MS Office Applications

1The three apps and their default formats

Microsoft Office bundles three applications every government exam expects you to recognise by file type. MS Word is for word processing and saves by default as .docx. MS Excel is a spreadsheet and saves as .xlsx. MS PowerPoint builds slide decks and saves as .pptx. From Office 2007 onward the trailing x marks the modern XML-based format; the older .doc, .xls and .ppt extensions belong to the pre-2007 binary files.

Figure. Default formats: Word .docx, Excel .xlsx, PowerPoint .pptx.

2MS Word: layout tools and the page-break shortcut

Word is a word processor: you type continuous text and the application handles pagination, headers and footers, and repeated elements like letterheads. Mail merge lets one template drive hundreds of personalised letters by linking a data list to placeholders in the document. Headers and footers repeat on every page without retyping. When you need a hard page break in the middle of a paragraph flow — starting the next section on a fresh sheet regardless of how much room is left — press Ctrl+Enter; do not confuse that with Enter alone, which only starts a new line on the same page.

Figure. Word layout tools sit in the ribbon; Ctrl+Enter inserts a page break.

What each Word feature does

1. Mail mergeOne master document plus a data source (names, addresses) produces many personalised copies.
2. Header and footerText or page numbers that repeat automatically at the top or bottom of every page.
3. Page breakCtrl+Enter forces the cursor to the top of the next page immediately.

3Excel workbooks, worksheets and cell addresses

An Excel file is a workbook — one file can hold many worksheets, each a grid of cells. Every cell is named by its column letter followed by its row number: the intersection of column A and row 1 is A1. Anything Excel treats as a calculation must begin with an equals sign; without it, text you type is stored as plain text even if it looks like a formula.

Figure. A workbook contains worksheets; each cell has an address like B2.

4Functions every exam expects you to name

Excel functions sit inside a formula after the equals sign. SUM adds a range; AVERAGE returns the arithmetic mean; COUNT counts cells that hold numbers, while COUNTA counts any non-empty cell whether or not it is numeric. MAX and MIN return the largest and smallest values in a range. IF tests a condition and returns one of two results. VLOOKUP searches vertically down the first column of a table and returns a value from a column to the right — the lookup column must be the leftmost column of the table array.

Figure. Name the job: SUM adds, AVERAGE means, COUNT tallies, IF branches.

5Relative, absolute and mixed cell references

When you copy a formula, Excel adjusts cell references according to how they are written. A1 is relative — both column and row shift by the same offset as the copy. $A$1 is absolute — neither part moves. Mixed references lock one coordinate only: A$1 keeps the row fixed while the column can shift, and $A1 keeps the column fixed while the row can shift. After typing a reference in a formula, press F4 repeatedly to cycle through relative, absolute and the two mixed forms.

Figure. Dollar signs lock the part they prefix: none, both, row, or column.

Lock a reference with F4

1. Type the referenceClick the cell or type A1 while editing a formula.
2. Press F4 onceBoth parts lock: $A$1.
3. Press F4 againCycles through $A$1 → A$1 → $A1 → A1.

6Starting a PowerPoint slideshow

PowerPoint builds a sequence of slides for projection. When it is time to present, F5 starts the slideshow from the very first slide regardless of which slide is selected in edit view. Shift+F5 starts from the current slide — the one your cursor is on — which is what you want when rehearsing the middle of a deck without clicking through from the title slide each time.

Figure. F5 starts the show from slide 1; Shift+F5 starts from the slide you are on.

7Word Styles and templates for consistent look

Styles apply a consistent look to headings, titles and body text so a long document stays uniform. Changing a style updates every paragraph that uses it.

A template is a starter document with preset styles, layouts or placeholders. Use a template when you want the same professional structure every time; use Styles when you are formatting inside an open document.

Figure. A Style formats a paragraph type; a Template seeds a whole new document.

8PowerPoint templates and slide organisation

A PowerPoint template (or theme) keeps colours, fonts and layouts consistent so a deck looks professional. Inserting and deleting slides lets you reorganise content as the talk changes — that flexibility is the point of a slide deck.

Start the show with F5 from the first slide, or Shift+F5 from the slide you are editing. Slide Sorter view rearranges slides as thumbnails.

Figure. A template sets the theme; the deck is then organised as ordered slides.