LEFT RIGHT MID practice problems in excel functions are essential for learning how to extract text from account numbers, invoice IDs, and product codes. These Excel skill practice problems will help you master text functions and include a free downloadable worksheet for practice.
Along with this article, you’ll also get a Free Excel practice file download with 20 real-world problems and solutions to sharpen your Excel skills.
What is the LEFT Function in Excel?
The LEFT function extracts a given number of characters from the start (left side) of a text string.
Syntax:
=LEFT(text, num_chars)
Example: Extract the first 3 digits of an account number:
=LEFT(A2,3)
What is the RIGHT Function in Excel?
The RIGHT function extracts a given number of characters from the end (right side) of a text string.
Syntax:
=RIGHT(text, num_chars)
Example: Extract the last 4 characters of an invoice ID:
=RIGHT(A2,4)What is the MID Function in Excel?
The MID function extracts characters from the middle of a text string, starting at a defined position.
Syntax:
=MID(text, start_num, num_chars)
Example: Extract 4 characters starting from the 3rd character in a code:
=MID(A2,3,4)Sample Dataset
| Invoice ID | Account Number | Customer |
|---|---|---|
| INV-20250101 | ACC-12345 | John |
| INV-20250215 | ACC-98765 | Mary |
| INV-20250320 | ACC-45678 | Sam |
| INV-20250410 | ACC-65432 | Rita |
| INV-20250505 | ACC-78901 | Alex |
20 Practice Problems with Solutions
Basic LEFT
- Extract the first 3 letters of Invoice ID
=LEFT(A2,3)→ INV - Extract the first 7 characters of Invoice ID
=LEFT(A2,7)→ INV-202 - Extract the first 4 characters of Account Number
=LEFT(B2,4)→ ACC- - Extract only the first letter of Customer name
=LEFT(C2,1)→ J
Basic RIGHT
- Extract the last 4 digits of Invoice ID
=RIGHT(A2,4)→ 0101 - Extract the last 2 digits of Account Number
=RIGHT(B2,2)→ 45 - Extract the last character of Customer name
=RIGHT(C2,1)→ n - Extract the last 5 characters of Account Number
=RIGHT(B2,5)→ 12345
Using MID
- Extract 4 characters starting from 5th character of Invoice ID
=MID(A2,5,4)→ 2025 - Extract 5 digits from Account Number after “ACC-”
=MID(B2,5,5)→ 12345 - Extract middle 3 characters of Customer name
=MID(C2,2,3)→ ohn - Extract invoice date (YYYYMMDD) from Invoice ID
=MID(A2,5,8)→ 20250101
Mixed Scenarios
- Extract first 3 digits and last 2 digits of Account Number
=LEFT(B2,3)&RIGHT(B2,2)→ ACC45 - Extract customer initials (first + last letter)
=LEFT(C2,1)&RIGHT(C2,1)→ Jn - Extract only month from Invoice ID date (characters 9–10)
=MID(A2,9,2)→ 01 - Extract only year from Invoice ID (characters 5–8)
=MID(A2,5,4)→ 2025 - Extract only day from Invoice ID (characters 11–12)
=MID(A2,11,2)→ 01 - Extract first 2 letters of Customer + last 3 digits of Account Number
=LEFT(C2,2)&RIGHT(B2,3)→ Jo345 - Extract 2nd to 5th character of Invoice ID
=MID(A2,2,4)→ NV-2 - Extract text length check:
use=LEN(A2)and combine with LEFT
Example: extract half of Invoice ID →=LEFT(A2,LEN(A2)/2)→ INV-20
Why Use LEFT / RIGHT / MID?
- Extract IDs, codes, or dates from structured text
- Clean up data without manual splitting
- Useful for financial, billing, and reporting systems
- Combine with LEN, FIND, SEARCH for advanced text operations
Excel Skill Practice Problems with LEFT RIGHT MID Free Download
To make learning easier, I’ve prepared a Excel practice file with all 20 problems and solutions.
Final Thoughts
The LEFT, RIGHT, and MID functions are simple yet powerful tools for text extraction in Excel. By practicing with real datasets, you’ll gain confidence and accuracy in handling invoice IDs, account numbers, and customer details.
This article gave you 20 Skill practice problems in Excel with Free download, covering everything from basics to mixed scenarios. Start practicing today and level up your Excel expertise.
