Here is how you can play the game Cows and Bulls in excel
The objective of the game is to guess the secret number (which is hidden from the player). The player can guess the number as many times. If the matching digits are on their right positions, they are “bulls”, if on different positions, they are “cows”. Example given below
The formula for cows:
C3 {=COUNT(MATCH(MID(B3,ROW($1:$4),1),MID($B$1,ROW($1:$4),1),0))}
(entered as an array formula, ctrl+shift+enter)
The formula for bulls
D3 {=SUM(IF(MID($B$1,ROW($1:$4),1)=MID(B3,ROW($1:$4),1),1,0))}
(entered as an array formula, ctrl+shift+enter)
Drag the formula down. You could keep entering your guesses in column B
One could also highlight the cell if the number is guessed correctly, through conditional formatting
Click B3 and through Format>Conditional Formatting…
Copy the format to all cells in column B through Format Painter 
brush on the toolbar
Tip: If you are playing the game alone and have no one to give you a 4 digit number, you could use rand() function
In the secret number cell enter = ROUND(RAND()*10^4,0), Press F2 and F9 – this would freeze the random number. Make sure that no digits are repeated and the random number is 4 digits long. You can use len function and check duplicate function for that
Have fun playing the game 🙂
Useful Excel Tips 