> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.humanize.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Screeners

> Filter participants so the right people end up in your sessions.

The screener is a short questionnaire participants fill out before they can join. Only people who pass become eligible for sessions.

## Question types

* **Multiple choice** — single or multi-select
* **Open text** — free-form responses
* **Number** — numeric input with optional range
* **Yes/No** — binary

## Disqualification

Each multiple choice option gets an action: **Approve**, **Reject**, or (on multi-select) **Neutral**. Anyone who picks a rejecting answer gets screened out automatically and can't join sessions. Neutral options don't count for or against — they let people answer honestly without every choice affecting qualification.

For example: if you're researching a mobile app, you might reject people who answer "I don't own a smartphone."

Multi-select questions can also limit how many options a participant picks: **Unlimited**, **Exact number**, or **Range**.

## Option order

Two toggles control how options appear to participants:

* **Randomize order** — shuffles the options for each participant, which removes order bias
* **Pin last** — keeps the final option in place while the rest shuffle. Use it for "None of the above."

## Tips for writing screeners

<Tip>
  **Keep it under 5 questions.** Every extra question loses you participants. Ask only what you genuinely need to filter on.
</Tip>

* **Don't lead with your criteria.** If you need dog owners, don't ask "Do you own a dog?" Ask "Which pets do you currently have?" with multiple options. People figure out the "right" answer when questions are too obvious.
* **Add an attention check.** Something like "Please select the third option" catches people who aren't reading. Sounds basic, but it works.
* **Use disqualification sparingly.** You're balancing sample quality against recruitment speed. Disqualify on dealbreakers only, not nice-to-haves.
* **Test your screener before launching.** Walk through it yourself. If any question is confusing, participants will answer randomly.

<Warning>
  Get your screener right before you launch. Once participants start answering it, changing it means different people were asked different questions — which breaks segments, quotas, and any comparison across your sample.
</Warning>

<Info>
  Need a specific mix of participants, not just qualified ones? Build [segments and quotas](/study/segments-and-quotas) on top of your screener questions.
</Info>