Summary

To rank a set of race times, where the lowest (fastest) time is ranked #1, you can use the RANK function. In the example shown, the formula in D6 is:

=RANK(C6,times,1)

Where times is the named range C6:C13.

Generic formula

=RANK(time,times,1)

Explanation 

You can use the RANK function to rank numeric values. RANK has two modes of operation: ranking values so that the largest value is ranked #1 (order = 0), and ranking values so that the smallest value is #1 (order = 1).

In this case, we are ranking race times. The lowest/fastest value should rank #1, so we set the order argument to 1:

=RANK(C6,times,1)

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Excel formula: Rank function example

Rank function example

You can use the RANK function to rank numeric values. RANK has two modes of operation: ranking values where the largest value is #1 (order = 0), and ranking values where the lowest value is #1 (order = 1). In this case, we are ranking test scores, so the highest value should rank #1, so we omit the...

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Excel RANK function

RANK Function

The Excel RANK function returns the rank of a numeric value when compared to a list of other numeric values. RANK can rank values from largest to smallest (i.e. top sales) as well as smallest to largest (i.e. fastest time).
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Dave Bruns

Hi - I'm Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.

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