Create a Status with Multiple Conditions

Excel & Google Sheets

How it works

IFS takes pairs of condition-and-result and returns the result of the FIRST condition that's true, checking left to right. A score of 95 hits B2>=90 and stops at Excellent; an 80 fails that test but passes B2>=70, so it's a Pass. The final pair, TRUE,"Fail", is the catch-all: TRUE is always true, so anything that survived the earlier tests lands there. Without it, a 50 would return #N/A, because IFS errors when no condition matches. Order matters — conditions must run from strictest to loosest. IFS works in Google Sheets and in Excel 2019 or newer.

B2>=90,"Excellent"

First test. 90 and up returns Excellent and stops checking.

B2>=70,"Pass"

Only reached when the score is below 90. 70–89 returns Pass.

TRUE,"Fail"

The catch-all. TRUE always matches, so everything below 70 returns Fail instead of #N/A.

When to use it

Use this for grading scales, tiered commission bands, risk ratings, and service-level buckets — anywhere a number maps to three or more labels and readability matters.

Common mistakes

• ✕Some cells return #N/A.

  ✓IFS errors when no condition matches. Always end with TRUE and a default result: …,TRUE,"Fail").

• ✕Everything above 70 shows Pass, never Excellent.

  ✓Conditions run in order, so putting B2>=70 first swallows the 90s too. List the strictest condition first: =IFS(B2>=90,"Excellent",B2>=70,"Pass",TRUE,"Fail").

• ✕IFS returns #NAME? in older Excel.

  ✓IFS needs Excel 2019 or newer. In Excel 2016 and earlier, nest IFs instead: =IF(B2>=90,"Excellent",IF(B2>=70,"Pass","Fail")).