In math, a mistake that goes unnoticed for a week becomes a habit. An exit ticket is the cheapest way to catch it early.
Pick the problem that reveals the mistake
Don't ask the easiest version of today's skill. Ask the version where students usually go wrong. If you're teaching negative numbers, include subtraction of a negative. If you're teaching fractions, use unlike denominators.
The goal isn't to see who can do it. It's to see how they're getting it wrong.
Ask for the work, not just the answer
A right answer can hide a wrong method. Have students show the step where they made a decision. Even a single line of work is enough to sort the room.
Three formats that work
Solve and explain. One problem plus one sentence: "I knew to ___ because ___."
Find the error. Show a worked problem with one mistake. Students circle it and fix it.
Which is bigger? Two expressions side by side. Students choose and justify.
Sort in two minutes
Make three piles: correct, close, not yet. The close pile is where your next lesson starts. Usually it's one common misstep, and you can fix it in the first five minutes tomorrow, often with a bell ringer built from that exact error.
Don't grade them
Exit tickets work because students tell you the truth about what they know. Grading them makes students cautious. If you want a light accountability system, read Should You Grade Exit Tickets?.
Ready-made prompts
Find more examples in Math Exit Tickets, and pair them with a five-minute warm-up from Math Bell Ringers to open the next day.
Want it ready to print?
Everything above is free. If you’d rather skip the prep, my TPT store, Teacher Emergency Toolkit, has ready-to-use resources for grades 6–12. Start with Math or Bell Ringers & Warm-Ups, and check the Free Resources section first.