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Pre Training Survey Questions and the Baseline They Set

Ten presurvey questions for the people booked on a session, answered before it runs. About four minutes.

  • 10questions
  • 4 minto answer
  • 2 ratingsto repeat afterwards
  • attendeesanswer it
Use this template Take the survey first
Pre Training Survey · answer to move through it
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Question 1 of 10 Who is in the room
What is your role or job title?
Question 2 of 10 Who is in the room
How long have you been doing the work this training covers?
Less than a year
1 to 3 years
3 to 10 years
More than 10 years
Question 3 of 10 Who is in the room
Have you had training on this topic before?
No, this is the first time
Yes, within the last year
Yes, more than a year ago
Question 4 of 10 The baseline you will ask again
Before this session, how well can you [do the specific task this training covers]?
1
2
3
4
5
Cannot do this yetCan do this without help
Question 5 of 10 The baseline you will ask again
How confident are you that you could do it on your own next week?
1
2
3
4
5
Not at all confidentCompletely confident
Question 6 of 10 What to change about the session
What do you most want to be able to do by the end of the session?
Question 7 of 10 What to change about the session
What is one real situation from your own work you would like to practice?
Question 8 of 10 What to change about the session
Which of these would you rather have more of in the session?
A demonstration to watch
Guided practice
Time to ask questions
Discussion with the group
Question 9 of 10 What happens after
What could stop you from using this afterwards?
No time to apply it
I will not have access to the tools
My team has other priorities
I will have no one to ask
Nothing I can think of
Question 10 of 10 What happens after
Is there anything we need to arrange so you can take part?

The 10 pre training survey questions

A pre training survey, or presurvey, is a short set of questions the people booked on a session answer before it runs: who they are, how well they can already do the task, and what they want from the day. These ten are ready to send, or edit them in the free survey tool.

Plain text, one question per line, with the answer scale.

Who is in the room

Three quick items to sort every other answer by.

  1. What is your role or job title?Short text, optionalwrite the examples for the job titles that repeat.
  2. How long have you been doing the work this training covers?Single choice, requiredsort the two ratings by this before averaging them.
  3. Have you had training on this topic before?Single choice, required

The baseline you will ask again

Two ratings that name the task. Repeat both word for word after the session.

  1. Before this session, how well can you [do the specific task this training covers]?1 to 5, requiredswap the bracket for one task, such as "write a project brief".
  2. How confident are you that you could do it on your own next week?1 to 5, requiredable but unsure means more practice time, not more teaching.

What to change about the session

Three answers that shape the agenda before the day.

  1. What do you most want to be able to do by the end of the session?Open text, optionalthe three most common goals set the agenda.
  2. What is one real situation from your own work you would like to practice?Open text, optionaluse two of these as the practice exercises.
  3. Which of these would you rather have more of in the session?Single choice, required

What happens after, and what to arrange

Two answers to act on.

  1. What could stop you from using this afterwards?Select all that apply, optionalraise a repeated barrier with managers before the session.
  2. Is there anything we need to arrange so you can take part?Open text, optionalact on each answer the day it arrives.

Before the session: sending it and reading it

Send it to everyone booked on the session about a week ahead, and close it two days before so the answers can still shape the agenda. Tell people the trainer reads the answers by name.

Sort the two ratings by experience before you average them. Count the goals in question 6 and build the agenda around the top three. Afterwards, ask questions 4 and 5 again, word for word, and the change is what the session moved. Asking people at that point to re-rate where they started as well showed a significantly greater gain in a study of one master's program.[1]

A course with a syllabus closes with the course evaluation questions. When the training supports a change at work, the ADKAR survey shows who is ready for it.

A short form on the left connected by a line to four blocks queueing at an open archway, and beyond the archway the same four blocks arranged around a low platform
The form goes out before people walk in.

Pre training survey FAQ

What is a presurvey?

A presurvey is a survey sent before something happens, so there is a starting point to compare with later. Before training, it records what people can already do and what they want to learn. With nothing booked yet, begin with a training needs assessment.

When should you send a pre training survey?

About a week before the session, closing two days ahead so the answers can still shape the agenda. Anyone who books late gets the link with their confirmation.

How many questions should a pre training survey have?

Ten is plenty, and it takes about four minutes. Three questions place the person, two set the baseline, three shape the session and two flag what to arrange.

How do you compare pre and post training survey results?

Ask questions 4 and 5 again after the session, word for word and on the same scale, then subtract each person's first answer from their second. They sit comfortably at the end of the post training survey.

Related training survey templates

The rest of the training cycle, from deciding what to teach to the follow-up, is in the training survey templates.

TrainingPost Training SurveyThe other half of the pair. Send it after the session, with the two rating items worded exactly as they are here.14 questions, 4 min TrainingTraining Needs Assessment SurveyOne step earlier: nothing is booked yet and the question is what to train and who needs it.14 questions, 4 to 5 min TrainingWorkshop Survey TemplateA one-off workshop rated as a format, from the running order to what people took away.10 questions, 6 min TrainingCourse Evaluation SurveyA course with a syllabus and a sequence, rated at the end and read by somebody other than the tutor.16 questions, 4 min TrainingFacilitator Feedback FormWhen the thing being rated is the named person who ran the room rather than the room.9 questions, 5 min EmployeeEmployee Engagement SurveyThe whole-organization read: an engagement index, its six drivers and one recommend question.20 questions, 6 min

Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 2 October 2026 · How templates are reviewed

Sources (1)
  1. Drennan, Jonathan, and Abbey Hyde. "Controlling Response Shift Bias: The Use of the Retrospective Pre-Test Design in the Evaluation of a Master's Programme." Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 33, no. 6 (2008): 699-709. eric.ed.gov

Send it while you can still change the agenda

Ten questions, about four minutes, and two of them come back afterwards.

Use this template