LearnThisNext

Online Excel course: step by step, with real practice

A learning path from your first SUM to VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP. You solve every lesson yourself in a sheet in your browser, with instant feedback.

Your learning path

The lessons build on each other. A lesson is complete once you have solved its exercises. The check marks show where you are. With a free account your progress is saved on all your devices.

  1. Level 1: Getting started

    1. Basic math: add, subtract, multiply, divide 3 exercises
    2. SUM 2 exercises
    3. Relative and absolute references 2 exercises
    4. Percentages 3 exercises
    5. ROUND 3 exercises
    6. AVERAGE, MIN, MAX 2 exercises
    7. COUNT and COUNTA 3 exercises
    8. Creating and totaling tables 3 exercises

  2. Level 2: Everyday office work

    1. IF function 2 exercises
    2. AND and OR 3 exercises
    3. IFS and nested IF 3 exercises
    4. COUNTIF 2 exercises
    5. COUNTIFS 3 exercises
    6. SUMIF 2 exercises
    7. SUMIFS 2 exercises
    8. AVERAGEIF(S) 3 exercises
    9. MAXIFS and MINIFS 3 exercises
    10. LARGE, SMALL, RANK 3 exercises
    11. Sort and filter 2 exercises
    12. Conditional formatting 2 exercises
    13. Drop-down lists and data validation 3 exercises

  3. Level 3: Looking up and connecting data

    1. VLOOKUP 2 exercises
    2. VLOOKUP approximate match 3 exercises
    3. XLOOKUP 2 exercises
    4. VLOOKUP with multiple criteria 3 exercises
    5. XLOOKUP with multiple criteria 3 exercises
    6. INDEX and MATCH 2 exercises
    7. IFERROR 2 exercises
    8. Excel error values 3 exercises

  4. Level 4: Working with data

    1. Text functions 2 exercises
    2. MID, FIND, SEARCH 3 exercises
    3. SUBSTITUTE, TRIM, PROPER 3 exercises
    4. Combining text 3 exercises
    5. Date functions 3 exercises
    6. DATEDIF, workdays, week numbers 3 exercises
    7. Time and working hours 3 exercises
    8. FILTER, SORT, UNIQUE 2 exercises
    9. Finding and removing duplicates 3 exercises
    10. Creating charts 3 exercises
    11. PivotTables 2 exercises

  5. Level 5: Real work and final test

    1. Interest, growth rate, loan payments 3 exercises
    2. Case study: finance 3 exercises
    3. Case study: sales 3 exercises
    4. Case study: HR 3 exercises
    5. Final testcertificate after levels 1 to 4

  6. Bonus: Keyboard shortcuts

    Bonus, not needed for the certificate
    1. Shortcuts: navigating and selecting 3 exercises
    2. Shortcuts: editing and formulas 3 exercises

Start with lesson 1 Create a free account

How the course works

Every lesson starts with a short explanation and a task you solve right away. You write the formula yourself in a sheet that feels like Excel. The exercise checks your result and tells you exactly what is missing. Hints come one step at a time, the solution only when you ask for it.

If a topic feels hard, “More exercises on this topic” gives you as many new tasks as you need, each with different data, so you understand the function instead of memorizing one answer.

The course adapts to you

With an account, LearnThisNext remembers which tasks you solved on the first try, where you needed hints and which mistakes come up more often. Your dashboard shows which topics are solid and where practice pays off, so you work on what is still hard instead of repeating everything.

Who the course is for

  • Beginners who have only used Excel to type lists so far.
  • Office workers who want to work faster and more confidently with spreadsheets.
  • Job seekers preparing for an Excel assessment test.
  • Students who need Excel for their studies or first job.

English or German Excel

The course accepts English and German function names, so SUMIF and SUMMEWENN both work. Set your Excel language below any exercise. All names side by side are in the Excel function translator.

Certificate

The learning path ends with a timed final assessment. If you pass, you receive a LearnThisNext certificate with your name, date, a verification link and the list of skills you demonstrated. It is a LearnThisNext certificate, not a Microsoft certification. To take it, you need to finish all lessons of levels 1 to 4 and confirm your email address.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Excel course free?

All lessons you see here are currently free. A subscription for further levels, tests and certificates will follow. What is free now stays free.

How long does the course take?

A lesson usually takes 10 to 20 minutes. With one lesson a day you finish the first three levels in about two weeks. Regular practice matters more than long sessions.

Do I need Excel installed?

No. Everything runs in your browser. It helps to try what you learned in your own Excel now and then.

I already know some Excel. Do I have to start at level 1?

No. You can open any lesson directly. If you solve the exercises right away, you are through in a few minutes and move on.

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