Categories

Categories is a trivia board: subject columns across the top, point values increasing down each column. Teams choose a square, you reveal the clue, they answer.

It’s the most broadly useful format for review, and the only one available on Free accounts.

What Makes It Work

Categories covers more ground per minute than any other format. If you need students to revisit an entire unit before an exam, this is the one.

It also has the clearest strategic layer — teams choosing where to spend their turn — which keeps attention up between their own questions.

Setting Up

Open the Categories hub from your dashboard and click New Game. Give it a title and a class, then you’re in the editor.

The Board

A board is made of categories. Each category is a column with a name, containing questions of increasing point value.

Category names sit as headers on a projected board — keep them to two or three words. See Organizing Categories for how to structure them well.

Adding Questions

Each question has:

• The clue — what students see
• The response — the correct answer
• Point value — which row it sits in

Point value should track difficulty. If it doesn’t, choosing a square becomes meaningless.

Importing a CSV

Format: Category, Answer (clue), Question (response), Points

Download the sample from the editor to get the exact layout. Building the board in a spreadsheet is usually faster, because you can see the whole grid and spot gaps in coverage.

Import replaces all existing content. Save after importing.

Teams

Categories supports teams with tracked scores. Add them in the editor. Three to five teams works in most rooms. See Team Management.

Running a Session

Open the game’s Run page — this is your control screen, and it shows the answers. Click Open display and move that tab to your projector.

During play:

• A team picks a category and value
• You reveal the clue on the display
• They answer out loud
• You mark it and award points

The display shows the board, which squares are used, and the current scores. Students respond verbally — there are no student devices in this format.

On the Display

Students see the board grid, the current clue when revealed, and team scores. They never see the response before you reveal it.

Practical Notes

Keep high-value squares in play. If the board is decided early, the rest of the session flattens.

Award partial credit when it helps. The goal is engagement with the material, not precise ranking.

Let the trailing team pick. A simple balancing lever that keeps the game alive.

Next Steps

• Organizing Categories — structuring the board
• Team Management — team scoring
• The Dual-Screen Experience — control vs display