What is Average Completion Time?
Average completion time is the typical length of time respondents take to finish a survey. It helps you judge respondent burden and compare how long different audiences or language versions take to complete the same form.
Average completion time measures how long, on average, participants spend completing a survey from start to finish. It’s usually calculated from timestamps captured when a respondent begins and submits the form (or from page-level timestamps). Because individual times can be skewed by long pauses or accidental keeps-open sessions, teams often report the median or a trimmed mean in addition to the simple average. For multilingual surveys, differences in reading speed, translation length and cultural conventions can affect completion time, so compare like-for-like (same question set, different languages) when drawing conclusions.
Usage example
Our school enrolment questionnaire has an average completion time of 8 minutes. We noticed responses submitted in Somali averaged 12 minutes — after a review we shortened one long open question and clarified wording, which reduced that group’s average to 9 minutes.
Practical application
Average completion time matters because it indicates respondent burden and helps predict participation rates. Use it to: 1) decide whether a survey is too long for the audiences you need to reach; 2) compare languages to spot translation or comprehension problems; 3) optimise question order, skip logic and wording to reduce drop-out; and 4) set realistic expectations in invitations (e.g. “This survey takes about 6 minutes”). For Hearo users, tracking completion time by language highlights whether a particular language needs clearer translation or a simplified question, and helps ensure all communities can complete the survey within a similar effort.
FAQ
How exactly is average completion time calculated?
The basic method is (sum of all completion times) ÷ (number of completed responses). Many teams also report the median and exclude extreme values (for example, sessions with long idle periods) or use page-level timestamps to remove inactivity.
Should I use mean or median?
Median is often more informative because it’s not skewed by a few very long or very short sessions. Use the mean when you want overall time cost, but check the median to understand a typical respondent’s experience.
Do partial or abandoned responses count?
That depends on your goal. If you want to measure total time people spend before dropping out, include partials; if you’re measuring the time to complete successfully, exclude incomplete responses. Always document which approach you used.
What is a ‘good’ average completion time?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Short community surveys often aim for 3–7 minutes, more detailed consultations 10–20 minutes. The right target depends on your audience, the topic’s sensitivity and how much time you can reasonably ask of respondents. Watch for language-specific spikes — if one language takes substantially longer, investigate clarity or translation issues.