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SQL Beginner Challenge 20: Skipping Rows with OFFSET

Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated time: 10–15 minutes
SQL concepts: ORDER BY, LIMIT, OFFSET
Goal: Skip a number of rows before returning results (pagination basics).

The Scenario

The product manager asks:

“Can you show me the next 3 cheapest products, skipping the cheapest ones we already saw?”

This is a common requirement for pagination—showing results page by page.

Database Table

`products`

column_name	type	description
product_id	INTEGER	Unique product ID
name	TEXT	Product name
category	TEXT	Product category
price	DECIMAL	Product price

Sample Data

product_id	name	category	price
101	Wireless Mouse	Accessories	24.99
102	USB-C Hub	Accessories	34.50
103	Laptop Stand	Workspace	39.99
104	Webcam	Accessories	59.99
105	Mechanical Keyboard	Accessories	89.00
106	27-inch Monitor	Displays	229.99

Your Task

Write a SQL query that returns:

name
price

…but skips the 3 cheapest products and returns the next 3 cheapest.

Expected Output

name	price
Webcam	59.99
Mechanical Keyboard	89.00
27-inch Monitor	229.99

Constraints

Use ORDER BY
Use LIMIT
Use OFFSET
Do not use SELECT *

Hint (Optional)

To get predictable results:

Sort the data first
Skip rows with OFFSET
Limit how many rows are returned

Order matters.

SELECT name, price FROM products ORDER BY price ASC LIMIT 3 OFFSET 3;

Explanation

ORDER BY price ASC sorts products from cheapest to most expensive
OFFSET 3 skips the first three rows
LIMIT 3 returns the next three rows after the skipped ones

Together, LIMIT + OFFSET form the foundation of pagination.

Common Mistakes

Using OFFSET without ORDER BY
Forgetting that row order is undefined without sorting
Mixing up LIMIT and OFFSET values

Optional Extension (Mini Bonus)

Try:

Skip the first 5 products and show the next 2
Combine OFFSET with a WHERE clause
Implement page-based logic (page × page size)

Next Challenge

Beginner Challenge #21: Pagination Patterns (LIMIT vs OFFSET vs Cursor)

🔗 View reference solution on GitHub
(After you’ve tried the challenge)

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