Q. Explain how you would conduct a Pilot Survey before final sampling.

Sunrise Classes
Oct 5
1 min read

🧾 Q. Explain how you would conduct a Pilot Survey before final sampling.

Answer: A Pilot Survey (or Pre-test) is a small-scale trial survey conducted before the main survey to test the feasibility, clarity, and reliability of the questionnaire, sampling plan, and field procedures.

Steps Involved:

Objective Definition: Clarify what aspects need testing — questionnaire wording, time per interview, response rate, etc.
Sample Selection: Choose a small but representative area or population (usually 1–5 % of the final sample).
Conduct Fieldwork: Enumerators perform interviews using the proposed questionnaire, following the same instructions as in the real survey.
Analyze Pilot Results:
- Identify confusing or ambiguous questions.
- Estimate population variability (for sample-size determination).
- Calculate approximate sampling error and non-response rate.
Refine Final Plan:
- Modify the questionnaire.
- Adjust sample size using estimated variance
Train Field Staff based on feedback.

Cross-Question: 👉 Why is pilot testing important for official statistics?

→ It prevents large-scale data loss or bias by detecting design flaws early.

ISS Example: Before launching the NSS Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), pilot surveys are conducted to test digital CAPI questionnaires and field instructions.