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How to calculate variance in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:RANK & statistical aggregatesHeads up: Excel and Google Sheets do this differently.
Excel
=VAR.S(B2:B6)Google Sheets
=VAR(B2:B6)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Test | Result |
| Trial 1 | 40 |
| Trial 2 | 55 |
| Trial 3 | 50 |
| Trial 4 | 60 |
| Trial 5 | 45 |
=VAR.S(B2:B6)→62.5
Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1Select the output cell.
- 2In Excel, type =VAR.S(B2:B6) for sample variance.
- 3In Google Sheets, type =VAR(B2:B6) — equivalent to sample variance.
- 4For population variance: Excel uses =VAR.P(B2:B6); Google Sheets uses =VARP(B2:B6).
- 5Press Enter.
Tips
- Variance is in squared units of the original data. Take the square root (SQRT) to get standard deviation.
- VAR.S uses N-1 in the denominator (Bessel's correction); VAR.P uses N.
- Google Sheets VAR is equivalent to Excel VAR.S; both compute sample variance.
- VARA and VARPA include text (as 0) and logical values in the calculation.
Need it for your exact data?
Describe your columns in plain English and get the precise formula for your sheet, with the right Excel or Sheets syntax.
Frequently asked
What is the relationship between variance and standard deviation?
Standard deviation is the square root of variance. =SQRT(VAR.S(B2:B6)) equals =STDEV.S(B2:B6).
Which function name should I use in Google Sheets?
Use =VAR(range) for sample variance and =VARP(range) for population variance. Google Sheets does not use the .S/.P naming convention.
More on RANK & statistical aggregates
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RANK.EQ
Returns the rank of a number in a list, assigning the same rank to ties (same as RANK). Essential for leaderboards.
How-toHow to rank values
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ReferenceRANK.AVG
Returns the rank of a number, averaging ranks for ties. Useful in statistical analysis where tied ranks should not cluster.
How-toHow to calculate standard deviation
Measure how spread out your numbers are with STDEV for a sample or STDEVP for a whole population. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
ReferencePERCENTILE
Returns the k-th percentile value from a dataset. Useful for performance benchmarking and threshold analysis.
How-toHow to calculate a weighted average
Combine values and their weights with SUMPRODUCT divided by the total weight. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.