How to assign different points for multiple choice questions and calculate total score?

"I'd love for Google Forms to support weighted scoring for multiple-choice questions in quizzes"- Google Docs Editors Community

This is a common question from Google Workspace users who score habits instead of right answers. For example, in an activity check, "Daily" should count for more than "Once or twice in a month" and the total should show how active each person is. A Google Forms quiz lets you set points for a question, but it only marks an answer right or wrong, so every other answer earns nothing. You can add up the points by hand in a Google Sheet, but you have to do that again for every new response. With Formfacade, you can assign different points to each answer in a multiple choice question and calculate the total score. Each person will see their total on the form. Even better, you can sync the responses to Google Sheets with the total beside the answers, so you can sort by who is least active.

Let's start. Create your form and follow the steps below.

How to assign points and calculate scores using Formfacade?

  • On the page that opens, name your form, click Create form and click Proceed.
  • You will land on the form's "Edit" tab. The "Assign points" dialog opens about 15 seconds later, so wait for it.
The tabs Edit, Preview, Share and Responses, with Edit marked
  • It asks "How do you want to set up scoring?". Select "Assign points manually" and click Proceed.
The Assign points dialog asking How do you want to set up scoring?, with Assign points manually and Proceed marked
  • Pick Multiple choice as the question type to score, assign points to its choices and click Next. The same points go to every multiple choice question in your form.
The step To which questions would you like to allocate points?, with Multiple choice picked, points for Rarely, Weekly and Daily and Next marked
  • It asks "How do you want to show the score?", with both options ticked. Click Next.
  • You're all set message will be displayed. Click the × to go back to the "Edit" tab.
The Assign points dialog saying You're all set! Score calculation is enabled, with Preview form
Your form now has a Score question and the same points on every multiple choice question. The steps below give each question its own points.
Let's change this form into a simple questionnaire with 3 multiple choice questions with five answer choices each (see below). We will calculate the total score to determine how active a person is.
How much time do you spend sitting each day?
  • (a) 5+ hrs
  • (b) 4 to 5 hrs
  • (c) 3 to 4 hrs
  • (d) 2 to 3 hrs
  • (e) Less than 2 hrs
How often do you do sports and recreational activities?
  • (a) Once or twice in a month
  • (b) Once a week
  • (c) Thrice a week
  • (d) 5 days in a week
  • (e) Daily
How much physical activity does your job require?
  • (a) Not much
  • (b) A moderate amount
  • (c) Average
  • (d) Intense
  • (e) Very intense
Points: We will use the same points scale for all the three multiple choice questions
  • Answer choice (a) - 1 point
  • Answer choice (b) - 2 points
  • Answer choice (c) - 3 points
  • Answer choice (d) - 4 points
  • Answer choice (e) - 5 points
We will calculate the total score by adding the individual points for the 3 multiple choice questions. The total score would be between 3 and 15.
  • Click on each question in the Edit page and enter these questions and answer choices. Delete the questions you do not need. Your form may have many, so you can also keep its own multiple choice questions and follow the steps with those.

Assign points

You can assign different points for answer choices in dropdown, multiple choice, checkbox, linear scale & grid questions. You have to repeat these steps to assign points for all the questions in your form.
  • In the Edit page, click on the question, then click on the gear icon.
The How active are you? form on the EDIT tab with a multiple choice question selected, +1 to +5 beside its answers, and EDIT, the question and the gear at the bottom of its card marked
  • Question settings page will be displayed. Click Answer. Assign points for the different answer choices and click Save.
The Answer tab with Assign points for each choice, 5+ hrs = 1 up to Less than 2 hrs = 5, and Answer, the first points box and Save marked

Show or hide score

By default, the form respondents will be able to view the score before they submit. You can update the settings to hide the score and display it only after they submit the form.
  • Click on the Score question, then click on the gear icon.
The How active are you? form on the EDIT tab with the Score question selected and EDIT, the question and the gear marked
  • Question settings page will be displayed. Click Answer, change the Appearance to hidden and click Save.
The Answer tab with Answer, Appearance set to Hidden and Save marked
If your form also has a Percentage question, do the same for it.

Customize confirmation message

The default confirmation message is "Your total score is <score>". You can customize this message or show conditional message based on score.
  • Scroll down to the end of the form and click on the gear icon on the last "After page" row, above the Submit button. It says "After page 1" on a form with one page. The panel can take a few seconds to open, so click once.
The Score question, then the After page 1 row with its gear marked, above the Submit card set to Custom message with the total score message
  • Button settings page will be displayed. Click On submit. Select Show customized message for this button. Update the message and click Save.
The On submit tab with Show customized message for this button selected and a message with the total score out of 15, and On submit, that option and Save marked
  • Click on "Share" tab. Copy the short link and share it with your users to collect responses.
The Share tab's Link screen with the short link and the Copy button marked
When a user fills the form and submits it, they will see your message with their total score.

Summary

If "Daily" should count for more than "Once or twice in a month", a quiz in Google Forms cannot do it because it only marks an answer right or wrong. With Formfacade, you assign different points for the answer choices and the total score shows how active each person is. Create your form and complete the steps above. If you have any questions, write to support.

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