MATH 601 Random Sampling in Excel
This tutorial will guide you through the steps necessary to collect a random sample of a data set
to put on a new worksheet.
1. Be sure the Analysis toolpak is enabled. You can get help with that at the
Microsoft support site.
2. To get your random sample, in the Random number column enter =rand() in the
first cell.
3. Make sure that same cell is selected, then double click the little square icon at the
bottom right side of the highlighted cell to copy the formula all the way down to
the bottom of the data set.
4. Sort the random number column from smallest to largest. To do this right click
on any value in the random number column and in the menu that appears, choose
Sort > Sort Smallest to Largest. A pop-up warning will show, then select
“Expand the selection” then click Sort.
5. Collect the sample by selecting the amount of rows you are sampling. A sample
of 50 would mean you select the first 50 rows of data. A sample of 200 would
select the first 200 rows of data.
A. By selecting only the first cell of data in the first column and dragging
down, Excel will count the number of rows for you along the bottom.
B. Once you have the correct number of rows, then drag to the right to select
all the data in the appropriate number of rows.
6. Cut and paste the selected data into the Sample worksheet.
