> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.dscout.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.dscout.com/study-basics/question-types/closed-ended-questions/ranking-questions.md). # Ranking questions
Study typeAvailability
Screenerstrue
Usability teststrue
Media surveystrue
Intercept studiestrue
AI moderated studiesfalse
Diary studiestrue
Ranking questions let participants put a list of options in order, such as from most to least important or from most to least preferred. Use a ranking question when you want to know how participants prioritize options against each other, instead of rating each option on its own.
Participants drag options into a ranked list, so each position holds one option and no two options can share a rank. You can ask participants to rank every option or only some of them, such as their top three. {% hint style="info" %} **Note:** Ranking questions aren't available in AI moderated studies or in Partner Panels screeners. {% endhint %} ### Ranking question settings The settings available on a ranking question depend on which type of study you're building. Select your study type below for more information. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Screeners" %} Add ranking questions to a screener in the **Additional questions** section of the **Screener** tab. | Setting | Description | | -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Prompt** | The question applicants answer. Tell applicants what the numbers mean. You can format the prompt with `*bold*`, `_italic_`, and `[link text](http://example.com)`. Type @ to recall a closed-ended response from earlier in your screener. | | **Rank choices** | The options applicants put in order. | | **Rank only some choices** | Off by default, so applicants rank every choice. Turn it on to let applicants rank only part of the list. This setting is available once the question has at least two choices. | | **Rank at least** and **Rank at most** | Appear when **Rank only some choices** is on. Set the fewest and the most choices applicants must rank. Set both to the same number to ask for an exact count, such as 3 for a top three. The most can't be higher than the number of choices, and the fewest can't be higher than the most. | | **Randomize rank choices** | Presents the choices in a random order to each applicant. | | **"Other" option** | Lets applicants type in their own choice and rank it. Applicants don't have to add one, but if they do, they must place it in their ranking. | | **Mark rank options as N/A** | Appears when applicants rank every choice. Lets applicants move options that don't apply to them into a separate N/A area instead of ranking them. | | **Stimuli** (optional) | Attach up to 5 images for applicants to react to. For more information, see [Question stimuli](/study-basics/question-types/question-settings-and-organization/question-stimuli.md). | | **Stimuli randomization** | Presents attached stimuli in a random order to each applicant. This setting appears once the question has more than one stimulus attached. | | **Skip logic** (optional) | Route applicants to a later question or end the screener after they answer. Every applicant who answers goes to the same place, however they ranked the choices. For more information, see [Skip logic in screeners](/study-basics/design-a-study/skip-logic-in-screeners.md). | | {% endtab %} | | {% tab title="Usability, intercept, and media surveys" %} Add ranking questions on the **Usability test**, **Study**, or **Media survey** tab of your builder. | Setting | Description | | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Prompt** | The question participants answer. Tell participants what the numbers mean. You can format the prompt with `*bold*`, `_italic_`, and `[link text](http://example.com)`. Type @ to recall a closed-ended response from earlier in your study. | | **Rank choices** | The options participants put in order. | | **Rank only some choices** | Off by default, so participants rank every choice. Turn it on to let participants rank only part of the list. This setting is available once the question has at least two choices. | | **Rank at least** and **Rank at most** | Appear when **Rank only some choices** is on. Set the fewest and the most choices participants must rank. Set both to the same number to ask for an exact count, such as 3 for a top three. The most can't be higher than the number of choices, and the fewest can't be higher than the most. | | **Randomize rank choices** | Presents the choices in a random order to each participant. | | **"Other" option** | Lets participants type in their own choice and rank it. Participants don't have to add one, but if they do, they must place it in their ranking. | | **Mark rank options as N/A** | Appears when participants rank every choice. Lets participants move options that don't apply to them into a separate N/A area instead of ranking them. | | **Stimuli** (optional) | Attach up to 5 pieces of media for participants to react to. For more information, see [Question stimuli](/study-basics/question-types/question-settings-and-organization/question-stimuli.md). | | **Stimuli randomization** | Presents attached stimuli in a random order to each participant. This setting appears once the question has more than one stimulus attached. | | **Skip logic** (optional) | Route participants to a later question, question group, or the end of the study after they answer. Every participant who answers goes to the same place, however they ranked the choices. For more information, see [Skip logic](/study-basics/design-a-study/skip-logic-in-usability-tests-media-surveys-and-intercept-studies.md). | | {% endtab %} | | {% tab title="Diary studies" %} Add ranking questions to a diary study on the **Questions** tab of your builder. | Setting | Description | | --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Prompt** | The question participants answer. Tell participants what the numbers mean. You can format the prompt with `*bold*`, `_italic_`, and `[link text](http://example.com)`. | | **Rank choices** | The options participants put in order. | | **Ranking limits** | Choose **Rank all** to have participants rank every choice, or **Custom limit** to let them rank only some. With a custom limit, **Scouts rank at least** and **Scouts rank at most** set the fewest and the most choices participants rank. Set both to the same number to ask for an exact count. | | **Randomize rank choices** | Presents the choices in a random order to each participant. | | **Include "Other" option** | Lets participants type in their own choice and rank it. Participants don't have to add one, but if they do, they must place it in their ranking. | | **Scouts can mark rank options as N/A** | Available with **Rank all**. Lets participants move options that don't apply to them into a separate N/A area instead of ranking them. | | **Stimuli** (optional) | Attach up to 5 images for participants to react to. For more information, see [Question stimuli](/study-basics/question-types/question-settings-and-organization/question-stimuli.md). | | **Stimuli randomization** | Presents attached stimuli in a random order to each participant. This setting appears once the question has more than one stimulus attached. | | **Skip logic** (optional) | Route participants to a later point in the activity after they answer. Every participant who answers goes to the same place, however they ranked the choices. For more information, see [Skip logic in diary studies](/study-basics/design-a-study/skip-logic-in-diary-studies.md). | | {% endtab %} | | | {% endtabs %} | | #### When to rank all choices and when to set a limit * **Rank all:** Use this when participants know enough about every option to rank each one thoughtfully, such as *Rank your favorite colors from most favorite (1) to least favorite (6).* * **Rank only some choices:** Use this when you want participants' top options, such as *Rank your top three pizza toppings from most favorite (1) to least favorite (3).* Try to keep a ranking question to between 6 and 10 options. Ranking too many items against each other can be overwhelming, and in a long list the middle rankings tend to be less reliable. ### Add a ranking question to a study {% hint style="info" %} **Note:** In a screener, ranking questions go in the **Additional questions** section. They can't be knockout questions, and they aren't available on the screeners of auto-recruit studies, which support only multiple choice questions. For more information, see [Question types in screeners](/recruit-participants/what-are-dscout-screeners/question-types-in-screeners.md). {% endhint %} {% stepper %} {% step %} Navigate to the tab of your builder where you want the question—**Questions**, **Usability test**, **Study**, **Media survey**, or **Screener**, depending on your study type. {% endstep %} {% step %} Click **+ Add** in the center of the builder or in the left sidebar. (**+ Add question** in diary studies, or **Add additional question** in screeners.) {% endstep %} {% step %} Select **Ranking**.
{% endstep %} {% step %} Enter your **Prompt**. {% hint style="success" %} **Tip:** In your prompt, tell participants what the numbers mean. For example: *Rank the following pizza toppings from best (1) to worst (6).* {% endhint %} {% endstep %} {% step %} Add your **Rank choices**.
{% endstep %} {% step %} Configure the remaining settings. For details, see [Ranking question settings](#ranking-question-settings) above. {% endstep %} {% step %} Click **Done**. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} #### How participants answer Participants drag choices from the list into a **Ranked** area to put them in order. If you turned on the N/A option, they drag choices that don't apply to them into a separate N/A area. If you turned on the Other option, participants can choose **Add custom choice** and type in their own. On the web, participants can also use a **+** (Rank choices) button next to the **Ranked** area to add choices without dragging. #### Group and randomize ranking questions Ranking questions work with Dscout's question-organization features: * [**Question groups**](/study-basics/question-types/question-settings-and-organization/question-groups.md) keep related questions together and can randomize the order they're presented in. * [**Multi-variate testing**](/study-basics/question-types/question-settings-and-organization/multi-variate-testing.md) presents different concepts or design variants to different participants. * [**Question banks**](/study-basics/question-types/question-settings-and-organization/question-banks.md) let you save a ranking question and reuse it across studies. ### Analyze a ranking question #### Screeners, usability tests, intercept studies, and media surveys In the **Questions** view, a ranking question shows its results in two ways. Switch between them with the tabs above the results: **Distribution:** A row for each option, ordered by score, with a bar showing where participants placed it. Bars are shaded from bottom rank to top rank.
**Table:** A row for each option with its **Overall** position, its **Score**, and the number and percentage of participants who put it in each rank. If you turned on the N/A option, the table also has an N/A column. The last column shows the total number of participants who ranked or marked the option.
The card also shows how many participants answered. #### Diary studies In diary study analysis, ranking questions live on the **Closed-ended responses** view and show the same Distribution and Table results. **Distribution:**
**Table:**
#### Overall position and score Each option gets a score based on where participants ranked it, and the **Overall** column orders the options by score. The option with the highest score is 1 in the **Overall** column, the next is 2, and so on. Every option gets an overall position, even an option that few participants ranked. To calculate a score, Dscout gives each rank position a weight, multiplies the number of participants who put the option in that position by the weight, adds the results together, and divides by the number of participants who answered the question. In the formula, *w* is the weight of a rank position and *x* is the number of participants who gave the option that position. Weights run in reverse. The top position has the largest weight, and the last position has a weight of 1. For example, if participants can give 5 rank positions: * The #1 choice has a weight of 5. * The #2 choice has a weight of 4. * The #3 choice has a weight of 3. * The #4 choice has a weight of 2. * The #5 choice has a weight of 1. If participants rank only some choices, the number of positions is the most they can rank. If you turned on the Other option and participants rank all choices, there is one extra position for the Other choice. If you turned on the N/A option, an N/A answer adds no points to an option's score, but the participant is still counted in the average. #### View individual responses Open a participant's entry, session, or application to see their choices listed in the order they ranked them. Choices a participant marked as N/A are listed separately.
#### Export ranking responses The CSV export of your study's response data has one column for each option, with the rank each participant gave it. An option a participant didn't rank is blank, or N/A if you turned on the N/A option. If you turned on the Other option, it has two columns: one for the rank given to the Other choice and one for the text participants typed. ### Frequently asked questions
How many options can a ranking question have? There is no set limit on the number of options. We recommend between 6 and 10, because ranking too many items against each other can be overwhelming, and the middle rankings in a long list tend to be less reliable. In the Table view during analysis, each rank position gets its own column, so very long lists are hard to read. If you have a long list, set a limit so participants rank only their top few.
Can participants give two options the same rank? No. Participants drag options into a single ordered list, so each position holds one option. Participants can't skip a position either.
Do participants have to use the Other option? No. When you turn on the Other option, participants can choose **Add custom choice** to type in their own, but they don't have to, even when they rank all choices. If a participant adds a custom choice, they must place it in their ranking before they can continue.
Why does my table show a ranking for every option when participants only ranked their top 3? The **Overall** column orders all of your options by score, including options that few or no participants ranked. The **Rank 1**, **Rank 2**, and **Rank 3** columns show how many participants put each option in each position they could use. Options that participants didn't rank have a score of 0 and appear at the bottom.
Can I use a participant's top or last choice in a later question? Yes. In the prompt of a later question, type @ and select the ranking question, then choose **First ranked choice** or **Last ranked choice**. For more information, see [Piping (recall) logic](/study-basics/design-a-study/piping-recall-logic.md).
Can I use answers from an earlier question as the choices in a ranking question? No. You can recall earlier answers in a question's prompt, but not as its answer choices. Add the choices to the ranking question yourself.
Can I send participants to different questions based on how they rank? No. Skip logic on a ranking question sends every participant to the same place after they answer, however they ranked the choices. To branch on a preference, use a [multiple choice](/study-basics/question-types/closed-ended-questions/multiple-choice-questions.md) question instead.
Can I add a ranking question to an AI moderated study or a Partner Panels screener? No. AI moderated studies support only multiple choice and scale questions for closed-ended responses. Partner Panels screeners support only multiple choice, typed response, scale, and number questions. For more information, see [Question types in AI moderated studies](/ai-moderated-studies/what-are-ai-moderated-studies/question-types-in-ai-moderated-studies.md) and [Recruit from Partner Panels using a screener](/recruit-participants/partner-panels/recruit-from-partner-panels-using-a-screener.md).
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