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COUNT, MIN, and MAX
Count how many budget entries exist and find the smallest and largest quarterly spend.
Beyond SUM and AVERAGE
SUM tells the total; MAX tells which quarter peaked. Governors ask both when Science's budget jumps in Q4.
On NorthgateBudget.xlsx, James Okonkwo adds a Quarters filled check and a Peak quarter column so missing data and spikes are obvious before the principal meeting.
COUNT
=COUNT(B2:E2) counts cells that contain numbers in the range. Empty cells and text are ignored.
To count any non-empty cell (text or number), use =COUNTA(A2:A10).
On Budgets, click H1 and type Quarters filled. Click H2. Type =COUNT(B2:E2) and press Enter.
Expected result: 4 — all four quarters have numbers for English. Copy H2 down to H6 with the fill handle.
Count as a Data-Quality Check
Department heads entered spend for Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4.
In NorthgateBudget.xlsx, cell H2 with =COUNT(B2:E2) returns 4 when all four quarters have numbers. A blank Q4 would return 3 — a quick data-quality flag before you trust =SUM(B2:E2) in column F.
Do not use =COUNT(A2:A6) expecting five departments — column A holds text, not numbers. Result is 0. Use COUNTA(A2:A6) for labels, or COUNT(B2:E2) for quarterly amounts.
MIN and MAX
| Function | Formula example | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| MIN | =MIN(B2:E2) | Smallest value in the range |
| MAX | =MAX(B2:E2) | Largest value in the range |
Use MAX to spot which quarter had peak spending for English.
Add Peak Quarter Amount
In I1, type Peak quarter (£). Click I2. Type =MAX(B2:E2) and press Enter.
For Science (row 4), =MAX(B4:E4) returns 19000 — Q4 is the highest single quarter. Copy down to I6.
Compare I4 to F4 (annual total): MAX is one quarter; SUM is the whole year.
Formulas → AutoSum dropdown also lists Max and Min — Excel writes =MAX(...) if you select the range first.
Practice
More lessons in Microsoft Excel · Next: TEXT Functions — CONCAT and UPPER · Previous: The IF Function