What is the Difference Between STDEV and STDEVA in Excel?

Learn the key differences between Excel functions STDEV and STDEVA for calculating standard deviation with sample data.

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STDEV calculates the standard deviation for a sample of numerical data, ignoring text and logical values, providing a measure of variability. STDEVA, on the other hand, includes text and logical values (text is treated as 0, TRUE as 1, and FALSE as 0) in its calculations, making it useful for datasets that mix numerical and non-numerical data.

FAQs & Answers

  1. What does the STDEV function calculate in Excel? The STDEV function calculates the standard deviation for a sample of numerical data while ignoring text and logical values.
  2. How does STDEVA differ from STDEV in Excel? STDEVA includes text and logical values in its calculation, treating text as 0, TRUE as 1, and FALSE as 0, whereas STDEV excludes these values.
  3. When should I use STDEVA instead of STDEV? Use STDEVA when your data set contains both numerical and non-numerical values, and you want to include logical and text values in your standard deviation calculation.