COUNTIF for text matching
BeginnerWhen you need a quick breakdown of how many items fall into each category, COUNTIF is the right tool. It counts how many cells in a range match a condition you specify.
In this exercise, you have a helpdesk log with 9 tickets in rows 2 through 10. Each ticket has a status: "Open", "Closed", or "Pending". Your job is to fill in the summary table (rows 13 to 15) that counts how many tickets have each status.
How COUNTIF works:
=COUNTIF(range, criteria)
- range: the column of cells to search through
- criteria: the value to match (text must be in quotes, or you can reference a cell)
COUNTIF matches text exactly, but it is not case-sensitive, so "open" and "Open" count the same.
What you need to do:
- Click cell B13 (next to "Open").
- Write a COUNTIF formula that searches the Status column (C2:C10) and counts how many cells match the label in A13.
- Press Enter, then copy the formula down to B14 and B15.
When you're done, the summary table should show the correct count for each status.
Need some help?
Hint 1
Make sure your range points to the Status column (column C), not the Ticket # or Subject columns. COUNTIF returns 0 if the range doesn't include the values you're trying to match.
Hint 2
Lock the range with dollar signs ($C$2:$C$10) so it stays fixed when you copy the formula down. When all three rows are filled in, the counts should add up to 9: the total number of tickets.
COUNTIF for text matching
BeginnerWhen you need a quick breakdown of how many items fall into each category, COUNTIF is the right tool. It counts how many cells in a range match a condition you specify.
In this exercise, you have a helpdesk log with 9 tickets in rows 2 through 10. Each ticket has a status: "Open", "Closed", or "Pending". Your job is to fill in the summary table (rows 13 to 15) that counts how many tickets have each status.
How COUNTIF works:
=COUNTIF(range, criteria)
- range: the column of cells to search through
- criteria: the value to match (text must be in quotes, or you can reference a cell)
COUNTIF matches text exactly, but it is not case-sensitive, so "open" and "Open" count the same.
What you need to do:
- Click cell B13 (next to "Open").
- Write a COUNTIF formula that searches the Status column (C2:C10) and counts how many cells match the label in A13.
- Press Enter, then copy the formula down to B14 and B15.
When you're done, the summary table should show the correct count for each status.
Need some help?
Hint 1
Make sure your range points to the Status column (column C), not the Ticket # or Subject columns. COUNTIF returns 0 if the range doesn't include the values you're trying to match.
Hint 2
Lock the range with dollar signs ($C$2:$C$10) so it stays fixed when you copy the formula down. When all three rows are filled in, the counts should add up to 9: the total number of tickets.