Present a random selection of questions or pages
In this article:
About the random selection of questions and pages
In many use cases it makes sense not to show every question or page of a questionnaire, but instead to present a random selection from it. This helps to shorten the test duration, reduce response fatigue or avoid unintended influence from similar content.
Random selection is especially well suited to:
- Knowledge tests with a large question bank
- Experiments where each person should see only one condition
- Modular surveys in which topic blocks are distributed at random
- Learning or training systems with rotating tasks
In QUESTIONSTAR you can configure both individual questions and whole pages specifically for random selection.
In this article we'll show you when the feature makes sense and how to activate it step by step.
Random selection of questions
With the Random Number of Questions feature you can define that only a certain number of questions is selected at random and displayed from a larger set. This is especially useful when you want to:
- create a shortened test that retains the same explanatory power,
- use question pools to make repetitions less predictable,
- or create question variety without showing every question to all participants.
Example:
You have a block of 20 questions on general knowledge, but you want each person to answer only 5 randomly selected questions from this pool.
This keeps the test compact and yet variable for each individual.
Here's how to activate the random selection of questions:
- Open the Page Settings in the right-hand panel.
- Enable the “Random Number of Questions” option.
- Enter the number you want (e.g. 5 of 20).
- The order of the randomly selected questions can additionally be randomized if needed.
Note: If you want one or more specific questions – e.g. an instruction or introduction – to always be displayed, you can pin them. Pinned questions are not included in the random selection.
Here's how to pin a question:
- Open the Question Settings.
- Enable the “Pinned Question” toggle.
- A pin icon in the question bar indicates that this question is always displayed at its fixed position.
Random selection of pages
With the random selection of pages feature you can have a set number of pages displayed at random from several pages, while others are hidden.
This is especially suitable when you, for example:
- have created different scenarios or versions of a test, of which each person should see only one or two selected at random,
- want to distribute different thematic focuses within a survey at random,
- or vary the questionnaire length without losing explanatory power.
Example:
You have created 3 pages with different product variants to be rated. However, each participant should see only 1 of them, so that no assessment arises through comparison. Random selection ensures that each person sees a different page – but never more than one.
Here's how to activate the random selection of pages:
- Open the three-dot menu in the top menu area.
- Select “Randomize Blocks”.
- Group the pages in question by combining adjacent pages into a block.
- Enable the “Present X pages from this list at random” checkbox.
- Specify how many pages should be selected at random (e.g. 1 of 3).
- The order of the displayed pages can also be set at random.
- Within a block, individual pages can also be pinned or excluded from the selection, so that they are always displayed at their original positions.