Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Throwing Out the Lowest Score.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 21, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
I remember when I was in junior high school, my algebra teacher (Mr. Jones) would periodically take pity on us and institute a grading plan that was actually quite helpful. Mr. Jones would take a look at all our quiz scores for the grading period, and then throw out the lowest score. (Sometimes I think that is all that got me through his class.)
Using Excel, Mr. Jones could easily have automated the throwing out of the lowest score. For instance, let's say that the quiz scores for the period were in cells B3:B12. Putting the following in cell B13 provides a total for the scores:
=SUM(B3:B12)
This isn't exactly what is wanted, since the lowest score is still figured into the total. To throw out the lowest score, simply change the formula in B13 to the following:
=SUM(B3:B12)-SMALL(B3:B12,1)
The SMALL worksheet function returns, in this case, the lowest score in the range. When that is subtracted from the total, the result is that the lowest score is removed from the mix. You could also use a slightly different formula to remove the lowest score:
=SUM(B3:B12)-MIN(B3:B12)
Either approach will work fine. Plus, if there are two or more identical low scores, then only one of those scores is thrown out; the others remain in the result returned. This is exactly what you would want to have happen if you are only tossing out a single low score, not all low scores.
(Mr. Jones would have been more impressed with this than he was with my algebra skills.)
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12358) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Throwing Out the Lowest Score.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
When you store textual information in a worksheet, it can be helpful to figure out if that information follows a pattern ...
Discover MoreAdding spaces after commas in a number can be done by first converting the number to a text value. This presents other ...
Discover MoreIf you have circular references in a workbook, you may see an error message appear when you first open that workbook. If ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-05-24 09:58:43
J. Woolley
@Dave Bonin
You're right. It's been a LONG time since I was in school. I was thinking of scores for the class, not for a single student. And I wondered why the teacher would throw out the lowest score for the class. Mea culpa.
Statistics depend upon your assumptions (or your point of view).
2022-05-23 10:14:48
Dave Bonin
Mr. Wooley,
It appears you may have mis-read the setup. Though not specifically stated, it appears Mr. Jones was willing to throw out ONE lowest score, not ALL lowest scores.
Consider the case where a student took five quizzes and received a grade of 70 on each.
Allen's formulas would give the student a calculated overall score of 70.
Your formula would give the student a calculated overall score of 0.
2022-05-22 14:48:07
J. Woolley
If there are two or more identical low scores, who gets the credit? This seems more fair:
=SUMIF(B3:B12,">"&MIN(B3:B12))
Mark Twain: "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu 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: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments