Survey length calculator
Enter how many questions of each kind your survey has, and see about how long it takes to answer and which questions take the time.
Each kind of question has a typical answering time, and the estimate adds them up. A written answer takes about as long as three score questions, so open questions decide most of the length.
How long will your survey take?
The survey length calculator estimates how long people take to answer a survey, from the number of questions of each kind. Scores and yes or no questions take seconds; a written answer takes the longest. The bar shows which kind of question takes most of the time.
It uses the answering times Usertick uses for the length it shows on a survey drafted with AI or from pasted questions. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
- Fastest
- Scores and yes or no, about 8 s each
- Slowest
- Written answers, about 25 s each
- Result
- The estimated time, and where it goes
- Your data
- Stays in your browser
How the estimate works
Each kind of question has a typical answering time. The estimate multiplies each by how many of that kind the survey has and adds them up, then rounds it the way a survey's length is usually shown, to the nearest minute.
| Kind of question | About |
|---|---|
| Scores, stars, effort and yes or no | 8 s |
| Dropdown | 10 s |
| Multiple choice | 12 s |
| Ranking and points allocation | 15 s |
| Matrix and contact details | 20 s |
| Written answer | 25 s |
A survey length example
A survey with two score questions, two multiple choice questions, one matrix and one written answer comes to 2 × 8 + 2 × 12 + 20 + 25 seconds, or 1 minute 25 seconds.
Half of that is the matrix and the written answer. Drop the matrix and the survey takes about a minute.
- 2 score questions
- 16 s
- 2 multiple choice
- 24 s
- 1 matrix
- 20 s
- 1 written answer
- 25 s
- About
- 1 min 25 s
How long should a survey be?
As short as the decision allows. A survey shown on a website or in a web app works best with one to three questions, asked in the moment; a survey by email can ask a few more, since the person chose to open it.
Every question should lead to something you will do. If you wouldn't act on an answer, leave the question out.
Make a survey shorter
Small changes cut the time without losing what you need.
- Keep one open question, at the end
- Use logic to skip questions that don't apply
- Split a long matrix into the two or three rows that matter
- Ask for details you already have through your own systems, such as the plan, only when you can't pass them in
Survey length in Usertick
A survey drafted with AI or from pasted questions shows its estimated length before the editor opens, and each template in the gallery shows its question count and estimated minutes.
Once answers arrive, Results shows the median completion time, the median time on each question and, on timed questions, the share that ran out of time, so you can see where people slow down.
Questions about this calculator
It gives a typical time, not a promise. Long options, long labels and questions that need thought take longer, and people who skim take less.
The estimate counts every question you enter. If logic skips some questions for most people, leave those out to see the typical path.
NPS, stars, effort, emoji, slider and yes or no questions: one tap or one slide.
No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent.
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