How to understand the difference between beginner, intermediate, and advanced Excel

As an Excel trainer and consultant, I’ve often encountered skepticism about categorizing skills into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. It’s understandable—Excel is a vast program, and users employ it in myriad ways. It’s rare to find two people with identical skill sets, and even rarer to find someone who fits neatly into a conventional skill level like “intermediate.”

However, the complexity of defining skill levels in Excel shouldn’t deter us from trying, much like George Box’s observation that all models are wrong, but some are useful.

In many fields—whether it’s martial arts, language learning, or cooking—skill levels are traditionally categorized into stages like beginner, intermediate, and advanced. This classification helps learners assess their current capabilities and provides a structured pathway for progression.

The world of Microsoft Excel is no exception. Distinguishing between beginner, intermediate, and advanced skills allows both users and educators to foster a learning environment that effectively addresses diverse levels of expertise.

The benefits of classifying Excel skill levels

I believe the reluctance to classify Excel skills stems from a well-intentioned desire for inclusivity. People aim to avoid gatekeeping and promote equality.

In the short term, it’s certainly beneficial to meet learners where they are and celebrate their immediate successes. However, in the long term, having clearly defined skill levels is extremely important. It serves as a crucial milestone marker, helping individuals understand their current abilities and identify the areas they need to improve. This classification is vital for several reasons:

1. Guided learning paths: It provides learners with a roadmap for acquiring new skills in a logical sequence. Beginners aren’t overwhelmed by advanced concepts, while more experienced users can bypass basic topics and focus on areas that challenge them.
2. Skill reinforcement: While it’s possible to be an expert in one area of Excel—like data visualization—without being proficient in others—like advanced formulas—the skills in Excel are often interconnected. Improving in one area can enhance your understanding and capabilities in another. This interconnectedness ensures that as you advance in one aspect, you inherently boost your overall Excel proficiency.
3. Benchmarking and goal setting: Categorizing skills helps users set realistic goals and employers assess proficiency levels. It can guide training requirements and help in personal and professional development planning.

What constitutes beginner, intermediate, and advanced Excel skills?

Now, this is where the gloves come off. I will attempt to define what typically falls under each category. Remember, these classifications are not rigid; they are starting points designed to frame your learning journey in Excel.

This sets the ball rolling. Each person’s needs and experiences with Excel will differ, but by outlining this path, we establish a clear set of assumptions to work from, just like any other written plan or model.

Beginner skills

At the beginner level, you should be comfortable with the basic functionalities of Excel.

• Creating and formatting spreadsheets
• Basic calculations and operations like SUM(), AVERAGE(), MIN(), MAX()
• Understanding how to insert charts and perform simple data visualizations
• Basic data management: entering data, sorting, and basic filtering

In other words, you can create a basic workbook, although it might lack user-friendly features and reusability. It’s generally manual and static.

Intermediate Skills

Intermediate users delve deeper into Excel’s capabilities:

• More complex formulas and functions like VLOOKUP(), XLOOKUP(), and conditional functions (IF(), SUMIF())
• Data analysis tools like PivotTables, conditional formatting, and more sophisticated charting options
• Using named ranges and tables
• Utilizing tools like Scenario Manager, Data Tables, and Goal Seek to explore different outcomes based on varying inputs
• Creating charts that combine two or more chart types (like a line and column chart) to visualize different types of data on the same graph.
• Recording simple macros to automate repetitive tasks, and introducing basic Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to enhance capabilities
• Using Power Query to perform a range of transformations such as filtering, sorting, merging queries, appending data, and grouping rows
• Building data models by importing tables and creating relationships between them.

Now, even as I write this, I feel somewhat like the proverbial monkey with a dartboard. Historically, proficiency in VLOOKUP() and PivotTables was deemed to me essential for someone to be considered an intermediate Excel user. However, with the introduction of XLOOKUP(), which is poised to replace VLOOKUP(), we face a conundrum, as many organizations are slow to adopt new functions.

Additionally, intermediate users should arguably be familiar with Power Query and Power Pivot. Should this new knowledge come at the expense of traditional skills like conditional formatting and IF() statements? Probably not. Consequently, the expanding scope of the program indeed complicates the classification of skill levels.

Advanced Skills

At this point, you have mastered the basic rules of the road and can develop any Excel solution you please! This is where things can get complicated, as there are so many directions to explore. However, just because there are a million pieces to play on the guitar, it doesn’t mean we can’t recognize both Jimi Hendrix and Andres Segovia as expert guitar players.

• Complex formulas and array functions.
• Automation with VBA scripts to streamline repetitive tasks and custom functions.
• Integration with other data sources and advanced data visualization tools.
• Advanced Power Query techniques, such as custom columns and error handling.
• Developing and optimizing Data Models using Power Pivot, including the use of complex DAX formulas for calculated columns and measures.
• Creating interactive dashboards and reports using slicers, timeline controls, and advanced charting techniques.
• Utilizing VBA for developing user forms, handling events, and interacting with other applications like Outlook and Word.

Embracing the Model

While there might be disagreements on the specifics—after all, not everyone uses Excel in the same way—these levels provide a useful framework for discussion and learning. By establishing a common language to describe Excel proficiency, educators can better design curricula, employers can more accurately assess skills for job roles, and users can set clearer goals for their learning journey.

Ultimately, models like this simplify the complex world of Excel. They trade real-world messiness for clarity and direction in learning and development. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your advanced skills, understanding where you stand on the Excel mastery scale is the first step in leveraging Excel more effectively in both personal and professional endeavors.

What do you think about the distinctions between beginner, intermediate, and advanced Excel users? Are they helpful, or not? What do you think of my skill rankings—would you approach it significantly differently, or is this at least a good place to start? Let me know in the comments.