Getting the length of your 360 feedback questionnaire right is critical. Too long, and you risk overburdening respondents, which can lead to rushed, lower-quality feedback. Too short, and you may only capture part of the picture.
While there are no hard and fast rules, the following factors can help guide decisions on questionnaire length.
The longer the questionnaire, the greater the risk that quality deteriorates. Research consistently shows that on longer surveys:
Motivation plays a significant role in completion quality. Highly engaged respondents will spend more time and provide richer insights. To increase motivation:
Motivated respondents are more willing to complete slightly longer questionnaires without sacrificing quality.
Attention span varies by individual and situation, but most research suggests around 20 minutes is the upper limit for sustained focus on a single task. Beyond this point, the risk of disengagement rises, regardless of motivation levels.
The average cost of labour within the UK (2025) was circa £17.40 per hour (£48.70 in the financial and insurance sectors and as low as £13.85 per hour in some sectors).
Therefore, assuming each 360 feedback survey has 10 contributors and takes about 20 minutes to complete, the total cost would be approximately:
We tracked the completion times of 10,937 respondents across 360 feedback questionnaires containing:
On average, the number of quantitative questions has a predictable impact on completion times:
Key insight: Adding more questions increases completion time, but the effect accelerates after 40 questions.
We also tracked the time it took each person to answer each of the free text (qualitative) questions. The average completion time was 3 minutes and there was no significant difference in the completion time for each of the different questions.
Completion rates for free text questions varied significantly:
Based on both research and real-world data:
Q. How long should a 360 feedback questionnaire take to complete?
A. A 360 feedback questionnaire should take no more than 20 minutes to complete.
The key reasons why are:
For further detail on designing high-quality 360 feedback questionnaires, you may find it helpful to explore our additional resources. We have a dedicated guide on using qualitative questions effectively in 360 feedback surveys, as well as a practical article on how to write great 360 feedback questions. Both provide deeper insights and examples to support best practice in questionnaire design.
Q. How many questions should a 360 feedback survey include to keep the total completion time around 20 minutes?
A. Include approximately 40 questions across 3–4 competency areas, with one free text box per area and two summary free text questions at the end.
