Excel Chart: Display Multiple Series Over One X Axis?

A lot of charting is arranging the data in the spreadsheet. The arrangement you show (a flat list) is good for database work, but does not work very well for charting. The goal is to rearrange the data so that you get something like:

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The first two methods for rearranging the data that come to mind:

1) A pivot table (https://www.excel-easy.com/data-****...ot-tables.html ) where you have day as row label, student as column label, and sum of score as the pivot values. A line chart like what your picture shows would be straightforward from the pivot table data, but a scatter chart is not an allowed pivot chart type. If you decide you need a scatter chart instead of a line chart, then you can follow instructions here: https://peltiertech.com/regular-char...-pivot-tables/

2) A "conditional formatting" technique like this: https://peltiertech.com/conditional-...-excel-charts/ where you add helper columns to the right of the data with each name at the top, then use an IF() formula to make a copy of the data under the appropriate student name. Use these helper columns in your line/scatter chart.

Which approach do you like? Where do you get stuck in implementation?

I'm not quite sure how one would measure "balkiness", so I will have to take your word for it that having a column for each name is "balky".

Pivot tables are useful tools, and it is valuable to be able to use them. Your picture failed to attach, so I cannot see what you are trying to do. The process I use in my copy of Excel (this help file https://support.office.com/en-us/art...9-F99134456576 suggests that your newer version is substantially similar):

1) Select the source data.
2) Insert -> Pivot Table.
3) Check that Excel is using the correct source data and choose an output location. Ok to move to the next step.
4) In the Pivot Fields pane, drag the "day" field to the row labels box, drag the "student" field to the column labels box, and drag "score" to the values field.
5) Select the pivot table and insert a line chart.

Then look it over and see how close we are to what you want.