Free course · Lesson 3 of 5

Microsoft Excel Basics

In this lesson you will

Enter data in a structured table
Calculate totals with SUM

Excel organizes numbers and text into a grid of cells, and can calculate totals, averages, and more automatically. It is used for budgets, attendance records, inventory, and simple data tracking in almost every office.

Cell references: Every cell has an address like B3 (column B, row 3). Formulas always start with =, e.g. =B2+B3.
Basic functions: =SUM(B2:B10) adds a range of cells. =AVERAGE(B2:B10) finds the average. =COUNT(B2:B10) counts how many cells contain numbers.
Formatting: Use Number Format to show currency (SSP), percentages, or dates correctly — never type currency symbols directly into a number cell.
Freeze Panes: Freeze the header row (View → Freeze Panes) so column titles stay visible while scrolling through a long list.

Practical Skill: Build a simple household or small-project budget: list items in column A, planned cost in column B, actual cost in column C, and use =SUM() to total each column at the bottom.

TemplateSimple Budget Spreadsheet

Worksheet

=== BASIC BUDGET LAYOUT ===       A                  B              C1     Item               Planned (SSP)  Actual (SSP)2     Transport                 5,000          5,5003     Food & Supplies         12,000         11,2004     Printing                  2,000          2,0005     Airtime/Data               3,000          3,4006     ----------------------------------------------7     TOTAL              =SUM(B2:B5)    =SUM(C2:C5) === FORMULAS TO TRY ===  =SUM(B2:B5)          Adds planned costs  =SUM(C2:C5)          Adds actual costs  =C7-B7               Shows over/under budget  =AVERAGE(B2:B5)      Average planned cost per item

Practice exercise

Build the basic budget layout from the example with your own figures and a SUM total.

Key takeaways

One type of data per column, one record per row
Formulas update automatically when values change
Check a few results by hand

In the full program Module 4: Spreadsheet Basics in Excel See how this topic is taught in depth, with practical activities and an assessment.

Free self-study lesson — no certificate. For the full instructor-led program, see registration options.