Finally, we can talk about something and not get shamed for not being good at it. This is by far the most challenging part of the World Scholar's cup, at least for those who haven't studied every little crevice of the curriculum and spent hours going through it. 

Essentially, the Challenge is a multiple-choice test of 120 questions. At the regionals, you get 60 minutes for this, and at the globals and ToC, you get 75 minutes. Be prepared to fill in a sheet of bubbles because you can't just circle the answer on the challenge sheet. The strange thing is that you get points based on proportion. If you choose 1 solution and get it right, you get 1 point, and if you circle 2 and get it right, you get 0.5. And If you choose 5, you get a guaranteed 0.2 points.

Below are some tips on generally succeeding at the Challenge and the strategies to use. As well as that, there are ideas on how to study. Let's get into them! 

What you will need:

• A pencil and ERASER

• Not-A-Plastic Water bottle

• WSC name tag

• A stuffed Alpaca from WSC - Yes, this is mandatory(I can confirm - Ethan)

• Not a phone or computer

Now, let's go through the process of taking the test.

1. You sit down at a table away from your teammates. You put your bag down, sit at the table, and look at the person next to you.

2. You take out your pencil case and set your water bottle and alpaca on the table. Then, you wait for 15 minutes, becoming bored.

3. You get the scoring sheet and test. After that, you fill in your name and ID. You cannot open the booklet.

4. A timer is started, and you are allowed to open the challenge booklet. You start wherever you want and take over 30 seconds per question. The time limit is an hour. You catch your tablemate trying to copy off you and hide your score sheet.

5. The Challenge is over. Now, you have a couple of questions left, and you frantically fill all of them in. 

6. You sign in relief as the Scholar's Cup's most challenging and stressful part is over. Now, you await the results.

Now that you understand the process, here are some general tips for the Challenge.

1. Study. Like a lot. I can not stress enough how important this is. Whether it's 27 hours a day or 1 hour a week, the curriculum is a giant block you will eventually have to learn. Yes, it is possible to do ok in the regional with informed guesses(As Ryln got 2 golds in regionals), but that's as far as you will get. The sooner, the better, and ensure to do so effectively, as shown later. The more you study, the more you are likely to do well (Unlike how I did in the globals)

2. The order of the test matters not. Most people are inclined to start at 1 and go to 120. However, the questions are pretty random in order and don't go from easiest to hardest. In the Challenge, each curriculum section has 20 questions. Start with the most proficient part of the curriculum you have(Say, Art & music or Literature) and then make your way to the vaguest one. You can just go through the whole test if you know everything, though (Like I did at the ToC lol)

3. Time is of the essence. Typically, someone believes an hour is a long time for daily tasks. However, this is a brief time. You have 120 questions, and you only get 60 minutes to do it! In the Global and ToC, you only get 75 minutes for a test that is almost twice as hard! You only have around 30-35 seconds per question, so if you're stuck, just move on.

Note from Ryln: Mark the questions you skip, and even mark the ones in which you gave an educated guess. It'll make the look-over much quicker (I did not know this during globals).

4. Refrain from spamming 1 and 5 answers when in doubt. While doing this may seem like a good strategy, it's not. If you choose 5 solutions, you only get 0.2 points for the question. If you only select 1 option, you have a lower chance of getting it right, which can be risky. Only choose 1 if you are CERTAIN of the answer. Although you get an entire point, you have a great chance of being wrong. Make sure you get a question right, but not in a clueless way. You can permanently eliminate one answer, and then you should choose the best 3. A good observation is that if you choose 2, you lose 0.5 points from choosing 1. However, you only lose 0.16 points if you go from choosing 2 to picking 3.

Note from Ryln (probably a joke): NEVER, I mean ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ choose 3 answers, you'll lose 0.01 points if you pick three and get them correct than if you just get one of them correct because it specifically says 0.33 points earned if correct, not 1/3, and 3 times 0.33 is 0.99 which is a small difference but it can be the difference between getting a silver in a subject and getting nothing.

5. Refrain from mixing up stuff. Refrain from mixing up anything when doing the Challenge. Refrain from assuming one person in one if they sound like something, and don't mix up the questions. If you skip one and then accidentally fill in another, your entire test will lose marks because it is off by 1. Seriously, this is a careless mistake people make when stressed. Be careful.

Note from Ryln: Keep track of your question number, it will pay off in the long run. I learnt this the hard way :/

TIPS FROM RYLN: --------------------------

6. Bring a pencil, and dull it. Dulling your pencil under your table allows you to fill in your bubbles faster, and be sure to BRING A NON-MECHANICAL PENCIL to have this trick work. Bringing your own pencil ensures this, as most people at your global rounds will bring a mechanical pencil, I know from experience.

7. Lightly fill in guesses, and bring a good eraser. Filling in educated guesses makes it easier to go back and look at them, as they have some insight already placed. However, make sure to lightly fill them in, as erasing a filled-in bubble can end up counting as a guess to the scanner. Erasers are vital to this event, do not bring a pen that you can't erase (we suggest a regular pencil as seen above) and make sure that all your answers are what you want them to be before the end of the timer.

Now that you know general tips for the Challenge, here are some study ideas.

1. Plan, plan, plan. I have a lot of trouble with this and jump right into the curriculum. However, this can be very inefficient to do and will take ages to progress at all. So, allocate some time in the week to do something and ensure you follow the schedule and don't procrastinate. Make a schedule for the topics and then do it. As well as that, give yourself a lot of breathing room, such that you don't get too stressed. Make sure you can dedicate and follow your plan.

2. Interlace. Don't just do one curriculum at a time. But do all of them at once. This is because when you do this, the information is still fresh in your head rather than stale after doing another curriculum. Of course, you can do only one or two, but make sure you make them effective. This tip is just for those who want to go the extra mile and be the best.

3. Simplicity is key. Make sure to complete all topics when studying for the WSC. The questions on the Challenge only require basic knowledge and a perfect logical sense. When you get to a point, just take away the person, the summary, and why it matters instead of memorizing the whole story. Ryln and Jerry think this is untrue, but I stand firm with it.

Note from Ryln: take away the whole story, the setting, and everything that you think could be tested on. Also, skimming is a TERRIBLE idea. Don't do it, because most of the questions will ask you about two terms or ideas, and skimming makes it harder to find the relationship between those two terms or ideas.

4. Repeat data and information. You must remember all of this, so you must review them frequently. As I have learned, reviewing a topic and taking a brief look at a whole curriculum will not help in learning or memorizing anything. So after periods, test yourself on everything you have learned. For example, you could discover 5 terms from every curriculum and then test yourself on them. And keep doing this. Keep going with the old terms. Just add new ones over time.

5. Do your own research on the topics. Of course, I have study guides here which you could overview and get an idea about the situation. However, it is much more memorable when you actually study it and think about it. Writing guides helps me think and understand the topic much better than if I couldn't express my thoughts. Although study guides like Avan's Alpacas can be helpful, they can also harm your thinking. Use a lot of sources to get your information if that information is not given to you in an already provided website.

Generally, studying for this is very similar to regular run-off-the-mill tests. If you are great at learning yourself and can persist in it, then you are a great candidate for WSC. Well, good luck studying, scholars!