Which of the following could distort a post-occupancy survey results because of timing?

• A. The survey questions are biased toward the sponsor
• B. The survey is conducted too soon after project completion
• C. The responses are collected anonymously
• D. The sample size is too large

Answer: (B)

Timing of a post-occupancy survey is what this item is testing. If the survey is done too soon after project completion, occupants haven’t fully experienced the building under normal operation yet. Early periods include last-minute changes, remaining construction disruptions, and a learning curve with new systems, which can color responses and give a distorted picture of how the space performs in day-to-day use. Waiting until occupants have settled helps capture stable, representative feedback on comfort, usability, and performance.

Bias in the questions can skew responses regardless of timing, anonymity affects honesty but not timing, and sample size impacts reliability rather than when the survey is given.