A New Year quiz for work should do two jobs: wake the room up and get people talking about the year ahead. This one has 10 trivia questions with answers, 3 polls, a word cloud and 5 prompts that double as New Year icebreaker questions, all built for a team kick-off, a January all-hands or the first meeting back after the holidays.
If you want party trivia for a New Year's Eve gathering, use our New Year's Eve quiz questions. For a music round, try the New Year music quiz. The questions below do not repeat those posts: they are about how the calendar and the New Year came to be, which suits a team that likes a little trivia but does not want a pub quiz at nine in the morning.
Quick facts
At a glance4 quick answers
What is in this quiz?
Answer10 trivia questions with answers, 3 polls, 1 word cloud and 5 year-ahead prompts
Who is it for?
AnswerTeam kick-offs, January all-hands and the first meeting back after the break
How long does it take?
AnswerAbout 30 minutes live, as a rough estimate: 5 minutes of polls, around 15 minutes for the 10 trivia questions and 10 minutes for the year-ahead prompts
Is it different from the New Year's Eve and music quizzes?
AnswerYes. This one is built for a work meeting; see the links below for party trivia and a music round
How to run a New Year quiz at work
- Open with polls (5 minutes). Start with questions that have no right answer, so everyone can take part before the competitive bit.
- Play the quiz (15 minutes). Ten questions, one point each, faster correct answers score more on a live leaderboard.
- Close with predictions (10 minutes). Finish on the year ahead, while people are still talking.
Round 1: New Year icebreaker polls and a word cloud
None of these has a correct answer, which is why they are polls and not quiz questions. Showing the results on screen makes the team's view visible, and nobody has to speak first.
Polls and a word cloud4 prompts
1Pick one team resolution for this year
Why ask itTurns vague good intentions into one shared commitment. Read the top two aloud and write them in the team channel.
2What will change our work most this year?
Why ask itThere is no right answer, so it is a poll, not a quiz question. The spread shows who is excited and who is wary.
3Which leadership quality matters most this year?
Why ask itA safe way for a team to tell its managers what it wants more of, because the results show as totals, not names.
4One word for how you want this year to feel
Why ask itA word cloud: every answer is a single word and the most popular grow biggest. Good for the first minute of an all-hands.
Round 2: New Year trivia questions and answers (10 questions)
Every answer below was checked against the source linked beside it. The theme is how we ended up with the calendar we use, from ancient Rome to the fiscal year your finance team plans around, which makes a good story for a kick-off.
Calendar and New Year trivia10 questions
1Which Roman god of beginnings gave January its name?
More detailJanuary is named after him, the Roman god of time, transitions and beginnings (National Geographic). Handy for an all-hands that opens the year.
2Until 154 BC, on which date did Rome's consuls take office?
More detailConsuls entered office on the Ides of March until 154 BC, and 1 January took over in 153 BC (Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, University of Chicago, Roman Calendar).
3In the United States, the federal government's fiscal year begins on which date?
More detailThe US government's fiscal year runs from 1 October to 30 September (US Department of the Treasury).
4Which month was renamed in 44 BC to honour Julius Caesar?
More detailQuintilis was renamed Julius in 44 BC in honour of Caesar, who was born that month (University of Chicago, Roman Calendar).
5Which month, once called Sextilis, was renamed after Emperor Augustus?
More detailSextilis was renamed Augustus in honour of the emperor and his calendar reform (University of Chicago, Roman Calendar).
6Canada's government financial year runs from 1 April to which date?
More detailThe Government of Canada's fiscal year begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March of the following calendar year (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat).
7The month name September comes from the Latin for which number?
AnswerSeven (Latin septem). It was the seventh month of the oldest known Roman calendar, when March began the year, and is now the ninth (Smith's Dictionary, WebExhibits).
8How many days vanished from Britain's calendar in September 1752?
More detailThe Calendar Act ordered that the day after 2 September 1752 be called 14 September, omitting eleven days, when Britain switched to the Gregorian calendar (WebExhibits, British Calendar Act).
9True or false: the year 1900 was a leap year.
More detailA year divisible by 100 is a leap year only if it is also divisible by 400, so 1600 and 2000 were leap years but 1800 and 1900 were not (US Naval Observatory).
10The word “calendar” comes from the Latin “kalendae”. What was the kalendae?
More detailThe Romans called the first day of each month the Kalends, from the Latin calare, to call out, because the new moon was announced then, and the English word “calendar” comes from it (Dickinson College Commentaries, WebExhibits).
Round 3: New Year icebreaker questions and year-ahead predictions
These are open questions, so use a Brainstorm slide, a Word Cloud or a simple chat thread. They work in person and on a video call.
Resolutions and predictions5 prompts
1Name one thing we will stop doing by March.
Why ask itLets people retire a habit without blaming anyone. Run it as a Brainstorm slide and pick the best three together.
2Predict our team's biggest win by December.
Why ask itWrite the answers down. In December, read them back and see who called it.
3What did you finish last year that you are proud of?
Why ask itA kick-off should start with credit. Use a Word Cloud or a Brainstorm slide so quieter people can answer too.
4Which skill do you want to learn this year, and who here could teach a first lesson?
Why ask itPairs learners with teachers and gives the manager a ready-made training list.
5What should we keep exactly as it is?
Why ask itProtects what already works before the planning starts.
How to host a New Year quiz at work with AhaSlides
Everyone joins with a code on their phone, no app needed, and the questions show on the shared screen or your video call.
- Use Poll and Word Cloud slides for the icebreakers. Results update on screen as people vote.
- Use Pick Answer for the multiple-choice questions. Faster correct answers score more points.
- Use True or False for the leap-year question. One statement, two big cards.
- Add a leaderboard slide after the quiz. You choose where it appears, for example after question five and again at the end.
- Use Brainstorm for the predictions. People submit ideas as cards on a shared board.
- Mix in more formats if you like. Type Answer asks players to type a short answer, Match Pairs and Correct Order work for sorting questions, and a Spinner Wheel picks who answers next.
AhaSlides is free to try: the Free plan lets you run up to 5 quiz questions and 3 poll questions per presentation, with up to 50 people joining, which is enough for a short icebreaker round. The full 10-question quiz plus polls in this template needs a paid plan. See the plans.
More New Year and year-end ideas
- New Year's Eve quiz questions: general New Year trivia for a party.
- New Year music quiz: songs and artists for a music round.
- Chinese New Year quiz: zodiac, traditions, food and legends.
- Year-end review examples: ways to look back before you plan ahead.
- Live virtual year-end celebration: ideas for a remote team send-off.
Frequently asked questions
When should I run a New Year quiz at work?
The first all-hands or team meeting of January is the natural slot. It also works at a kick-off offsite or as an opener to quarterly planning.
How long should a New Year work quiz be?
Keep it to 30 minutes or less. As a rough estimate, allow about 5 minutes for the polls, 15 minutes for the 10 trivia questions and 10 minutes for the year-ahead prompts.
Can I run it on a video call?
Yes. Share your screen, paste the join code in the chat and everyone answers on their phone or laptop.
What are good New Year icebreaker questions for work?
Start with a poll that has no wrong answer, such as picking one team resolution, then ask open questions like what you are proud of finishing last year and what the team should keep exactly as it is. Round 1 and Round 3 above give you nine to use.
Answers last checked on 3 October 2026 against the sources linked in each answer.
