1. High School Quiz Bowl is a question and answer game played between two teams of five players (at one time) each.
2. Each team may have alternate players who may be substituted for a regular team member before a match, at halftime, or during a timeout.
3. Points are scored by giving correct answers to questions asked by the moderator.
4. There are two types of questions: toss-up questions, worth 10 points each, and bonus questions, worth a prestated number of points from 10 to 30, depending upon their complexity and degree of difficulty.
5. Quiz Bowl is played in halves. The timekeeper starts and ends each half. The team that is ahead when the final half ends is the winner.
6. The varsity game is played in two twenty minute halves with a five minute break. The junior varsity game is played in two ten minute halves with a five minute break.
7. Each team is permitted to call one one-minute timeout during each half. Time outs are called by the team captain. Coaches may confer with their team during a timeout. Timeouts may be called only before a toss up question is read by the moderator; timeouts may not interrupt the toss-up/bonus sequence. One additional technical timeout may be called by a team coach to request clarification or correction of game procedures in a conference with both coaches and the moderator.
8. The moderator may stop the clock at any time for an official timeout.
9. All questions that involve spelling a word or words correctly must be done on the first try. However, a player will be allowed to start spelling a word, change his/her mind, and start again one time, provided he/she hasn't completed the spelling of the word.
10. In league play, teams arriving more than 15 minutes after the meet is scheduled to begin will forfeit the match, unless previous arrangements have been made.
11. Each half begins with a toss-up question. The first player to signal and be recognized by the moderator answers and must do so without consultation.
12. If a player answers a toss-up question correctly, his/her team scores 10 points and is given a chance to answer a bonus question.
13. If a player answers without being recognized by the moderator, the answer does not count, even if the given answer is later found to be correct. The moderator should not need to give warnings on this rule. The question should be passed to the other team as if the answer given was incorrect (see Rule 14).
14. If a player answers a toss-up question incorrectly, the question is turned over to the other team for 10 points. On the turnover, a player must still signal and be recognized before answering. There are NO exceptions to this rule. If a player has not been recognized, the answer should be considered incorrect and the moderator should go on to the next toss-up question. Players are only given 5 seconds to answer after the moderator has read the question in these instances. This includes math computation questions.
15. Players should be given 10 seconds from the time the moderator finishes reading to signal. After a player signals, they must answer as soon as they are recognized by the moderator, either by name (e.g. "Harry" or "Milan Harry") or team and number (e.g. "Milan 4" or "Milan Player 4"). The timekeeper should indicate when time has expired by saying "Time". If a team member has been recognized and does not immediately respond, the moderator should allow for a natural pause, but no stalling.
16. If a toss-up answer comes after a player has buzzed and been recognized and after time has been called, it does not count. The question should be passed to the other team. If the player begins to answer before time is called, he will be allowed to finish the answer and the answer will be counted, if correct.
17. If a player confers with a teammate on a toss-up question, the answer does not count. The question shouldd be passed to the other team
18. On a toss-up, the first response given is the one that counts. Sometimes a player will attempt to give more than one piece of information in his/her answer.
NOTE: There are instances when such a response is acceptable. The moderator must distinguish whether the player has, in fact, pin-pointed the answer or is just rattling off a list of facts on a given subject.
19. The only time a toss-up is not turned over is if the half or game ends before a player signals. If the half or game ends after a team has successfully answered a toss-up, they are not given the bonus question.
***In regards to rule 19, consider this scenario:
The moderator has completed reading a toss-up question. Team 1 player buzzes and is recognized. Time for the first half of the game runs out. The moderator should allow the recognized Team 1 player to answer the question. If the answer is right, the team gets 10 points. If the answer is wrong, no points are scored and the half ends. The question MAY NOT be passed to the other team. Players on Team 2 have not yet been recognized to answer the question.
20. If a player believes he/she knows the answer to a toss-up before it has been completed, he/she may interrupt the moderator by signaling. If the answer is correct, the team scores 10 points. If the answer is wrong, the team is penalized 5 points and the entire question is repeated for the other team. This is the ONLY time a question may be repeated.
21. ALL QUESTIONS WILL BE READ ONLY ONCE. The exception to this rule is if the toss-up question is interrupted by a player and answered incorrectly. The moderator should then repeat the question in its entirety for the other team. (see rule #14).
22. If the moderator inadvertently gives an answer to a toss-up without giving either team a chance to respond, he/she takes the next toss-up question in the stack.
23. If the moderator inadvertently gives answer to a toss-up after the first team has responded incorrectly and without turning the question over to the second team, he/she takes the next toss-up question in the stack and reads it exclusively for the second team.
24. If someone in the audience shouts out an answer, the moderator throws out the question and goes to the next question in the stack, with all other rules of the game in effect. It is the moderator's responsibility to caution the audience regarding interruptions of the game.
25. Every time a player answers a toss-up question correctly, his/her team, and that team only, gets a chance at a bonus question.
26. Team members may confer on bonus answers. All team members are encouraged to participate as much as possible. However, if there are conflicting answers, the moderator will ask the team captain for the team's official answer.
27. The team is to be given 10 seconds to confer on its answer to a bonus question. The team must give the answer before the timekeeper calls "time". If a team member or captain is in the process of giving an answer when "time" is called, the answer may be completed and the points awarded if the answer is correct.
28. If a bonus answer is given after "time" is called, it does not count.
29. If a bonus question has several parts that are to be asked separately, the moderator will allow 10 seconds per part for the team to confer and answer.
30. If a bonus question calls for two or more answers within a one-part question, the moderator will allow only the initial 10 seconds for the team to begin its answer.
31. If the half or game ends while the moderator is reading a bonus question, he/she stops right there, without giving the team the opportunity to answer.
32. If a half or the game ends after the moderator has finished reading a bonus, the team may give its answer. If it is a bonus with multiple parts, the team gets to answer only the part(s) that the moderator has finished.
33. If the score is tied at the end of regulation time, the tie is broken by sudden-death-play off toss-up questions. The first correct answer scores 10 points and wins the game. An incorrect interruption to a tie-breaker loses 5 points and the game.
1. Record within Division (6 matches)
2. Record in League(10 matches)
3. Head-to-head record
4. Team going furthest in league tournament