---
title: "Testing Askia surveys"
description: "SurveyTester reads Askia web surveys natively: single and multiple choice, dropdowns, grids, sliders, ranking, open text and e-mail fields and the end page."
url: https://www.surveytester.com/academy/en/test-surveys/testing-askia/
language: en
type: article
audiences: ["Project Managers", "Survey Authors", "Survey Testers"]
published: 2026-11-01
updated: 2026-11-01
tags: ["askia", "askiaweb", "survey system", "supported platforms", "grid", "slider", "ranking"]
---

# Testing Askia surveys

_Test Surveys · SurveyTester Academy_

Askia is a dedicated survey system in SurveyTester. A project set to **Askia** (or to **Automatic**) recognises an
Askia web survey the moment the browser extension opens it: every page with its questions, answer options, grid rows,
sliders, ranking lists and text fields, the error messages and the end page. From there everything else in
SurveyTester works as usual - Auto Answer, Auto Complete, SurveyBots, test cases, issues and the Pages & Routing
overview.

## What an Askia survey looks like to a tester

Askia web surveys are served by the survey company's own Askia server, so the address differs from survey to survey.
SurveyTester does not depend on the address: it recognises an Askia page by the Askia survey form inside it. When the
link contains `askia`, SurveyTester even preselects Askia for a new project. Every page shows one or more questions, each
in its own block, with **Next** and usually **Previous** buttons below. If an answer is missing, the page stays and a
message appears in the question's block.

![Placeholder: screenshot of an Askia web survey page with a single-choice question and a slider, the SurveyTester bar on top](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/_img/test-surveys/testing-askia/en/askia-survey-page.png "w=44rem | An Askia page under test")

## Why this is hard to test without SurveyTester

- **Interactive controls.** Askia surveys can use sliders, click-to-rank lists and responsive grids instead of plain
  radio buttons. SurveyTester knows these controls and answers them the way a respondent would.
- **Question names are hidden.** The respondent sees only the question text. SurveyTester reads each question's
  shortcut from the page, so every question in the result carries its name from the Askia questionnaire.
- **Several questions per page.** When a page holds several questions, SurveyTester records each one separately,
  each with its own answer options and its own error message.

## Supported question types

| Askia question type | How SurveyTester records it |
|---|---|
| Single choice, also with "other, please specify" | One option is chosen; an "other" option gets a text. |
| Multiple choice, also with "other, please specify" | Several options are ticked; an "other" option gets a text. |
| Dropdown | One entry of the list is chosen. |
| Single-choice grid | Every row is answered with one scale point. |
| Slider, with its left and right labels | The slider is set to a value on its scale. |
| Ranking (click the items in order) | The items are clicked in an order, and each gets its rank. |
| Open text (single line or text box), with character limit | A fitting text within the allowed length is entered. |
| E-mail field | An e-mail address is entered. |
| Text-only blocks and pages | Recorded as information with nothing to answer. |

## Errors and end page

- **Error messages.** When a page refuses to move on, the message in a question's block is stored as the error of that
  question.
- **Navigation.** SurveyTester uses the survey's **Next** and **Previous** buttons.
- **End page.** A page without a **Next** button is recorded as the last step of the run. Complete, screenout and quota
  outcomes are configured as for any other survey system, with survey end page identifiers on the project. See
  [Survey end pages](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/en/company-admin-settings/survey-end-pages).

## Step by step

1. **Create the project.** Choose **Askia** as the survey system, or leave it at **Automatic** - the survey is
   recognised either way. Paste the survey link.
2. **Start a test run** from the project with the SurveyTester browser extension, or let SurveyBots run the survey.
   The SurveyTester bar appears above it, and the first page is recorded as step 1.
3. **Answer the survey** by hand, or press **Auto Answer** and **Auto Next** to let SurveyTester fill the page and move
   on. Each page creates the next step.
4. **Check the result** on the Pages & Routing page: every page appears with its questions, every question with its
   answer options, grid rows and scale points.

![Placeholder: screenshot of the Pages & Routing page of an Askia project listing a single-choice question, a grid with its rows and a ranking question](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/_img/test-surveys/testing-askia/en/askia-pages-routing.png "w=44rem | The Askia pages and questions as SurveyTester records them")

## Good to know

- **Page and question names.** A page is named after the current question of the Askia routing; each question keeps
  its Askia shortcut.
- **Custom controls.** Askia surveys can use custom controls designed for one survey. SurveyTester records the fields
  it finds, but may not be able to answer every custom control automatically. If you find a page that SurveyTester
  does not read correctly, please send it to us.