Google Sheets interview questions
Questions clients and hiring managers ask when a role depends on shared spreadsheets, with answers you can adapt.
I would use IMPORTRANGE to pull the range from the source file, allow access the first time, and then wrap it in FILTER or QUERY if I only need some rows. For example, I once pulled a team's sales tab into a summary file and used QUERY to total sales by region.
VLOOKUP searches the first column of a range and only returns columns to the right, and it needs FALSE for an exact match. XLOOKUP takes separate search and return ranges, matches exactly by default and lets you set a value to show when nothing is found. I use XLOOKUP for new work because it is harder to get wrong.
I check for extra spaces with TRIM, and for numbers stored as text in one column and as numbers in the other. I also confirm the formula uses an exact match and that the ranges cover all the rows.
I protect the header row and formula columns, add dropdowns with data validation for status fields, and ask people to use filter views instead of normal filters. That keeps the structure stable while still letting everyone enter data.
I open version history, find the version from before the change, and either restore it or copy the lost cells back so newer work is not lost. Then I look at whether that area should be protected so it does not happen again.
I share it with Viewer or Commenter access, depending on whether they need to leave feedback. If the report pulls from a raw data file, I share only the report so they never need access to the source.
Practise out loud. Say each answer once as written, then again in your own words with your own number or story.
Have a number ready. "My Google Sheets score is at benchmark on a timed test" is a stronger answer than "I am good at it". Take the test and quote the result.
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