value1 - Required. First value, cell reference, or range to count numeric entries (e.g., A1, A1:A10).
value2 - Optional. Optional. Additional values or ranges to count. Up to 255 arguments allowed.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student | Score | Count |
| 2 | Alice | 95 | |
| 3 | Bob | ||
| 4 | Charlie | 87 | |
| 5 | Dana | Pending | |
| 6 | Eve | 92 | |
| 7 | =COUNT(B2:B6) 3 |
Counts only cells with numeric values
Result: 7 (ignores text and blanks)
Counts numbers across multiple ranges
Result: 8 (combines both ranges)
COUNT ignores text, COUNTA counts everything
COUNT=5, COUNTA=8 (same range)
Calculate percentage of numeric entries
Result: "70%" (7 out of 10 cells)
Monitor how many participants have submitted numeric ratings and identify missing responses using this counting function. This pattern is essential for survey analysts, market researchers, and HR teams managing feedback collection. It instantly shows response rate - critical for determining whether you have statistically significant sample sizes, identifying incomplete submissions, and triggering follow-up reminders. Works for any scenario where you need to validate numeric data entry: customer satisfaction scores, employee performance ratings, product reviews, quiz responses, or any form requiring numeric input across multiple participants or time periods.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Participant | Rating (1-5) | Status |
| 2 | John | 4 | Complete |
| 3 | Sarah | Pending | |
| 4 | Mike | 5 | Complete |
| 5 | Lisa | Pending | |
| 6 | Tom | 3 | Complete |
| 7 | Completion: | 3/5 (60%) | =COUNT(B2:B6) |
Track which students have submitted their test scores and identify who hasn't turned in assignments yet with this counting function. Perfect for teachers, professors, and education coordinators managing grade tracking across multiple assignments and students. It provides instant visibility into submission rates by class, by assignment, or by student - essential for following up with students, calculating class participation rates, and ensuring fair grading when some submissions are missing. This technique scales from individual assignments to entire semester tracking with hundreds of students and dozens of assessments.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student | Test 1 | Test 2 | Submitted |
| 2 | Alice | 95 | 88 | |
| 3 | Bob | 92 | ||
| 4 | Charlie | 87 | ||
| 5 | Count: | 2/3 | 2/3 | =COUNT(B2:B4) |
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=COUNT(A1:A10)Use this counting function when you specifically need to count numeric values. It ignores text and blank cells, giving you accurate numeric entry counts. Use COUNTA only when you need to count all non-blank cells regardless of data type. For counting specific criteria, use COUNTIF or COUNTIFS.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=COUNTIF(A1:A10, ">="&0)This counting function only counts cells containing numeric values stored as numbers, not text. If you have numbers stored as text, use COUNTIF with a numeric criterion, or convert text to numbers first with VALUE(). For mixed data validation, combine it with COUNTA to detect data type inconsistencies.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=COUNT(A1:A15)Avoid overlapping ranges in this function. The formula counts each cell reference you provide - overlapping ranges cause cells to be counted multiple times. Use a single continuous range when possible, or ensure ranges are non-overlapping for accurate counts.
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