Computer · Chapter 04

📄 MS Office

Word, Excel, PowerPoint features and shortcuts.

📄 The Office Suite

MS Office is Microsoft's productivity suite. Most used: Word (documents), Excel (spreadsheets), PowerPoint (presentations), Access (database), Outlook (email).

MS Word key features: Word processing — typing, formatting, spell check, mail merge, track changes, templates. File format: .docx (default), .doc (old), .pdf (export).

MS Excel key features: Spreadsheet — cells in rows/columns. Formulas start with =. Functions: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MAX, MIN, IF, VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP. Charts/graphs. Pivot tables. File: .xlsx.

MS PowerPoint: Presentations with slides. Animations, transitions, speaker notes. File: .pptx. Views: Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading, Slide Show.

📊 Excel formulas — SSC/CCC exam critical

=SUM(A1:A10) — adds A1 to A10
=AVERAGE(B1:B5) — average of range
=COUNT(C1:C10) — counts numeric cells
=COUNTA(C1:C10) — counts non-empty cells
=MAX(D1:D20) / =MIN(D1:D20) — highest/lowest
=IF(A1>50,"Pass","Fail") — conditional
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index, 0) — vertical lookup
Cell reference: A1 (relative), $A$1 (absolute), $A1 or A$1 (mixed)

⌨️ MS Office shortcuts — exam favorites

Word: Ctrl+B (Bold), Ctrl+I (Italic), Ctrl+U (Underline), Ctrl+S (Save), Ctrl+P (Print), Ctrl+F (Find), Ctrl+H (Replace), F7 (Spell Check), Ctrl+Enter (Page Break)
Excel: Ctrl+; (Today date), Alt+Enter (new line in cell), F2 (edit cell), Ctrl+Shift+$ (currency format), Ctrl+1 (format cells), F11 (create chart)
PowerPoint: F5 (start slideshow), Shift+F5 (from current slide), B (black screen during show), Ctrl+M (new slide), Ctrl+D (duplicate slide)

🎬

MS Office Apps Overview

Animation
MS OFFICE APPS — CLICK EACH APP 📝 MS WORD Word Processing • Documents, letters, reports • Mail Merge • File: .docx / .doc 📊 MS EXCEL Spreadsheets • Formulas and functions • Charts, Pivot Tables • File: .xlsx / .xls 📽️ MS POWERPOINT Presentations • Slides, animations, transitions • Speaker notes, slide master • File: .pptx / .ppt 🗄️ MS ACCESS Desktop database — tables, queries Forms and reports — File: .accdb 📧 MS OUTLOOK Email, calendar, contacts, tasks Works with Exchange Server 📓 MS ONENOTE Digital notebook — notes, drawings Syncs across devices via OneDrive CLICK AN APP MS Office is the world most-used productivity suite. Over 1 billion people use it daily.

Microsoft 365 (cloud version) syncs all your documents across devices automatically.

💻

Excel Functions Practice

Interactive
=SUM(A1:A10)Add all values A1 to A10
=AVERAGE(B1:B5)Average of range
=IF(A1>50,"Pass","Fail")Conditional result
=VLOOKUP(X,A:B,2,0)Find X in col A, return col B value
=COUNT vs =COUNTANumbers only vs all non-empty cells
Practice (CCC/O-Level): What is Mail Merge in MS Word? What are the steps?
Mail Merge — a feature that creates personalized letters, emails, or labels by combining a template document with a data source.

Use case: Sending 500 personalized invitation letters — each with different name and address — without typing each one individually.

Steps for Mail Merge:
1. Create main document — the template letter with placeholders like <<Name>>, <<Address>>
2. Connect data source — Excel sheet or Access table with names and addresses
3. Insert merge fields — place <<Name>>, <<City>> in the right positions in the letter
4. Preview results — check how merged letters look
5. Complete merge — print all letters or save as separate documents

In Word: Mailings tab → Start Mail Merge → Select Document Type → Select Recipients → Insert Merge Field → Finish and Merge

Mail Merge is used for: Form letters, address labels, envelopes, email campaigns, certificates.
Practice (SSC): What is the difference between relative and absolute cell reference in Excel?
Relative Cell Reference (e.g., A1):
• Changes when you copy the formula to another cell
• If =A1+B1 is in C1, copying to C2 becomes =A2+B2 (row adjusts)
• Most common type — used in most formulas

Absolute Cell Reference (e.g., $A$1):
• Does NOT change when copied — always refers to same cell
• The $ sign locks the row, column, or both
• Used when a formula needs to always refer to a fixed cell (like a tax rate, or a constant)
• Example: =A1*$B$1 — A1 changes row-by-row, but $B$1 always stays as B1

Mixed Reference:
• $A1 — column A is fixed, row can change
• A$1 — row 1 is fixed, column can change

Shortcut: Press F4 while editing a cell reference to cycle through: A1 → $A$1 → A$1 → $A1 → A1

Real example: Sales tax calculation — =C2*$D$1 where D1 has the tax rate. Copy this formula down — C2, C3, C4 all change, but D1 (tax rate) always stays fixed.
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