Basic Excel Course: What You Learn and Who It Suits

You avoid Excel whenever you can. Colleagues ask you for help and you panic. You have learned “on the fly” by googling problems as they appear, but you know there are huge gaps in your knowledge. That’s okay – most people have never had structured training in Excel.

A basic Excel course takes 2 days and gives you skills that would take 6-12 months to learn on your own. This guide shows exactly what a basic course teaches, who it suits and what you can expect afterwards.

Who is the basic Excel course for?

A basic course is aimed at people who have never had proper training in Excel, or who have used the program sporadically without understanding the fundamentals.

You should take a basic course if you

Feel unsure: – Get stressed when you have to open Excel – Avoid tasks that require Excel – Ask colleagues for help with “simple” things – Know you work inefficiently but not how to improve

Have learned the wrong way: – Learned Excel “by doing” – Google the same thing over and over – Copy formulas without understanding them – Have developed complicated solutions that should be simple

Are about to start using Excel: – A new role where Excel is used daily – A promotion to more analytical work – A manager who wants to understand what the team does – A switch from another tool to Excel

Typical participant profiles

Administrative staff They use Excel for lists and simple data handling but lack an understanding of formulas and analysis.

Sales staff and customer service Need to handle customer data, create reports and understand sales figures.

Recent graduates May have had Excel at school but never learned professional use.

Managers Want to understand what is possible in Excel so they can lead their teams more effectively.

Finance assistants New in the role and need a solid foundation for budgeting and follow-up.

What do you learn on a basic Excel course?

A good basic course covers everything you need to work independently in Excel. No more, no less.

Basic handling

Navigation and structure: – Understand workbooks, worksheets and cells – Quick keyboard shortcuts that save hours – Organise data logically from the start – Handle large amounts of data without getting lost

This sounds basic, but the right structure from the start saves an enormous amount of time later.

Formatting and presentation

Professional formatting: – Cell formatting (numbers, currency, dates, percentages) – Conditional formatting to highlight important information – Table formatting for clarity – Print handling (headers, page breaks, scaling)

After the course your Excel files look professional – not like homemade amateur projects.

Formulas and calculations

This is the core of Excel. You learn:

Basic arithmetic: – SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, COUNT – The difference between relative and absolute references ($) – Building calculations that update automatically

Logical functions: – IF functions for conditional calculation – AND/OR for complex logic – Nesting several functions

Text handling: – Combining text from several cells – Cleaning and formatting imported data – Extracting parts of text (first name, last name, etc.)

Date and time: – Counting days between dates – Calculating working days – Handling time reporting

Data analysis at a basic level

Sorting and filtering: – Quick filters to find information – Advanced filtering with several conditions – Sorting on several columns at once

Pivot tables: – Create basic pivot tables – Summarise data quickly – Understand when a pivot table is the right tool

Pivot tables are often a “game changer” for basic course participants. What took 2 hours manually takes 2 minutes with the right tool.

Visualisation

Charts and graphs: – Choose the right chart type (bar, line, pie) – Create clear charts – Format charts professionally – Avoid common mistakes that make charts confusing

Format and length

You can choose between classroom and online depending on what suits your situation.

Classroom course (2 days)

Structure: – Day 1: 9:00-16:30 (handling, formatting, basic formulas) – Day 2: 9:00-16:30 (advanced formulas, pivot tables, charts) – A total of 12 hours of effective teaching

Benefits: – Intensive learning – Direct feedback from the instructor – Network with other participants – Done in two days

Suits you if you: – Can take two days away from work – Learn best in a classroom environment – Want quick results

Online course (4×2 hours)

Structure: – 4 sessions of 2 hours each – Spread over 2-4 weeks – The same content as the classroom course – Live with an instructor (not recorded)

Benefits: – Combine with your regular work – No travel time – Time to practise between sessions – Often 20-30% cheaper

Suits you if you: – Find it hard to take two days off – Are geographically far from course locations – Want to spread the learning over time

Both formats give the same result. Choose based on what suits your situation.

Price and what is included

Costs

Open course (individual registration): – Classroom: 3 500-4 500 SEK per person – Online: 2 800-3 500 SEK per person

Company course (your own group, 8-12 people): – Classroom: 15 000-25 000 SEK in total – Online: 12 000-18 000 SEK in total

A company course gives the best value with 5+ participants.

Included in the price

All serious course providers include: – Complete course materials (digital and/or printed) – Practical exercises based on real scenarios – A certificate after completing the course – 30 days of email support for questions – Coffee and light refreshments (classroom course)

If the provider charges extra for materials or the certificate – look elsewhere.

Hidden costs

Also count on: – Your working time (2 days’ pay) – Any travel/accommodation – Lost production during the course

A 3 500 SEK course can cost 10 000 SEK in total. But the ROI comes quickly.

After the course you can

Most participants can do the following straight after the basic course:

Practical skills: – Build and maintain budgets – Create professional reports with charts – Analyse sales data or customer lists – Automate calculations that were previously done manually – Handle timesheets and scheduling

Time savings: – 2-5 hours per week through more efficient working methods – Tasks that took 2 hours take 20 minutes – Fewer errors thanks to automatic calculations

Independence: – Stop googling the same thing every time – Solve your own problems without asking colleagues – Feel confident when you open Excel

Participant, finance department, Malmö: “After two days I could do in 20 minutes what used to take the whole morning. I didn’t even know Excel could do half of what we learned.”

Are you ready for a basic course?

You need to be able to

Use a computer (keyboard, mouse, Windows/Mac)
Open and save files
Basic computer literacy

You learn everything else on the course. No prior knowledge of Excel is required.

You need to have

Access to Excel (version 2016 or later)
A computer with a stable internet connection (online course)
The ability to focus during the course sessions

Next steps after the basic course

Once you master the basics, there are several ways forward:

Advanced Excel course

If you use Excel daily and want to become much faster. You learn powerful lookup functions, Power Query and advanced pivot tables.

VBA course

If you do the same thing every day/week/month. VBA automates repetitive tasks and saves an enormous amount of time.

Specialised training

Perhaps you need to focus on financial analysis, project planning or specific tools. Company-tailored training is customised to your needs.

Book your basic Excel course

Next course starts: – Stockholm classroom: 15 February, 8 March, 5 April – Gothenburg classroom: 1 March, 22 March – Online: Starts every month (nearest 1 March, 15 March, 5 April)

Contact: Phone: +46-10-264-20-20 Email: info@exceldepartment.com

Call for a free needs analysis. We help you decide whether the basic course is the right level or whether you should start somewhere else.

Need help with this? Our Excel courses will help you – the first consultation is free of charge.

Book a free call or call 010-264 20 20.