The right Excel course depends less on how long you have used Excel and more on what you can already do confidently. Someone who has used Excel for ten years may still benefit from an Intermediate course if they have mainly entered data and created simple formulas, while a newer user who regularly builds PivotTables and lookup formulas may already be ready for Advanced training.

ExperTrain's Excel pathway is designed to help learners move from core spreadsheet skills through advanced formulas, data analysis, Power Query and VBA. The most useful starting point is the course that fills the next genuine gap in your knowledge rather than the course whose title sounds most impressive.

Excel courses at a glance

• Excel Introduction: for beginners and self-taught users who need a solid foundation.
• Excel Intermediate: for users comfortable with basic formulas who want to work more efficiently across worksheets, workbooks and larger datasets.
• Excel Advanced: for confident users ready for lookup, logical and statistical functions, PivotTables, data validation, auditing and basic macros.
• Excel Advanced Functions & Data Modelling: for experienced users who want XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, dynamic arrays, advanced PivotTables and Power Pivot.
• Excel Power Query: for experienced users who repeatedly import, clean, combine or reshape data.
• Introduction to Excel Macros and VBA: for experienced Excel users who want to automate repetitive tasks with macros and VBA code.

If you want an immediate personalised recommendation, take ExperTrain's free Excel Skills Assessment. It takes only a few minutes and recommends a suitable starting point based on practical Excel tasks rather than job title or years of experience.

Should I take Excel Introduction?

Microsoft Excel Introduction is the right starting point if you are new to Excel or have only limited experience.

You are likely to benefit from Introduction if you are not yet fully comfortable with:

• entering and editing data
• formatting cells, numbers and dates
• adjusting rows and columns
• creating simple formulas using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• using basic functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN and COUNTA
• copying formulas
• using absolute cell references
• creating and editing simple charts
• sorting and filtering lists
• managing worksheets

The course is designed to create a reliable foundation. That is important because learners who skip the basics often struggle later with more advanced functions because they are still uncertain about cell references, formula structure or workbook organisation.

Who should skip Excel Introduction?

You can probably move directly to Intermediate if you already create spreadsheets confidently and routinely use simple formulas and basic functions without assistance.

For example, if you can:

• write and copy formulas
• understand relative and absolute references
• format worksheets confidently
• sort and filter lists
• create basic charts
• manage multiple worksheets

then Introduction may repeat too much knowledge you already possess.

Should I take Excel Intermediate?

Microsoft Excel Intermediate is designed for people who understand the fundamentals but want to work more confidently with larger and more complex workbooks.

It is a good choice if you can already create basic formulas but are less confident with:

• formulas across multiple worksheets
• links between different Excel workbooks
• Paste Special
• Excel Tables
• text functions such as LEFT, RIGHT, UPPER, LOWER, PROPER and TRIM
• Text to Columns
• conditional formatting
• subtotals
• grouping and outlining

Intermediate is often the most useful level for self-taught users because it fills many of the gaps that develop when people learn Excel informally at work.

How do I know whether I am Intermediate or Advanced?

A useful dividing line is whether you are comfortable with more advanced formulas and data analysis.

If functions such as IF, VLOOKUP, SUMIF and COUNTIF are unfamiliar, the Advanced course is likely to contain substantial new material.

If you already use these functions confidently and regularly build PivotTables, you may be ready to move beyond the standard Advanced course into Advanced Functions & Data Modelling.

Should I take Excel Advanced?

Microsoft Excel Advanced is aimed at confident users who want to analyse data, build more sophisticated formulas and automate common spreadsheet tasks.

Typical topics include:

• VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP
• IF, AND and OR
• IFERROR
• COUNTIF and SUMIF
• formula auditing
• range names
• data validation
• worksheet and workbook protection
• basic macro recording
• PivotTables and PivotCharts
• slicers and percentage analysis

This is usually the best course for users who describe themselves as “reasonably good at Excel” but have not yet developed a structured understanding of advanced formulas, PivotTables and automation.

Who is ready for Excel Advanced?

You should normally be comfortable with:

• basic Excel functions
• creating formulas using absolute references
• working across more than one worksheet
• copying and editing formulas
• sorting and filtering data

If these still feel difficult, Intermediate is likely to provide a better learning experience.

What comes after Excel Advanced?

Once you are confident with Advanced-level skills, the pathway becomes less linear. The best next course depends on the type of work you do.

The three main specialist directions are:

• advanced formulas and data modelling
• data preparation with Power Query
• automation with VBA

Many experienced users eventually learn all three, but there is no need to take them in a fixed order.

Should I take Excel Advanced Functions & Data Modelling?

Excel Advanced Functions & Data Modelling is the natural next step for users who already understand standard Advanced-level Excel and want stronger analytical and reporting skills.

The course includes modern and more sophisticated functions such as:

• COUNTIFS, SUMIFS and AVERAGEIFS
• MAXIFS and MINIFS
• IFS
• XLOOKUP
• INDEX and MATCH
• SORT, TAKE and UNIQUE
• TEXT, TEXTSPLIT and TEXTJOIN
• advanced date functions

It also covers:

• form controls
• Goal Seek and Scenario Manager
• advanced PivotTable techniques
• the Excel Data Model
• Power Pivot
• relationships between tables

This makes it particularly suitable for people who create management reports, dashboards, financial models or data-analysis workbooks.

Advanced vs Advanced Functions & Data Modelling

The titles can be confusing, but the distinction is straightforward.

Excel Advanced establishes the core advanced skill set: lookup and logical functions, auditing, validation, protection, macros and PivotTables.

Advanced Functions & Data Modelling assumes those foundations and moves into more complex formulas, modern functions, What-If analysis, advanced PivotTables and relational data modelling.

If you have never used VLOOKUP or created a PivotTable, start with Advanced. If those are already routine and you want XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH and Power Pivot, choose Advanced Functions & Data Modelling.

Should I take Excel Power Query?

Microsoft Excel Power Query is different from the main Introduction-to-Advanced pathway because it solves a very specific business problem: repetitive data preparation.

Power Query is ideal if you regularly:

• import CSV, text or Excel files
• remove unwanted columns and rows
• change data types
• split or merge columns
• combine multiple files
• merge datasets
• append monthly or departmental data
• clean inconsistent source data
• repeat the same preparation process every week or month

Instead of carrying out those steps manually each time, Power Query records the transformation process so it can be refreshed when new data arrives.

Do I need to be Advanced before learning Power Query?

You do not need every topic from the Advanced course, but you should be an experienced Excel user.

You should normally understand formulas, functions, sorting, filtering and Excel Tables before learning Power Query. This allows the course to focus on data transformation rather than basic spreadsheet skills.

If your main frustration is spending hours every month cleaning and combining data, Power Query may deliver more immediate value than learning additional worksheet formulas.

Should I learn Power Query or Power Pivot first?

Choose according to the problem you are trying to solve.

Learn Power Query first if your challenge is getting data into the right shape.

Learn Power Pivot if your data is already clean but you need relationships between multiple tables, a Data Model or more advanced analytical calculations.

Our Power Query vs Power Pivot and PivotTables vs Power Pivot guides explain these differences in more detail.

Should I take Introduction to Excel Macros and VBA?

Introduction to Excel Macros and VBA is aimed at experienced Excel users who want to automate tasks by creating and editing macros and writing Visual Basic for Applications code.

VBA becomes useful when you repeatedly perform a sequence of steps that cannot be handled conveniently with formulas, PivotTables or Power Query alone.

The introductory VBA course covers:

• recording macros
• relative and absolute recording
• assigning macros to buttons and shortcuts
• the VBA environment
• writing procedures directly
• variables
• objects
• conditions
• loops
• custom functions
• error handling and debugging

Power Query vs VBA: which should I learn?

Many users assume VBA is the first answer to automation, but that is not always the case.

If your task mainly involves importing, cleaning, reshaping and combining data, Power Query is often the simpler and more maintainable solution.

If you need to automate broader workbook behaviour, control Excel programmatically, create custom procedures or build workflows that go beyond data transformation, VBA becomes more appropriate.

An experienced Excel user may eventually use both.

What if I already know some topics from a course?

It is normal to have uneven Excel knowledge.

A self-taught user might know PivotTables but not absolute references. Another user might know complex formulas but have never used Tables or conditional formatting.

You do not need to be missing every topic in a course for that course to be worthwhile. The question is whether enough of the content would add practical value.

If approximately one-third or more of the syllabus would be genuinely new or would improve weak areas, the course may still be a sensible choice.

How should self-taught Excel users choose a course?

Self-taught users should avoid choosing purely by confidence level. Familiarity with Excel's interface can make someone feel advanced even when important foundations are missing.

A better approach is to test whether you can perform specific tasks without searching online or asking someone else.

For example:

• Can you write a formula with an absolute cell reference?
• Can you link formulas across worksheets and workbooks?
• Can you use IF and lookup functions?
• Can you create and modify a PivotTable?
• Can you clean imported data efficiently?
• Can you explain when you would use a macro rather than a formula?

These practical questions are much more useful than asking whether you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced user.

Which Excel course is best for finance professionals?

Finance users often progress relatively quickly because they work with formulas and data frequently.

A typical route could be:

Excel Advanced → Advanced Functions & Data Modelling → Power Query

Advanced Functions is useful for more sophisticated formulas and modelling, while Power Query can dramatically reduce time spent preparing monthly reports or consolidating files.

Users who need additional automation may then progress to VBA.

Which Excel course is best for analysts?

Analysts often benefit from:

Excel Advanced → Advanced Functions & Data Modelling → Power Query

Power Pivot and the Excel Data Model also provide a useful bridge into Power BI because they introduce relational modelling concepts that appear again in modern business intelligence tools.

If your work increasingly involves dashboards and larger data models, you may also want to compare Power BI vs Excel.

Which Excel course is best for administrators?

Many administrative users gain the greatest benefit from Introduction, Intermediate or Advanced rather than specialist data-modelling courses.

Intermediate can be particularly valuable because it covers practical everyday tasks such as:

• working across worksheets
• managing larger lists
• text functions
• conditional formatting
• Tables
• subtotals

Advanced becomes useful when the role involves more reporting, lookup functions or PivotTables.

Which Excel course is best for managers?

Managers who primarily review spreadsheets may need a different level from those who build reports themselves.

If you mainly need to understand and manipulate existing reports, Intermediate may be enough.

If you create management reports, analyse performance data or build PivotTables, Advanced is more likely to be appropriate.

Managers responsible for complex reporting or dashboards may benefit from Advanced Functions & Data Modelling or Power Query.

Can I skip directly to VBA?

Technically you can, but it is rarely advisable unless you already have strong Excel skills.

VBA assumes you understand the workbook, worksheet, range and formula concepts that the code will manipulate.

Trying to learn programming while still struggling with normal spreadsheet techniques makes the learning process unnecessarily difficult.

Should I take courses on consecutive days?

That depends on your experience and the course combination.

Introduction followed by Intermediate, or Intermediate followed by Advanced, can work well for learners who already have some familiarity and can absorb a concentrated programme.

Complete beginners may prefer time between levels so they can practise and consolidate the first course before progressing.

For specialist courses such as Power Query or VBA, workplace practice between courses can be especially valuable.

A simple Excel course decision guide

1. New to Excel or unsure about basic formulas? Choose Excel Introduction.
2. Comfortable with basics but not multi-sheet formulas, Tables or text functions? Choose Excel Intermediate.
3. Ready for IF, VLOOKUP, PivotTables, validation and macros? Choose Excel Advanced.
4. Already comfortable at Advanced level and want XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, dynamic arrays and Power Pivot? Choose Advanced Functions & Data Modelling.
5. Spend too much time importing and cleaning data? Choose Excel Power Query.
6. Want to automate complex or repetitive workbook tasks with code? Choose Introduction to Excel Macros and VBA.

Frequently asked questions

What Excel course should a complete beginner take?

Excel Introduction. It establishes the core skills needed for formulas, functions, formatting, charts, worksheets and lists.

Is Excel Intermediate suitable for beginners?

Only if you already understand basic formulas and core functions. Complete beginners are usually better starting with Introduction.

What is the difference between Excel Intermediate and Advanced?

Intermediate focuses on working more efficiently with worksheets, workbooks, Tables, text and formatting. Advanced introduces more sophisticated formulas, PivotTables, validation, auditing, protection and macros.

What is the difference between Excel Advanced and Advanced Functions & Data Modelling?

Advanced establishes the main advanced skill set. Advanced Functions & Data Modelling assumes that knowledge and moves into more complex functions, modern dynamic-array tools, advanced PivotTables and Power Pivot.

Do I need Excel Advanced before Power Query?

Not necessarily, but you should already be a confident Excel user who understands formulas, functions, sorting, filtering and Tables.

Do I need Excel Advanced before VBA?

You should have strong general Excel skills before learning VBA. Advanced-level confidence provides a much better foundation for programming.

Which Excel course teaches XLOOKUP?

ExperTrain's Excel Advanced Functions & Data Modelling course covers XLOOKUP together with INDEX, MATCH and other modern functions. Our XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP article explains the functions in more detail.

Which course teaches PivotTables?

Excel Advanced covers creating and modifying PivotTables and PivotCharts. Advanced Functions & Data Modelling progresses into more advanced PivotTable and Power Pivot techniques.

Which course should I choose if I am still unsure?

Take the free Excel Skills Assessment. It is specifically designed to recommend the most suitable course based on practical skills.

Take the Excel Skills Assessment

If you are still deciding between Introduction, Intermediate, Advanced or a specialist Excel course, the easiest next step is the free Excel Skills Assessment.

It asks a short series of practical questions based on everyday Excel tasks and provides an instant recommendation. No registration is required.

You can also browse the Excel Glossary for explanations of functions and features mentioned throughout the learning pathway.