Survey length estimator

As a Pro user, you’ll see the Survey Length Estimator at the bottom of the sidebar on the Question List page. As you create and delete survey questions, the estimated time your participants need to take the survey increases or decreases. For the best completion rate, keep your survey length under 6 minutes. If your survey is more than 20 minutes, consider removing and reorganizing some of your questions.

Make your questions as clear and precise as possible. Keep the following in mind as you create your survey:

• Create as few choices as possible for Multiple Choice, Rating, Scoring, Form, and Image questions.
• Multiple Choice and Image questions with the Select Multiple option selected take longer to complete.
• Multiple Choice questions with the Write-In Choice option selected add time to your survey.
• Essay questions take the longest to complete of any question type.
• Essay questions with Min Characters also take longer to complete.
• Form questions with lots of choices have a large impact on your survey completion time.
• Scale, Rating, and Date/Time questions take the least amount of time.
• Additional Comments increase the amount of time per question.

Remember, less is more. If you create a survey that exhausts your participants’ patience, expect a higher bounce rate. Creating incentives, prize drawings, and other ways to reward those who take your survey also helps you get participants to take it. If you need specific criteria or panelists to take your survey, check out SurveyPlanet Audiences, a resource for directing qualified respondents directly to your survey.