Linear Scale

Free feature

Linear scale is available to all Fomr users.

The Linear Scale component displays a numbered scale that respondents can use to rate or score something. You choose the scale’s start and end points, so it works for agreement scales, satisfaction ratings, and any situation where you need a quick numeric rating.

A linear scale component

When to use Linear Scale

Linear Scale is ideal for:

• Agreement/disagreement scales
• Likelihood and satisfaction ratings
• Importance ratings
• Any question that calls for a simple numeric scale

Tip

Linear Scale works best when you want respondents to see all options at once and the numbers themselves are meaningful. For visual ratings, consider Rating (stars). For Net Promoter Score questions, use the dedicated NPS component — it comes with the standard fixed 0-10 scale built in.

Adding a Linear Scale component

1. Open your form in the editor

2. Drag the Linear Scale component from the left sidebar onto your form

3. Click the component to select it and configure its settings

Configuration options

Question label

The main question or prompt displayed above the scale.

Examples:

• “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?”
• “How strongly do you agree with this statement?”
• “How important is this feature to you?”

Supporting content

Add helper text, an example image, or a divider between the question’s title and its input: drag a Text, Image, or Divider component onto the question and drop it on the line that appears under the title. Supporting text comes with full formatting and answer piping. Learn more in Supporting content.

Scale range

Set where the scale starts and ends with the two-thumb Scale range slider. Both endpoints can be any whole number from -10 to 10, as long as the end is above the start — so 0-10, 1-5, 1-7, and even -5 to 5 all work.

The two-thumb Scale range slider in the Linear Scale settings

New Linear Scale questions start at 0-10. Scales you created before custom ranges were introduced keep their original 1-based range and continue rendering exactly as you built them.

Range	Common Use
0-10	Likelihood and satisfaction scales (default)
1-5	Simple scales, agreement ratings
1-7	Likert scales
-5 to 5	Balanced scales with a true negative side

Reverse order

Turn on Reverse order to display the scale from high to low — for example 10 down to 0 instead of 0 up to 10.

Reversing is purely visual: the number a respondent picks is exactly what gets stored, exported, and piped, no matter which direction the scale reads.

Labels

Turn on Labels to add a pair of short captions under the scale’s ends that tell respondents what the endpoints mean — for example “Not likely” under the lowest value and “Very likely” under the highest.

A linear scale with labels under both ends

• Edit each label directly on the canvas; the placeholders name the endpoint they belong to (for example “Label for 0” and “Label for 10”)
• Labels support bold, italic, underline, text color, links, and answer piping, at a fixed small size
• Each label is anchored to its value, not to a side: the low label always stays with the lowest number, so the labels swap sides when you turn on Reverse order
• Long labels wrap instead of overlapping, and an empty label simply shows nothing

Default value

Prefill the scale with a number from your configured range so respondents can confirm the common answer or change it. See Default values for how prefilled answers behave.

Required

Toggle whether a selection must be made before the form can be submitted.

When enabled:

• An asterisk (*) appears next to the question label
• Users must select a value to submit
• A validation message appears if no selection is made

Tips

• Spell out the meaning of the endpoints — Numbers alone can be ambiguous. Turn on Labels and caption the ends (for example “Not at all” and “Extremely”) so every respondent reads the scale the same way.
• Choose the right scale length — 5-point scales are simple and familiar. 7-point scales offer more nuance. 0-10 scales are standard for likelihood and satisfaction metrics.
• Be consistent — If you use multiple linear scales in a form, keep the same range so responses are easy to compare.
• Consider the midpoint — Scales with an odd number of points have a neutral midpoint. Scales with an even number of points nudge respondents toward a positive or negative lean.
• Match industry standards — For Likert scales, 1-5 or 1-7 are standard. For Net Promoter Score, use the NPS component instead of building the scale by hand.

Linear scale interaction

Selecting a value

The selection process

• All numbers are displayed in a row
• Click any number to select it
• The selected number is highlighted
• Click a different number to change selection

Visual design

• Numbers are evenly spaced
• Selected value is clearly highlighted
• The scale stays in a single row whenever it fits: on small screens the cells shrink first, and only very long scales wrap onto a second row

Common scale types

0-10 likelihood scale

The default range, standard for likelihood and satisfaction questions:

0 - Not at all likely
...
10 - Extremely likely

5-point Likert scale

Set the Scale range to 1-5:

1 - Strongly disagree
2 - Disagree
3 - Neutral
4 - Agree
5 - Strongly agree

7-point Likert scale

Set the Scale range to 1-7:

1 - Strongly disagree
2 - Disagree
3 - Somewhat disagree
4 - Neutral
5 - Somewhat agree
6 - Agree
7 - Strongly agree

Net Promoter Score

For NPS questions, use the dedicated NPS component instead of a Linear Scale. It locks the scale to the NPS-standard 0-10, adds the classic detractor/passive/promoter colors and legend, and can display smiley faces.

Linear scale vs. other components

Component	Best For
Linear Scale	Numeric ratings on a custom range
NPS	Net Promoter Score on the standard 0-10 scale
Rating	Star-based visual ratings
Slider	Continuous ranges
Multi Choice	Categorical options

Accessibility

The Linear Scale component is built with accessibility in mind:

• Proper radio group semantics
• Keyboard navigation (Arrow keys)
• Screen reader announces the selected value
• Clear visual feedback
• Focus states are visible

Handling responses

Linear scale responses in your form results:

• Show the numeric value selected
• Can be averaged across responses
• Are included in exports as numbers
• Allow statistical analysis

Analyzing linear scale data

Common ways to analyze linear scale responses:

• Average score: Mean value across responses
• Distribution: Count of each value selected
• Top/bottom box: Percentage selecting highest/lowest values