Skip to main content

Rank Function



How to Use the RANK Function

If you give the RANK function a number, and a list of numbers, it will tell you the rank of that number in the list, either in ascending or descending order.

For example, in the screen shot below, there is a list of 10 student test scores, in cells B2:B11.

To find the rank of the the first student's score in cell B2, enter this formula in cell C2:

=RANK(B2,$B$2:$B$11)

rank function 02

Then, copy the formula from cell C2 down to cell C11, and the scores will be ranked in descending order.

rank function 01

go to top

RANK Function Arguments

There are 3 arguments for the RANK function:

  • number: in the above example, the number to rank is in cell B2
  • ref: We want to compare the number to the list of numbers in cells $B$2:$B$11. Use an absolute reference ($B$2:$B11), instead of a relative reference (B2:B11)so the referenced range will stay the same when you copy the formula down to the cells below
  • order: (optional) This argument tells Excel whether to rank the list in ascending or descending order.
    • Use zero, or leave this argument empty, to find the rank in the list in descending order. In the example above, the order argument was left blank, to find the rank in descending order.
      =RANK(B2,$B$2:$B$11)
    • For ascending order, type a 1, or any other number except zero.
      If you were comparing golf scores, you could type a 1, to rank in ascending order.
      =RANK(B2,$B$2:$B$11,1)

go to top

RANK Function Order

In the RANK function, the 3rd argument (order), is optional. The order argument tells Excel whether to rank the list in ascending or descending order.

Order for RANK function

Descending Order

If you use a zero as the setting for order, or if you don't use the 3rd argument, the rank is set in descending order.

  • The largest number gets a rank of 1
  • The 5th largest number gets a rank of 5.

Order for RANK function

Ascending Order

If you use a 1 as the setting for order, or if you enter any number except zero as the 3rd argument, the rank is set in ascending order.

  • The smallest number gets a rank of 1
  • The 5th smallest number gets a rank of 5.

Order for RANK function

Flexible Formula

Instead of typing the order argument number into a RANK formula, use a cell reference, to create a flexible formula.

For example, type a 1 in cell E1, and link to cell E1 for the order argument.

NOTE: Be sure to use an absolute reference ($E$1), if the formula will be copied down to other rows. If you use a relative reference (E1), the reference will change in each row.

=RANK(B2,$B$2:$B$6,$E$1)

Order for RANK function

By linking to a cell, you can quickly see different results, without changing the formula. Type a zero in cell E1, or delete the number, and the rank will change to Descending order.

Order for RANK function

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Data Analysis Tool Pack

  The  Analysis ToolPak  is an  Excel add-in  program that provides data analysis tools for financial, statistical and engineering data analysis. To load the Analysis ToolPak add-in, execute the following steps. 1. On the File tab, click Options. 2. Under Add-ins, select Analysis ToolPak and click on the Go button. 3. Check Analysis ToolPak and click on OK. 4. On the Data tab, in the Analysis group, you can now click on  Data Analysis . The following dialog box below appears. 5. For example, select Histogram and click OK to create a Histogram in Excel. Example Rank and Percentile The Rank and Percentile contained within the Analysis-ToolPak can be quickly used to find the rank of all the values in a list. The advantage of using the Rank and Percentile feature is that the percentile is also added to the output table. The percentile is a percentage that indicates the proportion of the list which is below a given number. Highlight the list (or the cells) which...
Post a Comment
Read more

Data Model an easy substitute for Vlookup

  you have a data set with product, date, customer, and sales information. The IT department forgot to put sector in there. Here is a lookup table that maps customer to sector. Time for a VLOOKUP, right? There is no need to do VLOOKUPs to join these data sets if you have Excel 2013 or newer. These versions of Excel have incorporated the Power Pivot engine into the core Excel. (You could also do this by using the Power Pivot add-in for Excel 2010, but there are a few extra steps.) In both the original data set and the lookup table, use Home, Format as Table. On the Table Tools tab, rename the table from Table1 to something meaningful. I’ve used Data and Sectors. Select one cell in the data table. Choose Insert, Pivot Table. Starting in Excel 2013, there is an extra box, Add This Data to the Data Model, that you should select before clicking OK. The Pivot Table Fields list appears, with the fields from the Data table. Choose Revenue. Because you are using the Data Model, a new line a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Charts - Make your data presentable

One-click charts are easy: Select the data and press  Alt+F1 . What if you would rather create bar charts instead of the default clustered column chart? To make your life easier, you can change the default chart type. Store your favorite chart settings in a template and then teach Excel to produce your favorite chart in response to  Alt+F1 . Say that you want to clean up the chart above. All of those zeros on the left axis take up a lot of space without adding value. Double-click those numbers and change Display Units from None to Millions. To move the legend to the top, click the + sign next to the chart, choose the arrow to the right of Legend, and choose Top. Change the color scheme to something that works with your company colors. Right-click the chart and choose Save As Template. Then, give the template a name. (I called mine ClusteredColumn.) Select a chart. In the Design tab of the Ribbon, choose Change Chart Type. Click on the Templates folder to see the template that ...
Post a Comment
Read more