The Rules

How Battles Work

Starting in January, teams at a school compete against each other in a "quiz show" format battle.

• Each battle has 16 questions; 8 "in which book" questions and 8 "content" questions.

• Each team chooses a spokesperson (can change from battle to battle) who will sit on the end of the table closest to the center.

• The team on the moderator's left goes first and gets the odd-numbered questions first. The team to the right gets the even-numbered questions first.

• Once the question is read, the timer begins. The team has 15 seconds to discuss the question. They may ask for the question to be repeated, but the timer will not be paused.

• When time is up, ONLY the spokesperson is allowed to speak. The spokesperson must answer immediately after time is up.

• If a team cannot answer the question, or answers incorrectly, their opponent has the opportunity to "steal" their points by correctly answering the question. They can have 15 seconds of discussion time as well.

• Each question is worth 5 points. 

  • For the "in which book" questions, a team may earn 3 points if they know only the title or author, and their opponent may earn the other 2 points if they know the rest of the answer.

  • Content questions can only earn partial credit if it is a 2-part question. 

• Answers are considered correct even if mispronounced, IF the moderator can tell that's a way the word/name could possibly be pronounced.

• No notes, books, or other items are allowed during battles.

• Teams earn points for each battle, and are not eliminated. At the end of the season, the two teams with the most points will be able to participate in the regional tournament, competing against teams from multiple schools/districts.