How to Use Exit Tickets Without Losing Class Time

The biggest reason teachers skip exit tickets is time. The bell is close, the lesson ran long, and there are five minutes left. Here is a simple routine that fits.

Step 1: Decide the question before class

Write your exit ticket when you plan the lesson, not at the end of it. Ask: what is the one thing every student should be able to do or explain by the bell? Your exit ticket checks that one thing.

Step 2: Save the last five minutes

Set an alarm or a timer for five minutes before the bell. When it goes off, you stop, even mid-sentence. Protect this time like you protect the bell ringer at the start of class.

Step 3: Put it on the board

Show the question big enough for the back row to read. Start a visible countdown so students pace themselves. Our exit ticket board mode does both with one click.

Step 4: Make collecting automatic

• Students drop it in a tray by the door on the way out.
• Or they stick it on the door on a sticky note.
• Or you stand at the door and take it like a ticket. This is the fastest way to make sure everyone turns one in.

Step 5: Sort, do not grade

Make three piles: got it, almost, not yet. Do not write comments on every one. Sorting a class takes about five minutes. You can do it during your planning period or while students start the next day’s bell ringer.

Step 6: Use it tomorrow

This is the step that makes exit tickets worth it. Start the next class with a two-minute reteach of the most common mistake. Pull the “not yet” group for a few minutes while others work. Read our guide on using exit ticket data for more ideas.

Common mistakes to skip

• Asking three or four questions. One is enough.
• Making it worth a big grade. Students stop being honest.
• Collecting them and never reading them. Students notice.
• Using the same prompt every day. Mix it up.

A sample five-minute close

• Minute 1: Stop teaching and show the exit ticket on the board.
• Minutes 2 to 4: Students write while the timer runs.
• Minute 5: Two students share, then everyone turns theirs in at the door.

Run the same steps every day and students will start the routine on their own.

Keep it fresh

If students get bored, let a spinner or dice pick the question. It turns the last five minutes into something they look forward to. See exit ticket games for ways to do it.