30 exit ticket ideas that take three minutes
An exit ticket is one short question every student answers before the lesson ends, so you know who got it and who needs help tomorrow. Keep it to three minutes, read the answers the same day, and sort them into three piles: got it, almost, not yet. Each idea below gives the prompt to use, what you need and the grades it suits.
Check what they understood
1. Solve one
Give one problem as hard as the hardest one in today's lesson. Sort the slips into got it, almost and not yet, and use the piles to plan tomorrow's groups.
Grades 1–8You need A half-sheet slipUse Exit ticket slips
2. Find the mistake
Show a worked problem with one mistake in it and ask: "Find the mistake, circle it, and fix it." It shows whether students can check work, not only copy steps.
Grades 2–8You need A worked example with one error
3. True or false, and why
Write one statement about the lesson, such as "A square is a rectangle." Students mark true or false and write one sentence explaining why.
Grades 2–8You need A slip with one statement
4. Which one doesn't belong
Show four numbers, words or pictures and ask which one doesn't belong and why. There can be more than one good answer; the reason is what you read.
Grades K–8You need Four items on the board
5. Wrong-answer choices
Write one question whose wrong answers each come from a common mistake. The letter a student picks tells you which mistake to reteach.
Grades 3–8You need A multiple choice question
6. Use the word
Ask students to use today's new word in a sentence that shows what it means. "I saw a mammal" doesn't show it; "A whale is a mammal because it breathes air" does.
Grades 2–8You need Today's vocabulary word
7. Draw it
Ask for a quick sketch of the idea: three-quarters of a bar shaded, the water cycle as arrows, a character's face at the end of the story.
Grades K–5You need Blank slips
8. Put it in order
List the steps of today's process out of order and have students number them. Works for math procedures, science steps and story events.
Grades 1–8You need Three or four steps in a jumbled list
9. Fill in the summary
Write a two-sentence summary of the lesson with three key words missing. Students fill in the blanks from memory, without their notes.
Grades 2–5You need A summary with three blanks
10. Compare two answers
Show two sample answers, one stronger than the other, and ask which is better and what would make the weaker one better.
Grades 3–8You need Two sample answers to one question
Reflect on the learning
11. 3-2-1
Students write three things they learned, two things they found interesting and one question they still have. Read the questions first.
Grades 2–8You need A 3-2-1 slipUse 3-2-1 exit slip
12. Muddiest point
Ask: "What was the most confusing part of today?" The answers that repeat tell you exactly what to open with tomorrow.
Grades 3–8You need Blank slips
13. I used to think, now I think
Students finish both sentences about today's topic. It shows you whose thinking moved and whose didn't.
Grades 3–8You need Blank slips
14. Question for tomorrow
Each student writes one question they'd like answered tomorrow. Answer three of them aloud at the start of the next lesson.
Grades 2–8You need Blank slips
15. Where would you use this
Ask students to name one place outside school where they would use today's skill, and to say how. Expect answers like measuring for a shelf or splitting a pizza.
Grades 3–8You need Blank slips
16. Which strategy
Ask which strategy they used today and whether they'd use it again. "I drew a number line, and yes, because I could see the jump."
Grades 2–8You need Blank slips
17. What do you need next
Students tick one box: more practice, a challenge, or help from the teacher. Use the ticks to set up tomorrow's groups.
Grades 2–8You need Three boxes on a slip
18. I can, with a rating
Write today's goal as an "I can" sentence. Students circle 1 (not yet), 2 (with help) or 3 (on my own).
Grades 1–8You need An I can goal sheetUse I can goal sheet
19. Face scale
Younger students color the face that matches how they feel about today's skill: a smile, a straight mouth or a frown. No writing needed.
Grades K–2You need Slips with three faces
20. Headline
Students write a newspaper headline for today's lesson in eight words or fewer. A good headline means they found the main idea.
Grades 4–8You need Blank slips
Quick formats with no paper
21. Fist to five
Students hold up zero to five fingers to show how sure they feel. Note who shows zero to two and check in with them first tomorrow.
Grades K–8You need Nothing
22. Answer at the door
As students line up, each one answers a quick question for you at the door: "Tell me a multiple of six" or "Tell me a word with a long a."
Grades K–5You need Nothing
23. Show me boards
Everyone writes an answer on a mini whiteboard and holds it up on your count of three, so you see the whole class at once.
Grades K–8You need Mini whiteboards and markers
24. Sticky note sort
Students put a sticky note with their initials under "Got it" or "Still thinking" on the door as they leave.
Grades 1–8You need Sticky notes and two door signs
25. Traffic light cups
Each table stacks the cup that matches how it went: green on top for got it, red on top for stuck. Glance at the room before you end.
Grades 1–5You need Green, yellow and red cups per table
26. Spin for the prompt
Spin the exit ticket wheel and everyone answers the prompt it lands on, out loud with a partner or on a slip.
Grades 2–8You need The exit ticket wheel on the projectorUse Exit ticket wheel
27. Two words
Each student says two words that sum up the lesson as they leave. Repeated words tell you what stuck.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
28. Thumbs on a statement
Read three statements about the lesson and students show thumbs up for true and thumbs down for false, eyes closed so nobody copies.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
29. Teach a younger student
Ask students to explain today's idea as they would to a student two grades younger. Jargon and gaps show up quickly.
Grades 3–8You need Blank slips
30. Online form by QR code
Post a QR code that opens a one-question form in the tool your school approves. Check your district's rules before collecting names online.
Grades 4–8You need Your school's approved form tool and a QR codeUse QR code maker
Making it work
- Keep it to three minutes. Set the 3 minute timer and collect slips when it ends.
- Read them the same day and sort into three piles. The point is tomorrow's plan, not a grade.
- Ask one question, not five. One good question is quicker to read and easier to act on.
- Rotate formats so students don't go on autopilot, but keep the three piles the same.
- Answer a few of the questions students wrote at the start of the next lesson so they see the slips matter.
Questions teachers ask
- What is an exit ticket?
- A short question or task every student answers at the end of a lesson, usually on a small slip of paper. It is a quick check of understanding that tells the teacher what to do next, not a test.
- Should I grade exit tickets?
- Most teachers don't. Once a slip carries a grade, students worry about being wrong and copy each other, and you lose the honest picture you wanted. Use them to plan, and mark them at most as complete.
- How do I use the results?
- Sort the slips into three piles: got it, almost, not yet. Start tomorrow with a short reteach for the not-yet pile while the got-it pile starts a challenge, and check the almost pile first during practice.
- How long should an exit ticket take?
- Two to four minutes. If it takes longer it has become a quiz. Plan the lesson so the last five minutes are kept free for it.
Written for teachers by Peabody Teach. No ads, no affiliate links. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.