Despite the utility of cognitive interviews, very few studies report on the practical application of this survey design procedure. Likewise, very few studies querying perceptions of honors education incorporate valid survey items that reflect the views of students of color who are eligible yet opt out of participation. We respond to these areas of inquiry by describing the development of survey items that explore why students would opt out of honors education in collegiate settings and may identify unintentional institutional barriers that prevent the participation of marginalized groups. We report on the process and outcomes of cognitive interviews used to refine our survey tool and the categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA) that not only provided additional refinements but also revealed the underlying two-component structure of the instrument.