Advanced Excel

Course curriculum

Excel fundamentals review

• Workbook and worksheet structure, and moving through large sheets by keyboard
• Cell references: relative, absolute and mixed, and when each one matters
• Named ranges and structured tables
• Formatting, custom number formats and readable spreadsheet layout

Advanced formulas (VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH)

• VLOOKUP in practice, and the two limits that make people abandon it
• INDEX-MATCH for left-side lookups and two-way lookups
• SUMIFS, COUNTIFS and AVERAGEIFS for conditional aggregation
• IF, IFS and IFERROR for clean output instead of error codes
• Nested formulas, and how to debug one that returns the wrong answer

Conditional formatting

• Rule types: cell value, top and bottom, data bars, colour scales, icon sets
• Formula-driven rules that highlight an entire row
• Finding duplicates, blanks and exceptions in a dataset
• Managing rule order and precedence when rules overlap

Pivot tables and analysis

• Preparing data so a pivot table will actually work
• Rows, columns, values and filters, and how layout changes the question asked
• Grouping by date, number range and custom buckets
• Calculated fields, and value settings such as percentage of total
• Slicers, timelines and refreshing when the source data changes

Charts and visualization

• Choosing a chart type that matches the comparison being made
• Combo charts and secondary axes for mixed units
• Sparklines for in-cell trends
• Formatting for readability: labels, gridlines, colour and scale

Macros recording

• Recording a macro and running it against new data
• Relative versus absolute recording, and why the choice matters
• Macro-enabled workbooks and the .xlsm format
• Assigning a macro to a button or keyboard shortcut
• Macro security settings and trusted locations

VBA programming basics

• The VBA editor, modules and procedures
• Variables, data types and the value of Option Explicit
• If and Select Case for decisions
• For and Do loops for repetitive work
• The Range and Worksheet objects
• Basic error handling so a macro fails safely

Dashboard creation

• Layout and hierarchy: what a reader should see first
• KPI blocks driven by formulas rather than typed numbers
• Connecting several pivot tables to one set of slicers
• Dynamic titles that describe the current selection
• Protecting and sharing a dashboard without breaking it

Real-world projects

• Build a sales MIS from a raw transaction export
• Build a reconciliation workbook that flags mismatches automatically
• Automate a recurring monthly report end to end
• Present findings from a dataset to a non-technical audience

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Advanced Excel program?

2 Months. Delivered in Offline format.

Who is eligible for the Advanced Excel program?

Open to commerce / science graduates and working professionals; basic computer literacy required.

Does CELSE Labs provide placement assistance for Advanced Excel?

Placement support is available case-by-case; please contact admissions.

Is a scholarship available for Advanced Excel?

Yes — scholarships are available based on merit. Contact admissions for the current window.

Is an internship included in Advanced Excel?

Internship is available as an add-on for qualifying students.

Is Advanced Excel NSDC certified?

Yes. CELSE Labs is an NSDC-certified training partner; all programs, including this one, follow NSDC quality standards and include an industry-recognised completion certificate.

About CELSE Labs

CELSE Labs — the Centre for Experiential Learning and Skill Enhancement — is an NSDC-certified, ISO 9001:2015 accredited skill training institute and an Approved Training Partner of Medhavi Skills University. We work with commerce graduates, career changers and working professionals across Kerala who want a job in accounting, finance, compliance or data, and who need practical capability rather than another certificate.

Our training is experiential rather than lecture-based. Instead of textbook exercises, trainees operate the books, bank account, invoices and internal correspondence of simulated companies — M & M Technologies, Toy Kingdom and PetalSoft — where transactions arrive incomplete, out of order and occasionally wrong, exactly as they do in a real office. Trainees learn judgement by making decisions and correcting them, which is the part of the work that cannot be transferred by explanation.

Teaching is one-to-one, so pace follows the learner rather than a cohort. New batches start every Wednesday at both centres. Scholarships of up to 30% are available through a free online scholarship test, and our placement record includes 36+ named alumni at HDFC, ICICI, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra, Big Basket, Ford, Amrita Hospital and JRHA Accounting in the UAE.

Visit us at Edappally in Kochi or Mavoor Road in Kozhikode, or call +91 8007 980 000 to arrange a free counselling session.