We developed a robust conceptual survey in the area of mechanical waves in an evolutionary manner starting with an open-ended test. The survey is based on high school and university curricula in both Thailand and Australia. Development procedures involved open-ended questionnaires, interviews, and validation by a panel of experts. The final survey has been tested with several groups of students from high school to second-year university in Australia and high schools in Thailand. Standard statistical analyses have been used to evaluate the survey questions, and the results show that the survey is reliable and valid. The survey has four subtopics, and instructors can use the subtopics relevant for their students. In addition, we have demonstrated the use of a typical survey question to diagnose students’ alternative conceptions that agree with common alternative conceptions found in the literature. Our survey can be used by instructors before instruction to identify alternative conceptions and to adapt their teaching accordingly. The survey can again be used after instruction to evaluate gain achieved by classroom instruction.