30 Pre- and Post Survey Question Examples: Templates & Tips

Training & Workshop Effectiveness Surveys (Pre vs. Post)

Why & When to Use

When you invest in training, you want to know if skills and confidence truly increase—not just hope for the best. Pre- and post-training surveys create this proof by comparing skill levels, expectations, and satisfaction before and after. Imagine walking into a workshop, jotting down your goals, and then walking out and immediately reflecting on what you learned.

This approach is ideal when:

• Introducing a new software tool.
• Delivering compliance or leadership training.
• Hosting a skills-upgrade workshop.

By aligning questions, you get a clear measure of growth and learning. You’ll know, precisely, if team confidence soared or skill gaps still need plugging.

Sample Pre-Survey Questions

1. How familiar are you with topic?

2. Which specific skills do you hope to develop?

3. Rate your confidence in applying [skill] today.

4. What challenges keep you from using [tool/process]?

5. What are your expectations for this workshop?

Sample Post-Survey Questions

1. How has your knowledge of [topic] changed (1 = No change, 5 = Significant increase)?

2. Which skill did you improve the most?

3. Rate your confidence in applying [skill] after training.

4. What obstacles do you still anticipate?

5. Would you recommend this training to colleagues?

Pre- and post-training surveys effectively measure training impact by assessing changes in participants' knowledge, skills, and confidence levels. (surveymonkey.com)

Event Feedback Surveys (Pre vs. Post)

Why & When to Use

Events are investments of time and energy—both for organizers and attendees. To truly gauge event success, you need to look at expectations going in and satisfaction coming out. A pre-event survey reveals motivations and interests, while a post-event survey uncovers perceived value, top takeaways, and future intentions.

This before and after survey approach is a lifesaver when:

• Planning conferences or summits.
• Hosting webinars or in-person community meetups.
• Running networking or product demo nights.

By comparing the two, you’ll see which session wowed the crowd and whether you met attendee goals. It’s a surefire way to keep improving your events and growing trust.

Sample Pre-Survey Questions

1. What is your primary reason for registering?

2. Which sessions/topics are you most interested in?

3. Rate your current knowledge of the event’s main theme.

4. What do you hope to take away from this event?

5. How did you hear about us?

Sample Post-Survey Questions

1. Did the event meet your primary reason for attending?

2. Which session provided the most value?

3. How would you rate the overall event experience (1–10)?

4. What key takeaway will you apply immediately?

5. How likely are you to attend again next year?

Employee Engagement & Onboarding Surveys (Pre vs. Post)

Why & When to Use

Starting a new job can feel a bit like skydiving for the first time. Pre-onboarding surveys help capture new hire excitement, worries, and expectations before they officially jump in. Then, after the first 30–90 days, a post-onboarding survey measures how well reality matches those hopes.

Organizations use these surveys to:

• Ensure new employees feel connected from day one.
• Identify good cultural fit (or lack thereof).
• Plug onboarding gaps early rather than waiting for an exit interview.

By pairing pre and post insights, you’ll surface what’s working in onboarding and what needs improvement. A smooth start leads to long-term engagement and higher retention rates—now that’s worth celebrating!

Sample Pre-Survey Questions

1. How clear are you on your new role’s responsibilities?

2. What attracted you most to our company?

3. Rate your current understanding of our mission and values.

4. What resources do you need for a successful start?

5. How do you prefer to receive feedback?

Sample Post-Survey Questions

1. How aligned do you feel with our mission and values now?

2. Rate the effectiveness of your onboarding process.

3. Do you have the resources needed to excel in your role?

4. How connected do you feel to your team?

5. What would improve the onboarding experience for future hires?

Organizations with strong onboarding processes can improve new hire retention by up to 82%. (apps365.com)

Product Launch & Feature Adoption Surveys (Pre vs. Post)

Why & When to Use

Launching a new product feature is like baking a fresh batch of cookies—you want to know if people crave it before and after that first bite. Pre-surveys help validate demand, identify must-have vs. nice-to-have features, and sniff out adoption blockers. Post-surveys track satisfaction, ease of use, and willingness to pay.

Use these surveys during:

• Beta testing for early adopters.
• Launching major updates that require user adaptation.
• Rolling out new pricing or packaging options.

By measuring change in perception and usage before and after, you’ll avoid the dreaded “feature flop” and instead deliver improvements that truly stick.

Sample Pre-Survey Questions

1. How important is solving [problem] for you?

2. Which features are must-have vs. nice-to-have?

3. How do you currently address [problem]?

4. What price point feels reasonable for this feature?

5. What concerns you about adopting a new solution?

Sample Post-Survey Questions

1. How well does the new feature solve your problem?

2. How easy was it to start using the feature (1–10)?

3. Which benefits have you experienced so far?

4. What, if anything, made adoption difficult?

5. Would you pay for future premium enhancements?

Marketing Campaign Awareness Surveys (Pre vs. Post)

Why & When to Use

Marketing isn’t magic—it’s measurement. Pre-campaign surveys tell you where brand awareness stands and what messages people associate with you. After the campaign, post-surveys help you track recall, perception shift, and intent to act.

Leverage before and after survey templates to:

• Assess market baseline before a big splash.
• Measure the real impact and ROI after campaign rollouts.
• See which channels and messages stick in the minds of your target audience.

You’ll know exactly if those creative ads or influencer partnerships created buzz or fizzled out discreetly.

Sample Pre-Survey Questions

1. How familiar are you with [brand/product]?

2. Which brands come to mind when you think of [category]?

3. What message do you associate with our brand right now?

4. How likely are you to consider us in your next purchase?

5. Where do you usually learn about products like ours?

Sample Post-Survey Questions

1. After seeing our campaign, how familiar are you with our brand?

2. Which elements of the campaign do you recall?

3. What message do you now associate with our brand?

4. How likely are you to purchase in the next 3 months?

5. Which channel influenced you the most?

Best Practices: Dos and Don’ts for Crafting Pre- & Post-Survey Questions

Dos

Making your survey shine is not rocket science, but a little care goes a long way:

• Keep questions concise; less is more.
• Align pre and post wording for effortless apples-to-apples comparison.
• Use a mix of closed-ended (ratings, yes/no) and open-ended questions for deeper insight.
• Pilot test your survey with a small group to catch confusing questions.
• Provide incentives to ward off survey abandonment.
• Send post-surveys promptly—while the experience is still fresh.

These tips create survey results you can trust and prevent the dreaded “meh” data nobody wants to use.

Don’ts

Even the best intentions can derail a survey if you’re not careful:

• Avoid double-barreled (“How was our service and selection?”), leading, or loaded questions.
• No jargon—write for humans, not robots or industry insiders.
• Don’t let survey fatigue set in; keep it short and sweet.
• Don’t change rating scales between pre- and post-surveys or compare apples to oranges.
• Never skip segmenting your results by key demographics—differences matter!

Breaking these rules is a fast way to torpedo your insights and lead your team astray. Stick with best practices and keep your data rock solid.

Conclusion: Turning Survey Insights into Action

Pairing pre and post surveys gives you dynamic, actionable insights—not just static snapshots. By comparing “before” and “after,” you can see where real change happens. Take these ready-to-use questions, build your own surveys, and learn as you go. Tweak, iterate, and improve as you gather more data. Start now, and watch your programs transform one insight at a time!