How to create a survey?

A survey is a flexible and efficient option for collecting valuable feedback, opinions, and insights from respondents. Testportal offers a dedicated survey question type, but other question types such as single-choice, multiple-choice, descriptive and true/false are also suitable for creating engaging surveys.

Surveys created with Testportal are ideal for:

• Collecting feedback and suggestions from customers or event participants.

• Measuring satisfaction and evaluating the quality of products, services, events, or training.

• Assessing the audience needs to better tailor future activities to respondents' expectations,

as well as for many other use cases and goals.

In this guide, you'll find clear, step-by-step instructions on how to create an effective and engaging survey using Testportal's powerful tools and features.

Online survey creation

With Testportal’s intuitive and efficient platform, you can easily create surveys and data collection forms. And while our name may suggest a focus on tests, our features are just as powerful and flexible for conducting insightful online surveys.

To create a survey, follow these steps:

• In the My tests menu, click the green New test button and choose Create from scratch option.

• Next, you'll see the Basic settings screen. There, you can start working on your new survey.

With just one click, your new online survey is ready. Start adding your questions right away

Basic settings

Here, you will find two sections:

• Initial settings

Enter your survey name. You can add a new survey category or choose from the previously created ones. Categories are helpful if you want to author tests from various fields of knowledge. In the 'Description', you can include additional information about the survey.

• Logo

You can add a logo to the new survey if your plan supports this feature. You can also use the Testportal logo (default option) or hide a logo. Find more about how to add the organization’s logo to your survey in another of our Help Center articles.

Confirm basic settings by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the screen.

How to create a question - Questions manager

• Adding new survey questions

To add the first question to your survey, select the Questions manager tab in the 'Test configuration' menu on the left-hand side, and then:

1. Click the green Add question button.

2. Then, add the content of your Question 1 in the text box.

3. Next, select a question category or add a new one if needed.

4. Select an answer type from different variants (e.g., survey, descriptive) the platform offers. You can also find out more about what question types you can create on Testportal.

   For certain question types, such as single choice, multiple choice, or short answer questions, points will be awarded for the responses provided.

5. You can also enrich your questions with various attachments, to make them more engaging. Read more about how to add a file to a question or answer on Testportal.

Your survey’s success starts with great questions. At Testportal, you can choose from multiple question types tailored to different needs.

• Adding answers to question

1. Add answers.

2. To delete an answer, use the trash icon to the right of it.

3. To add another answer field, select Add answer.

4. After adding answers, save the question with the Save or Save and add the next button.

5. Add more questions and answers in the same manner until your survey is ready.

Survey access

Now, it's time to configure how your respondents can access your survey.

Online survey sharing is possible via:

• a link,

• private access codes

• a group password,

• link (training/quiz),

• sharing as a tab in Microsoft Teams.

Testportal offers multiple test access options to suit a wide range of needs and scenarios

If you choose private access codes, fill in the 'Number of respondents' and click Add. Next, enter your respondents' emails in the table.

Add email addresses, and Testportal will send a unique access code to each one. No extra steps needed.

You can also find more information about the access to survey on Testportal.

Survey start page

The Test start page is where you add Instructions for respondents and configure the fields they need to fill out before beginning the survey.

If you're creating an anonymous survey, you can set up a start page without requiring respondents to fill in any mandatory fields.

Click Save to confirm settings.

The test start page is the first screen your respondents will see before beginning the survey

If you need to include personal data processing information, etc. and/or add a consent form to the Test start page, our EDU University, MAX and MAX Customized plans feature that option.

Reach out to us using the contact form, and we will provide you with detailed information.

Grading and the survey summary

You don’t need to set grading or scoring for your survey. Regardless of that, it’s a good idea to set a message your respondents will see after completing the survey - it’s a helpful way to communicate with them and wrap up the experience.

• Survey end message and redirection

Here, you can set the information your respondents will see after completing their survey. You can also set a redirect to an external website.

• Information for respondents

Here, you decide what respondents will see in their test end message.

Time settings

• Survey duration

Testportal allows you to set the online survey time limit for the entire survey and each survey question.

For example, to give respondents 30 minutes to complete their surveys, use the 'Time to complete the test' option.

Time limits keep your survey focused and fair - boosting the credibility of results

Using the 'Manual test activation', you can enter the test activation period. This way, the survey will be active for a selected period of time. Select seven days if you want your survey to be available for exactly one week from the activation. Click Save to confirm settings.

To get the most out of your tests, read more about the time parameters.

When all test settings are ready, go through the test configuration again and check if all values are correct.

How to activate a online survey on Testportal?

You have two ways to activate a survey:

• With the Activate test option, if you selected 'Manual test activation' in the Time settings.

Once you’ve reviewed everything and your survey is ready, go ahead and activate it

• With the Schedule test option, if you chose 'Activation in a set time period' in the Time settings. This will activate the online survey at the selected time.

When a survey is ready, remember to take it yourself before sending it to the respondents. It will allow you to spot possible errors and prepare for possible questions.

If you need to reuse a survey, for example with a new group of respondents, you can reactivate it. You can find detailed instructions in the article.

You can quickly duplicate any online survey created in Testportal with just a few clicks

It will create a copy where you can edit all questions, answers, and settings.

Online survey sharing

The next steps depend on the chosen type of test access.

• Private access codes will be automatically sent to respondents' email addresses just before the start of the survey.

• If you choose an public link, you must copy and send it to the respondents. Use emails, chat, or other communication methods.

• If you choose a group password, provide your respondents with the sub-domain page address and test password. 

When you complete the survey, you will see the result in the 'Test progress & results'.

Testportal offers extensive reporting and result analysis features. Make sure to explore more about the reports options.