Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Returning the MODE of a Range.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 2, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Excel provides the MODE function to help you determine the most frequently recurring value in a range. For instance, let's say you have a table that contains sales orders. One of the columns indicates the number of items ordered in each order. Over time, you may have accumulated quite a bit of data in the table. If you wanted to know the most common number of items ordered, you could use the MODE function.
Suppose your items ordered column is F, and you have 1,200 orders detailed in rows 2 through 1,201. If want to know the most common number of items ordered, you can use the following:
=MODE(F2:F1201)
The value returned represents the most commonly recurring value in the range. Thus, if 520 of your customers ordered 3 items, and the next most common was 314 customers ordering 4 items, then MODE would return the number 3.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2365) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Returning the MODE of a Range.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!
What are you to do if you suspect that some of your worksheet functions aren't recalculating automatically? Here's some ...
Discover MoreWhen preparing financial reports, it may make your data easier to understand if you round it to the nearest multiple, ...
Discover MoreWant to add up a bunch of scores, without including the lowest one in the bunch? You can make a small change to your ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments