STEMCon Quiz Tournament!
What is the STEMCon Quiz Tournament?
The STEMCon Quiz Tournament is an opportunity for student teams to compete against each other in a trivia competition that covers various topics in the STEM field.
The tournament is divided into two levels: Division A (Upper Level) and Division B (Lower Level). The winning team for Division A will be awarded $300 ($75 per team member) and the winning team for Division B will be awarded $200 ($50 per team member).
Qualifying Exam
Students interested in participating in the tournament must first take the qualifying exam during RTI on the weeks of 1/22 and 1/29
You must register for the exam here
After you register, you will be pulled during an RTI day to take the exam with one of your school's science teachers
You will have 40 minutes to take the exam. It will cover multiple areas in the STEM field.
The top-scoring students will qualify for the STEMCon Quiz Tournament (which will take place on the evening of STEMCon). They will be notified during the week of 2/5
If you are NOT available for the RTI sessions but would still like to take the qualifying exam, please email jwerner@aguafria.org
Divisions
DIVISION A (Upper-Level)
The Division A Quiz Tournament will take place in the Auditorium from 6:30-7:15
Open to all students who qualify
Topics: Physics, Chemistry, Algebra, Geometry, Stats, Calculus, Engineering, Computer Science, and general STEM trivia
DIVISION B (Lower-Level)
The Division A Quiz Tournament will take place in the Auditorium from 5:45-6:20
Open to 9th and 10th graders only
Topics: Biology, Algebra, Geometry, Statistics, Engineering, Computer Science, and general STEM trivia
Tournament Rules and Format
Quiz Tournament Rules
Each school will be represented by a team of 4 students
A random question from a STEM field will be read aloud. It will then be placed on the screen
Teams will have 45 seconds to answer the question. The timer will start immediately after the question is read. If no teams answer within the given time, points will not be awarded
Questions will either be multiple-choice or short-answer
Each team will have one buzzer. The first team that buzzes must answer immediately. The second team to buzz will have the opportunity to answer if the first team answers incorrectly
If the first team answers correctly, they will be awarded 10 points. If the team answers incorrectly, they will be docked 5 points. If the second team answers correctly, they will receive 5 points. If they answer incorrectly, they will be docked 5 points
Teams will be given whiteboards and markers to work out problems. Team members are permitted to work together
For the sake of time, all decisions made by the judges are final
Acceptable Answers
Any incorrect information given (e.g., the wrong first name for someone) makes the whole answer wrong.
Once a player has answered, he/she cannot change it, and only his/her first answer will be considered. ("Red. No! Blue!" will count as an answer of "Red". "Re-Blue" will count as Blue, since the player didn't finish "Red.")
Last names are usually okay for people; if not, the question should prompt for more.
Pronunciation of answers must be nearly right. You cannot add syllables or consonants, and vowels must be approximately right. Phonetic pronunciation is okay. The moderator may prompt a player to clarify his pronunciation
Players may spell answers, and phonetic spellings are acceptable.
Answers chosen from a list should include part of the actual answer; don't just say "the second one you said."