If every record shows the same large result, the formula may be aggregating a whole table column when the task requires one row. Decide what one output cell represents before changing the arithmetic. A correct sum can still answer the wrong question.

Prepare a small practice list with columns Record, Qty and Doubled. Give three records quantities 2, 5 and 8. The intended Doubled values are 4, 10 and 16. Write those expected results beside the exercise so a repeated total cannot pass merely because it is numeric.

Express the record boundary in the formula

In Excel for Windows, select the list and press Ctrl+T, confirming that it has headers. Set its name to WorkItems in Table Design, Table Name. Inside a data row of Doubled, enter =[@Qty]*2. The @ specifier refers to the formula's current table row; a calculated column can propagate its formula down the table. Check the resulting formulas rather than assuming every existing cell was replaced.

In a separate cell outside the table, enter =SUM(WorkItems[Qty]). This fully qualified column reference totals the table's Qty data, giving 15 in the example. Inside a table, references can omit the table name; outside it, include the name. Structured references adjust as table rows are added or removed.

Compare the three row calculations with the separate total. If the row formula instead uses SUM(WorkItems[Qty])*2, it is asking for twice the full quantity total, which is 30. That may be a useful summary elsewhere, but it is not the required per-record result here.

Test one changed record and one new record

Change only the second practice quantity from 5 to 6. Its doubled result should become 12, while the first and third remain 4 and 16. The separate quantity total should become 16. Restore the second quantity afterwards.

Then add a fourth record with quantity 3 inside the table. Expect a doubled value of 6 and a quantity total of 18. Inspect that new row's formula and confirm that it belongs to the table rather than sitting beside it.

Apply the same record definition to the real calculation. Keep summaries outside the record-level output unless their purpose is explicit. Acceptance requires the right relationship between each record and its result, including the final row; matching the first number alone cannot establish that relationship.

Sources: Microsoft: structured references.