General Format of the Competition

The NOSB is a timed competition (defined as the use of “lock-out” type buzzer systems and clocks) between two teams. Each match consists of a series of toss-up questions that individual team members must answer without collaboration. A team that correctly responds to a toss-up question is given a bonus question to answer as a team.

Additionally two TCQs are provided in written form and require teamwork and extra time to complete. Unlike the toss-up and bonus questions, both teams can answer the TCQ and win points for their correct responses. Each match has two TCQs and approximately 14 toss-up questions paired with an equal number of bonus questions. Matches consist of two 6-minute halves with a 2-minute break. Competitions consist of ~15 matches (or rounds) including tie-breakers, as necessary. Additional time is given during the break for team challenge questions. Please see the Competition Rules for more details.