# How to sum scores and drop the lowest in Excel

Subtract the smallest score from the total: `=SUM(B2:F2)-MIN(B2:F2)`, filled down for each student.

**Excel:** `=SUM(B2:F2)-MIN(B2:F2)` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Student | Quiz 1 | Quiz 2 | Quiz 3 | Quiz 4 | Quiz 5 | Best 4 total |
| Ava | 18 | 15 | 20 | 12 | 17 |  |
| Ben | 14 | 16 | 13 | 19 | 18 |  |
| Chloe | 20 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 18 |  |
| Dan | 11 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 0 |  |
| Eve | 17 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 15 |  |

Formula in G2, filled to G6: `=SUM(B2:F2)-MIN(B2:F2)`

Result: 70; 67; 77; 56; 69

## How it works

SUM adds all five quizzes and MIN finds the lowest, which is then taken away. If two quizzes tie for lowest, only one of them is dropped, which is the usual grading rule. Dan's missed quiz, entered as 0, is the one dropped.

## Other ways

- `=SUM(LARGE(B2:F2,{1,2,3,4}))`: Adds the four best scores directly; change the ranks to keep a different number.

## Common mistakes

- A missed quiz left blank is ignored by MIN, so a real score gets dropped instead. Enter 0 for missed work.
- Locking the range with `$` would give every student the first student's total. Leave it relative so it moves down.

## Questions

**How do I drop the two lowest scores?**

Subtract the two smallest: `=SUM(B2:F2)-SMALL(B2:F2,1)-SMALL(B2:F2,2)`.

**How do I average after dropping the lowest?**

Divide by one fewer: `=(SUM(B2:F2)-MIN(B2:F2))/(COUNT(B2:F2)-1)`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/sum-and-drop-the-lowest-score