What Is a Recitation Section?

A recitation section, sometimes called a discussion section, breakout or quiz section, is a small class that meets once a week alongside a large lecture course, mostly at US universities. While the lecture may have hundreds of students, the recitation has around 15 to 30, which allows for questions, practice and discussion that the lecture cannot support.

What happens in recitation

A teaching assistant, usually a graduate student, leads the session. Typical activities include reviewing key concepts from the lecture, solving practice problems, discussing readings, going over homework and preparing for exams. In some courses the TA gives short quizzes or collects problem sets. In others, recitations are more informal.

Recitation is often where you learn how to apply the lecture material, since you can try problems and get immediate feedback. TAs also grade many assignments, so they are a useful source of information on what instructors expect.

Registration and grading

Recitations usually have their own section numbers and meeting times, and you enroll when you register for the course. Missing the registration step can leave you without a place. Attendance or participation may count for a part of your grade, and the TA may have office hours too.

Using recitation well

• Attend consistently, and arrive prepared with questions.
• Bring your homework and notes.
• Try problems yourself first, then compare with the TA's method.
• Ask about exam expectations.
• Visit TA office hours for individual help.
• Work with classmates to explain ideas to each other.

International equivalents

In the UK and many other countries, similar small-group sessions are called tutorials or seminars. Labs, which involve experiments, are separate.

Related terms

See lecture, tutorial, lab section, teaching assistant and office hours.