IFS Function
Check multiple conditions without nesting IF statements
IFS Function
Tired of writing IF inside IF inside IF? The IFS function is your solution!
The Problem with Nested IF
=IF(A1>=90, "A", IF(A1>=80, "B", IF(A1>=70, "C", "D")))
Too many parentheses! Hard to read. Easy to mess up.
IFS Makes It Simple
=IFS(condition1, result1, condition2, result2, ...)
How it works:
- Check first condition → if TRUE, return first result
- If FALSE, check next condition
- Keep going until one matches
Example: Grade Calculator
| Score | Grade |
|---|---|
| 90+ | A |
| 80+ | B |
| 70+ | C |
| Below 70 | D |
Formula:
=IFS(A1>=90, "A", A1>=80, "B", A1>=70, "C", A1<70, "D")
| Score (A1) | Result |
|---|---|
| 95 | A |
| 85 | B |
| 72 | C |
| 65 | D |
IFS vs Nested IF
| Nested IF | IFS | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | =IF(A1>=90,"A",IF(A1>=80,"B","C")) | =IFS(A1>=90,"A",A1>=80,"B",TRUE,"C") |
| Readability | Hard | Easy |
| Parentheses | Many )))) | Just one ) |
| Errors | Easy to mess up | Harder to mess up |
Real Life Examples
Shipping Cost:
=IFS(A1>=100, "Free", A1>=50, "$5", TRUE, "$10")
Performance Rating:
=IFS(A1>=50, "Excellent", A1>=30, "Good", TRUE, "Needs Work")
Age Groups:
=IFS(A1>=60, "Senior", A1>=18, "Adult", A1>=13, "Teen", TRUE, "Child")
The TRUE Trick
What if NO condition matches? You get #N/A error!
Fix: Add TRUE as last condition — it catches everything else.
=IFS(A1>=90, "A", A1>=80, "B", TRUE, "C or below")
TRUE = "default" or "else"
Common Mistakes
1. Forgetting pairs
❌ =IFS(A1>=90, "A", A1>=80) — Missing result!
✅ =IFS(A1>=90, "A", A1>=80, "B")
2. Wrong order
❌ =IFS(A1>=70, "C", A1>=90, "A") — 95 returns "C"!
✅ =IFS(A1>=90, "A", A1>=70, "C") — Check highest first!
3. No default
✅ Always end with TRUE, "default value"
Summary
- IFS checks multiple conditions cleanly
- Format:
=IFS(test1, result1, test2, result2, ...) - Use
TRUEat end for default value - Check highest values first
- Much cleaner than nested IF!