In connection with the implementation of the changes on the Startquestion's platform, a new function has appeared: displaying the mean in the matrix question. The calculation of the average does not require any explanation when each scale has a given weight. However, if there is a neutral scale in a specific situation, then not every scale is assigned with a weight by default. And that can cause problems.

Therefore, the following guide aims to explain how the neutral scale works (how weights are assigned, etc.) so that every user of Startquestion can take a full advantage of the tool's capabilities.

Displaying the average will be possible for the answer in the single-choice matrix question. The average column appears:

The column containing the average is added at the end of the table - as in the question grade.

Individual scales, starting with the first one, have weights assigned by default (in order: 1, 2, 3 ...). They are given exactly as if it were a rating question type: the first column in this case would be one asterisk, the second would be two, etc.

The problem may be that a neutral scale may appear in the matrix question. In this case, we do not take it into account at all. Therefore (regardless of whether the neutral scale is the first scale, it appears at the end or in the middle), we simply omit the neutral response when assigning the weights. For example, when the first scale is a neutral one - then we assign weights only from the second scale: NEUTRAL, 1, 2, 3.