Mixed Practice Sets - SSC CGL

1. What is Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application used to store, organize, calculate and analyze data in rows and columns. It's part of the MS Office suite and is widely used for tables, calculations, charts, and basic data analysis.

2. Excel Workbook vs Worksheet

📁 Workbook

The entire Excel file (one .xlsx file)

📄 Worksheet (Sheet)

A single tab inside the workbook (Sheet1, Sheet2...). You can have many worksheets in one workbook.

3. Key Interface Components

Area	Purpose
Title Bar	Shows file name and app name
Quick Access Toolbar	Save, Undo, Redo (customizable)
Ribbon Tabs	Home, Insert, Page Layout, Formulas, Data, Review, View
Formula Bar	Shows cell contents / edit formulas
Name Box	Displays active cell address (e.g., A1) — can name ranges
Worksheet Area	Grid of cells (intersection of rows & columns)
Row Numbers	On left (1,2,3…) — identifies rows
Column Letters	On top (A,B,C…) — identifies columns
Sheet Tabs	Switch between worksheets; add/delete/rename
Status Bar	Shows Sum/Avg/Count for selected cells, view buttons

4. Cells — The Building Blocks

Cell = intersection of a row and a column (example: A1)

Cell Address/Reference: Column letter + Row number (A1, B3, C10)

Editing cell: Double-click a cell, or select cell and press F2 to edit in-place

Selecting cells: Click single cell; click & drag to select range; Shift + Arrow to extend selection

Entering data: Type directly into cell or into the Formula Bar; press Enter to move down, Tab to move right

5. Cell Data Types & Formatting

Common Data Types:

📝 Text

Labels and descriptions

🔢 Numbers

Values for calculation

📅 Date / Time

Date and time values

Formatting Tools (Home tab): Number formats, Alignment, Font, Fill, Border

6. Cell References

Relative Reference (A1)

Changes when copied (A1 → B1 if copied one column right)

Absolute Reference ($A$1)

Fixed when copied

Mixed Reference ($A1 or A$1)

One part fixed

Range Reference (A1:B5)

Block of cells

Exam Tip: Questions often ask which reference to use to keep a row/column fixed in formulas — answer = $ absolute

7. Formula Bar & Basic Formulas

All formulas start with =

Examples: =SUM(A1:A10), =AVERAGE(B2:B12), =IF(C2>50,"Pass","Fail")

AutoSum button (Home tab / Formulas tab) quickly inserts =SUM(...)

Use F4 while editing a formula to toggle relative/absolute references

8. Useful Shortcuts (Excel)

Ctrl + N New workbook

Ctrl + O Open workbook

Ctrl + S Save

Ctrl + C / V / X Copy / Paste / Cut

Ctrl + Z / Y Undo / Redo

Ctrl + Arrow Jump to data edge

Ctrl + Space Select entire column

Shift + Space Select entire row

F2 Edit active cell

F4 Toggle $ in formula

10. Practice PYQs (MCQ-style)

1

What does the cell reference B3 represent?

Options: (a) Row B, Column 3 (b) Column B, Row 3 (c) Column 3, Row B (d) None of these

Year: 2021 | Shift: 1

✅ View Answer

Column B, Row 3

2

Which key is used to edit the active cell directly?

Options: (a) F1 (b) F2 (c) F4 (d) F7

Year: 2020 | Shift: 2

✅ View Answer

F2

3

Which of these is a valid formula to add cells A1 through A5?

Options: (a) =ADD(A1:A5) (b) =SUM(A1:A5) (c) =TOTAL(A1:A5) (d) =PLUS(A1:A5)

Year: 2022 | Shift: 1

✅ View Answer

=SUM(A1:A5)

4

What will =$A$1 do when copied to another cell?

Options: (a) Change both column and row (b) Change only column (c) Keep both column and row fixed (d) Change only row

Year: 2021 | Shift: 2

✅ View Answer

Keep both column and row fixed

5

Which area shows the active cell address?

Options: (a) Formula Bar (b) Name Box (c) Status Bar (d) Title Bar

Year: 2020 | Shift: 1

✅ View Answer

Name Box

11. Mini Practical Task (Excel)

Task: Create a simple marksheet in Excel

📋 Columns Required:

Student Name
Roll No
Marks1
Marks2
Marks3
Total
Average
Result

⚙️ Formulas to Use:

Total: =SUM(C2:E2)

Average: =AVERAGE(C2:E2)

Result: =IF(F2>=120,"Pass","Fail")

🎯 Additional Requirements:

Apply Number format for marks and Bold header row
Freeze the header row (View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row)
Use AutoSum for one column total at bottom
Save file as Marksheet.xlsx and name the sheet Marks_2025

12. Quick Recap

Excel stores data in a grid of cells addressed by column+row (A1). Learn Formula Bar, Name Box, relative/absolute references, and basic shortcuts — they appear frequently in PYQs.

Excel Interface & Cell Basics

1. What is Microsoft Excel?

2. Excel Workbook vs Worksheet

📁 Workbook

📄 Worksheet (Sheet)

3. Key Interface Components

4. Cells — The Building Blocks

5. Cell Data Types & Formatting

Common Data Types:

📝 Text

🔢 Numbers

📅 Date / Time

6. Cell References

Relative Reference (A1)

Absolute Reference ($A$1)

Mixed Reference ($A1 or A$1)

Range Reference (A1:B5)

7. Formula Bar & Basic Formulas

8. Useful Shortcuts (Excel)

10. Practice PYQs (MCQ-style)

What does the cell reference B3 represent?

Which key is used to edit the active cell directly?

Which of these is a valid formula to add cells A1 through A5?

What will =$A$1 do when copied to another cell?

Which area shows the active cell address?

11. Mini Practical Task (Excel)

Task: Create a simple marksheet in Excel

📋 Columns Required:

⚙️ Formulas to Use:

🎯 Additional Requirements:

12. Quick Recap

Master Excel Basics for Delhi Police Exam!

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