Paper test events are also called study events due to their requirement of vast knowledge. These events cover specific fields of study in STEM, and team members compete in a traditional (like the name suggests) paper test. Because the event topics are usually very broad, depending on the event, students are allowed to bring in either a binder or cheat sheet to help them in the test. Therefore, the challenge of these study events comes from not only how much you study your topic, but also how wisely you utilize the binder/cheat sheet.

Some examples of this type of event include: Anatomy & Physiology, Forestry, Disease Detectives, etc.

Have an affinity for engineering and/or construction? Build events require students to engineer from scratch certain mechanisms to achieve specific prompts. Students will create their builds on their own time, then bring them to the competition to test and compete against other builds. Students will use their knowledge of physics and engineering to create the best model possible, as well as pay close attention to the build rubric of their specific event as to not be disqualified.

Some examples of this type of event include: Air Trajectory, Scrambler, Robot Tour, etc.

If you enjoy hands-on, spontaneous events, you should try out a lab/on-site event. For lab events, students bring their own lab equipment to their event's competition room and perform the assigned experiment on the spot. These events require detailed knowledge of different lab procedures, lab safety, and how to analyze and derive conclusions from results.

Some examples of lab events: Chemistry Lab, Forensics, Experimental Design, etc.

Of course, there are other on-site events that don't involve lab experiments; these are miscellaneous events that don't quite have a specific topic. Each of these events has their own niche set-up that involves out-of-the-box thinking and unique challenges.

Some examples of other on-site events: Write It Do It, Codebusters, Fermi Questions, etc.