[gangst]

Hi,

Basically I want to get good at Excel, I'm going to be honest and say I have literally no experience in Excel beyond basic spreadsheets and tasks, e.g. I could make a Black-Scholes model in Excel given the formula...

What is the best way to get good at Excel, trial and error? Buy a book? Online videos?

I don't want to be pro, but I wouldn't mind getting up to a respectable standard and knowing the key shortcuts.

Also, please bare in mind I will be working in S&T, so if people could point to the kind of functions which are executed in Excel for S&T that would be great.


Thanks

[M1011]

Spend a year as an analyst anywhere. You'll be amazed at the crazy fun stuff you can do by the end of the year. Oh come on, don't act like you haven't all recreated that matrix with excel. Just me?

[gangst]

(Original post by M1011)
Spend a year as an analyst anywhere. You'll be amazed at the crazy fun stuff you can do by the end of the year. Oh come on, don't act like you haven't all recreated that matrix with excel. Just me?

I have an S&T offer for summer 2013, while I actually have some free time thought I would try to get half decent at Excel.

[M1011]

(Original post by gangst)
I have an S&T offer for summer 2013, while I actually have some free time thought I would try to get half decent at Excel.

For me, trial and error is the best way to learn. Essentially, assume excel formula can do anything, and work your way backwards from there

[The Banker]

Learn some basic stuff eg macros and shortcuts - they will save you do much time. Apparently excel for dummies is good? Remember when you start you'll learn quickly so don't worry too much. But defo brush up on certain weak areas and shortcuts are your best friend.


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[Regent]

(Original post by gangst)
I have an S&T offer for summer 2013, while I actually have some free time thought I would try to get half decent at Excel.

How can you have an offer for next summer already?

[Swayum]

As far as shortcuts go, most of them come from hitting the alt key. That takes you to the menu, from where you hit to underlined letter to access the relevant menu items. If you do something enough times, you'll eventually learn its shortcut.

As far as learning something useful for S&T goes, your best use of time is to learn VBA. Google some tutorials on Excel VBA and work through them. Day 1 of my internship I was asked to make a 100 step binomial option pricing model using VBA.

[gangst]

(Original post by Regent)
How can you have an offer for next summer already?

A lot of BB's which held spring weeks fast tracked applicants to assessment centres. Those who were successful have been offered places for next summer.

[President_Ben]

VBA is everything. Loops.

[chanchan]

(Original post by Regent)
How can you have an offer for next summer already?

I have a PWM internship confirmed at a BB for next summer on the back of my SW and interviews on the last day.

[Herr]

If you want to be one step ahead of your competition and have some free time, instead of learning up on Excel, have a go at SAP instead.

But if you only want to be good at Excel, best is to trial and error, I started practising on spreadsheets at the age of 15

[Swayum]

(Original post by Herr)
If you want to be one step ahead of your competition and have some free time, instead of learning up on Excel, have a go at SAP instead.

Most desks will have their own pricing models and use their own programs, why would you learn how to use a particular type of software? Even if you know how to use the programs on one desk, another desk will use something completely different.