How to calculate Standard Deviation in Excel The Standard Deviation is a term used in statistics. The term describes how much the numbers if a set of data vary from the mean.

With that, Excel can generate a series of random numbers based on the data entered and the standard deviation. With this data you can then create a curved chart, known as a bell curve.

Excel's STDEV formula can automatically calculate the standard deviation of any set of numbers, so you don't have to go through the math yourself.