Best questions for high school junior student survey about college readiness

Here are some of the best questions for a high school junior student survey about college readiness, along with tips for making them effective. You can build this type of survey in seconds with Specific, gaining deeper insights while saving time.

Best open-ended questions for high school junior student surveys about college readiness

Open-ended questions let students share detailed perspectives, reveal uncertainties, and highlight obstacles you may not have considered. They shine when you want context, not just numbers on a chart. Here’s why: Recent data show that only 21% of U.S. high school seniors met all four ACT college readiness benchmarks in 2023—while 85% reported feeling “very” or “mostly” prepared for college. This disconnect between perceived and actual readiness is something numbers alone can’t explain. [1][2] Open-ended questions dig into the “why” and “how,” surfacing valuable clarity.

1. What are your biggest questions or concerns about preparing for college?

2. Which school resources have helped you the most with college planning, and why?

3. Can you describe what “being ready for college” means to you personally?

4. What steps have you already taken towards college readiness, and what’s next?

5. What challenges have you faced when thinking about college applications or admissions?

6. How confident do you feel about your academic skills (like math, writing, reading) for college-level work? Why?

7. Who do you talk to most about college, and how have they helped (or not helped)?

8. Share a time when you felt uncertain or unprepared for college, and what would have helped you then.

9. What do you wish adults at school understood about your college readiness journey?

10. What additional programs or support would help students like you get ready for college?

Best multiple-choice questions for high school junior student surveys about college readiness

Single-select multiple-choice questions work well when you need to spot trends or measure specific factors quickly. They’re great for quantifying key points and make it easy for students to answer—especially helpful if respondents aren’t sure how to express themselves fully in open-ended form. Once you identify trends, you can use follow-ups or open questions to dig deeper.

Question: How would you rate your overall preparedness for college as of today?

• Very prepared

• Somewhat prepared

• Not very prepared

• Not at all prepared

Question: What area do you feel least confident about when it comes to college readiness?

• Math skills

• Writing and communication skills

• Study habits and time management

• College application process

• Other

Question: Which type of support would help you most as you prepare for college?

• Workshops on college applications

• Personalized academic tutoring

• Career and college counseling

• Information about scholarships and financial aid

When to followup with "why?" It’s helpful to ask “why?” when you want richer context—especially after a respondent selects an option like “Not very prepared” or “Writing and communication skills.” Instead of settling for a number, a follow-up like “Can you share a specific reason you feel unprepared in this area?” surfaces actionable insight the numbers would hide.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Allowing “Other” opens the door for unexpected feedback. Students might identify a barrier you hadn’t thought about, and follow-up prompts encourage explanations—sometimes revealing pain points or ideas for new programs.

NPS question for high school junior student surveys about college readiness

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) approach isn’t just for business—it’s a powerful tool in student feedback as well. NPS asks: “How likely are you to recommend your school’s college readiness support to a friend?” on a 0–10 scale. This cuts through vague responses, letting you benchmark student satisfaction, spot detractors, and listen to specifics through tailored follow-ups.

If you want a ready-to-launch NPS survey built for high school junior students about college readiness, you can try the template in our builder.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions unlock the “why” and “how,” helping you avoid surface-level answers. Specific’s automated AI follow-ups take every response further—asking for clarification, exploring context, and surfacing root causes all in real time. This is more than a form: it's a true conversation. Thanks to dynamic probing, a conversational survey is more natural, increasing both the quality and quantity of insights you gather.

• Student: “I’m mostly ready for college.”

• AI follow-up: “That’s great! Can you share which areas you feel most prepared in, and what’s helped you the most?”

• Student: “I need help with scholarships.”

• AI follow-up: “Is there a particular part of the scholarship process you find confusing or overwhelming?”

How many followups to ask? Generally, 2–3 follow-ups are enough to go beneath the surface without overwhelming anyone. Specific lets you control this and even skip to the next question after collecting the needed context, so the flow feels tailored and efficient.

This makes it a conversational survey—not a static form. Students engage more honestly in a chat-like flow, giving you richer answers.

AI analysis, summarization, themes: Even if you have lots of open-ended responses, it’s now easy to analyze with AI. Specific automatically summarizes and surfaces key themes, so you get meaningful insights without sifting through walls of text.

Automated, smart follow-up questions are a new approach—try generating a survey to see the difference firsthand.

How to craft smart prompts for ChatGPT or GPT-based survey generators

You can get great questions for a high school junior student survey about college readiness using prompt engineering. Here’s how to start simple, then add context for even stronger results.

First, try this straightforward prompt:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for High School Junior Student survey about College Readiness.

But specificity unlocks better ideas. For example, add more details about your needs into the prompt:

I’m a high school counselor designing a survey for juniors. We want honest feedback about their perceived college readiness—focusing on barriers, helpful programs, and real concerns. Suggest 10 open-ended questions, using a supportive tone that encourages students to share.

Next, organize your list for clarity:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Then, deepen context in areas that matter most. If “Barriers to College” stands out, ask:

Generate 10 questions for the “Barriers to College” category, drilling into mindset, academic preparation, and financial issues.

Iterate this way, and you’ll develop a thoughtful, wide-ranging set of survey questions.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey transforms a flat, fill-in form into an engaging dialogue. AI-powered survey tools like Specific simulate the experience of talking to a real person, using natural language to ask main questions, probe for detail, and follow up on the fly. Here’s how it stacks up:

Why use AI for high school junior student surveys? AI makes it incredibly fast to create tailored, thoughtful college readiness surveys—often surfacing gaps school staff miss. Because so many students feel “prepared” despite what the data show (like only 21% meeting readiness benchmarks nationally [1]), conversational, AI-generated questions bring out the nuance behind that confidence. Start from scratch using the AI survey generator, or follow a simple guide to survey creation for college readiness.

Specific delivers an outstanding conversational survey experience, making feedback seamless for both creators and students. That’s how you get beyond the surface—without the manual grunt work.

See this college readiness survey example now

Try an AI-powered survey today to uncover what students really think about college readiness—experience a natural chat, richer answers, instant analysis, and best-in-class user engagement.