After taking the Zombie Survival and Risk Analysis Quiz, you may be unpleasantly surprised by the results. We all like to think of ourselves as canny survivors, able to conquer any undead horde, but the truth is survival requires good risk analysis and preparation. The quiz should help point out your current weaknesses, so you know what to work on before the next attack.

Lesson 1: Make sure your survival plan matches your outlook

In general, each survivor ‘class’ is categorized by their level of aggression towards the undead, general preparedness, trust towards other humans, and their desire for shelter versus their desire for mobility. In other words, the class is your general outlook during a zombie attack. It represents your general survival strategy, but this may conflict with your survival plan. Diplomats are better suited at waiting for rescue or escaping than attempting to kill all zombies, for example.  If your plan has a low chance for success, retake the quiz and pick a different plan to see how well you do.

Lesson 2: Trusting others can help you survive

No man is an island. While humans are often more dangerous than the undead, they can also be invaluable in fighting off the undead. Improving your social skills and connections can help you find trustworthy allies and detect untrustworthy survivors.

Lesson 3: Go all in with your survival strategy

Once you pick a basic strategy, it is often better to devote a great deal of time and effort to it, rather than use half-measures. If you want to fight the undead, kill every zombie you see. If you want to focus on getting a defensible shelter, choose a large building to fortify rather than a small apartment. If you want to recruit other survivors, get a large group of them, rather than a few.

Lesson 4: If you don’t like your class, change your outlook

Some people have expressed dismay at their chances of survival after taking the quiz without realizing how easy it is to improve their chances of survival. The determination of who lives and who dies in a zombie attack is usually not a matter of who is the strongest, smartest or most charismatic, but a matter of choices. The choice to remain alone or stay with other survivors. The choice of which shelter to use. The choice of when to fight the zombies and when to hide. By changing what your choices are, you can change your chance for survival.

Lesson 5: Learn what the threats are!

Every major zombie species requires different tactics. Common Gray Shamblers are easy for any well equipped survivor, as they are slow and unintelligent. But Revenants and Talking Zombies are far more dangerous, if you don’t know how to deal with them. Reading field literature can only improve your odds of survival!