Whether you need to collect RSVPs for an event, gather customer feedback, or test your students’ knowledge, Google Forms is one of the easiest and most powerful free tools available. It allows you to create professional surveys and quizzes in minutes.
How to Create a Basic Survey
- Start a New Form: Go to forms.google.com. Click the Blank plus icon to start from scratch, or choose a pre-made template from the Template Gallery.
- Add a Title: Click the text that says “Untitled form” at the top and type in the name of your survey. You can also add a brief description below it to tell respondents what the survey is for.
- Add Questions: Click the + (Plus) icon on the floating toolbar to the right of your form to add a new question.
- Choose Question Type: Next to your question text, click the dropdown menu to choose how people should answer. Options include:
- Short answer / Paragraph: For typed text responses.
- Multiple choice: Users can select only one answer.
- Checkboxes: Users can select multiple answers.
- Linear scale: Great for rating scales (e.g., “Rate from 1 to 5”).
- Require Answers: If a question is mandatory, toggle the Required switch at the bottom right of the question box.
How to Turn Your Form into a Graded Quiz
If you are a teacher or trainer, you can have Google Forms automatically grade the responses for you.
- At the top of the page, click the Settings tab.
- Toggle the switch that says Make this a quiz.
- Go back to the Questions tab.
- Click on any question, and you will now see an Answer key button at the bottom left.
- Click the Answer key, select the correct answer(s), assign a point value for the question, and click Done. The form will now calculate scores automatically when users submit their answers.
How to View the Results
Once you send out your form (using the purple Send button in the top right), you will want to review the data.
Open your form and click the Responses tab at the top. Here, you will see real-time charts and graphs summarizing the answers. For more detailed analysis, click the green Link to Sheets icon in the top right of the Responses tab. This automatically dumps all current and future survey answers into a neatly organized Google Sheets spreadsheet.