Summary of "VLOOKUP In Google Sheets: Tutorial"

VLOOKUP in Google Sheets (video tutorial)

Main idea

The video demonstrates how to use the VLOOKUP function in Google Sheets to build an automated single-student report card that pulls quarter scores based on a student name selected from a drop-down list.

What VLOOKUP does

VLOOKUP performs a vertical lookup: it searches down the first column of a specified range for a key and returns the value from a specified column in the row where the key is found.

VLOOKUP arguments

The function has four arguments:

1. search_key — the value to find (e.g., the selected student name).
2. range — the table range to search (must include the first column used for the search and any columns from which you want to return values).
3. index — the column index number (position in the range) to return the value from (1 = first column of the range, 2 = second, etc.).
4. is_sorted — TRUE or FALSE (or omitted); use FALSE for an exact match (recommended for names).

Step-by-step methodology

Prepare

• Create your data table (for example, a sheet listing students and quarter scores).
• Create a drop-down on the report card sheet for selecting a student name.

Build the VLOOKUP for the first quarter

1. Start the formula: =VLOOKUP(
2. Enter the search_key: click the cell containing the drop-down (example: D11).
3. Add a comma and enter the range: select the full table on the student data sheet (example: Student Information!A1:E25). Google Sheets will follow you when you switch sheets to select the range.
4. Add a comma and enter the index: for first-quarter scores use 2 (second column of the selected range).
5. Add a comma and enter is_sorted: type FALSE to require an exact match.
6. Close parentheses and press Enter.

Example completed formula:

=VLOOKUP(D11, 'Student Information'!A1:E25, 2, FALSE)

Make the formula reusable across quarter cells

• Lock the search_key cell reference so it doesn’t change when dragged: select D11 in the formula and press F4 (or add $ to make it absolute, e.g., $D$11).
• Lock the range reference the same way (press F4 on the range selection) so the lookup table stays fixed.
• Drag the formula horizontally across the remaining quarter cells.
• Update the index argument for each column:
  • Quarter 1: index = 2
  • Quarter 2: index = 3
  • Quarter 3: index = 4
  • Quarter 4: index = 5

Final touches

• Optionally add an average formula for the row (example: =AVERAGE(E11:H11) — adjust references as needed).
• Format (bold, etc.) for readability.
• Validate by selecting different names from the drop-down and cross-checking values against the original table.

Best practices / tips

• Use FALSE for the is_sorted argument to ensure exact matches for names.
• Use absolute references ($ or F4) on the search_key and range so you can drag the formula without breaking references.
• Always validate returned values by checking the source table.

Example formula structure

• General: =VLOOKUP(search_key, range, index, is_sorted)
• Example: =VLOOKUP(D11, 'Student Information'!A1:E25, 2, FALSE)

Speakers / source

• Presenter / video narrator (unnamed) — single tutorial host shown in the subtitles.

Category

Educational

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