How do I randomly choose from a list in Excel?

So let's say that I want to create a fake listing of bank transactions. I want all 1000 transactions to happen at 1 of four branches:

1. Eastern Ave
2. Wall Street
3. 112th Ave
4. Broadway

How do I tell Excel to pick from my list of 4 branches and populate the list?

 

Here's my take

There are multiple ways to do it using rand function - based on probability distribution etc.

However for the sake of a single-cell formula to fill the list: =IF(RANDBETWEEN(1,4)=1,"Eastern Ave",IF(RANDBETWEEN(1,4)=2,"Wall Street",IF(RANDBETWEEN(1,4)=3,"112th Ave","Broadway")))

And you basically want to hard copy the list (special paste value) to another tab/sheet to avoid the list changing everytime you refresh the worksheet.

Cheers

The heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night. -Thomas S. Monson
 

i'm going to try this when i'm back at the office, thanks euro

i had seen solutions that looked more like hswc but I was thinking there had to be a more simplistic way

______ Corporate financial/business analyst looking for career/MBA/CFA advice.
 

Illum numquam voluptas at vero facere. Quae earum nam architecto. Consequatur quam temporibus voluptas quis. Non quis et non vero cumque.

Modi dolor numquam doloremque corporis ipsam in fuga. Ad nisi nemo est praesentium illum. Dolore reprehenderit sequi vel maxime.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”