Using the Application
Working with the spreadsheet application
A spreadsheet stores numbers, text and formulas in a grid of cells and recalculates results whenever inputs change. For ICDL you must be comfortable with the application-level skills that surround the grid: opening, saving and closing files; creating new workbooks from a blank template; and switching between open windows. Know the difference between Save (overwrites the current file) and Save As (creates a copy or changes format/location). Understand common file formats: the native workbook format, older formats, CSV (plain text, values only, no formulas or formatting) and PDF (fixed layout for sharing).
Navigating and selecting
Learn keyboard and mouse navigation. Ctrl+Home jumps to the first cell, Ctrl+End to the last used cell, and Ctrl+arrow jumps to the edge of a data block. Selecting ranges matters: drag to select, Shift+click to extend, Ctrl+click to select non-adjacent cells, and Ctrl+A to select the current region or whole sheet. Traps in questions include confusing the active cell with the whole selection, and assuming a click on a row/column header selects just one cell.
Help and settings
Candidates should know how to use built-in Help, change basic application options (such as default save location or display of formulas), and use zoom and view settings. A frequent trap is the difference between zoom (display only, does not change print or data) and page/print scaling.
Rule of thumb
Before any task, ask: am I changing the file, the view, or the data? Save/Save As change the file; zoom and view options change only what you see; typing changes the data. This single question resolves most application-level questions.
Worked example
To keep an original and create an edited copy: open the file, choose Save As, give a new name, then edit. Choosing Save instead would overwrite the original.