How to make tests fun and why it’s a great idea

Are any tests fun? Hmm 🤔, although I don’t have the figures, I’d say there aren’t that many. 

I think everyone will have endured long, monotonous tests where it seems like what’s being assessed is your ability to stay awake. But not any more! In this post you’ll discover why it’s important to change all this and how to make fun and creative tests that help you get the best out of each student.

 

Why make tests fun?

I’m not just saying it: science proves it! Emotion-provoking activities activate the brain. To nurture cognitive functions such as attention or memory, there’s no need to perform complex intellectual activities. It’s much more productive to surprise and excite students. The brain is activated by things that surprise us and generate positive emotions. In part, gamification is based on this. And it works very well! 

One thing’s clear: you’ll always get better results if you try to connect with your students and motivate them than if you give them tests that trigger stress and anxiety. Everything flows better when you keep things light.

But watch out! I’m talking about keeping the format light, not the content. Each exam or test can have as much weighting in the assessment as you decide. Adding a couple of stickers or a fun question doesn’t mean the opposite, believe me. And it’s going to work better for you.

Assessment aside, there are a number of situations in which a quiz or a fun test can be very useful. For example, before starting a new topic, you can create a game with questions and answers to help students refresh their knowledge. You can do the same at the end of each topic to consolidate knowledge and identify learning gaps. 

7 quick tips for making tests fun

Here are some ideas. As you’ll see, almost all of them can be used either for online or paper-based tests:

1. Add a fun first question to relax students and connect with them. You can be as creative as you want, as the sole goal is to help your students start the test with positive thinking. 
2. If the test is very long, insert a winking face emoji when you think they need to take a break.
3. The last question is also important. End on a positive note! You can ask them how they did, say goodbye in a nice way, or add a message, whatever you can think of.
4. Make the test as long as necessary but as short as possible. Most of the time, a test is a tough experience, so there’s no need to prolong the suffering more than necessary.
5. Use emojis both in statements and later in corrections: laughing face, surprised face, crying face, etc. If it’s an online test, you’ll have much more to choose from, but you can also draw them on paper. They’re really useful for connecting with students! 
6. Try adding different types of questions to break up the monotony. Even if it’s a multiple choice test, you can include varied questions: Yes/No questions, short answers, or choose the right answers. Don’t forget that breaking up the monotony improves attention and memory. 
7. Make it as visual as possible. If it’s a handwritten test, you have fewer options. Try at least to add the odd image and leave room for the text to ‘breathe’. If it’s an online exam, add multimedia elements such as video or audio. 
8. Consider different ways to assess students. For example, you can do a part of the assessment as a group to foster cooperative learning, you can ask your students to suggest questions for the test, or you can even add gamification elements such as time limits or rewards to make the test more exciting.   

Ideas for creative online tests

Are you a very creative person? Be bold and implement some of these ideas; it’s very easy with these quiz templates. If you think this is too ‘corny’ for an exam or assessment, you can always use them for informal quizzes and classroom tests. One thing I can tell you in advance: fun will be guaranteed!

1. Templates inspired by TV quiz shows

Relate your online quiz to a TV quiz show so that tests are fun for both you and your class.

2. Templates inspired by board games

Draw inspiration from a classic board game. They’ll love it! There are tons of options. Here goes a couple of examples:

3. Use the excitement of sports to your advantage

Why not focus on a sport to create your quiz? Answering a question correctly could be like scoring a goal, winning a Formula 1 Grand Prix, or coming first in a swimming race. 

4. Give it a ‘story’!

Storytelling always works. Choose a template that fits well with the topic you’re going to assess students on and turn your quiz into a fun adventure.

5. Cherry on the cake: video games

What do your students want? I’ll tell you what: most of them would like to be playing video games all day long. So be it. Instead of a test, give them a video game… or something similar, like this example. 

If you like the idea, here are some more templates inspired by video games. Enjoy them with your class! I’m sure that with these fun tests you’ll get them to change their mind about assessment.