Quiz Guides
How Many Questions Should a Pub Quiz Have?
Dec
You don’t need to be an expert in quizzes to formulate a good pub quiz. Instead, all you need is knowledge on how to structure a quiz, as well as an understanding on how many questions is enough.
Over the years at Quiz on Demand, we have learned what questions and formats can help you run a smooth, fun and challenging quiz night geared to your audience.
20 Question Table Top Quiz (A)
20 Question Face Race Picture Quiz
20 Question MegaQuiz
40 Question MegaQuiz
40 Question MegaQuiz in Rounds
How long does the average pub quiz last?
The average pub quiz normally lasts around 2 hours, and there will usually be a short break around the 1 hour mark.
Some pub quizzes will last longer than this, but you should be wary that when quizzes go on for too long participants can get bored and maybe begin to lose interest.
How many questions should be on a pub quiz?
A good pub quiz should have between 4-6 rounds of 10 questions, with a mixture of different rounds included. Again, having too many questions will extend the length of your quiz and you may begin to see participants dropping off or losing interest.
Many people think that 8-12 rounds is appropriate, but it can massively extend the length of your quiz. For example, if you have 8 rounds of 10 questions, as well as breaks, the quiz could last for at least 4 hours.
How should the questions be broken down in a pub quiz?
The most popular way that questions are broken down in a pub quiz is by topic. There are a variety of different topics that you could include in your pub quiz that you split across different rounds, such as:
- General Knowledge
- Film & TV
- Sport
- Pop Music
- Picture Round
- Table Top Quiz
- Themed rounds
- Megaquiz Rounds
At Quiz on Demand, we have a variety of different quizzes that you can choose from and split across different rounds. We do all the hard work for you, meaning you don’t need to worry about making sure your quiz isn’t too long or too short, and instead you can focus on prepping your pub ready for the quiz.
If you prefer to run with the quiz in themed rounds, our 40 question Meagquiz in Rounds is exactly that!
Best practices for structuring a pub quiz
When you’re creating a pub quiz, one of the most challenging aspects is trying to establish its structure. Don’t worry though, we’ve listed our top tips below.
Decide on a quiz host
Having a returning quiz host is a good way to ensure that participants get the same quiz experience every time they attend, whether that’s weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
If you do have a regular host, they may benefit from a quiz subscription package whereby we email you a fresh, up to date quiz PDF every week for you to download and print – simple!
This will also help to ensure that the regulars will have an idea of what to expect. Make sure your host has everything they need to keep the night flowing smoothly, from having a microphone to providing them with plenty of drinks throughout the night.
Have a maximum of 10 questions per round
Aim for a maximum of 10 questions per round; any more than this and you may risk making your quiz too long.
If you think you have too many questions, you should enlist the help of your pub staff to help decide which questions can be cut and which ones should be kept.
Keep the questions short
Questions shouldn’t be too long, otherwise it may begin to confuse or bore the quiz goers. The answers to the questions should also be relatively short, with one or two word answers where possible.
Where appropriate, 2-4 word phrases would also be okay, such as for music or movie rounds.
Pay attention to the order of your questions
To capture your quiz goers attention, don’t put all the more exciting questions at the very beginning of your quiz. You should have a variety of different difficulty levels sprinkled throughout the different rounds, trying to avoid putting all of the easy ones at the start.
In the same vein, try not to have a series of multiple choice questions one after another as this again can start to get tedious.
At Quiz on Demand, we always include a mixture of different questions throughout our quizzes, so you have no need to worry about creating the perfect order for your questions.
Decide on the rules
Rules are an essential part of every quiz and they make sure everyone has a fair chance of winning. When you’re preparing the structure of the quiz, think about the maximum number of people allowed on a team. Having a team with 10 people and one with 2 will throw the balance off.
We have a full guide on how to stop cheating at your pub quiz, which will help you to decide on the best ways to prevent cheating and keep the night fair.
