Choosing The Right Quiz Type for HR

If you’re in HR, you probably recognize quizzes as a secret weapon. Need to make sure everyone’s up to speed on compliance? Quiz them! Want to break the ice without breaking spirits? Quiz them! But then comes the big question: what type of quiz is actually best?

Spoiler alert: we’re going to make a case for the humble multiple-choice format. But before we get there, let’s dive into some other contenders that might look tempting at first but could lead to a few more head-scratches than breakthroughs.

Personality quizzes are all the rage, aren’t they? They’re great for parties, social media, and occasionally enlightening us about our secret inner selves. Imagine your HR quiz producing results like, ‘You’re a Sparkling Sunflower! Vibrant, determined, and you often lose your keys!’

Fun? Absolutely. Practical for HR? Not so much. Personality quizzes work wonders in team-building exercises but fall short when you’re trying to assess concrete skills or ensure compliance. You might learn that Bob from accounting is an introverted otter, but that’s not quite the same as verifying if he knows how to safely operate the company’s machinery.

Fill-in-the-blank quizzes come across as that sophisticated friend who insists on ordering ‘artisanal.’ They’re a classic, and they have their place – like school vocabulary tests. But in HR, they tend to create more confusion than clarity. Imagine an employee taking an onboarding quiz and leaving a blank that says, ‘The company’s vision is to ________,’ only to get a slew of creative responses like ‘inspire,’ ‘dominate,’ or ‘chill out.’

There’s no denying fill-in-the-blanks are good for open-ended thinking, but when it comes to HR, sometimes it’s best to keep things a little more on the rails.

True/false questions are the daredevils of the quiz world. They promise simplicity but offer a surprising amount of risk. With only two possible answers, there’s a 50/50 chance your employees are simply guessing. Sure, they’re great when you need to confirm that water is indeed, wet, but in HR quizzes, we’re usually after something a bit more detailed than that. After all, knowing that ‘safety is important’ is different from knowing how to actually practice it.

Essay questions hold a special place in education. They’re where people get to express themselves, elaborate, and maybe even channel their inner Shakespeare. But in an HR context, the thought of grading a hundred mini-essays on compliance might make even the most dedicated HR pro want to run for the hills. Essay questions are valuable, yes, but they take time to review and don’t lend themselves to quick assessments or clear comparisons.

Plus, HR doesn’t need to read personal essays on workplace safety. Save the poetry for the year-end celebration speeches.

Matching games can turn up the fun factor, especially if your goal is to see how quickly people can match ‘corporate values’ to ‘vague buzzwords.’ They work brilliantly for memory-based learning or low-stakes review sessions, but they can be a bit too playful for core HR topics. Let’s face it: matching ‘Data Protection Act’ with ‘2024’ sounds less like a rigorous HR test and more like a question from a trivia night no one signed up for.

So, after this delightful tour of quiz options, where does that leave us? Multiple-choice quizzes! They’re like the reliable friend who’s never let you down. Simple to understand, quick to answer, and best of all, they offer real insights without the guesswork or endless creativity required by some of their fancier counterparts.

Multiple-choice questions allow HR to assess understanding on essential topics, like safety, compliance, and company policy in a consistent, efficient way. They’re structured enough to leave little room for interpretation yet broad enough to cover a variety of topics effectively.

Each question gives four choices, ensuring a good range without overwhelming employees. And there’s the instant feedback factor: answer a question, see the correct answer right away, and learn something in real time. The magic lies in their ability to turn a “gotcha” moment into a learning moment.

So, what’s so magical about multiple-choice for HR? Here are a few reasons it’s a winner:

• Consistency Across the Board: With multiple-choice, every employee takes the same quiz in the same format, so it’s easy to compare results and see where the knowledge gaps are.
• Quick Feedback Loop: Since each answer is scored immediately, employees know right away if they’re on track, creating a smoother learning experience.
• Easy to Administer: Unlike essay questions or even fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice quizzes require minimal grading or manual review. This frees up HR’s time to focus on the big-picture work they love.
• A Touch of Fun: You can even sneak in a little humour now and then in the answer options to keep things light. Who doesn’t want to laugh a little while learning?

At the end of the day, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in HR, but when it comes to quizzes, multiple-choice makes a pretty strong case for itself. It’s practical, consistent, and keeps things straightforward without sacrificing engagement.

All the other quiz types have their place in the world, and we’re grateful for their contributions to quiz history. But when it comes to assessing what really matters for HR, multiple-choice quizzes are the tried-and-true champions.

Colin King – CEO of HR Quizzes