1-A5,“blue circle”) in cell A6 . Notice that in cell A6, a value of 2 is displayed. This states that there are “blue circle”listed twice between A1-A5 . Using Excel Function: SUMIF SUMIF is used to add the cells specified by a given criteria. Step one: Type in your data into the cell. Example: A1: 10000 A2: 54321 A3: 12345 A4: 7000 A5: 1000 A6: 456 Step two: Lets say you would like to find out the sums ofall the values that are less than 50,000 . Type in the formula: =SUMIF(A1:A6,“<50000”) in cell A7 . Notice that in cell A7, the value of 30,801 is displayed. From cells A1-A6, there is only one value that is greater than 50,000 (A2: 54321) . This means, that the formula added cells A1, A3. A4. A5, and A6 to get 30,801 . A1: 10000 A3: 12345 A4: 7000 A5: 1000 +A6: 456 30,801 A1: 10000 A2: 54321 A3: 12345 A4: 7000 A5: 1000 A6: 456

FAQs

What does the SUM function do in Excel, and how is it entered?

SUM adds values from a specified range. Enter a formula like =SUM(A1:A4) in the target cell and press Enter.

How do MAX and MIN work with a cell range?

MAX returns the highest value in the range, such as =MAX(A1:A4). MIN returns the lowest value, such as =MIN(A1:A4).

How do COUNTIF and SUMIF differ, and what examples are used?

COUNTIF counts cells in a range that meet a given criteria, such as counting “blue circle”. SUMIF adds only the cells that satisfy a condition, such as summing values less than 50,000 with =SUMIF(A1:A6,"<50000").

Nov 1, 2026

Uploaded by Finn