Excel Holding Me Back—Need to Level Up Fast
Currently an AN1 at a BB, really enjoying the job, but getting absolutely crushed on Excel efficiency compared to Associates. Beyond competent in every other area, but my Excel speed and technical ability aren’t at the level needed to get staffed on the more complex projects. It’s frustrating because I know Excel itself isn’t hard, but I’m still lagging behind where I need to be.
That said, my skills are well above what’s expected for an AN1, so it’s not a major concern—just something I need to fix fast.
Anyone been in a similar spot? What resources/courses (WSP, Macabacus, any others?) actually helped you bridge the gap to Associate-level Excel speed? Really looking to turn this around over the next couple of months. Appreciate any advice.
Find one of your firms more complex models, start with the primary outputs (ULFCF, NPV, IRR, etc.) whatever it is, and Alt + M + P it (that precedent traces the cell, conversely Alt + M + D is dependent tracing). I was in a similar situation with my first role that I felt way over my head in from a modeling perspective, you'll figure it out. Following precedent/dependent cells lets you see the derivative formulas that your assumptions build upon. This might be super basic advice, but I recommend taking some downtime between comments or a lull and chatGPT some stuff you specifically want to do faster in excel and then working those shortcuts into a sandbox copy of your models. I literally had issues formatting sumifs logic and when I took some dedicated time to self-teach it made all the difference.
Wallstreet prep has great resources and can get you up to speed quickly. Let me know if you want to know more
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