How to Create a Rating Scale in Excel (4 Easy Ways)

We will use the following dataset to demonstrate how to make a rating scale. It has a number of products and a rating score for each of them.

how to create a rating scale in excel


Method 1 – Use Conditional Formatting to Create a Star Rating Scale in Excel

Steps:

  • Insert five helper (result) columns named Star Rating beside the Rating column. Remove the borders between them.

  • Write 1 to 5 in cells D14 to H14.
  • Select cell D5 and copy the following formula into it:
=IF(D$14<=$C5,1,IF(ROUNDUP($C5,0)=D$14,MOD($C5,1),0))
Formula Breakdown:
  • MOD($C5,1) returns the remainder after dividing cell C5 by 1.
  • IF(ROUNDUP($C5,0)=D$14) rounds up the C5 cell value to 1.
  • IF(D$14<=$C5,1,IF(ROUNDUP($C5,0)=D$14,MOD($C5,1),0)) returns 1 if C5>D14 and returns the decimal part if C5<D14.

Use Conditional Formatting Feature to create a rating scale in excel

  • Autofill the formula to the rest of the cells across columns and rows.

  • From the Home tab, go to Conditional Formatting and select New Rule.

  • A New Formatting Rule dialogue box will appear. Select Format all cells based on their values.
  • Choose Icon Sets in the Format Style option.
  • Select 3 Stars as the Icon Style.
  • Change the Type to Number.
  • Set values to show a filled star, half-filled star, or empty star. We set values 8 and 0.3 in this example. Any value less than 0.3 will show an empty star, a value between 0.3 to 0.8 will show a half-filled star and a filled star will be visible if the value is greater than 0.8.
  • Check the box for Show Icon Only and press Enter.

Use Conditional Formatting Feature to create a rating scale in excel

  • You will find star ratings for all the food items.

how to create a rating scale in excel

  • You can change any of the food ratings and the star rating will automatically get updated.

Use Conditional Formatting Feature to create a rating scale in excel

Read More: How to Make Yes Green and No Red in Excel


Method 2 – Apply the REPT Function

Case 2.1 – Add Data Bars to Create a Rating Scale

Steps:

  • Insert a column D named Bar Rating.
  • Select cell D5 and copy the following formula there:
=REPT("|",C5*10)

Add Data Bars to create a rating scale in excel

  • Autofill the formula to the rest of the cells in column D.

  • Select the D column with all the vertical bars and change the text font to Playbill.

  • The vertical bars will look like one single wide bar.

Add Data Bars to create a rating scale in excel

  • Select column D and from the Home tab, go to Conditional Formatting and pick New Rule.

  • Select Use a formula to determine which cells to format and insert the following formula.
=C5<3
  • Go to Format.

  • In the Format Cells box, go to the Font tab and change the Color to Red.
  • Click OK.

  • The bars with ratings lower than 3 will be turned into red.

Add Data Bars to create a rating scale in excel

  • Insert a New Conditional Formatting Rule with the following formula in the New Format Cells dialogue box.
=C5>4

  • Select the color Green from the Font tab.

  • The bars that represent a rating higher than 4 will turn green.

Add Data Bars to create a rating scale in excel

  • Follow the same process to apply the yellow formatting color for values between 3 and 4.
  • Increase the font size of the bars and align them to the left.

Add Data Bars to create a rating scale in excel


2.2 – Create a Star Rating Scale

Steps:

  • Select any cell and then go to Insert, then to Symbols, and pick Symbol.

  • From the Wingdings font, insert the Star symbol.

Create a star rating scale in excel

  • Copy the star symbol.

  • Select cell D5 and copy the following formula there. Paste the copied star between “”.
=REPT("«",IF(MOD(C5,1)>0.49,CEILING.MATH(C5),C5))
Formula Breakdown:
  • CEILING.MATH(C5) rounds up the C5 cell value to the next integer.
  • MOD(C5,1)>0.49 checks if the remainder of cell C5 divided by 1 is greater than 49 or not.

  • Autofill the formula to the rest of the cells in column D.

  • To convert the “<<” symbol to the Star symbol, select column D and change the font to Wingdings.

  • You will find that all the symbols have now turned into stars.

Create a star rating scale in excel to create a rating scale in excel

  • Change the font and color of the symbols to enhance their appearance.

Create a star rating scale in excel to create a rating scale in excel

  • You will get your desired rating scale.

Create a star rating scale in excel to create a rating scale in excel

Read More: How to Apply Borders in Excel with Conditional Formatting


Method 3 – Use the Form Control Feature to Create a Star Rating Scale

Now we will use the Form Control feature to create a star rating scale in Excel. The procedure is discussed in the following section.

Steps:

  • First copy these two symbols (☆★) from here and paste them into two different cells.

  • Next, go to the Developer tab, and from there,

Developer → Insert → Form Control → Option Button

  • Click and drag your cursor to insert the Option button in cell D9.

  • Then double-click on the text to edit the text beside the button.

  • Similarly, add four more buttons to cells D8 to D5.

Utilize Form Control Feature to create a rating scale in excel

  • Now right-click on any of the buttons and select Format Control.

Utilize Form Control Feature to create a rating scale in excel

  • The Format Control box will pop up.
  • In the box, go to the Control tab and select Unchecked.
  • Then choose cell D10 to link the buttons.
  • After that, click Ok.

  • Next, write down the following formula in the Star Rating column.
=REPT(B10,5-D10)&REPT(C10,D10)

Utilize Form Control Feature to create a rating scale in excel

  • Then from the Home tab, go to,

Home → Alignment → Orientation → Vertical Text

Utilize Form Control Feature to create a rating scale in excel

  • As a result, the text will be vertically aligned now.
  • Finally, change the font and color to improve its look.

Utilize Form Control Feature to create a rating scale in excel

  • Now if you click on different buttons, the Star Rating will be updated automatically.

Utilize Form Control Feature to create a rating scale in excel

Read More: How to Apply Alignment in Excel Conditional Formatting


4. Create Dropdown List to Create a Rating Scale

Steps:

  • Create a column and write text ratings from Very Good to Very Poor in the column.

  • Select the Rating column and, from the Data tab, go to Data Validation.

  • The Data Validation dialogue box will appear. Go to the Settings tab and select List from Allow option.
  • Choose the source as D5:D9 and click OK.

  • Select any cell in column C and you will see a dropdown button beside it.
  • Click on the dropdown button and you will have all the options to choose from.
  • Click on any of the options to rate the food item.

Add Dropdown to create a rating scale in excel

  • You can rate all the food items on the list.

Add Dropdown to create a rating scale in excel

Notes

  • You can follow the same steps to create rating scales with other symbols.
  • Additionally, you can create 1-10 and 1-100 scales following the above procedures.

Download the Practice Workbook

Download this practice workbook to follow along while reading this article.


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Alif Bin Hussain
Alif Bin Hussain

Alif Bin Hussain earned a BSc in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. As an engineering graduate, he has a deep passion for research and innovation. He loves to play with Excel. In his role as an Excel & VBA Content Developer at ExcelDemy, he not only solves tricky problems but also shows enthusiasm and expertise in handling tough situations with finesse, emphasizing his dedication to delivering top-notch content. He is interested in C, C++,... Read Full Bio

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