The IF function in excel allows checking the fulfillment of a logical condition, and if it is true, it returns one value, and if it is not, it returns another value. The IF function has existed since the beginning in Excel, but few have mastered it and used it in their work.
The function syntax looks like this:
=IF (Boolean_test, Value_if_true, Value_if_false)
Let’s see with an example, how we want to decide who passed the test if they have more or exactly 50 points.
Application of the IF Function
A similar example, we calculate the tax that needs to be paid, and it depends on the amount of salary. If the salary is less than 50 thousand then the tax is 10%, otherwise it is 50%.
Combination of IF with AND and OR operators
We can extend the logical test from using AND and OR operators.
AND indicates that both conditions must be met, and OR indicates that either of the two conditions must be met.
See the example with the AND operator where the first argument of the IF function is a logical test with the AND operator. Two conditions must be met for the bonus, that the employee has been in the company for more than two years and that he has a salary of more than 50,000.
Nested IF functions
Within each Excel function we can use another function. This is called nesting. With the IF statement, it is most often used when we have several categories, so the third argument of the function, the value_if_is_false becomes a new IF function and so on. See how it looks on an example.
Learn the IF Function in Excel: Step by Step Guide
Learn how to use the IF function in Excel and become a spreadsheet whiz! Get a step-by-step guide outlining all the important details.
The IF function in Excel is one of the most powerful and versatile tools available for analyzing and manipulating data. With it, you can analyze complex conditions and create sophisticated calculations with just a few simple steps. This guide covers everything you need to know about how to use the IF function in Excel.
Nesting Multiple IF statements.
Nesting multiple IF statements is a great way to analyze data when there is more than one condition to evaluate. With this technique, you can combine several IF functions together in the same formula. This allows you to evaluate multiple criteria and produce a result based on each condition. For example, you may want your formula to return one result if an employee’s age is between 25 and 34, another result if the employee’s age is between 35 and 44, and yet another result if the employee’s age is 45 or higher.
Formulating Logical Test Arguments with AND, OR functions and more complex arguments for more accurate results.
To create more complex arguments, you can use additional logical functions such as AND and OR. With these functions you can combine two or more conditions to generate different results. For example, you might use the AND function to test if an employee is between 25 and 34 AND has at least one year of experience working with Excel. The OR function allows you to evaluate two separate criteria and return a result based on either scenario. For instance, you may want the formula to return one result if the employee’s age is between 25 and 44 OR they have been at their current position for at least one year.
Utilizing other helpful functions like the VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP to analyze data quickly and accurately when combined with the IF statement.
Understanding how to combine the IF statement with other functions like VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP can save you a lot of time when analyzing data. Using VLOOKUP, you can return information from a separate table based on the value of a certain cell. This is useful for quickly bringing in large amounts of info without having to manually search through your data set. Similarly, with HLOOKUP you can search for values from left to right instead of down. Both these functions work well with an IF statement as you can use them to accurately return specific pieces of data from your sheet.