Table of Contents
- What is Ranking?
- Add a Ranking Question in Google Forms
- Step 1: Open Google Forms
- Step 2: Add a New Question
- Step 3: Choose Linear Scale or Multiple Choice Grid
- For Linear Scale:
- For Multiple Choice Grid:
- Step 4: (Optional) Add Description or Instructions
- Step 5: Customize Settings
- Step 6: Preview and Test
- Step 7: Send the Form
- Analyzing the Data
- Or, use Fillout’s built-in ranking field type
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Creating a survey or quiz that includes a ranking question can be a valuable way to gather data on people's preferences, priorities, or opinions. Google Forms is one of the most widely used tools for this purpose, but many users aren't aware that they can incorporate ranking questions directly into their forms. If you've been wondering how to create a ranking question in Google Forms, then you've come to the right place.
What is Ranking?
Ranking questions allow respondents to order a list of options according to their preference. For example, you might ask people to rank a list of movies from their most to least favorite. These kinds of questions can yield more nuanced insights than standard multiple-choice questions.
Add a Ranking Question in Google Forms
Step 1: Open Google Forms
First, you'll need to sign in to your Google Account and go to the Google Forms homepage. Click on the
+ Blank button to create a new form or open an existing form where you want to add the ranking question.Step 2: Add a New Question
To add a new question, click the
+ button that says Add Question on the form.
Step 3: Choose Linear Scale or Multiple Choice Grid
While Google Forms doesn't offer a native Ranking question type, you can mimic this by using either the
Linear Scale or Multiple Choice Grid question type.For Linear Scale:
- After clicking
Linear Scale, you'll have the option to set the scale (e.g., 1 to 5).
- You can then ask the question in a way that instructs the respondent to assign a unique number to each option according to their preference.
For Multiple Choice Grid:
- Type your question, like "Rank the following fruits from most liked (1) to least liked (5)."
- In the rows, you can list the items you want to be ranked (e.g., Apple, Banana, Cherry).
- In the columns, you can list numbers to indicate the ranking (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
- To make sure each item gets a unique ranking, click the three vertical dots at the bottom right of the question box and choose
Require one response per row.
Step 4: (Optional) Add Description or Instructions
You can add a description or specific instructions for respondents by clicking on the question and adding text in the Description box.
Step 5: Customize Settings
Remember to make the question mandatory if it’s crucial for your analysis. You can do this by toggling the
Required switch at the bottom-right corner of the question box.Step 6: Preview and Test
Before sending the form to respondents, preview it by clicking the
eye icon at the top-right corner. This allows you to make sure everything is working as you intended.
Step 7: Send the Form
Once you're satisfied with your ranking question, you can share your Google Form via email, link, or even embed it on your website by clicking the
Send button at the upper-right corner.Analyzing the Data
After you collect the responses, you can analyze the data in various ways:
- Google Forms provides an immediate summary of the results.
- You can export the data to Google Sheets for further analysis, including sorting and filtering.
Though Google Forms doesn't have a built-in ranking question type, with a little ingenuity, you can effectively collect ranking data using either the Linear Scale or Multiple Choice Grid options.
Or, use Fillout’s built-in ranking field type
If you need a built-in ranking field type, look into Fillout forms. Simply drag and drop the
Ranking field to your form. You can also customize this by clicking the blue settings icon. 
This capability extends the utility of Google Forms, making it even more powerful as a tool for collecting data. And if you already have an existing Google Form, you can always import it to Fillout here. Happy form-making!
Written by
Dominic is the co-founder of Fillout.com. He previously worked on engineering & product at Retool. Prior to Retool, he started Cheer ( acquired by Retool in 2020).