The MONTH Arguments The purpose of the MONTH function is to read the date, figure out which month it is, and return a number for the month. In this example, the date is the Column A.   3. Try it: Edit the Serial_Number Edit the Serial_Number: A2. You should see a preview of the data to the right of the Arguments. Click OK. 4. Try This, Too: AutoFill the Formula Use the AutoFill handle to fill down this formula in Column F. Formulas->Function Library-> Date & Time->MONTH Exam 77-888: Microsoft Excel Expert 2010 2. Applying Formulas and Functions 2.4. Apply functions in formulas: DATE Functions MONTH