displaying data in descending order (automatically)

You could use a combination of LARGE and INDEX/MATCH, but it gets messy when there are tie scores. Why not just sort?

i would, and do...

However the excel sheet is being sent up the hierarchy to people who really wouldnt know how to sort. and even if i taught them, they would forget!

But thanks anyway!

You could add a column to the right that increases each grade by a fractional amount based on the number of prior ties (e.g., =B7 + COUNTIF(B$1:B7, B7)/1000), reference that column with the LARGE function, and INDEX/MATCH to retrieve the names and (unaltered) grades. How's that sound?

Hello mrmiddleman:

Assuming your data starts in row 2.

Paste this formula in cell F2 and fill down to row 50, hide this column.

=IF(B2="","",RANK(B2,B$2:B$50,1)+ROW()/100000)

Paste this formula in column E.

=IF(ISERROR(SMALL(F:F,ROW(1:1))),"",OFFSET(B$1,MID(SMALL(F:F,ROW(1:1)),FIND(".",SMALL(F:F,ROW(1:1))),6)*100000-1,0))

Paste this one in column D.

=IF(ISERROR(SMALL(F:F,ROW(1:1))),"",OFFSET(A$1,MID(SMALL(F:F,ROW(1:1)),FIND(".",SMALL(F:F,ROW(1:1))),6)*100000-1,0))

Matt