FormulaCraft

VAR.S

VAR.S is the modern counterpart to the legacy VAR function and computes sample variance using n-1 (Bessel's correction). Prefer VAR.S over VAR in new workbooks for explicitness. It is the right choice when your data is a sample from a broader population.

Excel
=VAR.S(B2:B5)
Google Sheets
=VAR.S(B2:B5)
✓

Verified example

Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.

DayVisits
Mon1200
Tue980
Wed1450
Thu1100

=VAR.S(B2:B5)→39891.6666666667

Try it with your data

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Sample data — click any cell to edit

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How it works

  1. 1Reference your sample data: =VAR.S(B2:B5).
  2. 2VAR.S applies n-1 correction for an unbiased estimate of population variance.
  3. 3Prefer VAR.S over the legacy VAR for clarity in modern Excel and Google Sheets workbooks.

Need a version for your data?

Try: “Calculate sample variance of daily website traffic for the past week”

Related

COUNTACOUNTBLANKMODE

Written and reviewed by FormulaCraft Team. Each formula on this page is run through our verification engine before publishing.

Last reviewed: