SUMIF / Teacher

Sum Points for Specific Assignment Type

As a teacher, I want to calculate the total points earned across all students specifically on 'Homework' assignments, ignoring other assignment types like quizzes or exams. This helps me track overall progress for a particular category of work.

formula.xlsx
=SUMIF(A2:A8,"Homework",B2:B8)

How it works: The `SUMIF` function works by evaluating a specified range (A2:A8 for 'Assignment Type') against a given criterion ("Homework"). For every cell in the range that matches the criterion, it adds the corresponding value from another specified range (B2:B8 for 'Points Earned') to the total. This allows you to sum points exclusively for 'Homework' assignments, effectively filtering out other assignment types like 'Quiz' or 'Exam'.

Data Setup

Assignment Type Points Earned
Homework 10
Quiz 8
Homework 15
Exam 90
Quiz 7
Homework 12
Homework 20

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Open your Excel worksheet containing the assignment data.

2

Identify the column that contains the 'Assignment Type' (e.g., Column A) and the column with 'Points Earned' (e.g., Column B).

3

Select an empty cell where you want the total 'Homework' points to appear (e.g., C2).

4

Type the formula: `=SUMIF(`.

5

Select the range of cells in the 'Assignment Type' column that you want to evaluate (e.g., `A2:A8`). This is your 'range' argument.

6

Type a comma `,` followed by the criteria in double quotes: `"Homework"`. This tells Excel to look for 'Homework' in the specified range.

7

Type another comma `,` followed by the range of cells in the 'Points Earned' column that you want to sum (e.g., `B2:B8`). This is your 'sum_range' argument.

8

Close the parenthesis `)` and press Enter.

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