An online health quiz can help you organize your thoughts, but it can't diagnose you. Before you answer, check three things: who runs the quiz, why it exists, and what happens to your answers. This guide gives you a short process map, the questions to ask, and a printable checklist you can use on any quiz.
If you are taking a quiz because symptoms feel sudden, severe, or frightening, stop now and contact your local emergency services. A quiz is not built for emergencies.
The Decision Point: Should You Take This Quiz?
Most people find health quizzes while looking up a symptom, a sleep problem, or a product. The quiz promises a quick answer. The real question is whether it's worth trading your personal details for that answer.
MedlinePlus, the consumer health service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, suggests judging any health website by a few basics. These include who runs it, its purpose, how it's funded, the quality of its information, and its privacy policy. Those same basics apply to a quiz, because a quiz is part of a website.
A Short Process Map for Any Health Quiz
- Before you start: Find out who runs the site and why the quiz exists. Read the privacy policy.
- While you answer: Notice what the quiz asks for. Skip or leave the page if it wants more than you're comfortable sharing.
- When the result appears: Read it as general information, not a diagnosis. Watch for a product pitch or a promise that sounds too good to be true.
- After the quiz: If the topic still matters to you, write down your questions and bring them to a licensed clinician.
Questions to Ask Before You Answer
Who runs this quiz?
MedlinePlus asks whether you can trust the site's owner to give balanced, accurate information. It notes that trustworthy sites give you a way to contact the owners with questions or feedback. It also names reliable examples: federal agencies, medical schools, and large professional or nonprofit organizations.
Look for an “About” page, a contact page, and a named organization. For a closer look at authors and reviewers, see our guide on checking who wrote a medical page, who reviewed it, and when it was updated.
Why does this quiz exist?
MedlinePlus says to figure out whether a site's purpose is to inform the public, sell products or services, or promote an opinion. Its guidance says trustworthy sites have one main goal: providing good information.
A practical clue: look at where the quiz leads. If every result points to the same product, subscription, or sign-up, the quiz may be a sales tool as much as an information tool.
Who pays for it?
According to MedlinePlus, ads on a health site should be clearly marked as advertisements. It warns that some ads are designed to look like neutral health information. It also notes that a site funded by a business may favor that business's products.
What happens to your answers?
MedlinePlus advises reviewing a site's privacy policy to see how your personal information will be used before you share it. A health quiz may ask personal questions, so this step matters.
When you read a privacy policy, look for plain answers to these questions:
- What information does the quiz collect, such as symptoms, age, email, or phone number?
- Is your information shared with or sold to other companies?
- Will you be added to an email or text list?
- Can you ask for your information to be deleted?
If you can't find a privacy policy, or you can't understand it, that is a reason to pause. This article is general information, not legal advice about privacy laws.
Is the information behind the quiz current and sourced?
MedlinePlus says good health information should include links or references to its sources. It should also show dates when it was written, reviewed, or updated. It suggests checking whether the site has an editorial board of health experts or a review process, and what the writers' qualifications are.
If a quiz result makes a claim with no source, our guide on how to find the original guidance when a medical page has no sources can help you trace it.
Does the result sound too good to be true?
MedlinePlus tells readers to be careful with dramatic writing, promises of cures, and claims that sound too good to be true. It also says good health information does not promote one treatment over another.
Diagnostic Limits: What a Quiz Result Really Means
A diagnosis is a clinician's conclusion about what is causing a health problem. The following points are our practical explanation, not findings from the sources cited below.
- A quiz only knows what you type in. It can't examine you or see your full health history.
- A quiz can't order or read lab work or other tests.
- Two quizzes on the same topic may give different results.
- A “low risk” result doesn't mean you should ignore symptoms that worry you. A “high risk” result doesn't mean you have a condition.
At best, a quiz can help you notice patterns and put your questions into words.
Turning a Quiz Result Into Better Questions
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) publishes a list of 10 questions it says patients should know. AHRQ notes that answers to simple questions can help you feel better and take better care of yourself.
AHRQ's list was written for conversations with clinicians, not for quizzes. Here are several of its questions that may apply if a quiz result leads you to talk with a clinician:
- What is the test for?
- When will I get the results?
- Why do I need this treatment?
- Are there any alternatives?
- Will this medicine interact with medicines that I'm already taking?
You can also bring the quiz itself. Note the site's name, the date you took it, and the result in your own words. Then ask the clinician how, if at all, it fits your situation. If your conversation will happen by video, our telehealth visit note on symptoms, connection backup, and privacy can help you prepare.
Printable Checklist: Online Health Quiz
Before you start
- I know who runs this site and found a way to contact them.
- I understand the quiz's purpose: to inform, to sell, or to promote an opinion.
- Any ads are clearly labeled as ads.
- I read the privacy policy and know how my answers will be used.
While answering
- I'm comfortable with every piece of personal information the quiz asks for.
- I'm not taking this quiz instead of getting urgent help.
When the result appears
- The result shows sources and a date.
- The result does not promise a cure or push one product or treatment.
- I understand the result is not a diagnosis.
After the quiz
- I wrote down the site name, the date, and the result.
- I listed my questions for a licensed clinician.
How We Put This Guide Together
This guide is based on consumer guidance from MedlinePlus and AHRQ, listed below. Where we add our own practical explanation, we say so. You can read more about our process on our How We Work page.
Sources
- MedlinePlus: Evaluating Health Information (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- AHRQ: The 10 Questions You Should Know (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Important Information About This Article
This article is for general education only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not legal advice. Talk with a licensed healthcare professional about your own health. In an emergency, contact your local emergency services.
PiedmontPrimaryCare.com is an independent wellness information website written by a team of wellness writers. It is not a medical practice and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any medical practice that has used this name.