If you’ve ever opened a blank pivot table and wondered “Where do I even start?”, you’re not alone.
Pivot tables are one of Excel’s most powerful tools for analyzing and summarizing data — but like any skill, the fastest way to master them is through hands-on practice with real-world problems.

That’s where pivot table practice problems come in.
Instead of memorizing steps, you’ll work through scenarios that mimic real business situations — like summarizing sales by region, grouping transactions by month, or building a Profit & Loss statement from raw data. These problems force you to think about how to structure your pivot tables to get the answers you need.

Why Practice Problems Work

When you work through real examples:

  • You remember the steps better because they’re tied to a meaningful problem.
  • You learn multiple pivot table features (grouping, calculated fields, filters) in context.
  • You get faster at recognizing which fields to use in Rows, Columns, Values, and Filters.
  • You build the muscle memory needed to solve unfamiliar problems on the job.

Download the Pivot Table Practice Workbook

We’ve put together a free Pivot Table Practice Examples in Excel workbook with:

  • 15 practice problems
  • A realistic dataset of 500 transactions
  • Solutions for the first 2 examples (so you can see exactly how they’re built)

📥 Download the workbook here

What You’ll Learn from This Workbook

In the Pivot Table Practice Examples in Excel file, you’ll learn how to:

  • Summarize transactions by region, product, department, category
  • Group data by month, quarter, and year for time-based analysis
  • Build multi-level financial statements like P&L and Balance Sheet
  • Use calculated fields for margins, variances, and retained earnings
  • Apply sorting, filtering, and slicers for better reporting

Examples & Solutions

Example 1 – Summarize Sales by Region (Solved in Workbook)

Steps:

  1. Select the dataset.
  2. Insert a PivotTable.
  3. Rows: Region
  4. Values: Sum of Amount
  5. Format as currency.

Result:

RegionTotal Sales
East$635,489.41
North$831,263.59
South$632,817.76
West$…

Example 2 – Count Transactions by Month (Solved in Workbook)

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Date → Group by Months (and Years if needed).
  3. Values: Count of Transaction ID.

Result:

Month-YearTransactions
Jan 202436
Feb 202434
Mar 2024…

Example 3 – Total Expenses by Category

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Filter: Category = Expenses.
  3. Rows: Category
  4. Values: Sum of Amount.

Example 4 – Filter Sales by Region

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Product
  3. Values: Sum of Amount
  4. Filter: Region = “West”.

Example 5 – Trial Balance Summary

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Statement Line Item
  3. Values: Sum of Amount.

Example 6 – Group Accounts by Statement

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Statement
  3. Values: Sum of Amount.

Example 7 – Year-over-Year Revenue

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Filter: Category = Revenue.
  3. Rows: Date → Group by Years.
  4. Values: Sum of Amount.

Example 8 – Expense Breakdown by Department

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Department
  3. Columns: Category
  4. Values: Sum of Amount.

Example 9 – Multi-Level P&L Statement

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Statement → Statement Line Item
  3. Columns: Date → Group by Months.
  4. Values: Sum of Amount.

Example 10 – Balance Sheet by Month-End

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Filter: Statement = Balance Sheet.
  3. Rows: Date → Group by Months.
  4. Values: Sum of Amount.

Example 11 – Retained Earnings Roll-Forward

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Add Calculated Field: Prior Retained Earnings + Current Net Income.

Example 12 – Margin by Product

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Product
  3. Add Calculated Field: (Revenue – COGS) / Revenue.

Example 13 – Variance Analysis

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Values: Actual, Budget.
  3. Add Calculated Field for Variance: Actual – Budget.
  4. Add another Calculated Field for % Variance.

Example 14 – Custom Sort P&L Lines

Steps:

  1. Add Sort Order column to dataset.
  2. Insert PivotTable.
  3. Rows: Statement Line Item
  4. Sort by Sort Order.

Example 15 – Multi-Dimensional Cube Simulation

Steps:

  1. Insert PivotTable.
  2. Rows: Region, Department, Product.
  3. Add Slicers for Region, Department, Product.
  4. Use slicers to filter and drill down dynamically.

📌 Next Step:

  • Download the workbook.
  • Open the first two solved examples to see exactly how they’re built.
  • Use the above solutions as a reference while you practice the remaining problems in Excel.

With enough repetition, you’ll not only understand how pivot tables work — you’ll be able to solve almost any data analysis challenge you encounter.

Advanced Read

How to Pivot a Pivot Table in Excel (Step-by-Step Guide)