Free Printable Exit Tickets

About these exit tickets handouts

An exit ticket is a short written check at the end of a lesson. Students answer one or two prompts on a slip and hand it in on the way out, and you read the stack to see who followed the lesson and who did not. It takes about two minutes, which is why teachers use it so often.

The 3-2-1 version asks for three things the student learned, two things they found interesting and one question. It gives you a spread of responses, from facts students picked up to the puzzles they are left with. Six tickets fit on a page, which leaves room for longer answers. The traffic light version asks students to mark red, yellow or green for how well they understood, then name what they still wonder. It is the quickest to read and the one to use when you need a fast sort into groups.

The quick-check version has a line for the topic, a line for what the student learned, a line for a question and a one-to-four scale for how well they met the day's goal. Eight fit on a page, so one sheet covers a class of twenty-four with three sheets. You can type the unit before printing and the topic prints on every ticket.

Cut on the dashed lines, or fold and trim with a paper cutter. Keep a stack by the door and hand tickets out in the last five minutes. Sorting them into piles of got it, almost and not yet is a quick way to plan tomorrow's warm-up.

How to use them

1. Choose a style: 3-2-1 for broad reflection, traffic light for a quick sort, quick check for a topic-based rating.
2. Type the unit or title in the fill-in box if you want it printed on every ticket.
3. Print enough pages for your class, and cut the tickets apart on the dashed lines.
4. Hand out tickets during the last few minutes. Students answer and drop them in a bin on the way out.
5. Sort the tickets into piles and use the piles to plan the next lesson.

Classroom tips

• Sort tickets into three piles as you read: got it, almost, not yet. Use the piles to form small groups for tomorrow.
• Do not grade every ticket. Mark only a sample, or read them for patterns, so exit tickets stay a quick routine.
• Use the same style for a full week, so students learn the routine and spend their two minutes thinking, not reading directions.
• Open the next day by answering two or three of the questions from the tickets aloud. Students see that their questions matter.

Notes on this page

• Cut apart on the dashed lines.

Last reviewed 2026-10-03. Handout Hero designs are original and made for this site. They are general reference material; check your own school, district or tradition where it matters.