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."