Microsoft Excel 2007

Functions: Rank

The Rank function returns the rank of a value within a list. This function is useful when you need to determine a specific cell's numerical order out of a series of cells or columns. Rank can be determined in either ascending or descending order. For more information about functions, refer to Calculating with Functions.

This document will use the example of a gradebook, featuring six students' grades from a test of twenty points. In the example, we will find the ranking of Bernhardt, B.'s score.
Gradebook example

Open the desired worksheet
Select the cell where you would like the result of the Rank function to appear
From the Formulas command tab, click FUNCTION WIZARD
The Insert Function dialog box appears.
In the Search for a function text box, type Rank
OR
From the Or select a category pull-down list, select All or Statistical
From the Select a function scroll box, select RANK
Click OK
The Function Arguments dialog box appears.
In the Number text box, type the value of which you want to know the rank
EXAMPLE: To find the rank of Bernhardt, B.'s Test 1 score, type 18.
In the Ref text box, type the cell range to be included
EXAMPLE: To type the cell range of all the classmates, type B2:B6.
OR
To select the cell range,
1. Click COLLAPSE DIALOG BOX
2. Select the cells to be included
3. Click EXPAND DIALOG BOX
  NOTES:
  Cells containing characters other than numbers are not eligible for ranking.
  Numbers with decimal points are eligible for ranking.

To obtain the rank of a value where the list of values is sorted in descending order, in the Order text box, type 0 or leave the text box blank
OR
To obtain the rank of a value where the list of values is sorted in ascending order, in the Order text box, type any nonzero value
NOTE: This action does not sort the information in your worksheet; it is used only as a reference from which to perform the ranking.
Click OK
The rank appears in the selected cell and the formula appears in the Formula Bar.
EXAMPLES:
Bernhardt, B.'s Test 1 rank in descending order (from 20 to 0) is 2.
Bernhardt, B.'s Test 1 rank in ascending order (from 0 to 20) is 4.