30+ Training Survey Questions (With Templates) to Prove ROI

Nearly half of L&D leaders say their executives are worried employees don’t have the right skills to keep up with business strategy. That’s a pretty loud alarm bell. And yet, companies are spending more than ever on training, without always knowing if those sessions are paying off.

The problem? Too many of us still lean on the basic training survey question: “Did you like it?” Sure, you’ll get a stack of smiley faces, but that doesn’t prove people actually learned something, let alone that they’re applying it on the job.

This isn’t about collecting polite feedback but showing real business impact. In this guide, you’ll get 30+ training survey questions, ready-to-use templates, and step-by-step tactics to boost response rates, avoid survey fatigue, and actually link training to ROI.

Ready-to-Use Training Survey Questions & Templates

Let’s skip the theory for a second and get to what you really need: pre- and post-training survey questions you can drop straight into your next training survey. The trick isn’t asking more questions—it’s asking the right ones at the right moment. Here’s how I like to break it down:

Pre-Training Survey Questions (Set the Baseline)

Send these a few hours or a day before the session to align content with what people actually need:

1. What do you hope to learn from this training? (Open text)

2. How confident are you in your current knowledge of this topic? (1–5 scale)

3. Have you taken a similar training before? (Yes/No)

4. What challenges are you facing in this area? (Open text)

5. How relevant do you think this training will be to your role? (1–5 scale)

6. What do you expect to apply immediately after this training? (Open text)

7. How would you rate your current skill level on [specific topic]? (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced / Expert)

8. What’s your preferred format for learning? (In-person / Virtual / Self-paced / Blended)

9. What would make this training valuable for you? (Open text)

10. Is there a specific project or challenge you want this training to help with? (Open text)

Why it matters: Pre-training questions uncover where your team is starting from. That way you don’t waste half the session telling experts what they already know.

Post-Training Survey Questions (Capture Reactions & Learning)

Send these within 24 hours, while the content is still fresh in people’s heads:

11. Did the training meet your expectations? (Yes/No + optional why)

12. How satisfied are you with the training overall? (1–10 scale)

13. How confident are you in applying what you learned? (1–5 scale)

14. What was the most valuable part of the training? (Open text)

15. What could we improve for next time? (Open text)

16. Was the trainer knowledgeable and clear? (1–5 scale)

17. Did the trainer make the session engaging? (Yes/No)

18. Were the training materials helpful? (1–5 scale)

19. Was the training length appropriate? (Too short / Just right / Too long)

20. Would you recommend this training to a colleague? (Yes/No, or Net Promoter Score scale)

21. Did the training match its description/title? (Yes/No)

22. Did you have enough opportunities to ask questions or participate? (Yes/No)

23. Was the learning environment (in-person or virtual) comfortable and distraction-free? (1–5 scale)

Why it matters: This is your real-time pulse check. It’s where you separate “fun session” from “useful session.”

30/60/90-Day Follow-Up Training Survey Questions (Measure Application & Impact)

The most underrated part of training evaluation. This is where you see if skills are actually transferring into work and results. You can ask these follow-up training survey questions using microsurveys on Slack, Teams, or any other tool you use to communicate:

24. Have you applied the skills you learned in your day-to-day role? (Yes/No + example)

25. What challenges have you faced in applying the training? (Open text)

26. How has this training impacted your productivity? (Much more productive / Slightly more productive / No change)

27. Has the training helped you achieve your goals or KPIs? (Yes/No + details)

28. Have you shared what you learned with your team? (Yes/No)

29. Has your manager supported you in applying the training? (1–5 scale)

30. Have you noticed improvements in your team’s performance or collaboration since the training? (Open text)

31. Would you like a refresher or follow-up session? (Yes/No)

32. What’s one thing you still struggle with after the training? (Open text)

33. Has this training contributed to your engagement or motivation at work? (1–5 scale)

34. Would you recommend future colleagues take this training? Why or why not? (Open text)

35. If you could change one thing about the training, what would it be? (Open text)

36. What business outcomes have improved as a result of this training? (e.g., sales, customer satisfaction, efficiency)

Why it matters: This is where ROI shows up—or doesn’t. If employees can’t apply what they learned, all those budget dollars just bought a nice afternoon, not a better business.

How to Create a Training Survey That People Actually Complete

A training survey only works if people actually fill it out. It sounds obvious, but I’ve seen beautifully designed surveys sit unopened in inboxes because they were too long, vague, or felt like a compliance exercise. The sweet spot is simple, focused, and easy to complete. Here’s a quick and easy template to use for your training surveys:

Want to learn in-depth? Here’s the step-by-step playbook I use:

1. Get Clear on the Goal

Every solid training survey starts with a single question: what are we trying to measure? Is it whether people liked the session, whether they learned something new, or whether the training actually helped hit business goals like faster onboarding or higher sales? 

Don’t try to cover everything in one go—pick the two or three outcomes that matter most. For example, if your leadership cares about retention, add a question about whether the training made employees feel more confident in their role. If productivity is the hot topic, ask how quickly they can apply new skills.

2. Choose Your Audience

Not every training survey belongs in every inbox. Early on, I made the mistake of sending the same set of survey questions for training feedback to the whole company, and the feedback was a mess. New hires told me the training was overwhelming, while seasoned managers rolled their eyes at questions that didn’t apply. 

Now I segment. New employees get onboarding surveys, managers get leadership-focused ones, and remote employees see questions about the virtual experience. On top of that, I always spell out how anonymity works—sometimes I set a rule that results are only shared if five or more people respond.

3. Decide What to Ask

Think of your survey like a pitch deck: if it runs too long, you’ve already lost them. Stick to 8–10 training survey questions for employees. Use rating scales (1–5, strongly disagree to strongly agree) to track trends, then drop in a couple of open-ended prompts for real insights. And please—ask one thing at a time. 

Instead of “Did the trainer and the materials meet your expectations?” split it into: “Was the trainer effective?” and “Were the materials helpful?” That way, you’ll know what’s working and what’s not without guesswork.

4. Build With Smart Tools

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. Instead of wrestling with a blank doc, lean on tools that speed things up. For full training surveys, I start with a ProProfs Survey Maker template—drop in a goal, let the AI suggest solid questions, and tweak them to match the program. That way, I’m not burning an afternoon wordsmithing.

When I want quick, in-the-moment feedback, I switch to Qualaroo’s nudges. They sit right inside the LMS or course page, asking one or two targeted questions without pulling people out of their flow. With skip logic, learners only see what’s relevant—no more “Why are you asking me about the instructor when I was remote?” moments. Plus, you can gauge all the employee emotions with AI sentiment analysis.

Here’s a quick video you can watch to learn how to create a survey:

5. Test It First

Here’s a mistake most managements have made: sending a survey company-wide, only to realize one of the employee training survey questions was confusing—or worse, broken. Nothing kills trust faster. 

Always run a pilot with 5–10 people first. Ask them to take the survey while thinking out loud: Was any question vague? Did the answer options make sense? Did the survey drag on too long? You’ll be amazed at what a small test group catches—everything from unclear wording to a skip logic path that loops forever.

The Takeaway: A great training survey is short, targeted, and built to earn trust. When employees see you respect their time, they’ll actually hit submit.

How to Get Better Response Rates Without Survey Fatigue

A training survey is only as good as the number of people who actually complete it. The catch? Employees are already swimming in emails and forms. If your survey feels like a chore, they’ll ignore it, or worse, click random answers just to get it over with. 

Here’s how to beat survey fatigue and get meaningful participation:

1. Set a Clear Target

Decide what “good” looks like. For most internal training programs, a 70–80% response rate is realistic for small to mid-sized teams, while 65%+ is solid in larger organizations. When you know the benchmark, you can tell whether your survey is working—or if it’s just disappearing into inbox limbo.

2. Keep It Short

Eight to ten questions is the sweet spot. Push past 12 and completion rates can dip by nearly a fifth. Short surveys signal respect for people’s time and encourage thoughtful answers.

3. Make It Easy to Answer

Most employees will respond on their phones, often between tasks. Keep questions simple, scannable, and quick to tap through. A progress bar or “this will take 3 minutes” note lowers resistance even more.

4. Personalize With Logic

If someone didn’t attend live training, don’t ask about the trainer’s delivery. Use skip logic so people only see what’s relevant. The less “N/A” they have to click, the higher your completion rates.

5. Show That Feedback Leads Somewhere

Survey fatigue often comes from employees thinking their input vanishes into a black hole. Send a short follow-up: “You told us X, so we’re doing Y.” When people see change, they’re more likely to answer the next survey.

How to Analyze Feedback & Improve ROI

Collecting survey responses is just step one. The real value comes from turning those answers into proof that training is actually moving the business forward. Here’s how I break it down:

The Takeaway: Don’t just collect data. Organize it, benchmark it, and connect it directly to business outcomes—so you can show training is more than a box to check.

The Kirkpatrick Model in Action

If you’ve ever felt lost staring at survey data, the Kirkpatrick Model is your compass. It breaks training evaluation into four levels, and I’ve found it’s the simplest way to move from “Did they like it?” to “Did it drive results?”

Level 1 – Reaction: Start with the gut check. Ask learners: “Was the training relevant and engaging?” or “Would you recommend it to a colleague?” Quick to answer, but a good pulse check on experience.

Level 2 – Learning: Now test retention. A simple pre- and post-training question like “How confident are you applying [skill]?” shows if knowledge actually improved.

Level 3 – Behavior: Training only matters if it changes what people do at work. At 30–60 days, ask: “Have you used this skill yet?” and “What’s getting in the way?”

Level 4 – Results: Finally, connect it back to business goals: “Has this training helped you deliver faster, sell more, or improve customer satisfaction?”

Roadblocks to Training Surveys and How to Fix Them

Even well-designed training surveys can flop if you don’t tackle the common blockers. Here’s a quick cheat sheet I keep in my back pocket:

Surveys vs. Interviews: Choosing the Right Tool

Not every piece of feedback belongs in a survey. Sometimes you need scale; other times, you need depth. The trick is knowing when to use each—and when to combine them.

Surveys: Best for Scale

Surveys shine when you need input from dozens or hundreds of employees at once. They’re quick to deploy, easy to benchmark, and perfect for spotting trends—like confidence levels, satisfaction, or whether training resources were clear. Keep them short, structured, and repeatable so you can compare results over time.

Interviews: Best for Depth

Interviews and focus groups give you the story behind the numbers. They’re slower and reach fewer people, but they uncover obstacles you won’t see in a survey—like poor manager support, outdated employee feedback tools, or competing priorities. Use them when survey data shows a red flag you can’t explain.

The Hybrid Approach

The smartest move is to combine both. Run a survey to see the broad patterns, then follow up with a handful of interviews to dig into the “why.” That way you get both statistical reliability and human nuance without guessing.

From Feedback to ROI: Making Training Surveys Count

Training surveys aren’t about collecting polite “thumbs up” responses. They’re about proving whether your investment in learning actually moves the needle on performance, retention, and growth.

If you want results you can stand behind, the formula is simple:

• Ask the right questions at the right time (pre, post, and follow-up).
• Keep surveys short, relevant, and easy to answer.
• Push for strong response rates by respecting employees’ time and closing the loop.
• Analyze results with intent—track knowledge gains, measure behavior change, and tie everything back to KPIs.

Do that, and you’ll have more than feedback forms—you’ll have evidence. Evidence that training isn’t just a “nice-to-have,” but a lever for business outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What questions should a training effectiveness survey include?

Include questions that measure expectations, confidence in applying skills, actual usage on the job, and suggestions for improvement. This mix ensures you capture satisfaction, learning, behavior, and impact—rather than just surface-level reactions.

What is an example of a questionnaire after training?

A post-training survey might ask about overall satisfaction, the most valuable part of the session, trainer effectiveness, the usefulness of materials, and whether participants would recommend the training. Combining ratings with open-ended questions gives you both quantitative data and actionable feedback.

What six questions would you ask to ascertain the training needs required?

Ask about current challenges, desired skills, prior training, relevance to their role, preferred learning format, and current confidence level. These six areas reveal what employees need, how prepared they are, and the best way to deliver training that makes an impact.

What is a good response rate for training surveys?

Aim for 70–80 percent in small or mid-sized teams. In large organizations, 65 percent and above is considered strong. Falling below these numbers often signals fatigue, poor timing, or low trust in whether feedback will be acted on.

How can training surveys prove ROI?

Track learning gains with pre- and post-training questions, check application at 30/60/90 days, and connect results to business outcomes like productivity, sales, or retention. Use a simple ROI formula: (Business Impact – Training Cost) ÷ Training Cost. This translates survey feedback into measurable value.