State test review games that need no prep
Test prep gets stale fast when it is all worksheets. Games let students practice the same skills with more energy and less dread. These ideas use practice questions you already have, so you don’t have to build anything.
Updated October 2026
Start with practice questions you can use
Many state education departments publish released or sample test items. Check your state’s department of education site, and ask your district what it permits. Your curriculum’s own practice pages work too. Put a few items on a slide or print a page, and you have a question bank.
Match the game to the question type
- Multiple choice: Four Corners, or mini whiteboards where students show A, B, C, or D.
- Short answer and math: a whiteboard relay, with one student per team writing the answer at the board.
- Written responses: have teams write a quick response, swap with another team, and score it with the rubric language.
- Test-taking strategy: a question auction, where teams bid on how confident they are.
- Whole class on one screen: Review ANYTHING, reading items from a printed page or slide while teams play.
Directions for most of these are in 8 no-prep review games for middle and high school.
A simple 15-minute test-prep game
- Choose ten practice items that cover skills your class needs to practice.
- Set up teams and a way to keep score, such as a board game on your screen.
- Read one item per turn. The team answers, and you check it against the answer key.
- Explain every answer in thirty seconds, including why the wrong choices are wrong.
- Keep a tally of skills teams miss and bring those back in the next game.
Review ANYTHING for test prep
Read practice items from a page or slide while teams move across the board. The app has no built-in questions, so it works with any practice set you’re allowed to use. It runs on an iPad or Mac with no student devices or accounts. It’s my app, so I’m not neutral. See how it works.
Keep it low pressure
- Call it practice, not a test.
- After each round, spend time on why the wrong answers are wrong.
- Keep sessions short and mix skills so students don’t burn out on one topic.
- Celebrate effort and explanations, not only correct answers.
Looking for ideas for the final weeks of school? See end of year review games for any subject.
Frequently asked questions
How often should we play review games before a state test?
There’s no single answer. Many teachers use short games a few times a week in the weeks before testing. Follow your school’s testing calendar and keep each game brief.
Can I use practice questions with Review ANYTHING?
Yes. The app has no built-in questions, so you read from any practice set you’re allowed to use.
Try Review ANYTHING
Turn the worksheet you already have into a whole-class board game. No prep, no accounts, no internet. $4.99 on the App Store for iPad and Mac (Apple silicon). Android version coming soon.