How to Qualify for Surveys: Lesser-Known Tips Revealed

Struggling to qualify for surveys? Discover the key reasons and effective strategies to boost your survey success in our streamlined guide.

Learn to navigate screening tests, demographic criteria, and common obstacles such as VPN usage and dubious survey sites.

Ideal for both beginners and experienced survey takers, as this guide equips you with essential tips to excel in the survey world.

What Are the Reasons for Not Qualifying for Surveys?

1. Screening Test Issue

The screening test, also known as classification questions, appears before you take a survey. It includes questions about your age, family, gender, habits, education, and more.

Many users wonder why they are rejected after completing the screening test. Did they answer something incorrectly?

The primary goal of this questionnaire is to determine if you belong to the company’s target group. These companies aim to ensure they are surveying the right people.

For instance, if you don’t own a car, participating in a survey intended for car owners seeking feedback wouldn’t be relevant.

That’s why you often don’t qualify after completing these tests. It’s something beyond your control, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying. In fact, keep trying, as it’s only a matter of time before you find the right survey.

2. Geographical and Demographic Limitations

• Check Supported Countries First: Before joining any survey site, it’s smart to check if your country is supported. This ensures you get relevant surveys and don’t waste time.
  
• Global Surveys with a Catch: Many companies now offer surveys to global members. You can join from anywhere and earn money. However, most surveys are still targeted towards specific countries. You’ll get surveys, but probably less frequently. Not all companies are like this, but it’s a common practice.
  
• Join Local Companies for Better Results: If possible, join survey companies based in your country to get more relevant surveys. Not sure where to start? Search “best survey sites in [your country]” on Google. This will give you a list of market research companies to join immediately.

If you want to explore different survey opportunities, check out my list of the best survey sites to find relevant platforms.

3. Using a VPN or Ad Blocker

This is not a common issue, but sometimes people get disqualified without realizing they are using a VPN or Adblocker.

It might not be intentional, but many users employ these tools thinking they will get access to more surveys.

If you are one of them, avoid using these tools as they won’t help you and could even result in a lifetime ban.

4. Poor Or Scam Sites

It’s not uncommon for people to fall into this trap. Some survey companies demand prerequisites before allowing you to join.

This might include paying a fee, purchasing a product, or sharing credit card details.

Joining such sites is risky. Not only are you unlikely to get paid, but you also risk exposing your personal information.

Engaging with these sites is a waste of time and should be avoided entirely.

Understanding Survey Question Categories and Qualification Tips

Generally, surveys consist of four categories of questions: classification, qualification, opinion, and security.

Understanding the purpose of these questions can help you improve your chances of successfully completing them.

While there’s no guaranteed way to qualify for every survey, this knowledge can certainly enhance your results.

1. Classification Questions

The ideal respondent for market research companies is often viewed as the average family person with:

• A full-time job
• Own house
• Car
• Insurance (life, car, house)
• A few kids

To identify such individuals, market research companies use classification questions that include personal details like age, birthday, gender, employment status, residence, and so on.

When answering these questions, ensure your responses match the information in your profile. Any discrepancies can lead to rejection.

2. Qualification Questions

The primary purpose of qualification questions in online surveys is to determine if you’re the right fit.

Market research companies look for specific characteristics in participants, and these questions help identify them. That’s why many people often get rejected when taking surveys.

Qualification questions usually follow a similar pattern, though they vary with each survey.

With practice, you can easily spot them. To give you a better idea, here are three commonly asked qualification questions:

1. Do you or any member of your household or friends work for specific types of companies?
   Often, this question lists options like Advertising agencies or Market research firms. If you see these, it’s safer to answer – None of the above. Sometimes, the question might be framed differently, directly mentioning these options. In such cases, choose the answer indicating neither you nor your family members work in these fields. Survey companies prefer to exclude such participants to avoid biased opinions.
   
2. Have you participated in any surveys, research, or market opportunities recently?
   Here, the best response is usually – None of the above – or indicating that you haven’t participated in any such activities.
   
3. What role do you play in decision-making processes?
   Survey companies often seek individuals who play a significant role in making decisions within their families. Choose the option that presents you as the primary decision-maker. If that’s not available, select the closest equivalent.

Remember, understanding the intent behind these questions can increase your chances of qualifying for surveys.

3. Opinion Questions

A survey may contain between 50% to 80% opinion questions, and they come in various forms.

You can answer these based on your perspective, as their purpose is to gather your opinions on specific topics.

Opinion questions are usually grouped together and often involve scales of some sort. These questions often provide response options like ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘neither agree nor disagree’, ‘disagree’, ‘strongly disagree’, and ‘no opinion’.

Other similar options include ‘very good’, ‘good’, ‘average’, ‘poor’, ‘very poor’, and ‘no opinion’.

These questions do not influence your participation in the survey and will not lead to disqualification.

4. Security Questions

Security questions are designed to prevent people who randomly choose answers from progressing through a survey.

Have you ever noticed that surveys often repeat the same question? This is a method to verify if your responses are consistent.

If you provide differing answers to these repeated questions, you’ll likely be disqualified immediately.

Therefore, the next time you take an online survey, make sure to read each question carefully before responding.

This step is crucial to avoid disqualification. While these questions are commonly found in high-paying surveys, they’re gradually becoming more common in other surveys too.

Strategies to Increase Survey Qualification

1. Check the Pay Amount

One common reason for disqualification is attempting high-paying surveys. These often have limited entries and are not targeted at the general public, leading to frequent rejections.

My suggestion? Focus on surveys offering lower or average payments.

While it’s wise not to completely ignore high-paying options — you might qualify for them — they shouldn’t be your main target.

2. Update Your Profile

This tip mainly applies to companies sending email notifications for new surveys. You might wonder what’s so special about this.

Well, these companies suggest surveys based on your profile information. I want to emphasize the importance of completing your profile details.

When creating an account, make sure to fill in all details like country, city, age, gender, etc. This increases your chances of receiving relevant surveys, which you’re more likely to qualify for.

Also, regularly update it to reflect significant life changes, like moving to a new city, career shifts, or new hobbies.

3. Consistent Profile and Survey Responses

Ensure consistency between your profile information and your survey responses.

Any significant deviation can raise questions about your data’s authenticity, potentially leading to disqualification.

Remember, survey routers/providers use this consistency as a quality control measure.

4. Fill Out Surveys As Soon As Possible

Have you ever been disqualified or screened out immediately after starting a survey?

This often happens because you’re too late. Survey opportunities fill up quickly since marketing companies have limited budgets and can only pay for a certain number of responses.

To avoid missing out, try these tips:

• Check Survey Sites Often: Visit your favorite survey websites multiple times a day. This helps ensure you don’t miss any opportunities.
  
• Stay Alert for Emails: Keep an eye on your email for new survey notifications. Consider creating a dedicated email address just for survey sites. This way, you’ll only receive survey-related emails, making it easier to spot new opportunities.
  
• Be Active Early in the Week: Start checking for surveys on Monday or Tuesday. Market research companies often send out new surveys at the beginning of the week.

By signing up for high-paying survey sites and following these methods, you increase your chances of participating in more surveys.

Final Thought

Remember, qualifying for surveys is a mix of understanding the system, being in the right demographic, and a bit of luck.

By staying informed, vigilant, and persistent, you can maximize your survey opportunities and enhance your online earning potential.

So, keep these tips in mind, stay consistent, and embrace each survey as a new chance to succeed. Happy surveying!