Tell me if you’ve heard this before “Every time I see a quiz online I have to take it.” As co-founder of Interact quiz builder, I’ve heard that same phrase 1000’s of times when I tell people we have a software for making quizzes. Today I want to deep dive into why quizzes have that reaction, and how they continue to keep people engaged even in the age of AI.
Reason #1: Quizzes tell you something about yourself, directly from an expert
People like to take quizzes because they learn about themselves. But in 2026, it’s not good enough to just learn something generic about yourself. People want to learn something specific about themselves, from an expert on the topic of the quiz. So if it’s a health-related quiz, then the advice given is from a registered dietitian. If it’s a jewelry recommendation quiz, it’s written by a professional jeweler. This differentiates the quiz from AI, which can give you general advice. But when you have specific advice, it’s more powerful.
For example, this past year I interviewed Dawn Richardson, who is a tech educator. She has Mac Recommender quiz, that asks people about what they need their new computer for, and then recommends the specific model of Mac to buy. She keeps the quiz updated as new Mac models come out, so it is always relevant.
Because Dawn is a tech expert, this quiz carries a lot of usefulness, and when someone takes it and learns about themselves (which computer is right for them), it’s very valuable. When I interviewed Dawn she said she had experimented with using an AI chatbot for the Mac recommender, but people preferred the quiz because it was more specific, more defined, and completely personalized to the person taking the quiz.
Reason #2: A quiz feels like a conversation with another person
When you write your quiz questions, you use your voice, tone, and words. When you write the answer choices that someone can pick when they take your quiz, you write them in the voice, tone, and words of your ideal customers. When you write your quiz questions like that, it feels to the quiz taker like they are having a conversation with another person. But more importantly, they are having a conversation with another person where the quiz taker is the focus of the attention the entire time. When people feel like someone else is paying attention to them, and asking them about themselves, their brains light up the same way they light up on drugs. So taking a quiz is like a good version of a drug for your brain.
It feels good to be seen, heard, and listened to. And when a quiz asks great questions, it makes the quiz taker feel those things. So they stay engaged and answer all the questions.
Reason #3: A quiz gives you a personalized answer to a question you have
This is the practical aspect of quizzes. There are some questions people ask where you need to know more about the person, their preferences, and strengths, before you can give a good answers. One example of this would be a career recommendation. Someone asks you “What career is right for me?” and in order to answer that you’d need to know more about the person asking that question.
That’s the exact scenario Erin from Advice With Erin encountered, and she made a quiz that has generated over 140,000 email subscribers as a result.
People like to take quizzes because it gives them an answer to a question that requires more information from them. And again, they are getting their answer from an expert as opposed to a generic answer.