Excel Video 147 nests IF functions. By nesting, I mean we’ll put an IF function inside of another IF function so that we’ll have 3 options instead of the 2 options we normally get with IF. I’ll show you two different ways to nest the IF function so you customize your approach based on the data you see in your practice. You can write an IF statement so that if the statement is true, Excel evaluates a second IF statement. You can also write an IF statement so that if the statement is false, Excel evaluates a second IF statement. I’ll demonstrate both approaches.
You can make some pretty complicated formulas by nesting multiple IF statements inside both true and false conditions of an IF statement. If things get that hairy, there’s probably a better option in Excel, like VLOOKUP.
If you inherit a spreadsheet with complicated IF statements, you might try the approach I use in this video. Start evaluating the functions in the formula from the inside out. Once you understand what’s going on inside the function, you’re well on your way to understanding the entire formula.
