How to Run a Review Game Before a Test
A review game only helps if the format rewards recall — otherwise it is just an entertaining way to spend a period before the test.
6 min read
Review games are popular the day before a test because they raise energy in the room, but not every format actually reinforces the material. A buzzer game that rewards the three fastest students can leave most of the class as spectators. The format matters as much as the content.
Match the format to the goal
If the goal is vocabulary and definitions, a fast head-to-head format works. If the goal is applying a concept or working a multi-step problem, give more time per question so slower, correct thinking is not penalized against fast guessing.
- •Definitions and vocabulary → quick head-to-head rounds
- •Multi-step problems → longer per-question windows, individual or small-team answers
- •Whole-unit review → a longer format that resurfaces every topic, not just the flashiest ones
Keep everyone answering, not just watching
A format where one student buzzes in while twenty-five watch teaches the room very little. Everyone answering every question — even informally, on paper or a device — keeps the retrieval practice with the whole class instead of the fastest few.
Debrief the misses before moving on
The point where most review games stop short is right after the correct answer is revealed. Take ten seconds to say why a common wrong answer was wrong — that is often the exact misconception the actual test question is designed to catch.
The value of a review game is in the thirty seconds after the reveal, not the game mechanic itself.
Look at who is still stuck afterward
A quick look at which questions were missed most, and by whom, tells you what to reteach in the last few minutes of class rather than guessing. AvaStudy’s live games surface this automatically — which questions the class missed and which students are still shaky on which concepts — so the last-minute reteach is aimed at the actual gap.