---
url: "https://questionstar.com/help/question-types/ranking/"
title: "Ranking question type — ask for an order, analyze it cleanly"
description: "Put answer options in order via drag-and-drop. Mobile-friendly, with correct aggregated analysis by rank."
lastmod: "2026-07-08"
type: "help"
---

# Ranking question type

## About the "Ranking" question type

With the "Ranking" question type, respondents can order a certain number of answer options by their priority. To do this, they drag the most important items to the top via drag & drop. This question type is especially suitable when you want to find out which options, attributes or criteria matter most to your target group.

Typical use cases:

- Which criteria matter most to you when buying a smartphone?
- Which employee-motivation measures do you find most effective?
- Which communication channels do you prefer to use?
- Which tasks should be tackled first in the project?

> 💡
> 
> **Note:**
> 
>  Since this question type is based on **drag-and-drop**, it is **not accessible** and therefore **for surveys with high accessibility requirements** (e.g. for blind or severely visually impaired people) **not suitable**.
>  In such cases, please switch to other question types — for example the [Form](/help/question-types/form), which lets respondents assign the ranks via keyboard.

## Question type settings

The right-hand settings panel offers the following question-type-specific options:

![Ranking question type](/api/media/file/1a.-Fragetyp-Rangfolge.png)

1. **Maximum ranks:**
 Here you set the maximum number of answer options that respondents may prioritize.
 By default, all alternatives can be put into a ranking.
 In many cases, however, it makes sense to limit the selection to, say, the **top 3**. Such a limit:**focuses attention on the most important options**,**reduces the effort and cognitive load**, especially with long lists,**simplifies the analysis**, by considering only the most relevant placements.
2. **"Not Applicable" option:**
 If this option is enabled, an additional choice such as "can't judge" is shown automatically — right next to the respective answer row.
 This is especially helpful when some criteria **do not apply to all respondents** (e.g. "experience using product XY") or **require specific knowledge**.
3. **Randomized order of rows:**
 When enabled, the answer options appear for each respondent in [random order ](/help/branching-and-display-logic/random-order).
 This helps you avoid position effects and increases the neutrality of the answers.
4. **Pin item**
 If the "**Randomized order of rows**" setting is enabled, individual answer options can be **pinned to their original position** via the Pin item button in the help menu of the respective alternative.
 This is especially helpful for avoiding confusion with certain answer options — for example:when the "**Other**" alternative should always appear at the end,when particularly **relevant options should be at the top** or less important ones **at the bottom**.**Important:**
 The pinning only affects **the initial display of the question**. Once the page has loaded, pinned alternatives can be **moved freely** by respondents.
5. **Item settings:**
 Using the gear icon next to each row, you can make additional settings for individual answer options — e.g. highlighting, an "Other" field or requiring text entry.

## Item settings

For each answer row, the following individual settings are available in the help menu (gear icon):

![Answer alternative settings](/api/media/file/2.-Einstellungen-der-Antwortalternative.png)

- **Highlight item:**
 Adds a colored background highlight to the answer row — useful for emphasizing certain options.
- **Add text field (e.g. "Other"):**
 Adds an additional input field to the answer row — ideal for the "Other" option.
- **Require answer for "Other":**
 When enabled, the text field must be filled in as soon as the option is selected.
- **Placeholder text for text field:**
 Optional: Shows a gray hint text in the text field (e.g. "Please specify").

## Example of a ranking question

The following example shows a typical ranking question:
 Respondents are asked to prioritize the three criteria most important to them when choosing a smartphone.
 This kind of question is ideal when you want to understand which aspects have the highest priority for your target group — e.g. battery life, price-performance ratio or brand preference.
 👉 Respondents drag the most relevant options to the desired position via drag & drop.

*[Interaktiv:  — siehe HTML-Version der Seite]*

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