Scoring Slider / Linear Scale Questions

In ScoreApp, you have three types of scale-based questions that let users rate themselves along a continuum: Sliding Scale, Linear Scale, and Divided Scale. While they visually appear slightly different, they all serve a similar purpose, to capture where a respondent places themselves between a minimum and maximum point. Below, we’ll look at how these question types work, how scoring is handled, and common best practices and troubleshooting tips.

1. Overview of the Three Scale Question Types

ScoreApp provides three distinct scale-based question formats:

Sliding Scale
1. A fluid slider where respondents drag a handle anywhere along a range (e.g., 1–100).
2. A tooltip can be displayed to show either the numeric value or a percentage as they move the slider.
3. The wide range ability (up to 100—or more, if needed) makes it great for highly granular data or large number inputs (e.g., budgets, large scales).
Linear Scale
1. A series of up to 12 radio buttons (e.g., 1–5, 1–12, or 0–9).
2. The user clicks exactly one number rather than sliding.
3. You can label left/middle/right positions for clarity (e.g., “Strongly Disagree” … “Neutral” … “Strongly Agree”).
Divided Scale
1. Visually similar to the Linear Scale (max 12 options), but you can divide the scale into groups to add labels to each section.
2. For instance, you might break a 1–10 range into 5 sections of two points each, labeling them “Low,” “Below Average,” “Average,” etc.
3. Important: Scoring works the same way as Linear Scale. The user picks one numeric point in that range, and that exact number contributes to the final score.

2. How Does Scoring Work for These Question Types?

Though each type looks different, the core principle is the same:

A Numeric Range Defines Available Points
1. If your scale goes from 1–5, then 5 is the max points a user can earn from that question.
2. If your scale goes from 1–12, the user can earn up to 12 points, and so on.
Wherever the User Positions Themselves = Their Points
1. For Sliding Scale, if someone slides to 30 on a 1–100 range, they earn 30 points.
2. For Linear Scale or Divided Scale, if they select, say, 4 on a 1–10 scale, that’s 4 points.
Category & Overall Scores
1. If a question is assigned to a particular category, the points go toward that category’s subtotal and the overall score.
2. If it’s toggled to “Overall Score Only” then the points are added toward the overall total only.
3. If you don’t want a question to affect the score at all, simply remove its category assignment (and/or toggle off scoring). This means you still get the answer data but it doesn't effect the scoring in anyway.

Example:

You create a Divided Scale question: 1–8, split into two groups (1–4 is “Low,” 5–8 is “High”).
You toggle on Scoring to a specific category.
A user selects “7.” 7 points is added to their overall score and category score from a possibly 8 points maximum.

2.1 Set the Right Range

Sliding Scale can accommodate a large range (e.g., 1–100), which is useful if you need fine-grained data.
Linear Scale and Divided Scale can only show a maximum range of 12. Decide if you actually need 12 distinct points or if a simpler 1–5 or 1–10 scale suffices. This can also start at 0 or greater than 1 as well.

Tip: If you only need 5 levels of agreement, a 1–5 scale will be quicker and less overwhelming for respondents meaning you're more likely to get higher completion rates.

2.2 Handling Reverse or “Negative” Scores

Currently, ScoreApp’s scale-based questions don’t allow negative or reverse scoring (i.e., “Strongly Agree” subtracting from the total). If you need reversed logic, consider:

Rewriting the statement so that a higher slider/scale value remains “better.”
Using multiple-choice (radio/checkbox) questions instead, where you can manually assign different points, including zero or negative.

3. Best Practices & Tips

Pick the Right Type for Your Data:
1. If you need a wide numerical range (like 1–100) or if a visual “sliding” experience is more intuitive, go Sliding Scale.
2. If your question naturally fits an agreement scale (1–5, 1–10, or up to 12) and you want discrete choices, Linear Scale is best.
3. If you want to break the scale into labeled groups (like “Beginner,” “Intermediate,” “Advanced”), Divided Scale can visually guide respondents while still collecting a single numeric answer.
Label Endpoints Clearly:
For any scale-based question, specify what the lowest and highest numeric points represent (e.g., “0 = Not at all,” “10 = Extremely”).
Avoid Overly Large or Tiny Ranges if Unnecessary:
1. Too large a range (e.g., 1–100) can overwhelm or confuse a respondent if only a smaller set of distinctions is really needed.
2. Too small a range can fail to capture the nuance you need.
Test the Experience in Draft Mode:
1. Check how the scale looks and ensure the numeric labels make sense.
2. If the resulting scores in your categories aren’t aligning with expectations, confirm that each question is assigned the right minimum/maximum range and category toggles.

4. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Assign Different Points to Each Label in Linear or Divided Scale?

No. ScoreApp automatically uses the numeric position for the points. For a 1–5 scale, if the user picks 4, they earn 4 points. If you need more control (e.g., awarding 5 points to the second button but 2 points to the third), consider using a multiple-choice question type instead.

Can I Show the Exact Number or a Percentage While Using Linear or Divided Scale?

Linear Scale or Divided Scale present discrete radio buttons. Respondents see fixed labels (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). There’s no dynamic tooltip showing “You selected X.” They simply see which button is chosen.
Sliding Scale offers a tooltip that can display either the numeric value (like 30 out of 100) or a percentage (30%).

What if I Don’t Want a Question to Affect the Overall Score?

When editing the question, toggle off the scoring to “Overall” or remove category assignments. That way, the user still sees the scale question, but it doesn’t add (or subtract) anything from the final score.

Are Reverse or Negative Scales Allowed?

Not at this time. You can’t invert the entire slider range so that a higher numeric value subtracts from the total. It’s best to rephrase the question so higher means “better” (or 0 means none and 100 means maximum).

5. Troubleshooting & Common Issues

Scores Seem Too High/Low
Confirm you set the right range. If you meant 1–5 but accidentally entered 1–50, users can earn far more points than intended. Also if you're combining multiple choice where Yes = 1 and No = 0 but then you have a slider question 1 - 10 the slider question will carry a much heavier weighting on the overall scoring than the multiple choice. To fix this you could make the scoring higher on your multiple choice questions so they're more inline with your scale questions.
Categories Not Reflecting the Right Totals
Make sure each question that belongs to a category is indeed assigned to it. Double-check you haven’t assigned multiple categories to one question or left a question uncategorized.
Slider Tooltip Not Showing
Ensure you’ve enabled the tooltip option in the question’s settings for the sliding scale.
Needing a Smaller or Larger Max Range
For Linear/Divided, you’re limited to a maximum of 12 points. If you truly need more than 12, use Sliding Scale.

Conclusion

Sliding Scale, Linear Scale, and Divided Scale questions are powerful tools for gathering nuanced self-assessment data in ScoreApp:

Sliding Scale is great for large ranges and offers a tooltip to display exact or percentage values.
Linear Scale confines respondents to a set of up to 12 fixed options.
Divided Scale works similarly to Linear but splits options into labeled groups for clarity.

By selecting the best format for each question, clearly labeling endpoints, and verifying your scoring logic, you’ll provide a smooth, accurate experience for respondents, while gathering richer, more informative data for your scorecard.