15 question types
Every question type a survey or quiz needs
Short answers, grids, sliders, rankings, signatures and live word clouds — fifteen answer formats in one builder, each with its own validation and its own way of showing up in the results.
Slider
Pick a value along a range.
The full set, available on every survey
There is no feature gate between question types. Every survey you create can use all fifteen, in any combination, on any number of pages — a two-question pulse check and a forty-question research instrument draw from exactly the same toolbox.
The types fall into four families. Text and numeric fields capture open input: short answer with validation, sliders along a range, and date and time pickers. Choice fields narrow the answer down: multiple choice, true/false, checkboxes and dropdowns. Matrix fields ask the same scale about several things at once: multiple choice grids, checkbox grids and rating grids. And the specialist fields handle what generic form builders usually cannot: file upload, ranking, star or numeric rating, draw-to-sign signature, and a live word cloud.
Text & numeric
Short answer, slider, date & time — free input with validation rules.
Choice
Multiple choice, true/false, checkboxes, dropdown.
Matrix
Multiple choice grid, checkbox grid, rating grid — one scale, many rows.
Specialist
File upload, ranking, rating, signature, live word cloud.
Choosing the type that matches the answer
The type you pick decides what you can do with the answer afterwards, so it is worth a moment's thought. A five-point rating is comparable across respondents and produces an average; the same question asked as short answer produces fifteen different phrasings that somebody has to read. Where you want to count, use a closed type. Where you want to understand, use an open one.
Two types are worth knowing about because they solve problems people usually work around. Ranking asks respondents to drag options into order of preference, which tells you far more than asking them to tick their top three. And the grid types ask one shared scale about several rows at once — five statements rated on the same agreement scale become one compact block rather than five near-identical questions that make a form feel twice as long.
| Type | Summarised as | Auto-graded |
|---|---|---|
| Short answer | Grouped text | |
| Multiple choice | Count per option | |
| True / False | Count per option | |
| Checkboxes | Count per option | |
| Dropdown | Count per option | |
| Multiple choice grid | Column counts per row | |
| Checkbox grid | Column counts per row | |
| File upload | Downloadable list | |
| Slider | Mean and median | |
| Rating | Distribution | |
| Date & time | Grouped by date | |
| Ranking | Preference order | |
| Rating grid | Mean per row | |
| Signature | Signed / not signed | |
| Word cloud | Words by frequency |
Validation, scoring and results follow the type
Each type brings its own handling, so you do not configure the same thing twice. Short answer fields validate their input. Sliders produce a mean and a median across all responses. Choice and grid questions produce per-option counts that render as bar, donut or line charts. File uploads are virus-scanned on arrival and collected as downloadable references rather than pasted links.
Scoring works the same way. When a survey is switched into quiz mode, the types that have a correct answer — choice, true/false, checkboxes, dropdown, grids — take point values per option and are graded automatically, while open text stays unscored unless you review it. Nothing needs to be rebuilt to turn a survey into a quiz.
Sliders get statistics
Mean and median across all responses, not just a bar chart.
Uploads are scanned
Files are virus-scanned on upload before they reach your results.
Word clouds are filtered
A profanity filter runs before crowd words go on a shared screen.
The same question on any screen
Every type is built to work on a phone first, because that is where most responses arrive — a QR code on a slide or a poster puts the form in someone's hand within seconds. Grids reflow instead of forcing a horizontal scroll, signatures accept a fingertip as readily as a stylus, and ranking works by touch.
You can also change how the whole form is presented without touching a single question. Conversational mode shows one question per screen in a chat-like flow, which suits long forms and quizzes; the standard layout shows a full page at a time, which suits people who want to see what they are in for before they start.
Grids reflow, signatures take a fingertip, ranking works by touch.
Frequently asked questions
- How many question types does Jackpoll have?
- Fifteen: short answer, multiple choice, true/false, checkboxes, dropdown, multiple choice grid, checkbox grid, file upload, slider, rating, date & time, ranking, rating grid, signature and live word cloud. All fifteen are available on every survey at no cost.
- Can I mix question types in one survey?
- Yes. A survey can use any combination of types across as many pages as you need, and conditional logic can show or hide individual questions based on earlier answers.
- Which question types can be auto-graded?
- Any type with a definable correct answer — multiple choice, true/false, checkboxes, dropdown and the grid types — takes point values per option and is scored instantly in quiz mode.
- Can respondents upload files?
- Yes. The file upload type collects documents and images, scans them for viruses on arrival, and lists them in your results as downloadable references.
Keep reading
Related pages on the same topic.
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