Excel like a finance pro.

The functions, VBA, and shortcuts a finance operator actually uses — curated, with CFO examples. Prefer them pre-built? Grab a ready-made model.

← The library

Statistical function

GAMMA.DIST

Returns the gamma distribution.

Rarely usedDifficulty 1550 · AdvancedUsage rank #444 of 520

Practice · 2 questions →

When to use it

The gamma distribution: waiting time for alpha events in a Poisson process with scale beta. It generalizes the exponential and models skewed positive quantities like claim sizes and rainfall.

The shape of it

Syntax: =GAMMA.DIST(x, alpha, beta, cumulative)

Worked examples

Exponential case
=GAMMA.DIST(2,1,1,TRUE) → 0.864664717
Alpha 1 is the exponential distribution.
Two events
=GAMMA.DIST(2,2,1,TRUE) → 0.59399415
Probability that two events with mean gap 1 happen within time 2.
Density
=GAMMA.DIST(2,2,1,FALSE) → 0.270670566
The density at 2.

Worth knowing

Mean is alpha × beta, variance alpha × beta².
Beta is a scale; some texts use rate 1/beta instead.
GAMMA.INV gives percentiles.

Where it goes wrong

#NUM! for negative x or non-positive parameters.
Confusing scale and rate gives results off by beta².

AVERAGE COUNT COUNTA COUNTIF COUNTIFS MAX

Learn the moves here — or let Wauvel run them on your numbers.

Meet your AI CFO →

One CFO-grade Excel tip a week

A short, practical email for finance operators — functions, shortcuts, and the moves that save an afternoon. Free, unsubscribe anytime.