Spring is here, which means warmer weather, restless students, and—like it or not—testing season right around the corner. The pressure to review everything before the big day is setting in. You could hand out another giant packet of practice questions…but let’s be honest, no one (including you) wants that.
The good news? Test prep doesn’t have to be boring or stressful. In fact, the more interactive and engaging your review strategies are, the more likely students are to retain the information they need. That’s why I’ve teamed up with a group of amazing science teachers to share our favorite ways to make test prep both fun and effective.
From hands-on activities to creative review techniques, we’ve got six engaging strategies that will help your students feel confident and prepared without the burnout.
Test Prep Strategy #1: Use Stations to Review Multiple Topics in 1 Class Period
Stations make review feel more like an engaging activity rather than a stressful test prep session. Plus, they allow me to quickly gauge where students feel confident and where they need more support before test day.
If you haven’t tried stations for review, this is your sign to give them a shot! Here’s why they work so well:
- Make the Most of Class Time – stations allow you to cover multiple topics in a single class period, which helps you make the most of your limited time.
- Cater to Different Learning Styles – By offering a variety of activities (mini-experiments, vocabulary sorting, problem-solving tasks), stations meet the needs of all students, no matter their preferred learning style.
- Promote Movement and Engagement – Instead of sitting through a lecture, students rotate through stations, keeping them active and engaged throughout the lesson.
- Informal Assessment and Feedback – Stations provide a great opportunity to assess student understanding. Teachers can see where students are excelling or need more support, and adjust accordingly.
Ready to try this strategy in your classroom? Check out my premade station bundles to get started and simplify your test prep!
Test Prep Strategy #2: Start with a Pretest
Laney from Laney Lee Science recommends a pretest as one of the most valuable tools for test prep in secondary science. Pretests set students up for effective, targeted studying.
A pretest, often given at the start of a unit or study period, serves as a preview of what students know and what areas need more attention. It’s a no-pressure way for students to gauge their strengths and identify gaps in their knowledge early on, helping them focus their efforts on specific topics rather than cramming everything.
Pretests can also boost confidence by showing students what they already understand. Seeing familiar concepts can reassure students that they’ve got a solid foundation, making the learning process feel more manageable. Plus, pretests provide teachers with useful insights, highlighting areas that might need a quick review or reteaching before diving into more complex material.
By encouraging students to treat the pretest as a learning tool, you’re helping them take an active role in their study process. The pretest becomes a roadmap for success, guiding students to prioritize the topics that will help them the most on test day. It’s a simple, effective strategy that can make a big difference in science test prep!
Find Laney Lee’s pretests, quizzes, and unit tests for every unit in middle school science here.
Test Prep Strategy #3: Use Review Games
Ana, from Science Is Real, knows that test prep doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Her blog highlights the power of science review games to transform test preparation into an engaging and interactive experience.
By using review games that encourage collaboration and problem-solving, students can connect with the material in meaningful ways while catering to different learning styles, including visual, hands-on, and auditory.
From fun printable board games to interactive online games, science review games foster collaboration and critical thinking. As students work together to answer questions, they engage in peer-to-peer learning, reinforcing key concepts and building confidence along the way.
Science Is Real offers a free DIY board game template that is fully customizable, allowing you to tailor questions and challenges to meet your specific classroom topics. With minimal prep required, you can quickly set up review sessions that are both productive and fun.
By incorporating these interactive games, test prep becomes more than just reviewing material—it becomes a memorable experience that helps students truly retain what they’ve learned. For more creative test prep ideas, explore the full blog on Science Is Real and discover science games that make learning stick.
Test Prep Strategy #4: Try Double Puzzles
“Assessment is fun,” said no student ever! But Heather from Science from the South says it can be! And what better way than an assessment to help students prepare for their upcoming test?
Using double puzzles for assessment and review is a perfect way to get students engaged in test prep while showing you, as the teacher, what they remember and what you may need to remediate.
What exactly are double puzzles? Double puzzles are puzzles with two parts. If you and your students are fans of word searches, crosswords, and such for formative assessment, you’ll like double puzzles, too! You can think of them as a puzzle with double the fun!
First, students answer questions about a concept. Then, the answers to those questions give students clues to solve a second puzzle.
As a result, this formative assessment idea allows students to practice using the information learned about any big idea or science standard just in time for test-prep season. Learn how Double Puzzle Worksheets Make Formative Assessment Fun here.
Test Prep Strategy #5: Have Students Make Their Own Questions
One simple (and No-Prep!) way Jessica at Teach Every Day helps her students prepare for a test, is by having them create their own test questions from their notes. It’s a great research based method that not only helps with studying but also deepens students’ understanding of the material.
Here’s how it works: Have students go through their notes and pick out key concepts, terms, and ideas that are important. Then, they turn those into different types of questions—multiple choice, true/false, or short answer—anything that mirrors the format of your test. This way, they actively engage with the material and test themselves as they go.
Once they’ve made their questions, students can quiz each other in pairs or small groups, exchanging their questions for a fun study session. It also gives them the chance to see where they might be shaky on certain topics.
As a bonus, you could ask students to hand in their best questions. You can even use a few of the most creative and accurate ones for the actual test! It’s a win-win: students get a personalized study tool, and you get some fresh test questions.
Click HERE for a free Google Doc template that guides students to make multiple choice, T/F, short answer, and essay questions!
Test Prep Strategy #6: Use Doodle Notes
You have probably heard of Doodle Notes – these are popular with teachers as an alternative to traditional note-taking.
But did you know that many teachers also use them as a review?
Emma from Emma the Teachie is one of them! She thinks Doodle Notes are a brilliant way to prepare students for EOC tests. Here are her tips for using them.
First, decide how much time you have for each unit.
If you have lots of time, then let students get creative. Give them a blank set of Doodle Notes and allow them to fill in as much as they can. In the last 10-15 minutes, present the answer key slides, so students can check and complete their notes fully.
If you are tight on time, you may wish to use scaffolded Doodle Notes. These have fill-in-the-blanks for students, so it is a faster way to check understanding.
Next, let’s put those Doodle Notes to use. Get students to pair up and take turns questioning each other using their completed notes. The student being questioned can’t peek at their notes!
Finally, send the notes home. Completed Doodle Notes serve as an amazing study guide for students. You’ll be surprised at how many students turn up on the day of the test with their Doodle Notes on hand as a last minute reference.
Emma shares lots more information about using Doodle Notes in the classroom over on her blog.
Whether you’re using stations, review games, or Doodle Notes, these activities help to keep students motivated, reduce stress, and improve retention. The key is to mix things up—offering variety ensures that students stay engaged and can approach test prep with confidence.
So, get creative with your review strategies, and watch your students shine on test day! You got this!
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