Live Quiz vs Self-Paced Practice: When to Use Each
Once you have a good set of questions, you can gather the whole class for a shared check or let students work through it on their own. You don't have to choose once and for all. In ClassKite you build the questions once and run the same set as a live or self-paced practice: a live quiz for the class today, independent practice tomorrow. This guide covers when to use each.
When a live quiz wins
A live quiz is the right call when you want the class working together and the results arriving as they answer. You start the practice for everyone, watch responses come in and decide your next move on the spot.
- Starters and plenaries: a quick shared check at the start or end of a lesson.
- Modelling a tricky concept where you want everyone on the same question at the same moment.
- Whole-class assessment for learning, where you set the pace.
- Spotting misconceptions fast: the Live Student Grid shows in-progress, done, flagged-for-help and a "struggling" signal so you can step in.
Answers are marked on submit, so you read the room instead of marking. For the same idea in the last five minutes of a lesson, exit tickets that mark themselves shows how.
When self-paced practice wins
In self-paced practice students work on their own, at their own speed, in the browser. There are no due dates; it is practice rather than a homework system. Use it when individual pace matters more than a shared moment.
- Independent practice in class while you circulate and support individuals.
- Catch-up for students who missed a lesson, or who need another run at the questions.
- Early finishers who can push ahead without waiting for the class.
- Mixed-attainment groups where a single class pace would hold some back and rush others.
Either way, students join free with a join code and answer in the browser, with nothing to install. For more on picking a tool, choosing online assessment tools for your classroom covers the wider choice, alongside the online assessment tools overview.
The same questions, both ways
Because the question set is shared, you can run a concept live as a starter, then reopen it as self-paced practice for independent work or revision. Questions are marked automatically in both modes, so the mode makes no difference to your marking.
Build a question set and run it live or self-paced. Students join free with a join code.
Frequently asked questions
Is running a live quiz free, or do I need a paid plan?
Running practice, live or self-paced, with instant feedback for each student is free on Teacher Basic. The class-wide Live Student Grid and the reports (completion, average score, right first time, solved, score trend, CSV) are on the paid Teacher Plus and School plans. See what each plan includes.
Can students change their pace once I've started?
It depends on the mode, which you pick when you start. In a live quiz you can move the whole class to a question whenever you want, and with Free navigation on students move between questions themselves; in self-paced practice each student works at their own speed.
Does self-paced practice work like homework with due dates?
No. There are no due dates or deadlines, and students do it in the browser at their own speed. Every self-practice session appears in your reports and in the Gradebook, and students see one they haven't done listed as Missing in My Reports.
Related reading: track student progress during live practice, how to reduce marking time, and the live practice feature page.