PAPP102 - S04: Design and conduct of surveys

Stage 2: Pre-fieldwork

Field-testing

Pre-test

All questionnaires should be tried out on a small number of respondents. The main purpose is to ensure that interviewers and respondents understand questions and answers, and that the questionnaire works in terms of skips, filters, and precoded categories. The interviewer manual should also be tested.

Pilot test

In large surveys, a pilot test should test not only the questionnaire, but all aspects of fieldwork, including logistics, supervision, and data entry. Translations, and back-translations, of questionnaires should also be checked at this point.  It is useful to do a quick analysis of the data collected to check for any problems that might otherwise be overlooked. 

In large surveys, such as DHS, pilot tests involve between 100-200 households, who  should represent the population of interest (eg. urban and rural, different regions). The pilot test is an opportunity for training and should involve the whole survey team. It should also provide an estimation of the time involved to conduct interviews.

Following the pilot test the survey team should share lessons learned, modify and finalise the questionnaire and fieldwork plan.