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At the 2026 MECC European Open in Amsterdam, we had the chance to chat with some of the world’s top student Excel Esports athletes and ask them one simple question: what is your favorite Excel shortcut or function?
The answers were as diverse as the competitors themselves – spanning continents, universities, and skill levels – but one thing was clear across every response. These students are not just competing. They are thinking deeply about the tools they use, why they work, and how to get the most out of every keystroke and formula.
With the support of Equity Methods, this article brings the full collection together in one place, so you can explore every tip, try them in your own spreadsheets, and see exactly why these functions and shortcuts have earned a spot in the arsenals of some of the best student Excel athletes around the world.
Representing INSCAE from Madagascar, Aurelio Zafindaza describes =GROUPBY() as a function that does it all.
For Aurelio, it is not just a single tool – it is a combination of everything Excel has to offer, rolling the power of =SUM(), =AVERAGE(), =MAX() and more into one flexible formula. Paired with =UNIQUE() and other functions, =GROUPBY() becomes a one-stop solution for aggregating and organising complex datasets.
At the MECC European Open, he used it to sort names, count errors, and apply conditional formatting – all in one go. If you have not explored =GROUPBY() yet, Aurelio’s take might just change how you think about data summarisation entirely.
Luke Bonaime from the University of Arizona knows that sometimes the best move is a clean reset.
His go-to shortcut, ALT + H + E + A, clears all formatting from a selected area in one swift motion – no menus, no extra clicks, just an instant clean slate. In the high-pressure environment of Excel Esports competition where every second counts, having a reliable way to strip a spreadsheet back to basics can make all the difference.
Whether you are tidying up a messy dataset or starting fresh mid-solve, this shortcut is one worth committing to muscle memory.
Elena Thai from the University of Waterloo in Canada is a fan of functions that do the heavy lifting for you.
Her favourite, =SEQUENCE(), generates a dynamic array of numbers with a single formula – type =SEQUENCE(12) and Excel instantly fills in 1 through 12. Simple on the surface, but incredibly powerful when combined with other dynamic array functions.
For a competitor who needs to build structured data quickly and accurately under tournament conditions, =SEQUENCE() is the kind of function that saves time and keeps your workflow clean.
David Montani Schnickmann, studying at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna, did not hesitate when asked for his favourite.
=XLOOKUP() is his answer every time – at work, in practice, and on the competition floor. What sets it apart, in David’s words, is the sheer number of possibilities it offers. Look up a value, find your return, handle errors, search in any direction – =XLOOKUP() replaces the need for multiple workarounds with one clean, readable formula.
At the MECC European Open, he used it across five different levels in a single day, each time in a new variation. If you are still relying on =VLOOKUP(), David’s perspective is a strong case for making the switch.
Known in the Excel Esports community as the LAMBDA King, Julian Poeltl from ESB Business School in Germany has built a reputation around one of Excel’s most advanced functions.
=LAMBDA() allows you to create your own custom, reusable functions – define the logic once and call it by name whenever you need it, just like any built-in Excel function. Julian’s example: build a LAMBDA to filter zeros out of an array, name it, and reuse it throughout your workbook without writing the logic again.
It is the kind of function that separates structured, scalable spreadsheet thinking from quick-fix formulas – and Julian brings that mindset to every competition he enters.
Joy Andriamalala, representing INSCAE from Madagascar, keeps it practical with =FILTER().
The name says it all – you have a dataset, you set your criteria, and =FILTER() returns only the rows that meet the rule, cutting out everything you do not need. Joy describes it as incredibly handy, and the numbers back that up: it was the function he reached for most throughout the MECC European Open.
For anyone working with large datasets where precision matters, =FILTER() is one of the most efficient tools in modern Excel – and Joy’s performance at the event is proof of just how much mileage you can get from using it well.
Luke Peyton from Messiah University has a shortcut that every Excel user will appreciate the moment they try it.
ALT + H + O + I auto-fits column widths to match the content inside them – no manual dragging, no guessing. When you are deep in a complex spreadsheet and your data is spilling or squished, this shortcut instantly tidies everything up and makes headers and values easy to read.
Luke’s tip is a reminder that some of the best productivity gains in Excel come not from complex formulas, but from knowing exactly which keys to press.
Chien-Chi He from Hungkuo Delin University of Technology in Taiwan describes =REGEXTRACT() as the Swiss army knife of Excel.
Using regular expressions, it can pull any specific piece of data you need out of a text string – names, codes, numbers, patterns – with precision that other text functions simply cannot match.
For Chien Chi, its value goes beyond convenience: it is a utility function that opens up a whole new level of data extraction in Excel. He even put it to use during competition, proving that it holds up under pressure when accuracy and speed both matter.
Benjamin Weber from the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien in Austria came to the MECC European Open with a wild pick that turned heads.
=BAHTEXT() converts a number into Thai text with the word “Baht” – Thailand’s currency – appended to it. It is, as Beni puts it, a function nobody really knows why exists. But here is the thing: knowing it existed, and knowing exactly when to use it, is precisely what helped him qualify for the MEWC European Open semi-final.
It is one of Excel’s most obscure corners, and Beni’s story is a perfect reminder that in Excel Esports, sometimes the most unexpected function is the one that changes everything.
Prateek Mohan from Indira Gandhi National Open University in India rounds out the series with a shortcut built for serious problem-solving.
ALT + D + T opens the Data Table dialogue – a feature that allows you to run multiple scenario calculations at once by testing how changing one or two inputs affects an output formula. In Excel Esports competition, data tables are a lifesaver.
Prateek estimates that he and his fellow competitors use them for roughly half of all levels. Navigating there through the ribbon costs precious seconds. Knowing the shortcut does not.
Watch the Full Series:
Ten athletes. Ten countries. Ten completely different answers – and yet every single one of them points to the same thing. The students competing at the highest level of Excel Esports are not just fast. They know their tools inside out, they know when to use them, and they have put in the work to make them second nature.
Whether it is a shortcut that saves a second or a function that unlocks a whole new way of thinking about data, the tips in this series are worth adding to your own toolkit.
Watch the full playlist and see every shortcut and function explained by the students who rely on them most:
