Simple Chart Exercise / Tutorial (With Solution)

Task:

Create a bar chart which compares the income, expenses, and profit for the first four months of the year.

Setup a table as shown below with values of your choosing create the chart:

Creating the Table:

Open Excel.
Click on “Cell A1” and type “Month”.
Starting from “Cell A2” downwards, type the months: Jan, Feb, Mar, and Apr.
Click on “Cell B1” and type “Income”. Similarly, fill in “Cell C1” with “Expenses” and “Cell D1” with “Profit”.
You now have your table headings ready. You can enter your data in the cells below each heading.

Creating the Bar Chart:

Select the Data: Click and drag to select the cells from A1 through D5 (assuming you have data entered till the April row).
Insert a Bar Chart:
- Go to the “Insert” tab in the Excel ribbon.
- In the “Charts” group, click on the “Column or Bar Chart” icon (it looks like a column/bar chart).
- A drop-down menu will appear. Choose the first option under “Clustered Bar” or any other bar chart type you prefer.
Adjusting the Chart (Optional):
- Click on the chart. This will reveal three new tabs in the ribbon: “Chart Design,” “Format,” and a third contextual tab related to the type of chart.
- Use the “Chart Design” tab to quickly adjust the chart’s layout, style, and other elements.
- Use the “Format” tab to refine the chart’s appearance further.
Title & Labels:
- By default, Excel might add a title, axis labels, and a legend. You can click on these elements to edit them.
- To add labels or other elements, right-click on the chart and select the desired option from the context menu.
Once satisfied with the appearance and data representation of the chart, you can save your Excel sheet.

See the attached excel file: