---
title: "Testing IRQuest surveys"
description: "SurveyTester reads IRQuest surveys natively: every page, single and multiple choice, dropdowns, matrices, form tables, text and number fields."
url: https://www.surveytester.com/academy/en/test-surveys/testing-irquest/
language: en
type: article
audiences: ["Project Managers", "Survey Authors", "Survey Testers"]
published: 2026-11-01
updated: 2026-11-01
tags: ["irquest", "survey system", "supported platforms", "matrix", "dropdown", "other specify"]
---

# Testing IRQuest surveys

_Test Surveys · SurveyTester Academy_

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

## What an IRQuest survey looks like to a tester

Every IRQuest page is a classic web page: the respondent answers, clicks **Next** and the server sends the next page.
Questions are laid out in tables - a list of options for a single or multiple choice question, a matrix with one row
per item, or a form table that mixes text fields and check boxes row by row. Every page carries the ID of its
question, which SurveyTester uses to name the page.

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

## Why this is hard to test without SurveyTester

- **Matrices with many rows.** A matrix of twenty items is tedious to fill again after every change. Auto Answer
  answers every row in one go.
- **Exclusive options.** "Don't know" or "No answer" must not be ticked together with other options. SurveyTester
  recognises exclusive options and ticks them alone.
- **"Other" fields.** Options with an "other, please specify" field need a text, or the page does not move on.
  SurveyTester fills the field together with the option.
- **Repetition.** Re-running a long questionnaire by hand for every quota or filter path is slow. SurveyBots go
  through it as often as you need.

## Supported question types

| IRQuest question type | How SurveyTester records it |
|---|---|
| Single choice (radio buttons) | One option is chosen. |
| Multiple choice (check boxes), with exclusive options | Several options are ticked; an exclusive option is ticked alone. |
| Option with an "other, please specify" field | The option and its text field are recorded together. |
| Dropdown list | One entry of the list is chosen. |
| Open text | A fitting text is entered. |
| Number field | A number is entered. |
| Matrix (one answer per row) | Every row is answered with one scale point. |
| Matrix (several answers per row) | Every row gets one or more ticks. |
| Form table (a text field, check boxes or radio buttons per row) | Every row is recorded as a question of its own; "no answer" check boxes are treated as exclusive. |
| Text-only pages | Recorded as information pages with nothing to answer. |

## Errors and end page

- **Error messages.** IRQuest's validation messages are not yet stored as separate page or question errors. When a
  page refuses to move on, you see the message in the screenshot of that step.
- **End page.** A page without a question ID - normally the thank-you page - 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 **IRQuest** 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, rows and scale points.

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

## Good to know

- **Page names.** Pages are named after the question ID IRQuest sends with every page, so the names stay the same
  across test runs.
- **Custom layouts.** Questions with their own HTML or JavaScript, or uncommon question types, may not be read or
  answered automatically yet. If you find a page that SurveyTester does not read correctly, please send it to us.