Using the Page Timer you can set a time limit (either min or max) for a single page in your survey, multiple pages in your survey, or the entire survey.
The Page Timer is perfect for your online quizzes to ensure that respondents don't have the time to find external resources to help them answer your quiz questions.
You can also use the Page Timer to ensure that video or audio clips included in your survey are watched/listened to in their entirety.
Finally, Page Timers can prevent people from speeding through your survey if you using panel respondents or are offering an incentive.
Set up a Page Timer on a single page
- Click Action on the page, select Page Timer.
- Under Timer Functions leave the default setting Timer is only for the time spent on this page.
- Next indicate how you wish to control the respondents' progress based on the timer. You can choose any combination of the below options:
- Automatically proceed to next page after timer is up
- Prevent respondent from proceeding to the next page while timer is running
- Timer repeats on all subsequent pages (Note: This option repeats the timer on all subsequent pages and must be the only timer on those pages.)
- Allow respondent to extend time limit - This option is most commonly used for accessibility. It will allow the respondent to extend the time limit once per survey by using the Extend Time link at the bottom of the survey page. Time limit will be extended 10 times e.g., if your time limit is set to 5 minutes, it will be extended to 50 minutes.
- If you selected the option to Automatically proceed to the next page after timer is up you will have some additional options:
- Ignore unanswered questions and proceed to next page - This default setting will submit the page regardless of required settings.
- Automatically redirect to the following page - You can also choose to move the survey respondent to a specified page, as opposed to the next page. This setting will also ignore any required settings.
- Finally, set the Time Limit in HH:MM:SS format.
- (Optional) If you wish to customize the text "Time Left on this Page" you can do so in in the Text field. You can also customize the Text Color and Background Color; just click the square and select a new color.
Set up a Page Timer for multiple pages in a survey
To set up the same page timer settings on all pages in your survey follow the above steps and then select the Timer repeats on all subsequent pages option.
Set up a Page Timer for the entire survey
Note: The Page Timer for the entire survey is not compatible with the Page Randomization feature.
To set up a timer that applies to the entire survey:
- Click Action on the page you wish for the timer to start and select Page Timer.
- Select the Timer sets one time limit for the respondent to complete the survey option
- Indicate which page you wish to redirect to after the timer is up (the Thank You Page is the default).
- If needed, select Allow respondent to extend time limit (commonly used for accessibility). This option will allow the respondent to extend the time limit once per survey by using the Extend Time link at the bottom of the survey page. Time limit will be extended 10 times e.g., if your time limit is set to 5 minutes, it will be extended to 50 minutes.
- Set your Time Limit in HH:MM:SS format.
- Finally, remember to change the "Time Left on this Page" text to display "Survey" instead of "Page."
Hide Page Timer Bar
If you need to hide the Page Timer Bar, you can do so by entering the following Custom CSS code on your Style Tab.
.sg-timer-bar {
display: none;
}
Page Timer Accessibility
The following features and behavior ensure your surveys with Page Timer Action are accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive ability. The first two options are built-in to the Page Timer for all respondents using a screen reader. The third is an option available to you as the survey builder to make available to survey respondents as you see fit. Learn more about accessibility in our Accessibility Tutorial.
- If a screen reader is being utilized, the Page Timer is paused and time remaining is read either:
- at 50% intervals if allocated time is less than 5 minutes
- at 25% intervals if allocated time is less than 20 minutes (i.e. original time is 4 minutes, time remaining is read every minute)
- every 5 minutes if allocated time is greater than 20 minutes
- in all above cases, these notifications can also be dismissed if using a screen reader.
- If the survey page is set to automatically submit after the time is up, the survey respondent will be notified of this via screen reader 3 seconds prior to auto-submission. This final notification is not dismissible.
- The Allow respondent to extend time limit setting allows the respondent to extend the time limit once per page/survey by using the Extend Time link at the bottom of the survey page. Time limit will be extended 10x i.e. if your time limit is set to 5 minutes, it will be extended to 50 minutes.
Admin
— Dave Domagalski on 07/08/2019
@Tara: Thank you for your question!
One potential option is to enable Duplicate Protection on your survey:
https://help.surveygizmo.com/help/duplicate-protection
Duplicate protection prevents respondents from submitting multiple responses to a survey.
I hope this helps!
David
Technical Writer
SurveyGizmo Customer Experience
— Tara on 07/05/2019
How do you prevent people from going back into the survey once the timer is up and they've been redirected to the last page?
Admin
— Dave Domagalski on 07/02/2019
@Alexander: Thank you for your question!
The Page Timer Action is available starting at the Collaborator plan. This is noted in the article side panel above.
I hope this helps clarify!
David
Technical Writer
SurveyGizmo Customer Experience
— Alexander on 07/02/2019
Hi, as of which plan is this feature included? Thank you very much for your help!
Admin
— Dave Domagalski on 04/22/2019
@Gaurav: I'm very sorry for the trouble with the Page Timer!
It looks like there is a bug at the moment with the Page Timer Action related specifically to what you have mentioned.
I see that you are currently in touch with our Support team and they will be reaching out to you as soon as this issue is corrected.
David
Technical Writer
SurveyGizmo Customer Experience
— Chandrakant on 04/22/2019
This functionality is broken, does not work. If you use Save and Continue feature, the Page Timer keeps running in the background even if you close the survey.
Admin
— Bri Hillmer on 11/23/2015
@Zi: Thank you for sharing!
Bri
Documentation Coordinator/Survey Sorceress
SurveyGizmo Customer Support
— Zi on 11/23/2015
Hi Bri, I have just found the answer to my earlier question on displaying a countup timer on each page and thought I should share.
1. create a text and insert 00:00, disable html auto correct
2. create a javascript and insert
var minutesLabel = document.getElementById("minutes");
var secondsLabel = document.getElementById("seconds");
var totalSeconds = 0;
setInterval(setTime, 1000);
function setTime()
{
++totalSeconds;
secondsLabel.innerHTML = pad(totalSeconds%60);
minutesLabel.innerHTML = pad(parseInt(totalSeconds/60));
}
function pad(val)
{
var valString = val + "";
if(valString.length < 2)
{
return "0" + valString;
}
else
{
return valString;
}
}
3. Vola!
Admin
— Bri Hillmer on 11/16/2015
@Karen.quigg: I'm sorry to say that we only have the ability to set a timer for an individual page or the entire survey. Might you move the section of questions to a single page?
Thanks for checking out our documentation!
Bri
Documentation Coordinator/Survey Sorceress
SurveyGizmo Customer Support
— Karen.quigg on 11/11/2015
Is it possible to set a timer for sections of a survey (i.e., groups of pages)?
Admin
— Bri Hillmer on 09/24/2015
@Mary: I did a little testing and it looks like you can set the timer for a max of 24:59:59.
I hope this helps!
Bri Hillmer
Documentation Coordinator
SurveyGizmo Support
— Mary on 09/24/2015
What is the maximum time you can set the page timer for?