Mastering the Basics of Microsoft Excel

Order of Calculation in Excel (BODMAS Rules)

When you use formulas in Excel, calculations follow a specific order. Here’s the order Excel uses:

1. Brackets/Parentheses – Excel calculates what’s inside brackets first

2. Percentage (%)

3. Exponents (like powers or square roots)

4. Multiplication (left to right)

5. Division (left to right)

6. Addition (left to right)

7. Subtraction (left to right)

Comparison Operators in Excel

Excel also lets you compare values using comparison operators. These return either TRUE or FALSE based on the comparison.

Here are the main ones:

• Equal to: =

• Less than: <

• Greater than: >

• Not equal to: <>

• Less than or equal to: <=

• Greater than or equal to: >=

You can use these in formulas like =A1>B1, which will return TRUE if A1 is greater than B1.

Some Formulas is Excel

The accordion below will show you some formulas in Excel.

Finding the Percentage of a Number

In the formula =10%*E8, it finds ten percent (10%) of the value in cell E8.

Percentage (%)

Example: =E8/F8%. This formula divides the value in cell E8 by the value in cell F8 and multiplies the answer by 100.

Addition (+)

Example: =E8+F8. This formula adds the value in cell E8 to the value in cell F8.
Note the following:
The formula  =E8-F8 subtracts the value in cell F8 from the value in cell E8.
The formula =E8*F8 multiplies the value in cell E8 by the value in cell F8.
The formula =E8/F8 divides the value in cell E8 by the value in cell F8.

Exponentiation (^)

Example: =E8^5. This formula calculates the value in cell E8 to the fifth power.