In Excel, what does the VLOOKUP function do?

The VLOOKUP function in Excel is designed to search for a specific value in the first column of a designated range or table and then return a value from a subsequent column in the same row. This function is particularly useful for looking up and retrieving data from vertical lists or tables.

When you use VLOOKUP, you provide it with a lookup value, the range where it will search, the column index from which to return the corresponding value, and a match type which indicates whether to find an exact match or an approximate match. Given this mechanism, it is primarily associated with vertical columns of data, making the first option the most accurate description of its function.

The other functions mentioned, such as summarizing values based on a condition, finding maximum values, or calculating standard deviation, serve distinct purposes and are handled by different Excel functions. For instance, the SUMIF function is used for conditional summarization, the MAX function identifies the largest number, and the STDEV function computes standard deviation. Each of these functions addresses different types of analysis in Excel, unlike VLOOKUP, which is specifically for looking up values in a vertical arrangement.