Learn software by using it.
Interactive courses for Excel, Google Sheets, touch typing and more, right in your browser.
- ExcelFormulas, lookups, pivot tables and charts
- Google SheetsThe same skills as Excel, in Google Sheets
- Touch typingFreeType faster without looking at the keys
Also in development: SQL, Python, coding and chess. See all 11 courses
Try the first step here
This is a step from the free Excel lesson Why your formula broke when you copied it. Pick an answer.
C2fx =B2*(1+F1)
| A | B | C | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product | Price | With tax | Tax rate | 7% |
| 2 | Ballpoint pens | $6.49 | $6.94 | ||
| 3 | Sticky notes | $8.25 | |||
| 4 | Copy paper | $9.99 |
You're about to copy C2 down to C11. What will C3 show?
How it works
In the Excel and Google Sheets courses, every lesson teaches one skill in a practice version of the program, and every lesson has the same four parts.
See what you'll build
The lesson starts with the result and a small example of the idea, so you know what it's for before you click anything.
Guided steps
One action at a time: click a cell, open a menu, type a formula. Each step is checked the moment you do it.
Your turn
Then a task on new data, with no steps to follow. Your answer is also tried on other data. If you just type the result by hand, it won't pass.
A cheat sheet
Every lesson ends with a one-screen summary. Finish the lesson and it's saved to your cheat sheets.
From the free lesson Your first pivot table, in the practice Excel.
When you're stuck, hints start with a nudge and build up to the full answer. Show me does the step for you and explains why. If you open the wrong menu, the lesson tells you where to find that tool.
A Carnegie Mellon study of an online course found that practice activities were linked to far more learning than watching videos or reading. Read the study
Questions
Do I need Excel or Google Sheets on my computer?
No. Lessons run in a practice version of each program, in your browser. There's nothing to install, and you don't need a Microsoft or Google account.
Can I use my phone?
Not for lessons. They need a laptop or desktop computer, so the practice program has room. You can look around on your phone and send yourself the link for later.
How is my work checked?
Each step checks what you did: the cell you picked, the menu you opened, the formula you typed and the result. Tasks you do on your own are also tried on other data. So your formula must work every time, not just give one right number.
When do the other courses open?
SQL, Python, the coding courses and chess are in development. When one is ready, it appears in the Courses menu and on the All courses page, with its own free lessons.
Free lessons
Excel and Google Sheets each have 5 free lessons, and Touch typing is free from start to finish. You don't need an account. The free Excel and Google Sheets lessons cover formulas, duplicates, dropdowns, pivot tables and lookups.
- No account. Open a lesson and start. Sign in only if you want to save your progress.
- Nothing to install. The practice program runs in your browser. You don't need a Microsoft or Google account either.
- A laptop or desktop. Lessons need a computer. On a phone, send yourself the link for later.