Overview
Screener questions make sure the right people get into your study. Participants answer them when they apply, and their answers decide whether they're eligible and how well they match what you're looking for.
Two features give you more control over who gets through:
Qualifying logic (Eligibility): Set each answer option to May select, Must select or Knockout.
Conditional logic: Send participants to different questions based on how they answer.
Adding screener questions
You'll find screener questions in the Recruit step of your study.
Click Add screener question, or Copy from another study to reuse questions you've written before.
Enter your question
Add a description if participants need extra context (optional).
Choose a question type
For multiple choice questions, add your answers and set the qualifying logic for each one.
Copying screener questions from an older study?
Qualifying logic from studies created before September 2026 isn't carried over. You'll see a warning when you copy the questions and will have to set the qualifying logic on each answer again before you submit your study.
Question types
Question type | Use it for | Affects eligibility? |
Short answer | Open-ended, free-text responses | N, responses are for your review only |
Multiple Choice | Questions with one correct answer | Only through Knockout answers |
Multiple Choice | Questions where participants can choose several answers | Yes, through Must select and Knockout answers |
Short answer questions are useful for spotting low-effort or fraudulent responses, even though they don't change a participant's score.
Setting qualifying logic
Setting | What happens | Available on |
May select | The answer has no effect on eligibility. The participant continues to the next question. | Single select, Multi select |
Must select | If the participant doesn't choose this answer, their eligibility score goes down. | Multi select only |
Knockout | The participant is screened out immediately, whatever else they've answered. | Single select, Multi select |
Single select questions
Single select answers can be May select or Knockout. Because participants can only pick one answer, knocking out every answer except the one you want has the same effect as making it required.
Example: Which of these best describes your employment? Set "Full-time" and "Part-time" to May select, and "Not currently employed" to Knockout.
Multi select questions
Multi select answers can be May select, Must select or Knockout. Use Must select for the answers your ideal participant would choose, and Knockout for answers that rule someone out completely.
Example: Which streaming services do you currently pay for? Set "Netflix" to Must select, other services to May select, and "I don't pay for any" to Knockout.
Tip: Knockouts are a good way to catch participants who select every answer. Add an answer that your target audience wouldn't realistically choose, like a service that doesn't exist and set it to Knockout.
How eligibility affects participants
Each participant who completes your screener gets an eligibility score. A knocked-out participant doesn't get a score, they're screened out instead.
How the score is calculated
Every participant starts at 100%. Their score is based on how many Must select answers they chose, out of the Must select answers they were shown:
Eligibility = (Must select answers chosen \ Must select answers shown) x 100
Participants are only scored on questions they actually saw. If conditional logic skips a question, its Must select answers don't count against them.
Example: Your screener has 8 Must select answers. One participant is skipped past a question that holds 2 of them, so they're scored out of 6. They choose 5, so their score is 83%. Another participant sees all 8 and chooses 5, so their score is 63%.
A screener with no Must select answers gives every participant who isn't knocked out a score of 100%.
Automated recruitment
Participants who score 100% are able to start to your study automatically. Participants below 100% will still appear in your participant table but are unable to start without an invite.
Handpicked recruitment
You'll see each participant's score and full screener responses on the participant list, including which questions were skipped. Use the score to rank applicants, then choose who to invite.
Knocked-out participants
A participant who chooses a Knockout answer leaves the screener straight away and sees a message letting them know they aren't a match for this study.
Knocked-out participants aren't deleted. They're hidden from your participant list by default. Use the participant table filter and select knocked out to show them and see how they answered. If you think your rule caught someone it shouldn't have, you can still invite them.
Using conditional logic
Conditional logic lets you send participants to different questions based on how they answer. Without it, every participant sees every question in order.
Turn on conditional logic
Open a screener question and turn on Conditional logic.
On multiple choice questions, choose the answers for your first condition under If the answer is.
Under Go to, choose Continue to next question or Skip to question, then select the question to skip to.
Click Add condition to add more rules for other answers.
Set the Otherwise card — this is where participants go if none of your conditions match.
How conditions work by question type
Question type | What you can set |
Short answer | No conditions. Use the Always card to send every participant to a specific question. |
Multiple Choice | If the answer is any of one or more answers, go to a question. |
Multiple Choice | If the answer is exactly or has any of the answers you choose, go to a question. |
You can only add conditions to May select and Must select answers. A Knockout answer already ends the screener, so there's nowhere else to send the participant.
Things to know
Skips only go forward: You can send participants to a later question, but never back to one they've already answered.
End each path deliberately: When a path reaches its last question, participants carry on to the next question in the screener, even if it belongs to a different path. Set the last question in a shorter path to skip to the end of the screener.
The first matching condition wins: On multi select questions, a participant might match more than one condition. They'll follow the first matching condition in your list, so put the most specific conditions at the top.
Tips for better screeners
Focus on one or two key attributes: The more Must select answers you add, the harder it is for participants to reach 100%, which can slow automated recruitment.
Save knockouts for true deal-breakers: Use Knockout only when an answer means the participant definitely can't take part.
Don't make every answer qualifying: If every answer is May select, your screener isn't screening anyone out.
Add a short answer question: Open-ended responses help you spot participants who aren't a genuine fit.
FAQs
Why did copied screener questions lose their qualifying logic?
Qualifying logic from older studies doesn't have a direct match in the new settings, so it's removed when you copy or duplicate. Set it again on each answer before you submit.
Is a knocked-out participant the same as someone with a 0% score?
No. A participant with 0% saw your Must select answers and didn't choose any of them. A knocked-out participant chose a Knockout answer and left the screener.
Why do two participants with the same score have different answers?
Conditional logic can send participants down different paths, and each participant is only scored on the questions they saw. Check their full screener responses on the participant table to compare them.
Can I invite someone who was knocked out or scored below 100%?
Yes. Use the filter on your participant list to show knocked-out participants, then invite anyone you'd like.
Can I change my screener after participants start applying?
No. Recruitment settings, including screener questions, can't be changed once participants start joining your study. Review your screener carefully before you submit.