MO-210 formulas and functions: every function you actually need to know
Only 15-20% of MO-210, smaller than most candidates assume, but precise: references (relative, absolute, mixed, and structured), calculation functions (AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, SUM, COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTBLANK, IF), the newer array functions SORT() and UNIQUE(), and text functions (RIGHT, LEFT, MID, UPPER, LOWER, LEN, CONCAT, TEXTJOIN). That is the complete list Microsoft names for this domain — nothing on it is Expert-level, and XLOOKUP, FILTER, and LET belong to MO-211, not here.
Checked against Microsoft’s own published pages on September 16, 2026.
The numbers
References: the skill that quietly breaks the most formulas
Insert relative, absolute, and mixed references, and use structured references in formulas. F4 cycles a selected reference through all four states in order: A1 (relative) to $A$1 (absolute) to A$1 (mixed, row locked) to $A1 (mixed, column locked) and back to A1. Knowing this cycle cold saves real time under the clock.
Structured references are the table-aware syntax Excel generates automatically inside a Table object — Table1[Column Name] instead of a cell range — and they are specifically called out as their own skill, separate from the three classic reference types.
Calculating and transforming data: the exact function list
AVERAGE(), MAX(), MIN(), and SUM() cover the core calculations. COUNT(), COUNTA(), and COUNTBLANK() cover counting — COUNT() counts numbers only, COUNTA() counts any non-blank cell, COUNTBLANK() counts empty ones, and mixing these up is a common, entirely avoidable miss. IF() covers conditional logic.
SORT() and UNIQUE() are the two dynamic-array functions explicitly in scope, and they are genuinely newer than the rest of this list — they spill results into adjacent cells automatically rather than needing to be copied down, which is worth seeing in action before the exam if you have not used dynamic arrays before.
Formatting and modifying text
RIGHT(), LEFT(), and MID() extract characters from a string; UPPER(), LOWER(), and LEN() change case and measure length; CONCAT() and TEXTJOIN() combine text from multiple cells, with TEXTJOIN() adding a delimiter and an option to ignore blanks that plain CONCAT() does not have.
A task that asks you to combine a first and last name with a space between them is testing TEXTJOIN() or CONCAT() specifically, and using the older CONCATENATE() function instead — which is not named in this domain — may not satisfy a check looking for the current function.
What costs people points
COUNT() counts only numeric cells, COUNTA() counts any non-empty cell including text, and COUNTBLANK() counts empty ones. Picking the wrong one produces a plausible-looking number that is still wrong — check which one a task's wording actually calls for.
This is the single most expensive habit on the exam generally, and formulas and functions is where it happens most. If a task asks for a calculated result, a hard-typed number that happens to be correct earns little or no credit — the check is looking for an actual formula.
XLOOKUP, FILTER, SUMIFS, and LET are real, powerful, and completely absent from MO-210's own function list. Studying them for this exam is time spent on content that will not appear, at the cost of the actual list above.
A relative reference shifts when copied; forgetting to lock a reference that should stay fixed (with F4) is the classic cause of a formula that looks right in row one and wrong everywhere else it was filled.
Related questions
Is XLOOKUP on MO-210?
No. XLOOKUP, VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, MATCH, and INDEX are all MO-211 (Expert) content. MO-210's formula domain is limited to the reference types, the calculation and counting functions, SORT/UNIQUE, and the text functions listed above.
What is the fastest way to switch between reference types?
Select the reference inside a formula and press F4 repeatedly — it cycles A1, $A$1, A$1, $A1 in that order. This one shortcut covers all four reference states this domain tests.
What is the difference between CONCAT and TEXTJOIN?
Both combine text from multiple cells. TEXTJOIN() additionally lets you specify a delimiter once (instead of typing it between every argument) and can ignore blank cells; CONCAT() has neither option.
Why is this domain worth less than Worksheets and Workbooks?
MO-210 tests broad, everyday Excel competence, and most everyday Excel use is not formula-heavy. Worksheet and workbook management is 25-30%; formulas and functions are 15-20% — a smaller share than most candidates assume going in.
Sources
Read on September 16, 2026. Where this page says something is not published, that means we looked and did not find it — check for yourself.
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