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Why can a lookup return a nearby answer instead of an exact one?

A lookup can search for an exact value or use a rule for the next smaller or larger match. The same table can therefore yield different results depending on the selected mode. Excel’s XLOOKUP makes that choice explicit, which matters when a list represents thresholds rather than exact labels.

8–10 min

Questions you could explore

  • What should happen when a requested value falls between two entries?

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Why can a lookup return a nearby answer instead of an exact one? | Speech Topic | speaking.app