6 Interactive Review Games for Test Prep in the Classroom

If you’ve stumbled across this blog post, that likely means that you are entering the most stressful time of the school year. Like literally. Teaching is already stressful, but testing season is a WHOLE different level! Maybe your principal is breathing down your neck to have perfect scores or your district says you must show significant growth. I always hated testing season because,

1. We lose so much class time while students are testing across various subjects.
2. I have more content left to teach than days before testing.

 

So if you’re going to jam the copy machine with your 50-page review packet, you can at least turn that packet into a fun review game!

I’m sharing 6 interactive review games that you can use for test prep in your classroom this year, and trust me, they aren’t a snooze fest!

Let’s dive in.

Review Game #1: Game Show

Want to add a little friendly competition to your review sessions? Game shows are a great way to get students engaged. Whether you’re playing a Family Feud-style game or a classic game like Jeopardy, this activity gets everyone involved. Divide students into teams and assign point values to questions. The winning team earns bragging rights or maybe a small treat!

Pro Tip: You can incorporate whatever categories you’d like. Including vocabulary words, multiple-choice questions, or open-ended math tasks for your grade level.

An editable template on PowerPoint makes it super easy to prep!

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Review Game #2: Around the World

This isn’t actually a game unless you use the added bonus idea below, but it is a great way for ​individual students or pairs to show off their skills.

Here’s how it works:

1. Students will visit various destinations on a digital world map and answer questions while they are at each location. While “visiting” each location, they will also learn a fun fact about each country. I made this activity so my own students who came from various ethnic backgrounds, could connect with the activity! Students were overjoyed to see their native countries included.

Added Bonus – How to Make it A Game:

Take your Around the World review to the next level by adding student passports! Give each student a personalized “Around the World Passport” to collect stamps as they visit stations representing different countries or cities. Each station focuses on a specific math topic (e.g., geometry in Paris or fractions in Cairo), with themed decorations to make it immersive.

Students earn stamps by answering questions correctly, and you can include progress incentives like bonus points or small treats. For an added challenge, include “travel tasks” at each station for extra stamps. The travel tasks could be extra challenging questions! This interactive twist turns test prep into an exciting global adventure your students will love!

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Review Game #3: Ghosts in the Graveyard

This is an action-packed review game your students will beg to play! Here’s how it works:

1. Use your study guide to create challenges. Each challenge should include 2-3 questions. Make enough copies for the class.
2. Divide students into groups of 3-5 and assign each group a number and a Team Captain.
3. Provide each student with a recording sheet to track their answers.

During the Game:

• Groups work together to solve the challenge questions and write their answers on the recording sheet.
• The Team Captain brings their team’s answers to you for checking.
• If all answers are correct, the group picks a tombstone to move their ghost to. Each tombstone has a mystery point value, adding an element of surprise.
• If any answers are incorrect, the captain takes the sheet back to their team to revise.

At the end of the game, reveal the point values of the tombstones. The group with the highest score wins! This game is perfect for teamwork, problem-solving, and a little friendly competition.

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Review Game #4: Lottery with Sticky Notes

Who doesn’t love a little mystery? This is a great way to easily transform a packet into a game. Let’s say your packet has 30 questions. Grab 30 sticky notes and number them 1 – 30 on the front. Write point values on the back. The point values are totally up to you! I like to include some negative points or some that reset their points to ZERO. Then, stick the sticky notes to the board.

When students are done with their packets, it’s time to play! This can be done in teams or played individually! Use popsicle sticks or your other favorite tool for cold-calling. Choose a question from the packet and have the students tell you the answer they got, if correct, let them pick a sticky note. If incorrect, they don’t get to pick, and it goes to another student.

At the end of the game, add up the points to determine the winning team or individual. It’s a fun way to review without much prep time, and it’s guaranteed to keep them guessing.

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Review Game #5: Attack!

This game is an idea from Math in The Middle. Here is how it is played:

This fun review game is perfect for engaging the whole class in a friendly competition. Here’s how to play:

1. Pick a theme for the game—for example, “Attack the Flower” during spring.
2. Divide the class into groups of 3-4 and have one student from each group quickly draw their flower (or themed target) on the board.
3. Ask a review question, and have all groups work together to solve it. Choose one group at random to answer.
   • Correct Answer: That group gets to “attack” 3 other flowers by drawing an X on them.
   • Incorrect Answer: You (the teacher) attack their flower and give another group a chance to answer.
4. After a flower has been attacked 5 times, it’s “destroyed” and erased from the board. That group can still play by attacking others.

As the game progresses and fewer flowers remain, limit attacks to 1 flower per correct answer. The last flower standing wins! This game adds excitement and strategy to your review sessions while keeping all students actively engaged.

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Review Game #6: Musical Chairs

This game is an idea adapted from Head Over Heels Teaching.

This interactive review game gets students up and moving while ensuring full participation. Here’s how it works:

1. Set up desks or tables with review sheets at each station, and make sure every desk has a different task card.
2. Play music while students walk (or dance) around the room.
3. When the music stops, each student stops talking and answers the review question on the nearest task card. They will record their answers on a recording sheet.
4. Repeat until all boxes on the recording sheet are filled.

Pro Tips:

• If students don’t know an answer, display an anchor chart or notes page to help them out. This keeps the activity low-stress and focused on learning.
• Circulate during the game to clarify misconceptions and provide feedback.
• At the end, go over the answers as a class, highlighting creative responses and addressing errors.

This game is perfect for test prep and ensures every student stays engaged while having fun!

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Tips for Running Smooth Review Sessions:

1. Set a Time Limit: A set amount of time keeps things moving and adds an extra challenge.
2. Little Preparation, Big Impact: Many of these games require minimal prep but deliver maximum engagement.

Test prep doesn’t have to be boring! Incorporating exciting classroom review games makes the review process fun and effective. Whether you’re using classic games, new games, or a mix of both, your students will thank you for adding a little fun to the learning process. So grab your task cards, prep your sticky notes, and let the review sessions begin!

What’s your best review game? Let me know in the comments or tag me on Instagram, I’d love to hear about it!

With these ideas, your students will be prepped and ready to ace those tests. And you might even have a little fun in the process. 😉