Step V Once you are satisfied with the research instrument, pre-test it with a few respondents from a population similar to the one you are going to study. The purpose of the pre-test/field test is not to obtain information but to uncover problems with the instrument. If the instrument is an interview schedule, interview the pre-test respondents to find out if they understood the questions. If a question is not understood, find out what the respondent did not understand. If the same problem is identified by a number of respondents, change the wording. If your instrument is a questionnaire, ask the pre-test respondents to go through the questions with the aim of identifying any questions that are difficult to understand. Discuss the problems that they had in understanding or interpreting a question. In light of these discussions, if necessary, change the wording of questions with which pre-test respondents have difficulties.