Complete Guide to Logical Formulas in Excel

Logical formulas in Excel are powerful tools that help users make decisions based on conditions. These formulas return results like TRUE, FALSE, or customized outputs depending on whether the given condition is met.

Logical Operators in Excel

Logical operators in Excel are used to compare values and return TRUE or FALSE based on the outcome of the comparison. These are essential when working with logical formulas like IF, AND, OR, and conditional formatting.

These are used within logical formulas:

Operator	Meaning	Example	Description
=	Equal to	A1=10	TRUE if A1 is 10
<>	Not equal to	A1<>10	TRUE if A1 is not 10
>	Greater than	A1>10	TRUE if A1 is more than 10
<	Less than	A1<10	TRUE if A1 is less than 10
>=	Greater than or equal	A1>=10	TRUE if A1 is 10 or more
<=	Less than or equal	A1<=10	TRUE if A1 is 10 or less

1 - IF FUNCTION

The IF function is one of the most powerful and commonly used logical functions in Excel. It lets you make decisions based on conditions — just like saying:

Syntax of IF Function

=IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false)

If purchase amount in B2 is greater than 1000, it returns "10% Discount", else "No Discount".

2 - AND FUNCTION

The AND function in Excel is a logical function used to test multiple conditions at the same time. It returns:

Syntax of AND Function

=AND(logical1, [logical2], ...)

Return TRUE only if A1 is greater than 100 AND B1 is less than 300.

3 - OR FUNCTION

The OR function in Excel is used to test multiple conditions, and it returns:

    ·       TRUE if any one condition is TRUE

    ·       FALSE if all conditions is FALSE

It’s especially useful for decision-making, flagging data, and combining with IF statements.

Syntax of OR Function

=OR(logical1, [logical2], ...)

Return TRUE if A1 is greater than 100 OR B1 is less than 300.

4 - NOT FUNCTION

The NOT function is a logical function in Excel used to reverse the outcome of a condition. It is useful when you want to return:

·       TRUE for a FALSE condition

·       FALSE for a TRUE condition

In simple words:

"NOT" flips TRUE to FALSE and FALSE to TRUE.

Syntax of NOT Function

=NOT(logical)

    Returns TRUE if B1 is greater than 150.

5 - IF + AND + OR (Combined Logic)

In real-world Excel scenarios, you often need to test multiple conditions and return different results based on the outcomes. By combining IF, AND, and OR, you can create powerful, flexible logic formulas that go far beyond basic decision-making.

Syntax of IF + AND + OR Function

=IF(AND(condition1, OR(condition2, condition3)), value_if_true, value_if_false)

This structure checks:

• AND: All main conditions must be TRUE
• OR: Inside that, at least one of the optional conditions must be TRUE

Example: Scholarship Eligibility

Criteria:

• Marks should be above 80 (A2>80)
• Student must be either from Science or Commerce (B2="Science" or B2="Commerce")

=IF(AND(A2>80, OR(B2="Science", B2="Commerce")), "Eligible", "Not Eligible")

Tips for Using IF + AND + OR

• Always use parentheses correctly to group conditions.
• You can test text, numbers, dates, and cell values.
• Be cautious of nesting too many IFs; readability becomes harder.
• Use line breaks (Alt+Enter in formula bar) for readability in long formulas.

6 - Nested IF Statements

The Nested IF formula is used when you want to test multiple conditions in sequence and return different results based on which condition is met first. It’s like asking multiple "If this… then that" questions inside one another.

What is a Nested IF?

A nested IF means using one IF function inside another IF function.

This is useful when:

• You have more than two possible outcomes.
• You need to apply tiered decision logic (e.g., grading, salary bands, categories).

Syntax of Nested IF

=IF(condition1, result1, IF(condition2, result2, IF(condition3, result3, result_if_all_false)))

Example: Categorizing Age Groups

Logic:

• Below 13 → Child
• 13 to 19 → Teen
• 20 to 59 → Adult
• 60 and above → Senior

=IF(B1<13, "Child", IF(B2<=19, "Teen", IF(B3<=59, "Adult", "Senior")))

Tips for Using Nested IF

Tip	Description
Indenting	Use Alt+Enter in the formula bar to format long formulas neatly
Order Matters	Start from the most specific or highest condition
Max Nesting	Excel supports up to 64 levels of nested IFs (in Excel 2007 and above)
Use IFS (Newer Excel)	In Excel 2016+, use the IFS function for a cleaner approach

7 - IFS Statements (Excel 2016 and later)

The IFS function is a simpler and more readable alternative to multiple nested IF statements. Introduced in Excel 2016 and later, it allows you to test multiple conditions and return a result for the first TRUE condition — all in a single formula.

What is the IFS Function?

Instead of writing complicated and hard-to-read nested IF statements, IFS lets you handle multiple conditions in a clean and structured way.

Syntax of IFS Function

=IFS(condition1, result1, condition2, result2, ..., condition_n, result_n)

Example: Grade System

=IFS(A2>=90, "A", A2>=80, "B", A2>=70, "C", A2<70, "Fail")

    

• If A2 is 92 → returns "A"
• If A2 is 85 → returns "B"
• If A2 is 60 → returns "Fail"

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog! I hope it helped you understand how to use logical functions like IF, AND, OR, NOT, Nested IF, and IFS in Excel more effectively.

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