Surveys have been used on nearly every imaginable topic. The MMPI-2, or Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory version 2, consists of nearly 500 questions. After all the questions have been answered the raw scores are converted into 13 personality scales, including scales for random answering and scales for detecting subjects who answered overly "good" or overly "tough".
Opinion surveys are also good examples of this method. Recently I bought a truck, shortly after I received an eight page survey. It asked about my interests, hobbies, and other such personal information. Manufacturers and merchandisers use such information to sell their products more efficiently. For example, mass mailings are expensive, but if the mailing list can be pared down and mailings sent only to people who are more likely to buy a product, considerable savings can result.
The WAIS-R, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, is a test given orally to adults. It contains scales which tap verbal and performance aspects of intelligence. Unlike pencil-and-paper tests, the WAIS-R can only be administered to one person at a time. Thus, in these kinds of tests, one trades the efficiency of mass testing for the sensitivity of individual testing.