33 Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples for Teachers
February 25, 2025
For a successful learning experience, classroom teachers need to assess their student鈥檚 progress throughout the school year. Not only do these assessments allow instructors to adjust their methods accordingly, but also, students feel included in their learning experience. One way instructors provide these check-in assessments is through exit tickets. As opposed to simply listening to lectures, students can participate in a through the use of exit tickets. Before we get into our exit ticket ideas and examples, let’s cover the basics:
What is an exit ticket?
An exit ticket is an assessment tool used by educators to gauge how much information students retained from a lesson. Essentially, these tickets provide an opportunity for students to leave feedback and show their thinking after a lesson concludes. In an exit ticket, students respond to open-ended questions posed by their teacher that relate to the recently covered material.
These assessments are not collected for a grade. Instead, exit tickets are used to help teachers consider how students responded to a lesson. Exit tickets are an excellent way for instructors to receive specific feedback from their students in an informal and relaxed setting. Because these tickets are given at the conclusion of the lesson or at the end of the school day, students may feel less pressure when completing their feedback.
Why are exit tickets helpful?
Exit tickets help to engage more open communication between students and teachers. In a larger classroom, the teacher may not have the opportunity to speak to each student individually during the school day. However, exit tickets help ensure that each student鈥檚 voice is heard and they have the chance to express any concerns.
Additionally, exit tickets are the perfect opportunity to help shier students talk about their ideas. For quiet students who may not feel comfortable speaking aloud in class, exit tickets provide a way for students to ask questions in a low-stakes manner. Plus, since exit tickets are not graded, students don鈥檛 feel as pressured when answering.
Ultimately, exit tickets help spark student participation and encourage students to take a more active role in their learning.
So, if you are a teacher, then you might be looking for exit ticket ideas. How do you create an effective exit ticket, and what does one look like?
Exit Ticket Ideas
The purpose of an exit ticket is to ask open-ended questions for your students to consider. Since the goal is to look for what sticks with students, asking general questions is a great way to receive a wide variety of feedback and insights.
While creating a ticket is not a long process, knowing what to include on one is helpful to receive the most useful results.
If you are looking for exit ticket ideas, consider these tips.
Exit Ticket Idea #1: Keep it Quick and Easy.
Exit tickets should not be time-consuming assignments. At the conclusion of the lesson, exit tickets should only take students a few minutes to complete. A limited number of questions should be asked at a time.
Exit Ticket Idea #2: Make the Intention Clear.
The exit ticket should ask questions that directly align with the lesson plan or reflect key ideas and main themes from the material. Clearly written instructions are helpful, especially for younger students.
Exit Ticket Idea #3: Discuss the Purpose.
Talking about the purpose of the exit ticket with your students before handing them the assignment clears any confusion about why it鈥檚 important. Plus, they may feel more encouraged to respond honestly to the assessment if they understand its intent and that it鈥檚 not graded.
Exit Ticket Idea #4: Include a Variety of Questions.
Don鈥檛 be afraid to mix up the types of questions asked. Students can respond by free writing, answering multiple choice or short answer questions, or even drawing. Keeping the types of questions varied helps prevent these assignments from feeling stale.
Exit Ticket Idea #5: Include a Variety of Ways to Respond.
Students can post a discussion board online or respond to a Google survey to collect the assessments digitally. Or, students can handwrite their responses on post-notes, index cards, or notebook paper. If your students are too young to write short answer questions, then they can even respond verbally.
Essentially, exit ticket ideas can be as creative or as straightforward as you need. Plus, the types of questions asked may vary depending on the grade level of the students or the subject matter.
Now that we know what an exit ticket should include, what does it look like?
33 Exit Ticket Examples
Let鈥檚 take a look at some examples of exit tickets to better understand the types of questions asked on these assessments. Then, we’ll discuss why these questions are useful for student assessment.
We will provide two types of examples: written responses and non-written responses.
Exit Ticket Examples 鈥 Written Responses
1) 鈥淲hat was most confusing?鈥
Asking students what was the most confusing part of the lesson gives them a direct opportunity to discuss their concerns. Perhaps some students do not feel comfortable asking certain questions in class. However, in a more private setting, they may feel freer to talk about what confuses them.
Plus, as an instructor, you can determine if multiple students are confused about the same topics. If there鈥檚 a large gap in understanding, it鈥檚 best to try approaching the topic from a different angle.
2) 鈥淲hat should I review tomorrow?鈥
This question is similar to the previous one but rephrased. Sometimes, students may not feel comfortable straightforwardly admitting they are confused.
3) 鈥淲hat was the most memorable part of the lesson?鈥
Simply asking students what sticks out most to them can help clarify what students take away from the assignment. This way, you can determine what impacted students most from the lesson and which ideas are fully understood.
Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples (Continued)
4) 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the most important thing you learned today?鈥
Allow students to express key ideas from the lesson.
5) 鈥淚 used to think ____ but now I think ___鈥
Phrasing a fill-in-the-blank question asks students to track their learning in real time. What did they use to believe about this topic, and how have their perceptions changed?
6) 鈥淲rite a possible quiz question and answer鈥
Let your students come up with a question that might appear on a quiz or test. If students can formulate a unique question and correct answer, then chances are that they have a thorough understanding of the material.
7) 鈥淚 really understood___, but I鈥檓 still wondering about___鈥
Providing specific fill-in-the-blank prompts can provide students with the opportunity to focus their thinking. This way, you can determine what topics resonate and which topics that students are still struggling to understand.
8) 鈥淐reate a list鈥
Have students create a list of the three most important main ideas from the lesson. This list can be ranked in a specific order determined by the students, or it can be unranked.
9) 鈥淪ummarize鈥
Have students summarize the main idea of the lesson in one sentence. This exercise lets students prioritize their focus and consider key ideas.
10) 鈥淪elf-evaluation鈥
Since the purpose of exit tickets is to help students get more involved in their learning, let the students evaluate themselves. Have students write one aspect they believe they did well that day, and one aspect they still need to improve upon.
Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples (Continued)
11) 鈥淕oalsetting鈥
This is one of the exit ticket ideas that is most effective for encouraging a student to get involved in their learning. Have students write a goal for themselves related to the day鈥檚 lesson, and let them create a plan for how they can achieve that goal.
12) 鈥淓xit ticket journal鈥
To get students involved in their learning, let them assemble their goalsetting sheets into a journal. Throughout the semester, students can track what they have learned and reflect on key ideas that have been presented throughout the school year.
13) 鈥淲hat is one way you contributed to class today?鈥
Ask students how they contributed to class for another way to get them involved in their learning.
14) 鈥淭wo truths and a lie鈥
After the lesson has finished, instruct students to write down three facts from the lesson. Two of the facts should be true, and one should be a lie.
When students complete this assessment, they can pass the paper to a friend and see if their friend can spot the lie.
15) 鈥淥bservations鈥
Let students use their observations to guide their learning. Start with having students tell you what they 鈥渟aw鈥 in class; what it made them 鈥渢hink;鈥 and what questions they may have.
Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples (Continued)
16) 鈥淭rivia questions鈥
Allow your students to create a series of trivia questions related to that day鈥檚 lesson plan. Students will draw upon their knowledge to remember key dates and people from the lesson.
These trivia questions can be especially useful for subjects like history or geography.
17) 鈥淲rite a story鈥
Express student creativity by having students write a short story that features the important figures from the lesson plan. Or, they can write about what life was like during a specific time period.
18) 鈥3/2/1 Method鈥
Follow the 3/2/1 Method for exit tickets. Have students write three things they learned; two items they found interesting; and one question they still have about the lesson.
19) 鈥淗ow can you apply what we鈥檝e learned in real life?鈥
Let students apply the lesson to their daily lives.
Exit Ticket Examples 鈥 Non-Written Responses
20) 鈥淒raw a picture that relates to today鈥檚 lesson鈥
Have students draw a picture or pictures which relate to what they have learned. The picture can relate to an important person, an item that represents a time period, or even the setting of the material covered.
21) 鈥淓mojis鈥
Present a series of emojis with different emotions, ranging from excited to sad to angry. Have students circle the emoji that best represents how they feel about how well they understand the lesson.
22) 鈥淏rain Dump鈥
This response can blend written responses with pictures. Have students take a few minutes to either write or draw the concepts that first spring to mind when they think about the lesson. When writing, students can write names, phrases, or places that relate to the lesson.
23) 鈥淪hort video鈥
Have students record and submit a short video of their thoughts following the lesson. Parameters for the video can include having students tell you one aspect they understand well and one they struggle with. Using a video is a great tool for online classrooms.
24) 鈥淐olor the stoplight鈥
Present students with the outline of a stoplight. Then, have them color in which light best aligns with how well they understand the lesson. For example, if they color the green light, then they understand the material well. If they color in a red light, then they need extra help understanding the lesson.
25) 鈥淵es or No questions鈥
Create a series of yes or no questions for students to respond to, by either circling the 鈥淵鈥 or 鈥淣.鈥
For example: I listened to the lesson today; (Yes or No?) I understand the main topic from today鈥檚 lesson; I need extra help understanding today鈥檚 lesson.
Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples (Continued)
26) 鈥淭rue or False鈥
Much like the Yes or No questions, allow students to answer prepared statements with either True or Fale responses. These statements can relate to the lesson material, or they can assess the student鈥檚 feelings about the assignment.
27) 鈥淧oll鈥
Create an online poll and have students respond to a pre-determined list of questions. The results of the poll will visually allow you to see where students may be struggling.
28) 鈥淢ultiple Choice鈥
Prepare a short multiple-choice examination. Three to five questions are a good amount.
Exit Ticket Examples 鈥 Classroom Environment
In addition to asking about lesson retention and gauging students鈥 progress, questions can also pertain to the classroom environment and teaching styles. Let鈥檚 look at some examples.
29) 鈥淲hat鈥檚 one thing you鈥檇 like me to start doing in class?鈥
For students who may have a harder time expressing their concerns, this question provides an easy way to ask for help. Mabe students need printed notes in addition to the slides, for example.
30) 鈥淲hat鈥檚 one thing you鈥檇 like me to stop doing in class?鈥
Similar to the question above, this prompt allows students to express additional concerns.
31) 鈥淲hat鈥檚 one thing you鈥檇 like me to continue doing in class?鈥
If a teaching method is effective, then it鈥檚 important to know what best helps students.
32) 鈥淗ow would you change the way we learn in this class?鈥
This question helps students think about the ways they learn and retain information.
33) 鈥淗ow would you have changed the activity we completed today?鈥
Feedback on a group activity or assignment helps the instructor to know how to modify for next time.
Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples鈥擨n Review
Exit tickets are a useful tool for educators to see where student confusion lies. Understanding this gap in learning is critical for creating a classroom environment that inspires inclusion, community, and mutual respect.
However, exit tickets are also beneficial for students to show off what they know. It鈥檚 a great opportunity to create confident students and for them to track their learning throughout the school year.
We hope these exit ticket ideas are useful for your classroom and will help to continue encouraging student growth!
Additional Resources
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