Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills with The Smart Method: Courseware tutorial for self-instruction to beginner and intermediate level

The good news is that this updated how-to manual is great at learning Excel 2016. I downloaded Excel 2016 for my home PC while at work I use Excel 2013. I am not a power user but Excel versions 2013 and 2016 are for all intents and purposes nearly the same. So are Mr. Smart's books.Here is what I said about the 2013 version of his Essential Skills book, most of which still applies to his 2016 version:"I have a vast library of Excel manuals. My usual go to one is the Missing Manual. But for learning Excel (2013) quickly, the Smart Method is excellent. Each page is a lesson. You ramp up in skill and knowledge at a diliberate pace. The writing is clear as well as the diagrams. The font is a perfect size unlike another Excel manual I reviewed some months ago. If you are new to this version of Excel or want to improve upon your current skill set, then give this manual a try. I am sure you will find it extremely useful. It is better than the "Dummies" series, "Step by Step" or "Visual" series of books."Before I bought the 2016 Skills book, I had purchased the Excel 2016 In Depth published by Que. Crazy, but Jelen, the author, did a massive overhaul of his 2016 manual cutting it in half as compared to his 2013 book (1,200 pages). His new one comes in around 650 pages. Pogue has not come out with their Missing Manual for Excel 2016. Not sure if they will. Reality is that I like Smart's books so much better. He really does a fabulous job teaching Excel. All the pictures and graphics are very clear and easy to read/follow. I am eager to buy Smart's Expert Skill level book when that comes out.

I like the presentation of the lessons. Lessons are broken down to minimal coverage which is then build upon in the next lesson. I love that the book is large which helps with reading for eyes that aren't as good as they were before.

Good fundamental material broken down into 2-page sections. I found this style made it easy for me to grasp the concepts. Not a lot of verbiage that puts one to sleep like most other how-to books. The side notes and tips were well done, meaningful, and not so many as to be distracting.The one negative is that I was not impressed with Amazon's new "Print Replica" format. Read this book on a Fire HD 10. With the Fire in portrait mode, the images were fuzzy and font size was small. So to see things better I often had to either zoom in, or switch to horizontal (which means you need to scroll to read the whole page, and defeats the idea of seeing/reading a whole page while in portrait mode). Many times the book's graphics were fuzzy even after zooming in.

I am studying for Microsoft Office Specialist Certification for Microsoft Excel. There are two books in the series Essentials and Expert. The Essentials provide me with a firm foundation that is intelligently practical. This allows me to get to the heart of learning Excel with confidence so that I can tackle the expert level without tears, instead with a yawning gap for more Excel. Although these two books are more than adequate for the exam I use them as a springboard to satisfy my thirst and hunger for Excel. Thank you Mr. Smart I no longer fear Excel.I was so enthusiastic about the two books in the smart series that I bought the Essentials for a relative. I will not hesitate to give any one to my friends and family.

The book is easy to follow, and goes over the very basic fundementals of excel and how to use it. I wish the table of contents would have been made available as I already feel I know 80-90% of the things covered here. Either way I have enjoyed the lessons and there are small tips and ticks you can learn along the way. I really enjoy the thorough, but not too wordy straight to the point explanations of things.

Good training manual with work exercies to build skills. The templates from the publisher's website can be a little tedious to download so the lessons flow correctly. Overall, this is probably the best self-study course available at this price point. I purchased this and the Expert Skills book at the same time. I have used Excel off and on at work for 12 years. Excel 2016 has a lot of new features and this help me integrate them into my workflow. My old version of Excel, 2008, did not have pivot tables. This book has a good introduction to this feature and others.

I was bitten by several book scams on Amazon searching for a good tutorial on Excel, including one "book" that contained just 10 sheets of paper (I posted a review each scam in the hope that others won't repeat my mistakes).However, this one is the real deal. It's clearly written by a pro and each lesson builds on previous lessons, unlike those books that are full of randomly presented, unconnected "gee whiz" features.I'm an adult educator. This book speaks to me and allowed me to confidently start using the software within a few minutes. I recommend it.

This is the best book I have discovered for learning to use Excel 2016. The lessons are usually about 2 pages in length and can be done fairly quickly. The author has provided files that can be down loaded to your computer. Each topic that is learned in a previous lesson is utilized again with the future lessons. I believe you can learn to use Excel rather efficiently using this book.

This is a review for the Learn Excel 2016 Essential Skills with the Smart MethodI have just completed Lesson 5 and aiming to do a chapter a day. Thoroughly recommend this book. I started at the beginning as advised, although I am an intermediate Excel user of many years, and immediately learnt something new and useful. Very interesting and since you are working on realistic examples, progress is quick. There are loads of realistic sample files to download and practise on and this book gives structured training. (Looking up online tips to do something is fine on ad hoc basis but it's what you don't know about which makes the difference). The book is A4-sized and covers 363 pages. The format means it falls neatly open on the desk so each section is covered over a double-page with lots of screen shots and tips. I like the book so much that I have ordered the Expert book since I want to learn about What-if analysis and pivot tables.

This is probably the best training manual I have ever read. I find most manuals too wordy and quite honestly tedious. Mike Smart wins outright on several points. Each main topic is broken down to lessons on two facing pages one advantage is that if you have a spare 10 to 15 minutes you can complete a lesson with ease. Nearly all lessons are hands on so the text guides you through each practical exercise with clear, concise instructions and plenty of helpful illustrations to clarify each topic. There is a exercise at the end of each main session to test and consolidate your new skills. Where appropriate he gives a reference to a previous topic should you need to refresh a previously taught skill. I have been blundering around in Excel for years now and it soon became obvious I hadn't a clue as to what it can really do, so I had quite a few "wow! that's nifty." moments. In summary Mike Smart knows how to communicate his subject and make it interesting, informative and enjoyable. I am looking forward to his Excel 2016 Expert Skills.

Mike Smart's books are the best tutorial books I have read. They are clearly written and he takes you through each step of an exercise. I have learnt so much more about Excel since working through his books. I recommend for anyone who currently uses Excel or needs to brush up on forgotten skills. Excellent.

Would definitely recommend. I am newbie with excel this is so wonderfully written, easy to understand and very informative. The text in which it is written is awesome, no faff, no pink and fluffy, no waste of time. Brilliant Book.

The books in this series are all excellent. They provide comprehensive learning in key business skills. I cannot recommend them strongly enough. Complete the course and your office skills and marketability will be vastly improved. The best addition to your skill set for progressing your career.