Difference Between Multiple Choice and Rating Question

Multiple Choice Question Type

This super simple question type lets your survey participants choose one or more answers from a list of choices. When the participant chooses an option on your survey from the list of choices, it will be displayed in the results section in the form of a total number of times that choice has been selected. You can use multiple choice questions for these example scenarios

  • When you want to find out what does end user prefer from the list of things (ie. apples, oranges, pears or grapes)
  • When you want to find out what applies to the participant out of the list of choices (employed, unemployed, self-employed, employer)
  • When multiple choices may apply to that one participant (I own a house, I own an apartment, I own a studio)

An example of the final results for Multiple Choice question type:

Rating Question Type

Rating questions are a subset of multiple choice questions, however they will render different results. End user is presented with multiple choices such as a range between

  1. Satisfied
  2. Neutral
  3. Unsatisfied

You can also present these questions on a horizontal slider. End user chooses one of these options in regards to a question. In the results section you will be presented with a value that you have prescribed to the given choice.

You can use rating questions for these example scenarios:

  • When you want to know how satisfied your participant is with the services you provide
  • When you want to know how often does the participant perform certain tasks

An example of the results for Rating Question type can be seen below :

Misconception about Rating Question Type

In most cases Rating questions can be an overkill. If all you want is the total number of times a choice was selected, then Multiple Choice is a better option. In case you wouldn’t need a certain type choice outcome, such as “does not apply” or “other” in your final rating, then the better choice for this specific question you are asking your participant will be a Multiple choice question. On the other hand, in case you would need a specific rating outcome from your survey (for example to see how much your participants liked their food and accommodations) you would go with the Rating question type. We offer a range of different templates just for this purpose.