Freaks in the sheets! If you're already a (super-)power user you might want to enter this contest: A showdown for spreadsheet glory (NY Times, 2025-01-20).
But for the rest of us, especially those who are new to spreadsheets and need a quick start, this page provides some basic advice and resources for getting familiar with spreadsheets and using them to organize information, perform calculations, and build basic budgets and financial analyses. Although this page is primarily oriented to students in my UD UAPP694, Financial Management in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors course, it might be useful for others as well. Students in the FM course need by mid-semester to be able to do what I consider to be the bare minimum needed to function effectively in contemporary professional settings:
build simple spreadsheets and multi-sheet workbooks using arithmetic formulas, basic financial and logical functions, and a mix of absolute and relative cell references within and across worksheets and linked workbooks;
cut, copy, paste (including "paste special"), and sort data within and between documents; and
format cells and worksheets in order to generate professional-quality reports and presentations.
Dr. Smith's Excel Tips 1 handout is a great place to start. You might also want to try downloading (or creating a copy to work with in Google Sheets) and spending some time with Father Purtell's special-purpose-budget workbook, which illustrates the usefulness of even quite simple spreadsheet applications. When we get to the capital budgeting material, Dr. Smith's Excel Tips 2 handout provides a concise guide to Excel's time-value-of-money analysis functions.
For very quick tips on specific actions in Excel, the YouTube CheetSheets channel is a fun resource.
My Biden School colleagues Ellen Schenk and Sarah Marshall in 2021 led three student workshops, which are preserved by UD Capture:
Excel Calculations and Key Tools [this covers most of what you need to know for UAPP694],
Data Visualization [not necessary for UAPP694, but fun and super-useful], and
Pivot Tables [not necessary for UAPP694, but usable as an alternate way to solve Problems 3-30 and 3-31].
For a really thorough tutorial, see this "Excel Full Course" video. The comments section provides a breakdown of everything covered.
And for the rank beginner completely new to spreadsheets, this "Excel for Beginners" video begins at the very beginning and seems to be very popular.
If you prefer a more structured learning environment, UD's Division of Professional and Continuing Studies offers three self-paced online courses which cover everything you need to know for UAPP694 and more: Excel Basics, Excel Advanced Skills, and Excel Tips and Tricks. PCS offers discounts for UD students, groups, and prompt payment. Delaware Technical and Community College offers an inexpensive Excel Basics course that is also likely to cover everything you need to know; check for available offerings at DTCC's Course Search page.