Review by Melissa Powers, Common Sense Education | Updated January 2019
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Kahoot!

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Game-like student-response tool can spark competitive fun

Subjects & skills
Subjects
N/A
Skills
  • Communication & Collaboration
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
3–12
Great for:
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (216 Reviews)
Privacy (See details)
Use with Caution Full evaluation
Price:  Free, Paid While Kahoot! is free, there's a Plus version for teachers priced at $1 per teacher per month, which includes a shared folder for quizzes, co-creation and co-editing of quizzes, and advanced reporting. A $3 per month Pro version adds an image library.
Platforms:  Website

Take a look inside

1 video | 5 images
Kahoot! in 30 seconds
Educator Video
0:33
The projected screen must be viewable to all players; it shows the question, answer choices, and time remaining.
Answer results are displayed in a bar graph, and the teacher can re-show the quiz image for further discussion.
Create questions and prompts using images, videos, and diagrams along with multiple corresponding responses.
Search public Kahoots to find ready-made options that can be used as-is or edited.
Detailed reports show performance by question as well as overall student performance.

Pros: A compelling and oh-so-easy way to engage kids in pre- and formative-assessment activities.

Cons: Though data collection is easy, tracking individual student progress over time is tedious at best.

Bottom Line: Effortlessly fun quizzing that can lead to productive formative assessment and student reflection if implemented effectively.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Kahoot! can quickly become a go-to for teachers looking for an engaging way to run checks for understanding or exit tickets. Try establishing something like Kahoot! Fridays for quick review. If you don't have time to make quizzes, search millions of public Kahoots to play or remix. You could even have students take over the review process or class discussion by rotating responsibility for making the weekly quiz. Go beyond memorization of facts and allow Kahoot! to introduce scenario questions/prompts with multiple decisions; stimulate conversation from the results. Who's really responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet? Kahoot! it out and extend the discussion to classrooms across the state or country.

Don't forget professional development: Use the Team mode to pose pedagogical questions and promote food-for-thought discussions among teacher peers. Use Kahoot! to break the ice at the beginning of the school year or bond with learning-community members.

For teachers who want to go beyond quizzing and get students engaged in reflective formative assessment, check out these tools and tips.

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Put this tool into practice:

Kahoot!, a free student-response tool for all platforms, allows teachers to run game-like multiple-choice answer quizzes. Teachers can either create their own quizzes or find, use, and/or remix public quizzes. Questions, along with answer choices, are projected onto a classroom screen while students submit responses using an internet-connected device (computer, tablet, or phone). Questions and polls can contain images and video to help further appeal to all learners. Classic mode and Team mode take place in real time, but Challenge mode enables students to take quizzes within a set time frame, such as for homework. The energized, game-like atmosphere comes from the use of bright colors, suspenseful music, and points awarded for response accuracy and speed. The Team mode mixes things up and allows groups of students to cooperate with each other and compete against other teams. When using the mobile app on a personal device, students can see their past results, pause/resume individual quizzes, and complete homework challenges.

Playing a game of Kahoot! doesn't involve an account, only a game PIN from the main screen and a name (which can be autogenerated if you choose). Students can create accounts and make private quizzes, but children under 13 (under 16 outside of the U.S.) can't search or share Kahoots.

With Kahoot!, teachers and students can create multiple-choice quizzes as well as polls and surveys. You can also incorporate questions that don't award points so that you can gather opinion data, or include a question with multiple correct answers without skewing point totals. Quiz questions and polls stimulate quick instructional decisions as well as whole-class discussion, but an open-ended response feature and/or the ability to mix together quiz, survey, and jumble question types in one game would be welcome to aid learning. Tech-savvy students can connect with students from across the globe to play or can connect with their peers after hours to compete for new scores.

Data is saved from each round of play and can be exported to Google Drive or downloaded; Plus/Pro level reports can also be viewed online. The reports are helpful, but they're limited because of the way students connect to the platform. For teachers, this means it can be time-intensive to analyze students' growth patterns or individual problem areas using Kahoot! quizzes.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Kahoot's quick pace, suspenseful music, and instant scoreboards keep competition lively and learners engaged. Students will definitely be asking to play again and again, and many will love the challenge of creating their own Kahoots.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Fast, right-or-wrong feedback is provided on students' devices and the class screen. The multiple-choice quizzes may tend to favor memorization, but having kids create Kahoots allows for higher-order learning.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

The getting started videos, blog, and FAQ page are helpful. A variety of game styles and play options helps teachers tailor the experience for their students. 

Common Sense Reviewer
Melissa Powers Educator
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Teacher Reviews

(See all 216 reviews) (216 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Nancy F. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Russellville Elementary School
Russellville, United States
Great formative assessment and review tool!
My students have a difficult time understanding that it is not about being the first person to answer the question. It is about answering the question correctly as quickly as possible. I usually review the concept after the question has been answered.
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