Screening questions filter participants before the main interview begins. Participants answer them first, and the system decides whether they qualify based on the rules you set.
Screening is optional — use it to target specific participants or to capture background data up front. Demographic or other background answers collected here can later be used to filter and analyse responses by cohort once all interviews are complete (for example, showing only a particular age group, region, or customer type).
Tellet supports three screening question types:
Participants select one option from a list (radio buttons).
Requirements:
Minimum 2 answer options
Each answer must have a rule (Qualify, Disqualify, or Irrelevant)
Example:
Question: "Do you use our product?"
○ Yes, daily → Qualify
○ Yes, occasionally → Qualify
○ No → Disqualify
Participants select one or more options from a list (checkboxes).
Requirements:
Minimum 3 answer options
Each answer must have a rule (Qualify, Disqualify, or Irrelevant)
Example:
Question: "Which features do you use regularly?" (Select all that apply)
□ Advanced analytics → Qualify
□ Custom reports → Qualify
□ API integrations → Qualify
□ Basic dashboard → Irrelevant
□ I don't use any features → Disqualify
Logic: If participant selects ANY Qualify option, they pass this question (OR logic).
Participants enter a number. The system qualifies or disqualifies based on whether the number falls within the configured range.
Requirements:
Minimum value (optional)
Maximum value (optional)
Set a minimum and/or maximum to define the qualifying range. If neither is set, any valid number qualifies. Numbers outside the defined bounds disqualify the participant immediately. There is no separate rule assignment for numeric questions — qualification is determined entirely by the min/max range.
Example:
Question: "How many employees does your company have?"
Minimum: 1
Maximum: 10000
A number between 1 and 10000 (inclusive) qualifies the participant. A number below 1 or above 10000 disqualifies them immediately.
Every answer option on a select question must have a rule. All three rules — Qualify, Disqualify, and Irrelevant — are available on both select question types. Take care with Irrelevant on Single-Select questions: because the participant gives exactly one answer, choosing an Irrelevant answer screens them out, the same as Disqualify.
Participant meets your criteria and can continue — the answer indicates your target audience, relevant experience, or matching research criteria.
Example: "Yes, I use the product daily" → Qualify
Participant does not meet criteria and cannot continue — the answer is a clear exclusion (wrong audience, lacks necessary experience).
Example: "I've never used the product" → Disqualify
Important: Disqualification is immediate. The moment a participant selects a Disqualify answer on any question, the system marks them as disqualified — before they reach the next question.
Response is recorded but doesn't count toward qualifying — useful for gathering context on an option that's acceptable but not required. On Multi-Select questions the participant still qualifies as long as they also pick a Qualify answer; on Single-Select questions an Irrelevant answer screens the participant out.
Important: Irrelevant is only neutral when at least one Qualify answer is also selected. Selecting only Irrelevant answers (no Qualify answer) causes disqualification.
Screening is evaluated per question, in order, in real time. Each question is assessed as the participant answers it.
For single-select questions:
If the selected answer's rule is Qualify → the participant passes that question and continues
If the selected answer's rule is Disqualify → the participant is immediately disqualified
If the selected answer's rule is Irrelevant → the participant is also screened out (with exactly one answer, an Irrelevant choice can't qualify)
For multi-select questions:
If any selected answer is Disqualify → immediately disqualified
If at least one selected answer is Qualify → passes that question
If all selected answers are Irrelevant (no Qualify selected) → immediately disqualified
Question order matters. Because evaluation is sequential and disqualification is immediate, a participant who selects a disqualifying answer on Q1 never reaches Q2.
Examples:
Qualify — Question 2 Answer: Qualify; Result: Qualified
Qualify — Question 2 Answer: Disqualify; Result: Disqualified at Q2
Disqualify — Question 2 Answer: —; Result: Disqualified at Q1 (Q2 never reached)
For Single-Select and Multi-Select questions, you can randomise the order in which answer options appear to participants.
Toggle: "Randomize answers" per question
When to randomise:
Lists of brands, features, or options where order might bias selection
Long lists of choices
Prevent primacy/recency effects
When NOT to randomise:
Ordered scales ("Never" to "Always")
Age ranges or sequential data
Options with logical order (e.g., frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely, Never)
Quotas let you control how many respondents qualify per answer option, ensuring even distribution across the groups you care about — for example, balanced cohorts across customer segments, age groups, or product tiers in a panel study.
Enable quotas on a Single-Select question by turning on the "Enable quotas" toggle for that question. When enabled:
Assign a quota percentage to each Qualify answer option (percentages must sum to 100)
The system tracks how many respondents have qualified with each answer
Once the target count for an answer is reached, new respondents who select that answer are redirected as quota full rather than qualifying
The per-option target is calculated from the project's Max Participants setting. For example, with a max of 100 and a quota percentage of 50% on one option, up to 55 respondents selecting that option will qualify (the 10% project-level buffer applies to quota targets as well).
Important: Quotas currently apply to Single-Select questions only. Multi-Select and Numeric questions do not support per-option quotas.
Important: A quota percentage of 0% is not allowed on a Qualify answer. Every Qualify answer with quotas enabled needs a target above zero, since a zero target would mean the option can never qualify anyone. The system rejects saving or publishing a quota setup that leaves any Qualify answer at 0%.
When a respondent's answer hits a full quota, they see a "quota full" message and cannot continue. If you have a panel integration configured, they are redirected via the panel's quota full link.
Maximum 25 screening questions per project
Minimum 0 screening questions (screening is optional)
Click "Add Screening Question"
Enter question text
Select question type (Single-Select, Multi-Select, or Numeric)
Add answer options
Assign rules to each answer
Drag and drop questions using the grip icon
Disabled when the project is Live or Completed
Disabled for the Can View role
Put most critical qualifying questions first
Click "Delete Question" within question box
No minimum required (can delete all screening questions)
System warns about duplicate question text
System warns about duplicate answers within a question
Warnings don't prevent saving, but should be addressed
Before publishing, screening questions must pass validation:
Question Level:
Question text cannot be empty
Single-Select needs minimum 2 answers
Multi-Select needs minimum 3 answers
Numeric needs question text (min/max are optional)
Answer Level:
Each answer must have text
Each answer must have a rule assigned
At least one answer option must exist
Quota Level (when quotas are enabled):
Quota percentages across Qualify answers must sum to 100
No Qualify answer may have a quota target of 0%
Publishing:
System prevents publishing if validation errors exist
Fix all errors before you can publish
Owner/Can Edit: Full editing access
Can View: Read-only
Draft/Ready: Fully editable
Live: Question text, types, and answers are locked. Quota settings can still be adjusted while live.
Completed: Permanently locked
Participant clicks interview link
Screening questions appear (if configured)
Participant answers all screening questions
System evaluates based on your rules
If Qualified: Proceed to opening message and main interview
If Disqualified: See a message letting them know they don't qualify, and cannot continue
Disqualification Message:
Disqualified participants see a built-in message in their chosen language letting them know they don't qualify for the study. If you have a panel integration configured, they are also redirected via the panel's screened-out link.
When a participant chooses a language for the interview, their screening questions and answer options are automatically translated into that language. Brand names and product names are kept intact (for example, "Spillers" stays "Spillers" rather than being turned into a similar-looking word), so your options read correctly in every language.
The translation is prepared while the participant is reading the consent screen, so it's ready the moment they reach the screening step — they don't wait for anything to load.
The screening interface itself — buttons, labels, and helper text — is fully localised across all 64 supported languages. Participants always see a complete, correctly translated screen in their chosen language.
Every screening response is saved — whether the participant qualified or not.
Use this data to:
Calculate qualification rates
Segment interview results by screening criteria
Analyse why participants didn't qualify
Refine screening for future studies
Problem: 6+ screening questions reduce qualification rates and frustrate participants
Solution: Screen on only 2-3 critical criteria
Problem: No Qualify answers = everyone disqualified
Solution: Ensure at least some answers are marked Qualify
Problem: Wrong people qualify or right people get rejected
Solution: After publishing, use the Sandbox link (in the Share tab) to run through screening yourself and verify it works correctly. Sandbox conversations are marked as test data and don't count toward your participant limit.
Problem: Participants confused about what you're asking
Solution: Be specific and clear (e.g., "Do you use project management software at least weekly?" vs. "Do you use software?")
Learn screening logic:
Screening Logic - How qualification rules combine across multiple questions
See examples:
Screening Examples - Complete screening setups for different research types
Continue project setup:
Instructions - Configure AI interviewer behaviour
Discussion Guide - Create interview questions