Imagine analyzing a survey where no two people from your target audience want the same feature. What an uphill task for the decision-makers!

Their jaws would drop. They’ll scratch their heads and scream internally to find the point of surveying if it’s not helping them decide better.

But when you know about ranking questions examples, you can prevent this from happening. That’s where surveys would accumulate data to help teams make faster and better decisions.

Here, we’ll give 12 ranking questions examples for three use cases that are of utmost importance for every survey campaign.

In this blog, we’ll cover:

Ranking questions examples for market research
Ranking questions examples for employees
Ranking questions examples for teachers

What Are Ranking Questions?

A ranking question is a type of survey question that asks respondents to compare and arrange multiple options based on their preferences. The arrangements are most to least preferred, or vice versa. Unlike rating questions where respondents evaluate each option independently, ranking questions force choices that reveal true priorities.

Survey ranking questions do the job of finding what clicks well with the customers, employees, teachers, and students among all the present options. Using these results, companies, and educational institutions make necessary changes, correctly upgrade, or adopt new methodologies that yield the intended results.

When should you use ranking questions in your surveys? They’re particularly effective when you need to:

Determine priorities among multiple options
Understand preference hierarchies
Force trade-offs between competing features
Identify which factors matter most to your audience

Ready to see what clicks with your audience? With SurveySparrow’s easy-to-use ranking questions, you can quickly find out what your audience prefers. Use the insights to make smart changes and improve results.

Sign up today and start creating surveys that give you the answers you need.

[shortcode name="signup_component"]

Best Practices for Creating Effective Ranking Questions

Before jumping in, let’s cover some best practices that will help you create ranking questions:

Keep the options manageable: Limit your list to 5-7 items whenever possible. Too many options can overwhelm respondents and lead to survey fatigue.
Keep your options distinct: Each item should be clearly different from the others to avoid confusion and rank meaningfully.
Use clear instructions: Explicitly state whether 1 represents the highest or lowest ranking.
Consider mobile users: Ensure your ranking questions are easy to interact with on mobile devices, especially where drag-and-drop might be challenging.

Analyze contextually: Remember that rankings provide relative rather than absolute data—they tell you preferences in relation to other options, not standalone importance.

Best 12 Ranking Questions Examples

You now know what survey ranking questions are and what we mean when we say ‘ranking questions examples’.

That means it’s time to let the cat out of the bag …(drumrolls)… and give 12 ranking survey questions as examples in these three categories. Find the perfect space, grab your cuppa, and don’t miss a word here. You’ll thank us later!

Ranking question examples: A product market research survey by SurveySparrow — Product market research survey

1. For Market Research 🔎

Here are the 12 best ranking questions examples to ask your customers and target audience:

1. How would you rank the following problems from high to low?

This question is a perfect example of ranking survey questions, as it allows survey-takers to know the most prevalent problem faced in their industry. The focus then shifts to finding solutions to the top two problems. Why? Because this is where the true potential lies!

2. Which product features, in ranked order, do you use the most?

Market research is not always about the target market, you know. Many a time, it’s about finding your customers’ perceptions of your products. What do they like the most about one of your products, and what do they don’t? For any organization, knowing the answers to this is a superpower.

3. What features are important to you while ordering a ____? Please rank the following features from most to least important.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Your products and offerings aren’t different, either. They also can’t be perfected right away. What’s required is constant chipping and changing. And that comes from a question like this, where the target market ranks features they most wish to see in a product of your industry, let’s say smartwatches.

4. Rank the features you like the best in your current ____? Here 1 means the most important and 4 means least.

This survey ranking question will again let you and your team pivot, making the product better. The only difference, you’ll survey the existing customers, and the options included will be the top four or five features of a particular product.

5. Rank the features that will improve your user experience while using our website?

“If you think user research is expensive, you should look at the cost of building the wrong thing.” ― Mario Maruffi

Mario said all that there is to say about the importance of this ranking question example.

This question isn’t just applicable to software. For instance, there’s a neat example of a rank order question in the SurveySparrow template below. Click to start using it for free.

Food Preference Questionnaire Template

Preview Template

6. Which feature will make our ____ indispensable for you? Please rank from the most to least essential?

One of those ranking questions examples that clearly highlight what makes your product(s) exceptional and what doesn’t. If you’re gunning for sustained business growth, you need to (absolutely need to!) know about this. We cannot emphasize it further.

7. What will make you leave us? Rank from high to low.

While knowing which feature will make your product indispensable is vital, it’s also crucial to understand what features, product changes or service issues will make customers leave for pastures new. This survey ranking question is how you’ll know that.

8. Who is your trusted ____, in ranked order?

When entering a new industry, it’s a ‘men vs. boys’ scenario. The heavyweights of the industry are taking the majority market share, and you have to take that away from them. It’s a tough task that becomes tougher when you don’t know who these competitors are.

Don’t do that. List your prime competitors using this rank order question.

9. Which repayment structure, in ranked order, suits you the most?

This would highlight the flexibility of repayment that your target market wants. If you can give them what they want, (swoosh…) magic happens!

10. If given a massive discount, where will you spend the most? Please rank the options from most to least important.

This ranking question will highlight two things:

Are the survey respondents interested in products from your industry?
Those who say yes are interested when the discounts are massive. So, if you can give them that, they’re likely to convert.

11. Rank your expectations, most to least preferred, from our customer service team.

Steve Jobs was a huge believer in using customer experience to build and optimize products. This ranking survey question will highlight what your audience expects from customer service and the customer success teams.

12. As a valued customer, we wish to know what you’re expecting the most from us next?

One of the best ranking questions examples is that kills two birds with one arrow.

How?

You’re giving importance to your long-standing customers, which they all want, and getting to know what they want next in terms of products, features, or services.

At SurveySparrow, from 12 questions types and question library, this is the most used one by our clients, and rightly so!

Ranking question examples: An employee benefits survey by SurveySparrow — Employee benefits survey

2. For Employees 💼

Using ranking survey questions becomes crucial for employees, as your HR team finds out what culture, work, appreciation type, and managerial style they prefer. That ultimately helps in upping the employee engagement and satisfaction levels. And you already know what happy employees can do!

Here are the 12 ranking questions examples, then:

1. Rank the benefits that are most important to you?

Every organization needs to provide benefits that resonate well with employees. Otherwise, it won’t bring the intended satisfaction levels for them.

For this very reason, this rank order survey question becomes really crucial and our first example of this category.

2. What are your goals, in ranked order, with the company?

Out of the 12 ranking questions examples, this one finds employee motivation level the best.

Use it in your employee satisfaction surveys, and voila… you’ll know how motivated they are to work for your organization.

3. What tool will help you at work the most? Please rank them.

Without the right tools and software, work in 2023 doesn’t happen rightly. This question highlights what tools employees need and what they don’t.

4. How would you rank these four options for their contribution to the work culture?

The work culture is the spine of every organization, big or small. The pandemic showed its importance further, and this question is the perfect way to understand what factors contribute to a healthy work culture according to your employees.

5. How would you rank these four managerial styles?

After work culture, the next most essential aspect for every company is the managerial or leadership style. The right leadership can work wonders, and taking your employees’ views becomes pivotal in bringing the right manager and managerial style into action.

6. Rank the training type that will help you get better at work?

Soft skills, technical, leadership, or culture building training. Whatever would help employees get better at their work should get implemented. This ranking question helps find that out.

7. What do you think represents the organization best? Please rank the options from the most to least preferred.

This question is important to ask as you get an outside perspective on what your organization means or stands for in the eyes of the customer. But the catch here is that your employees will rank the options here.

8. What will make you happier? Please rank the options from most to least preferred.

This question is for dissatisfied employees. But there’s no harm in asking everyone, too. They’ll rank their choices and the changes will make the workplace happier for them.

9. Rank the four options to help us understand how the recognition process can improve?

Whether or not they admit it, all employees wait for good recognition and appreciation every year or quarter. Sometimes they’re satisfied with the process, and sometimes they aren’t. It’s crucial to keep bettering the recognition process. For that very reason, this survey ranking question is an automatic inclusion in your employee surveys.

10. What new work responsibility would you prefer? Please rank from the most to least preferred.

Every elite organization… literally every elite organization prepares futures leaders that can take them forward. This simple question starts finding them.

11. Rank the options on how well they describe your team.

“Teamwork makes the dream work.”

It’s a famous phrase, and one that is tested when employees rank the options describing their team. You’ll figure out when something’s not right from the answers. That would allow you to shuffle things and bring better team cohesion. And that’s pivotal for continued business success.

12. Rank the four options on how working from home can be a better experience.

Working from home came to light in the pandemic’s wake, and although things are cool with this new way of working, there’s no denying that it can get better.

What’s best than asking all your employees to rank options that might make WFH more efficient, comfortable, and hence better?

Ranking question examples: A teacher job application form by SurveySparrow — Teacher job application form

3. For Teachers 📒

An outstanding teacher has always been pivotal for the success of humanity since times eternity. But how to find such teachers?

Well, one way is short-listing the resumes and interviewing interested candidates. That’s the traditional method. We’re in 2023, so let’s skip the tradition here and give you 12 ranking questions examples to find quality teachers that can make a difference for schools and colleges.

1. From most relevant to the least, please rank your teaching philosophy from the provided options.

This ranking question will reveal how a candidate likes to teach and include his/her class in the process. This will also somewhat show the personality he/she has.

2. Rank the aspects that motivate you to teach from highest to lowest.

One of the few ranking questions examples to show if a candidate is seriously considering teaching, or just as a part-time profession, as money and other career opportunities are going to be the options here among others.

3. How would you best describe the school/college vision in a ranked order?

The teacher applying at a particular school or college must know the strengths, weaknesses, and particularly their vision. And they’ll rank the options correctly if they’ve done their homework well.

So, ask potential teacher candidates this ranking question and you’ll get a good idea of who all are not the right fit. That’s just as important as finding the right candidate, honestly.

4. What personality traits are you most comfortable teaching? Here, 1 means the trait you are most comfortable with and 4 means the personality trait you least want to teach.

Curious yet notorious, introvert, a loud personality, etc. We’ve all heard these personality types. They fill the classrooms of schools and colleges with these and even more distinct personalities. And it’s crucial to understand what types can a particular teacher handle the best. This question would do the job.

5. How would you rank the students of this school/college from the options?

Again, if the potential teacher has done his/her homework well, they’ll rank the options correctly.

6. What are your goals, in ranked order, in joining this school/college?

This survey ranking question reveals whether a candidate will give a long-term commitment or not.

7. How would you rank these four responsibilities based on your area of expertise?

By looking at the results, the evaluator will observe what the strengths of each candidate are. It could be purely teaching, or a mixture of academic and co-curricular management or he/she could be a master manager.

Since many schools and colleges allow for Pell Grant aid students it’s good to know whether the candidate will be able to help them out in dealing with any curricular issues that may come from that.

You know what you need from the candidate to handle responsibilities, and if they fit the bill here, an interview round should be the next step.

8. How would you rank these four responsibilities based on your willingness to explore the new?

This is where you’ll encounter the growth mindset of a potential teacher. For any school or college to remain a leader, its teachers need to have a leadership mindset where they’re willing to take risks for growth.

9. How did the following influence your professional development? Please rank them from the highest to the lowest.

Analyzing the answers to this will again reveal whether a candidate is serious about the teacher’s role.

10. How would the following technologies better your teaching style? Please rank them from the highest to the lowest.

As evidenced throughout the pandemic, technology is here to stay and continue supporting humans. Even the education sector, which was supposed to be the least technologically reliant, got supported well by it. You should expect the candidates and even the existing teachers to understand the technology and know-how it’s going to help them teach better.

11. How would your support look like, in ranked order, towards students with disabilities?

This rank order question depicts if a teacher has an inclusive nature towards all its students or not. If not, it’s a big red flag.

12. Rank from highest to lowest on what changes you would like to bring to the education sector?

Constant innovation is how things continue getting better, and the education sector needs continual innovation, too.

Knowing your teacher’s and potential teacher’s opinions about this would reveal how they can contribute to this innovation in the future.

How to Analyze Ranking Question Results Effectively?

Getting responses to your ranking questions is just the tip of the iceberg. To extract maximum value from your data, you need to consider these analysis approaches:

1. Average Ranking Method

Calculate the average position for each item across all respondents. This gives you a quick understanding of which options are generally preferred over others.

2. Top Choice Analysis

Examine which items are most frequently ranked #1. This tells you what respondents consider their absolute top priority.

3. Weighted Scoring

Assign points based on rankings (e.g., 5 points for 1st place, 4 points for 2nd place, etc.) and calculate total scores. This provides a more nuanced view of overall preferences.

4. Segment Comparison

Analyze ranking results across different segments (e.g., age groups, customer types) to identify how preferences vary among different audiences.

Let Nothing Stop You!

Yes. Let nothing stop you from conducting the finest rank order survey questions. Be it for market research, your employees, or for schools or colleges, we’re here to support you all along the way.

How?

SurveySparrow comes with twelve different question types for all your survey needs, and we have an extensive library for ranking survey questions. You can use that directly, or our team will help you create new questions that do the job and will be there to support you until the very end. That’s something we feel proud about. Talk to us, then. Let’s find synergy to make your survey campaigns a roaring success.

12 Powerful Ranking Questions Examples To Boost Survey Insights In 2024