How to run a quiz in a Microsoft Teams meeting

You can run a quick quiz inside a Microsoft Teams meeting with the Polls app, which is built on Microsoft Forms. It handles multiple-choice questions with a correct answer, which is enough for a knowledge check in a training. Here's how to set it up, where it falls short, and another way to run it.

How to run a quiz with the Teams Polls app

1. Open the meeting in your Teams calendar before it starts and select Chat.
2. Click + to add a tab, choose Polls, and save.
3. Select + New poll and choose Multiple choice quiz.
4. Write the question and options, and mark the correct answer. Turn on multiple answers if more than one is right.
5. Save it as a draft. In the meeting, open Polls and Launch it when you get to that point.

Attendees see a pop-up, pick an answer and select Submit. Microsoft's support article on meeting polls covers the details.

What the Teams quiz does well

• It's built in, so there's nothing to install for people in your organization.
• You can prepare all your questions as drafts before the meeting.
• Results appear as people answer, and the correct answer is shown with them.

Where it falls short

• Setup per meeting: you add the Polls tab and drafts to each meeting.
• Multiple choice only: there's no open answer with a correct response.
• Pop-ups get missed: people who are screen sharing, on mobile or in another window often don't see the poll appear.
• Guests: people outside your organization may have a harder time joining in, depending on your tenant's settings.
• Other platforms: a quiz you build in Teams doesn't come with you to a Zoom or Google Meet session.

A quiz people answer in the meeting chat

Claryoo is a co-host that joins your Teams meeting as a participant. You press Next, the quiz question goes up on your shared screen, and people answer by typing a letter in the Teams chat: "B", "b" or the answer itself. When you close it, the correct answer is revealed and you see who got it right.

Because the questions sit in your slides, the same quiz runs on Teams, Zoom and Google Meet, and in a room on phones by QR code. Claryoo can also draft the questions from your session topic. See quizzes in Claryoo.

Tips for a good Teams quiz

• Three to five questions is enough for a knowledge check. More turns it into a test.
• One idea per question. If people get it wrong, you know exactly what to explain again.
• Make wrong options believable. The common mistake makes a better option than a silly one.
• Talk about the answer, especially when half the room got it wrong. That's the teaching moment.

More ideas in knowledge checks for live virtual training.

FAQ

Can you do a quiz in a Microsoft Teams meeting?

Yes. Add the Polls app to the meeting, create a "Multiple choice quiz", mark the correct answer and launch it during the meeting.

Can Teams quizzes show the correct answer?

Yes. When you mark a correct answer, it's shown with the results after people vote.

Do participants need Microsoft Forms?

No. They answer in the pop-up in the meeting. You need the Polls app, which uses Microsoft Forms, to create the quiz.

Can I run the same quiz in Teams and Zoom?

Not with the Teams Polls app, which only works in Teams. A co-host like Claryoo runs the same quiz on Teams, Zoom and Google Meet, with people answering in each meeting's chat.