◆ Formulas I · drill · Spreadsheet Formulas & Data track
Point-mode formulas
while a formula is live the arrow keys grab references instead of moving — the fastest formula is one you never typed.
The operating plan is agreed and the build page is empty: one year of revenue is on the sheet, and the yellow rows above it — growth, margin, D&A — are the plan’s assumptions. Roll revenue out to the last year off the growth line, price EBITDA off the margin line, mark the one figure that was typed rather than calculated, and rule the EBITDA line so the page can go out. D&A and EBIT below are already wired and read zero; they come alive as you build. The board anchors somewhere new every run.
The shortcuts in this drill
Alt walks: tap Alt, release, then the letters in sequence — each key steps one ribbon menu. On a Mac, tap ⌥ and use the same letters (KeyTips, Excel 2024+).
Alt h f c⌥ h f c on macFont color
Font color: blue inputs, black formulas — the oldest convention in banking models, still enforced.
Ctrl+R⌘R on macFill right from the cell to the left
Same as fill down, but across — one quarter’s formula becomes the whole year in two keystrokes.
Ctrl+B⌘B on macBold
Bold marks structure: titles, total rows, anything the reviewer’s eye should land on first.
Alt h b p⌥ h b p on macTop border
Top border above a total row — the accounting ruling that says “this line sums the ones above.”
The optimal line
the par-setting sequence, straight through:
B6 alt h f c → Blue · C6 = ← *(1+ ↑↑ ) ↵ · select C6:F6 ctrl+r · B7 = ↑ * ↑↑ ↵ · select B7:F7 ctrl+r · ctrl+b · alt h b p · ctrl+s
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