Exit ticket
An exit ticket is a short task students complete at the end of a lesson, usually one to three questions that take two to five minutes. It is not for a grade. It tells the teacher what landed and what did not, so tomorrow's lesson can start from the real gaps instead of a guess.
In more detail
Students hand it in on a slip of paper, a sticky note or an online form on the way out, which is where the name comes from. It is a formative assessment: it informs teaching while there is still time to change it. Most teachers leave it ungraded, because the point is honest answers, not points.
Aim it at one learning goal, not the whole lesson. One question that checks the core idea beats five that check everything. Then read the stack in five minutes and sort it into three piles: got it, almost, lost. That sort decides what you do first in the next class, such as reteaching, a small group or moving on.
Exit tickets also work for learners on their own. Writing one sentence from memory at the end of a study session is retrieval practice, and rating your confidence is a quick metacognition check.
Example
A biology teacher ends a lesson on osmosis with one slip: a cell is placed in salt water, which way does water move and why? Of 28 slips, 19 say the water moves out of the cell and explain it with concentration, six get the direction right but give no reason, and three say it moves in. Next class she opens with a two-minute reteach for the six and puts the three wrong answers on the board, unnamed, for the class to fix.
How to use it
- 1
Summarize. Write the main idea of today's lesson in one sentence.
- 2
3-2-1. Three things you learned, two things you want to know more about, one question you still have.
- 3
Muddiest point. What was the least clear part of today's lesson?
- 4
Apply. Solve one problem like today's example, or give a new example of the idea.
- 5
Explain. Explain today's key term to a classmate who was absent.
- 6
Confidence. Rate your understanding from 1 to 4 and say what would move you up one level.
- 7
Connect. How does today's topic link to something we learned earlier?
- 8
Predict. What do you think we will do next, and why?
How StudyPDF does this
A teacher can upload the lesson's slides to StudyPDF and make a short quiz from them: multiple choice, true or false or short answer, each question with an explanation and a source page. Then share the course by one link. Students open it free in any browser and check themselves with instant feedback, and those who join save their progress. StudyPDF does not collect their answers for you, so keep the classic exit ticket on paper or in a form and use the shared quiz as the follow-up students take on their own.
See also
Common questions
How long should an exit ticket take?
Two to five minutes, with one to three questions. If it takes longer, it has turned into a quiz and you will not have time to read it before the next class.
Should you grade exit tickets?
Usually not. They work best as a low-stakes check where students answer honestly. If you want to record something, note completion only and use the answers to decide what to reteach.
Put it to work on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.