3 essential excel functions every beginner should learn part 2

Learning Excel does not mean memorizing hundreds of functions. In fact, starting with a small group of simple functions can make Excel much easier to understand.

In our previous guide, we covered SUM, COUNT, and AVERAGE, three useful functions for adding numbers, counting numerical values, and calculating averages.

In this guide, we will look at MAX, MIN, and ROUND.

These functions are simple, but they can be useful in everyday spreadsheets, including budgets, sales reports, grade sheets, and data trackers.

1. MAX — Find the Largest Number

The MAX function finds the largest number in a group of numbers or a range of cells.

For example, imagine you are using Excel to keep track of your monthly expenses:

Expense	Amount
Rent	$450
Groceries	$180
Transportation	$75
Internet	$35
Electricity	$60

Let’s say the amounts are entered in cells B2 through B6. You want to find your largest expense.

You can enter:

=MAX(B2:B6)

Excel checks all five amounts:

450, 180, 75, 35, and 60

The largest value is 450, so the formula returns:

$450

This can be especially useful when you have a long list of expenses and want Excel to find the highest amount for you.

Why MAX is useful

You can use MAX to find:

• Your highest monthly expense
• Your highest sale
• Your highest grade
• The most expensive product
• The largest quantity
• Your highest monthly income

For example, if you have 100 expense entries, you could use =MAX(B2:B101) to quickly find your largest expense.

2. MIN — Find the Smallest Number

The MIN function works similarly to MAX, but instead of finding the largest number, it finds the smallest number in a range.

Using the same expense list:

Expense	Amount
Rent	$450
Groceries	$180
Transportation	$75
Internet	$35
Electricity	$60

Let’s say again the amounts are entered in cells B2 through B6. To find your smallest expense, enter:

=MIN(B2:B6)

Excel checks the five amounts and finds that 35 is the smallest value.

The result is:

$35

Why MIN is useful

MIN can help you find:

• Your lowest expense
• Your lowest sale
• Your lowest grade
• The cheapest product
• The smallest quantity
• Your lowest monthly income

MAX and MIN are useful together when you want to understand the highest and lowest values in your data.

3. ROUND — Control Decimal Places

The ROUND function is used to round a number to a specific number of decimal places.

For example, suppose you calculate the average price of several products and Excel gives you:

12.5678

If you only want to keep two decimal places, you can use:

=ROUND(12.5678,2)

Excel returns:

12.57

The 2 tells Excel to keep two decimal places.

You can also use a cell reference. If B2 contains 18.75643, you can enter:

=ROUND(B2,2)

The result will be:

18.76

You can change the number of decimal places depending on what you need:

=ROUND(12.5678,1)

returns 12.6.

And:

=ROUND(12.5678,0)

returns 13.

Why ROUND is useful

ROUND is useful when working with numbers that contain many decimal places, such as:

• Prices
• Percentages
• Averages
• Measurements
• Financial calculations

It can make your spreadsheet easier to read and help you work with values at the precision you actually need.

MAX vs. MIN vs. ROUND

Function	What it does	Example question
MAX	Finds the largest number	“What is my highest expense?”
MIN	Finds the smallest number	“What is my lowest expense?”
ROUND	Rounds a number	“How can I reduce unnecessary decimal places?”

A Simple Example Using All Three Functions

Imagine you are managing a small monthly budget in Excel.

You have recorded these expenses:

Expense	Amount
Rent	$450
Groceries	$180
Transportation	$75
Internet	$35
Electricity	$60

Let’s say the amounts are entered in cells B2 through B6.

You can use:

=MAX(B2:B6)

to find your highest expense, which is $450 for rent.

Then:

=MIN(B2:B6)

can show your lowest expense, which is $35 for internet.

Finally, suppose another calculation gives you 18.75643. You can use:

=ROUND(18.75643,2)

to round the result to 18.76.

These three functions can therefore help you quickly identify important values and keep numerical results easier to work with.

Final Thoughts

Excel becomes much easier when you learn its functions gradually.

MAX helps you find the largest number.

MIN helps you find the smallest number.

ROUND helps you control the number of decimal places in a calculated value.

These three functions are simple enough for beginners while still being useful in many everyday spreadsheets. Once you are comfortable with them, you can continue building your Excel skills one function at a time.

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