Configuring a Horizontal Multiple Choice Review Criterion

A Horizontal Multiple Choice review criterion allows reviewers to select a single option from a list of predefined choices displayed horizontally across the page.

This criterion type is commonly used for simple rating scales, recommendation levels, and Yes/No style evaluations where reviewers should select one response from a visible set of options.

Adding a Horizontal Multiple Choice Review Criterion

Navigate to the desired review form or scorecard.
Select Add Criteria.
Select Horizontal Multiple Choice from the Criteria Type dropdown.
Configure the available settings.
Select Submit.

Configuration Options

Criteria Prompt

The question or prompt displayed to reviewers during the evaluation process.

Example:

How would you rate the applicant's leadership abilities?
Would you recommend this applicant?
How would you assess the overall quality of this submission?

Best Practice: Use clear prompts that align with your scoring rubric and review objectives.

Criteria Configuration

The Criteria Configuration section is used to define the response options available to reviewers.

To add an option:

Select Add Option.
Enter a Value Saved.
Enter a Value Displayed.
Repeat as needed for additional options.

Value Saved

The value stored within the system when an option is selected.

This value is commonly used for:

Scoring calculations
Report exports
Ranking submissions
Determining overall review scores

Scoring Example

If the criterion contributes to the review score, enter a numerical value in Value Saved.

Value Saved	Value Displayed
5	Excellent
4	Very Good
3	Good
2	Fair
1	Poor

When Include in Total Score is enabled, the numerical values will be used to calculate the reviewer's score.

Non-Scoring Example

If the criterion is for informational purposes only, you can enter a text value in Value Saved.

Value Saved	Value Displayed
YES	Recommend
MAYBE	Recommend with Reservations
NO	Do Not Recommend

In this example, the criterion is used to capture reviewer feedback but does not contribute to the review score.

Best Practice: If Include in Total Score is disabled, consider using descriptive text values rather than numerical scores to make reporting easier to understand.

Value Displayed

The text shown to reviewers when making their selection.

Example:

Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor

Best Practice: Use reviewer-friendly labels that clearly communicate the meaning of each option.

Include "N/A" Option

Determines whether reviewers can select N/A (Not Applicable).

Enabled

Reviewers can select N/A when the criterion does not apply.

Disabled

Reviewers must select one of the configured options.

Common Uses:

Optional review categories
Criteria that may not apply to every submission
Specialized evaluation areas

Best Practice: Enable N/A only when reviewers may legitimately be unable to evaluate a criterion.

Include in Total Score

Determines whether the selected value contributes to the overall review score.

Enabled

The criterion contributes to the total score calculation.

Disabled

The criterion is informational only and does not affect scoring.

Example Uses

Include in Total Score

Leadership Rating
Project Impact
Innovation Score
Overall Quality Assessment

Do Not Include in Total Score

Reviewer Recommendations
General Comments
Administrative Classifications
Follow-Up Suggestions

Note: If this option is disabled, the criterion will still collect reviewer responses, but the selected value will not contribute to the overall review score.

Mandatory Field

Determines whether reviewers must complete the criterion before submitting their evaluation.

Enabled

Reviewers must select an option.

Disabled

Reviewers may leave the criterion unanswered.

Best Practice: Enable this setting when the criterion is required as part of the review process.

Help Hover Text

Additional instructions displayed when reviewers hover over the help icon.

Example Uses:

Select the option that best reflects your assessment.
Use the scoring rubric when making your selection.
Consider the applicant's overall qualifications when scoring.

Best Practice: Use Help Hover Text to reinforce scoring guidelines and improve reviewer consistency.

Common Use Cases

Horizontal Multiple Choice review criteria are commonly used for:

Yes / No Evaluations
Recommendation Levels
Rating Scales
Eligibility Assessments
Program Fit Reviews
Quick Reviewer Decisions
Pass / Fail Evaluations

Example Scoring Setup

Overall Recommendation

Value Saved	Value Displayed
3	Strongly Recommend
2	Recommend
1	Do Not Recommend

With Include in Total Score enabled, the selected value will contribute to the reviewer's overall score.

Horizontal Multiple Choice vs. Vertical Multiple Choice Review Criteria

Criteria Type	Best Used For
Horizontal Multiple Choice	Small sets of short options such as Yes/No or simple rating scales.
Vertical Multiple Choice	Larger option sets or options with longer labels.

Horizontal layouts work best when there are only a few response options.

Horizontal Multiple Choice vs. Dropdown Review Criteria

Criteria Type	Best Used For
Horizontal Multiple Choice	Small option sets where reviewers should see all choices immediately.
Dropdown	Larger option sets or when screen space is limited.

If reviewers benefit from seeing all available options at a glance, a Horizontal Multiple Choice criterion is often the better choice.

Best Practices

Use numeric values in Value Saved when the criterion contributes to scoring.
Use descriptive labels in Value Displayed so reviewers understand each option.
Enable Include in Total Score only when the criterion should affect overall rankings.
Use N/A sparingly and only when a criterion may not apply.
Keep scoring scales consistent across all review criteria.
Use Horizontal Multiple Choice for short response sets.
Avoid long option labels, as they may affect readability in a horizontal layout.
If a criterion is informational only, consider using text values rather than numerical values in Value Saved.

Important Notes

Reviewers only see the Value Displayed options.
The system stores the Value Saved value.
If scoring is required, enter the numerical score in the Value Saved field.
If scoring is not required, you may use descriptive text values instead.
A criterion can be used for scoring, informational purposes, or both depending on the configuration.