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Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills With The Smart Method: Excel Book Review

The Learn Excel Skills The Smart Method were books I read when I first started to learn Excel and I still use them to this day as reference books. The Smart method is a new way to learn Excel and it only teaches you what you need to know in the workplace. This is what makes Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills with The Smart Method unique to other books as this goes straight to the point and provides you with information you essentially need to become a very good Excel user.

Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills is very well structured with easy to follow sessions and lessons. One thing you will notice straight away is that the book is larger than many other Excel books. The pages are A4 size and each example represents real life business problems. Each lesson contains a sample file for you to work on so you will get to practice what you have learnt.

One thing I noticed from reading Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills is that it is a no nonsense book with no fluff around the edges. There’s no technical jargon so even beginners will be able to understand the book and learn from it straight away.

What you will Learn from Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills

Below is just a few things you will learn from this book:

* Create your own formulas

* Use AutoSum to quickly calculate totals

* Understand mixed cell references

* Understand Office add-ins

* Freeze columns and rows

* Create your own custom theme

* Add colour and gradient effects to cells

* Insert a Sparkline into a range of cells

* Create a simple chart with two clicks

* Create a chart using the recommended charts feature

* View two windows side by side and perform synchronous scrolling

* Print only part of a worksheet

* Adjust page breaks using Page Break Preview

* Pin a workbook and understand file organisation

* Cut copy and paste using drag and drop

* Transpose a range

* Insert cell comments

* Use Cloud Computing features to share data

* Bring data alive with visualisations

About the Author

Mike Smart is the founder and CEO of The Smart Method. In his career as an IT Consultant he designed and delivered IT solutions for large corporations all over the world. Mike founded The Smart Method in 2002 as IT training was the area he wanted to get into. He has taught Excel courses for people from some of the world’s largest companies in countries in Europe and America. He knows how Excel can be beneficial for both small and large organisations by providing training to people from a diverse occupational background from bankers, engineers, accountants to telecom workers, oil workers and insurance brokers.

Mike decided to write books as he thought he could reach more people this way rather than training people in classes. His first books became best sellers and his books have topped best sellers lists ever since.

Who is this Book Aimed For?

This book is for you if:

* You are a beginner in Excel and want to learn how to use it

* You want to learn the essential skills of Excel quickly

* You are moving to Excel 2016 for Windows from an earlier version

* You are a regular Excel user but feel you want to learn more about what it can offer

* You want to add Excel skills to your resume or CV

* You use Excel a lot at work and you want to become more productive

The Positives of this Book

As I mentioned earlier I like the fact that Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills has a no nonsense approach to learning. It teaches you the essential skills to learn in Excel to enable you to become a knowledgeable Excel user. The lessons are very easy to follow and well written and I guarantee you will learn and take something away from each lesson. Each lesson builds on from the previous lesson and because each lesson is on one page you will build up knowledge at a considerable pace. I also like the fact that there is a sample file for you to work on so you get to practice what you have learnt. As I have mentioned earlier, this book is catered for both beginners who have never used Excel before and more advanced users who want to learn more about Excel has to offer. The book covers a broad range of topics so you will become competent in all areas of Excel once you have completed all the courses. Reading Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills is like learning from a seminar or class but without the expense. I also like the side notes and tips sections which are on some pages. The images and graphics are also very clear so you can easily visualise what you are learning which makes the whole learning experience better.

The Negatives of this Book

This book covers the essential features of Excel. The features which most people use in Excel. If you want to learn the more obscure features of Excel or want a more in depth knowledge of Excel then this book is not for you. Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills does not cover the more advanced features of Excel so if you already have good Excel skills and want to progress to an advanced level then I would recommend you buy Learn Excel 2016 Expert Skills with The Smart Method book.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed the book review of Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills with The Smart Method. I would thoroughly recommend this book if you want to learn Excel quickly by learning its most common features or if you want to advance your skills further.



Source by Harjit Suman

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