Multiple choice questionnaires (MCQs) are widely used to assess knowledge (tests, quizzes), collect data (surveys, polls) or measure opinions. This article explains what an MCQ is, the different possible question formats, and their advantages in creating surveys.
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Definition: What is an MCQ?
An Multiple Choice Question consists of closed-ended questions, where you have to choose one or more answers from a set of predefined options.
There are two types of MCQs:
- Single: Only one answer is possible per question
- Multiple: Several answers are possible for the same question
MCQs can have different answer formats: checkboxes, drop-down menus, matrices, rating scales…
Different Question Formats
Matrices
Multiple choice matrices allow asking several questions on the same topic, with the same answer options proposed. This allows comparing the answers and analyzing the correlations between the questions.
For example, 5 statements can be made about a product (ease of use, design, durability, etc.) and the same answer choices can be offered each time (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree).
This will easily provide percentage responses, positive or negative, for each criterion. And it will be possible to analyze whether certain aspects are correlated (a poor rating on the design also implies a poor rating on the overall appreciation for instance).
Drop-down Menus
Drop-down menus make it possible to display many answers while taking up little space. It is a practical format when there are many possible answers.
Drop-down menus are well suited for multiple choice questions with many possible responses, such as:
- Age group
- Level of education
- Socio-professional category
- Department or region of residence
- Etc.
This format takes up less space than a vertical list of checkboxes. It allows asking questions with many choice answers without visually overloading the questionnaire.
Drop-down menus thus bring simplicity and flexibility in the design of MCQs, while making it easier for respondents to participate.
Ranking
The ranking format consists of presenting a list of items and asking respondents to rank them in order of preference.
For example, one can ask:
“Rank the following criteria in order of importance when choosing a car:”
- Price
- Design
- Reliability
- Comfort
- Safety
The respondent then has to drag and drop the items to order them from most important to least important in their view.
This format makes it easy to obtain an average ranking for all respondents. We can thus determine which criteria are the highest priorities in a choice or decision.
It provides a more nuanced vision than simple checkboxes or separate ratings. The ranking accurately reflects the trade-offs and hierarchy between different elements.
Evaluation
A Likert scale allows collecting the level of agreement or appreciation from respondents.
For instance, one can ask them to rate different criteria on a scale of 1 to 5:
- Product design: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Ease of use: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Value for money: ☆☆☆☆☆
The rating format on a quantitative scale makes it easy to obtain an average score for each criterion. Scores can thus be compared to see which aspects were best or least rated.
An overall average score can also be calculated by averaging all the ratings across the different criteria.
This quantified rating format is very common because it is simple to implement and analyze. It allows easily leveraging trends and quantitative benchmarks.
Advantages of Multiple Choice Questions in Surveys
Multiple choice questionnaires are easy to analyze thanks to the statistics and percentages they generate. They make it easy to quantify responses and obtain actionable data.
Participation is easy for respondents as there is no writing required. They are guided towards pre-defined answers, thus avoiding irrelevant responses.
Multiple Choice Questions are available online on all devices: smartphones, tablets, computers. They are thus very accessible and make it possible to reach a maximum number of people.
The standardized format of the answers makes these questionnaires comparable. As the responses are fixed, it is possible to benchmark and track the evolution of the results over time.
Finally, MCQs are quick to fill out thanks to the pre-defined choice of answers. They therefore collect a maximum amount of data in a minimum amount of time.
These various advantages make multiple choice questionnaires reliable and easy-to-use tools.
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Read the article:
German – Multiple-Choice-Fragen, click here
French – question à choix multiples, click here
Portuguese – Perguntas de Múltipla Escolha, click here