Practice by topic / Excel / Text Functions
Imported data is messy: extra spaces, inconsistent capitals, codes glued together. Text functions clean and reshape it without retyping anything. These 10 exercises build up step by step, starting with extract an area code, extract a file extension, extract a middle code segment.
3 of 10 free · no sign-up needed · graded on the formula you write
A1 holds a 10-digit phone number as text like '5551234567'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the first 3 characters (area code) using LEFT.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5551234567 |
| 2 | ? |
Use =LEFT(A1,3).
Right — LEFT(text,3) grabs the first 3 characters from the start of the string.
Expected result in A2: 555
A1 holds a filename like 'report.pdf'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the last 3 characters (the extension) using RIGHT.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | report.pdf |
| 2 | ? |
Use =RIGHT(A1,3).
Good — RIGHT(text,3) grabs the last 3 characters from the end of the string.
Expected result in A2: pdf
A1 holds a code like 'US-4821-X'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the 4 digits in the middle using MID (starting at position 4).
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | US-4821-X |
| 2 | ? |
Use =MID(A1,4,4).
Right — MID(text,4,4) starts at the 4th character and takes 4 characters from there.
Expected result in A2: 4821
A1 holds a date string like '2024-03-15'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the first 4 characters (the year) using LEFT.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2024-03-15 |
| 2 | ? |
Solution and instant grading: open it in the practice app (use one of your 20 free picks, or Pro).
Try it in the live spreadsheet →A1 holds a zip code like '78701'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the last 2 digits using RIGHT.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 78701 |
| 2 | ? |
Solution and instant grading: open it in the practice app (use one of your 20 free picks, or Pro).
Try it in the live spreadsheet →A1 holds a name-coded string like 'John-M-Smith'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the middle initial (1 character starting at position 6) using MID.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | John-M-Smith |
| 2 | ? |
Solution and instant grading: open it in the practice app (use one of your 20 free picks, or Pro).
Try it in the live spreadsheet →A1 holds a SKU like 'ELEC-9921'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the first 4 characters (product line code) using LEFT.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | ELEC-9921 |
| 2 | ? |
Solution and instant grading: open it in the practice app (use one of your 20 free picks, or Pro).
Try it in the live spreadsheet →A1 holds a formatted amount like '129.99USD'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the last 3 characters (currency code) using RIGHT.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 129.99USD |
| 2 | ? |
Solution and instant grading: open it in the practice app (use one of your 20 free picks, or Pro).
Try it in the live spreadsheet →A1 holds text like '[email protected]'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts 7 characters starting at position 6 using MID (a fixed-position slice for this example).
Solution and instant grading: open it in the practice app (use one of your 20 free picks, or Pro).
Try it in the live spreadsheet →A1 holds an address string like 'Austin, TX'. Write a formula in A2 that extracts the last 2 characters (state) using RIGHT.
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Austin, TX |
| 2 | ? |
Solution and instant grading: open it in the practice app (use one of your 20 free picks, or Pro).
Try it in the live spreadsheet →