Free Navigation, Shuffle and SBQ Mode: Choosing How a Live Practice Runs

Not every practice should run the same way. A warm-up works best when students can move quickly and get instant feedback, a read-aloud walkthrough needs everyone on the same question in the same order, and an end-of-topic check needs quiet, independent answers. When you start a live practice in ClassKite, three options let you shape the session to fit the moment: Free navigation, Shuffle and SBQ mode. This guide explains what each one does and when to use it.

Where you set the options

On the Live Session page, before you press Start Session, you choose the section and the practice. Beside them are three checkboxes: Free navigation, Shuffle and SBQ mode. The options apply to that session only and stay the same until it ends, so you can choose differently for every lesson.

Free navigation

With Free navigation switched on, students see a numbered bar of questions and can move between them at their own pace. They can skip ahead to a question they feel confident about and come back to a harder one later. There is one safeguard: if a student has just answered a question incorrectly, they need to solve it before moving on, so nobody can skip past a wrong answer.

With Free navigation switched off, which is the default, students work through the questions in order. Each student moves on as soon as they answer correctly, and you can move the whole class to a particular question whenever you want to stop and work through it together.

Use it for independent work in class and mixed-attainment groups where a single pace would hold some students back. Leave it off when you want to keep the class together and control the flow of the lesson.

Shuffle

Shuffle is switched on by default. Each student sees the questions in their own order, and the options within each multiple-choice question are shuffled too. The order stays the same for each student throughout the session, and it has no effect on marking.

Shuffling means that two students sitting side by side are rarely on the same question, which keeps answers honest without you having to police the room. Switch it off when you want every student to see exactly the same order, for example when you read the questions aloud or walk the class through them one by one.

SBQ mode

SBQ mode, short for School Based Quiz, turns a live practice into a quiet, one-attempt check. It is designed for moments when you want to see what students can do independently, without instant feedback shaping their next answer.

• Each question can be answered once. After answering, the student moves on and cannot go back.
• A correct answer earns the question's marks, and an incorrect one earns nothing.
• Students see "Answer recorded" rather than right or wrong, and their score is hidden.
• Help requests and retakes are switched off, and you cannot move students to a different question.
• While results are hidden, the live grid shows each student's progress and how many questions they have answered, but no scores, not even on your screen, which keeps the projected display neutral.

Ticking SBQ mode switches Shuffle on for you, so each student works through the questions in their own order. It cannot be combined with Free navigation, because in SBQ mode students cannot return to a question.

Once the session has closed, you decide when students see how they did. The Live Session page lists any SBQ sessions that have ended, each with a Release results to students button. You can also release results from your class reports, where you can hide them again if you need to. SBQ sessions are labelled SBQ in reports, so they are easy to find later.

Choosing the right combination

• Quick warm-up or retrieval practice: Free navigation on, Shuffle on. Students move at their own pace, with instant feedback.
• Teacher-led walkthrough: Free navigation off, Shuffle off. Everyone sees the same question in the same order, and you set the pace.
• End-of-topic check: SBQ mode. One attempt per question, shuffled order and results released when you are ready.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I change the options during a session?

No. The options are set when you start the session and apply until it ends. To run the same practice a different way, start a new session.

Do these options apply to self-practice?

No. Self-practice always lets students move freely between questions and always gives instant feedback. The three options are for live sessions.

Which plan includes these options?

Free navigation, Shuffle and SBQ mode are available on every plan, including the free Teacher Basic plan. Releasing SBQ results from the Live Session page is available on every plan too. The class reports, where you can also release or hide SBQ results, are part of ClassKite Plus and the School plan.

Related reading: live practice, live quiz or self-paced practice? and what auto-marking can and can't do.