What do you choose: Google Forms Choice Eliminator

I haven’t really written about Google Forms and all of its wonderful qualities, mainly because I haven’t had time. 😁 I feel like it would be another multi-part feature, so I want to make sure I do it justice.  Therefore, it may seem like I’m jumping ahead since I’m going to launch into an add-on that I really love. Consider it an intermediate to advanced tutorial.

As many of you know, Google Forms is a powerful tool to use in a wide variety of situations. One popular applications is using it as a sign-up form or scheduling appointments. Users would simply choose from a list of options, and the answers are recorded in a spreadsheet.

Here’s an example of a form we used for students to sign up for shifts for our Multicultural Fair:

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Since we wanted to evenly distribute the 50 groups among the shifts, I used an add-on called Choice Eliminator. When you use this, you set the number of responses you’ll accept for each choice, and as someone selects it, one spot is eliminated. Once all of the spots are taken, that option will disappear from your Google Form. It’s genius and works very well if you set it up correctly.

Setting it up

Get the Add-on

1) While in your Google Form, select “Add-ons” from the menu bar at the top. Then select “Get add-ons.”

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2) You’ll most likely find Choice Eliminator in the top row due to its popularity. If not, just type it in the “Search Add-ons” box. When you see it, click on it to select it.

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3) In the popup window, click on the blue “+Free” button in the right-hand corner to add it. It will ask you for permission to access your Google products, so select “Allow.” You’ll receive a confirmation when it’s complete.

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Using Choice Eliminator

4) Now that you’ve added it, it’s time to use it! In order for this to work, you will need to first create a question with a multiple choice, list, or checkbox option.

5) Next, go back to Add-ons, select “Choice Eliminator,” and then “Start.” You’ll see a column pop up on the right side of the screen, along with your question as one of the choices. Click on that question, which will bring a dropdown menu.

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6) Select “Eliminate choices,” and then “Choice Options.” A small window will popup. From here, be sure to select “On” to turn it on, and then in the fields below, indicate how many choices you want for each spot (the default is 1). When you’re done, select “Save.”

Screen Shot 2016-02-08 at 10.32.51 PM 7) This last step is VERY IMPORTANT: after Step 6, you’ll be brought back to the column on the right. You must switch Choice Eliminator to the “On” position, or it won’t work!

 Possible uses for this:

  • As mentioned above, setting appointments
  • Signing up for spots on the bus (for a field trip), group to be in, or shifts
  • Signing up for project topics so that you don’t have 175 of the SAME  topic (like which amendment to do a presentation on, which author or country to study, etc.)
  • If you’re holding an Educon, you can limit the number of participants in a session to allow for more individualized attention

I hope you get to try out this amazing feature! Comment below and let me know how it goes!



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