Excel Basics: Tutorials & Getting Help

How to use this resource: Watch these tutorials BEFORE opening the bootcamp workbook. They will teach you the concepts; the workbook lets you practice applying them.

Part 1: Recommended Tutorials (in order)

1. Excel Basics: Cells, Formulas, and Cell References

What it covers: What Excel is, what cells are, typing your first formula, cell references (A1, B3), how formulas update automatically

Recommended videos:

The Beginner's Guide to Excel - Excel Basics Tutorial (opens in new tab) (22 min): covers what Excel is, what cells are, typing your first formula, and how formulas update automatically.
Alternative: Microsoft Excel Tutorial for Beginners - Full Course (opens in new tab) (first 15 min): a more comprehensive walkthrough if you prefer a different style.

2. SUM, AVERAGE, and Basic Functions

What it covers: Using SUM to add ranges, AVERAGE for averages, COUNT, MIN, MAX

Recommended videos:

Beginner's Guide to Excel Functions and Formulas (opens in new tab) (9 min): clear examples of SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, and MAX.

3. Absolute References ($)

What it covers: Why $B$3 locks a cell reference when you copy formulas

Recommended videos:

How To Use Relative & Absolute Cell References In Excel (opens in new tab) (6 min)

Part 2: Getting Help from AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)

Excel is highly standardized, which means ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLMs are excellent at helping you with Excel problems. Using AI for help is not cheating. It is a normal part of modern work. This section teaches you how to ask good questions.

Two ways to share your Excel problem with AI:

1. Screenshot: Take a screenshot that shows your data AND the formula bar. If you are debugging a formula, click into that cell first so the formula bar shows what you typed. This gives the AI visual context.

2. Paste your data: Copy cells from Excel and paste directly into the chat. The AI can see your data structure and give you a formula that works with your specific layout.

Basic Formula Questions

Good Prompt

I have coffee sales in cells B2 through B15. I want one cell that shows the total of all those sales. What formula should I write?

Good Prompt

Column C has quantities sold (like 45, 22, 38). Column D has prices (like $3.50, $5.00, $2.50). I want column E to show quantity times price for each row. What formula goes in E2 that I can copy down?

Good Prompt

I need to calculate revenue as quantity × price. Quantities are in C2:C15. The price is in cell B1 (just one cell). When I copy my formula down from C2 to C15, I need B1 to stay locked. How do I write this?

Debugging Errors: Share the error message and what you tried

Good Prompt

I typed =B5/B10 and got #DIV/0! error. Cell B5 has 100 in it. What is causing this and how do I fix it?

Good Prompt

My formula =SUM(B2:B20) is giving me #VALUE! error. Some of the cells in that range have numbers, but cell B7 says “N/A” (text). How do I sum just the numbers and ignore the text?

Good Prompt

[Screenshot attached] I am getting #REF! error in cell D5. My formula bar shows =C5*E2 but column E is empty. What does #REF! mean?

Asking How to Do Something: Describe the goal, not the formula

Good Prompt

I have a sales log with 200 rows. Column A has item names like “Coffee”, “Latte”, “Tea”. Column F has revenue for each sale. I need to know: what was total revenue just for Coffee? Is there a formula for this?

Good Prompt

I am working with daily sales data. Column B has dates, Column C has the item sold, Column D has revenue. I want to find the single highest revenue day for Sandwiches specifically. Can Excel do this?

Good Prompt

[Data pasted below] I need to calculate profit margin as (Revenue - Costs) / Revenue, formatted as a percentage. Revenue is in B10, Costs are in B15. What formula should I use and how do I make it show as a percent?

Revenue: $28,560
Costs: $26,000

Getting Unstuck: Explain what you have tried

Good Prompt

I am trying to multiply C5 by D5, then copy that formula down to row 20. I typed =C5*D5 in E5 and copied it down, but now E6 shows =C6*D6, E7 shows =C7*D7, etc. This is what I want for the C column, but I need D5 to stay locked on row 5 for all of them. How do I fix this?

Good Prompt

The bootcamp workbook says to use COUNTIF to count how many days we sold more than 50 coffees. I have a filtered table showing only coffee sales. Quantities are in column D, rows 2-15. I tried =COUNTIF(D2:D15, >50) but got an error. What is wrong with my syntax?

What makes a good prompt:

1. Describe your data structure: “Column A has names, Column B has prices”

2. Say what you want to accomplish: “I want to add up all sales over $100”

3. Show what you tried if something did not work: “I typed =SUM(B2:B10>100) but got an error”

4. Include the actual error message or unexpected result you got

What AI is good at: Writing formulas, explaining syntax, debugging errors, suggesting better approaches, explaining what a formula does

What AI is NOT good at: Knowing your specific file structure without you describing it. Always test the formula it gives you and verify the numbers are correct.

Part 3: Optional - Going Deeper

If you finish the bootcamp and want to learn more advanced Excel:

Filtering and SUMIFS

The Excel SUMIFS Function (opens in new tab) (6 min): covers conditional sums, which you will use heavily in financial analysis.

INDEX/MATCH (Advanced)

4 Mins. to MASTER Excel INDEX & MATCH formulas! (opens in new tab) (5 min): the "optional Tab 9" skill, useful for looking up data across large datasets.

Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Most Useful Excel Keyboard Shortcuts (opens in new tab) (9 min): covers the most useful time-savers.