Cognitive scientists and psychology researchers have given growing attention to evidence of the testing effect, that is, the improvement of students' recall through memory-retrieval practice in the form of quizzes and exams. While laboratory experiments consistently show dramatic positive effects on learning through the testing effect, discipline-specific education researchers have sought to generalize these findings in real, instead of simulated classrooms. Our objective in this review was to survey recent findings on the testing effect in post-secondary biology education and synthesize how those findings may modulate learning in the post-secondary biology classroom. We found that: (a) Increased exam frequency increases the testing effect; (b) Corrective feedback on exams may enhance the testing effect; (c) Incentives, such as points, may decrease the positive outcome of learning through the testing effect, though little research in actual classrooms on this widely used practice is found; and (d) Individual differences in student achievement and preparation may moderate the effect. We consider how further research on the testing effect may be useful for instructors' decisions regarding its use.