Find the third-largest value without sorting
Top-n answers that do not disturb the sheet — and do not break when two values tie.
The data
| Row number | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rep | Deals closed |
| 2 | Ava | 14 |
| 3 | Liam | 22 |
| 4 | Mia | 9 |
| 5 | Ethan | 18 |
| 6 | Sofia | 22 |
Your task
Put a formula in D2 that returns the third-largest number of deals closed, without sorting the data.
Your formula goes in D2
The checker compares your formula against the accepted answers — it does not run it. The expected result is shown with the solution so you can verify it in your own spreadsheet.
Why this is the right formula
Note the tie: two reps closed 22, and both occupy a position — so LARGE with k=1 and k=2 both return 22, and the third-largest is 18, not 14. That is the behaviour you want for a leaderboard and the one people misjudge. MAX would only ever give you the top value, and sorting would rearrange rows other formulas may depend on.
Try next
Practise it on a full dataset
Free to use, share and republish — including commercially. Attribution isn't required, but it's what keeps these free to make, and there's one ready to paste below.
Questions
Does this actually run my formula?
The checker normalises case, spaces, argument separators and dollar-sign anchors, then compares your formula with a reviewed list of accepted answers. It does not evaluate the formula. Copy the data into your spreadsheet to verify the expected result independently.
Can a correct formula be rejected?
Yes. The accepted list includes several reviewed approaches, but cannot recognise every equivalent formula. Compare an unlisted solution with the expected result in your spreadsheet and use the page feedback if an accepted answer is missing.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no signup, no progress tracking and nothing stored — everything happens in your browser.