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17. Interview Questions and Answers

Now we prepare for the interview! This module has the frequently asked Excel questions for data analyst and MIS roles, with model answers. Remember, the interview happens in English, so the answers are kept in clean professional English. Do not memorise them – understand them and say them in your own words, with an example from your project.

Live story: "Tell me VLOOKUP versus XLOOKUP"

Suppose Salman has an interview for an MIS role on Thursday. He knows the formulas, but when asked "VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP, and why?" he starts typing in the air instead of answering. Interviewers want a short, clear answer with one example. This chapter gives model answers in clean interview English that you can say in your own words.

All numbers in this story are fictional practice data.

These are frequently asked questions in data analyst, MIS executive and business analyst interviews. Answer in your own words, and whenever possible add a short example from your own work or from the Blinkit final project (Module 15).

Concepts in this chapter

  1. 17.1Basics and References
  2. 17.2Functions and Formulas
  3. 17.3Lookups
  4. 17.4Data Cleaning and Preparation
  5. 17.5Tables, PivotTables and Charts
  6. 17.6Performance, Dashboards and Power Tools
  7. 17.7Macros and VBA Basics
  8. 17.8Scenario-Based Questions

The chapter recap is at the end of the last concept page.

Quick revision cards

Quick revision

Revise this chapter in two minutes. Save the cards on your phone or download them as PNG files. All names and numbers are made up for practice.

Revision card: Interview basics: formulas, duplicates, #N/A. Example data table with Formula vs function: 500 and 500; List names without duplicates: Amir, Zoya; #N/A when the column E for Amir holds "Amir␣" (extra space): ₹200.
Card 1 of 2: Interview basics: formulas, duplicates, #N/A · Download PNG
Revision card: Interview scenario: sales for one city and month. Example data table with Total sales for Pune in March 2026: ₹550; How many Pune sales in March: 2; The workbook is slow: use exact ranges like D2:D5.
Card 2 of 2: Interview scenario: sales for one city and month · Download PNG

More cards for every chapter: Ravi Sir's Cards.