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PAE

8. COUNTIF
COUNTIF counts the number of cells in a range that meet a specific condition.

Function: COUNTIF(range, criteria)

How to use COUNTIF:
• To count how many times a specific product appears in column A, use: =COUNTIF(A2:A10,
“ProductName”).

• This returns the number of times “ProductName” is listed.

9. LEFT, RIGHT, MID
These functions extract a specified number of characters from a text string, starting from the left,
right, or a specific position (MID).

Function: LEFT(text, [num_chars]), RIGHT(text, [num_chars]), MID(text, start_num, num_
chars)

How to use LEFT, RIGHT, MID:
• To extract the first three characters of a product code in A2, use: =LEFT(A2, 3)

• To get the last four digits of a phone number in B2, use: =RIGHT(B2, 4)

• To extract characters from the middle of a string, starting at the 2nd character and taking the
next 4 characters, use: =MID(A2, 2, 4)

10. LEN

LEN returns the number of characters in a text string.

Function: LEN(text)

How to Use LEN:
• To find the length of a product code in cell A2, use: =LEN(A2)
• This will return the total number of characters in that string

Final thoughts
Mastering these Excel formulas will not only save you time, but also make you more effective in
handling data – even if it isn’t your main job.

Whether you’re working with simple datasets or complex models, these functions provide a
strong foundation for any Excel user.

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