IFS and SWITCH

IFS and SWITCH: what Excel is actually doing

IFS tests conditions from left to right and returns the result for the first TRUE condition. SWITCH compares one expression with listed values. Put the most restrictive IFS threshold first so a high score is not captured by a lower band.

Read this IFS and SWITCH example

Start with the business need: Assign a performance band from a score. Read each argument, reference, field, or control in the example before copying it into a larger model.

=IFS(B2>=80,"High",B2>=60,"Medium",TRUE,"Low")

Evidence that your IFS and SWITCH result is trustworthy

Reconcile the number of classified records to the source total and investigate anything left unclassified.

• Explain how the result supports this task: Assign a performance band from a score.
• Retain one known-result check and one boundary or exception check.
• Record the source, period, unit, and refresh assumption beside the output.

The IFS and SWITCH mistake to catch

Overlapping conditions in the wrong order silently misclassify records. SWITCH is for exact matches, not ranges such as 60–79.

Your desk challenge for lesson 17

Build a three-band score rule and test the exact lower boundary of every band.

• Define the status or exception you need to identify.
• Choose a logical or counting function that matches the rule.
• Test blanks, errors, and boundary values separately.