Bible Quizzing is a Christian sport in which teams of participants compete on Bible memorization in a context that requires a combination of speed, accuracy, and strategy and a culture that inspires collaboration, fellowship, and mutual encouragement. Bible Quizzing competitions, called meets, consist of a series of quizzes. Meets are grouped into quiz seasons, which typically run from late summer or early fall through late spring or early summer.
This is the official rule book for Bible Quizzing, which represents what will be followed at the annual International Bible Quizzing (IBQ) championship meet at the end of a quiz season. It is also a recommendational document for Quizzing districts and any other organizations interested in Bible Quizzing. These districts and other organizations retain the right to set and enforce their own rules using whatever mechanisms they deem most appropriate.
You can download this document from:
https://github.com/gryphonshafer/Quizzing-Rule-Book/releases/download/ba14d75/rule_book_full.html
There are some special section blocks within this rule book that contain content that are not rules. These special sections are included for a variety of reasons to aid in using the rule book. Some or all of the special sections can be and often are omitted when this rule book is published in simplified form. This specific publication of the rule book contains the following sections.
There are several terms used throughout the rule book that are explicitly defined by a term/definition entry. They appear like this:
The definitions help clarify specific concepts related to the rules.
Examples are a representation and tangible illustration of a rule. Since rules are often stated using abstract wording and concepts in generalized forms, it can be hard to visualize the rule's application without an example.
That said, each example is just 1 representation. Examples do not aim to exemplify every possible application of the rule. The fact that a lone example covers only part of the rule should not be interpreted as implying that the rule is actually different than stated. The correct interpretation should be that examples do not fully cover every application of the rule.
Commentary sections include a series of comments, explanations, or annotations about the preceding portion of the rule book. These sections contain notes about the reasoning of rule book sections or their philosophical and practical implications. They are not to be considered rules. Rather, they are mini-essays about the rules.
There are components within this document that contain logic in the form of English Script (ES). ES is a simplified programming language that reads like plain English. The rule book uses ES to explicitly describe rules that can be consumed automatically by software directly from the rule book. For more information, see:
https://metacpan.org/pod/English::Script#DEFAULT-GRAMMAR
Bible Quizzing meets consist of a series of quizzes, which themselves consist of a series of questions. Questions are written based on a quiz season's material. Material refers to the Scriptural scope of content set for each season. The Bible edition used is the New International Version (NIV) 2011 edition of the Bible. There is an 8-season rotation of material. 4 are defined as "Narrative" and 4 are defined as "Epistle" in terms of a material's style.
| Season | Material Scope References | Style |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | Matthew 1:18-25, 2-12, 14-22, 26-28 | Narrative |
| 2021-2022 | Romans, James | Epistle |
| 2022-2023 | Acts 1-20 | Narrative |
| 2023-2024 | Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians | Epistle |
| 2024-2025 | Luke 1-3:23, 9-11, 13-19, 21-24 | Narrative |
| 2025-2026 | 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians | Epistle |
| 2026-2027 | John | Narrative |
| 2027-2028 | Hebrews, 1 Peter, 2 Peter | Epistle |
Interrogative words are the single interrogative word that must be inserted at either the beginning or the end of every question text requiring such. Question type groups that require interrogative words are:
The exhaustive list of interrogative words is:
Context is a range of verses from the question's reference. Context is a concept primarily related to the answering of questions, but it needs to be considered when writing questions from the material. By default, context is limited to 5 verses before or after the reference; however, some question types have a different context, which is defined in the question type.
All questions must contain verbatim material.
The only exception to this is SIT type question quotations, which could potentially involve a single quotation, broken up by non-quotation words. This would result in the SIT quotation being written without the non-quotation words in the middle of the 2 quotations.
On some question types, the addition of a single, approved, interrogative word at the very beginning or very end is required.
Interrogative questions, also called standard, regular, normal, general, and straightforward questions:
Reference question type group questions are used to distinguish between exact duplicate words or phrases from the material. The entire reference question is part of the required question and answer.
If a quizzer needs to provide the reference question, the provided reference question must:
Only the material is used, not the choice of interrogative word, when deciding whether a question is an INT versus CR versus CVR.
As an example of similar content and wording, consider Luke 23:37:
and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
A CVR question could be written: "According to Luke, chapter 23, verse 37, King of what?" The answer would be: "The Jews." A quizzer could provide a question of "King of what?" or "King of whom?" as Jews could be referring to either a nation (a "what") or a people (a "whom"). In this case, the quizzer could also provide, "King of the what?"
As an example of referencing the determining word or phrase, consider 2 Peter 2:8:
For that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.
A CR question could be written: "What deeds?" The answer would be: "Lawless." If the quizzer provided the question, "Lawless what?" the quizzer would be incorrect because the quizzer's question and the written question are not similar.
If 2 identical phrases exist in the same chapter, but 1 occurrence grammatically calls for use of the "who" inserted interrogative word, and the other occurrence grammatically calls for the use of the "what" inserted interrogative word, that difference in the grammatically dictated interrogative word does not change the fact that the phrase from the material (that excludes the inserted interrogative word) occurs more than once in the same chapter, necessitating a CVR question.
The above does not mean that if the quizzer needs to provide a reference question that is a CVR, and their choice of interrogative word changes the question type to CVRMA, that the quizzer has given a valid CVR. In this case, the validity changes based on the interrogative word because of how the required answer changes.
The question text should be in the form:
According to [book name], chapter [chapter number], verse [verse number], [remainder of question text]
The question text should be in the form:
According to [book name], chapter [chapter number], [remainder of question text]
Quote and finish questions must be quoted word-perfect. Quizzers may go back and correct their answers if done in the answering period. The quizzer will be required to make 1 full, correct rotation; however, the quizzer can be called correct without 1 full, correct rotation if they have made a mistake only in 1 area of the verse and correct the mistake, making it abundantly clear to the quizmaster and answer judge that they know where their mistake was and what the corrected words are.
Context is defined as the required verse, which is defined as the 1 or 2 verse range of the question, based on the question type.
The question text should be in the form:
Quote [book name], chapter [chapter number], verse [verse number].
Q2V is used when a verse is not strong enough on its own and needs another verse to explain it or can be used when 2 verses combine to form an even stronger thought.
The question text should be in the form:
Quote [book name], chapter [chapter number], verses [verse numbers].
If the quotation is split-up by non-quotation words, the quotation will be read without the non-quotation words. A SIT question can combine 2 separate quotations as long as no words are added and the 2 quotes flow easily from 1 to another. The quotation must be written excluding any non-quotation words in the middle of the quotations.
The answer to the SIT question must be in context.
As an example split-quotation SIT question, consider Matthew 4:19:
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people."
A SIT question could be written:
Who said it? "Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people."
Answer: "Jesus."
Questions must be declared invalid by the quizmaster or answer judge(s) if:
When a question is deemed invalid and thrown out, it must be replaced with the exact same type of question. For example, a CVRMA must be replaced with an CVRMA, not any multiple-answer reference question.
A team can consist of up to 5 quizzers. Teams can have up to 4 quizzers seated in a quiz at any given time.
Scorekeepers must be notified which quizzer is the captain and which is co-captain before the quiz begins. The captain and co-captain may change during a given competition but not during a quiz.
Only the captain or co-captain may appeal a decision or respond to an appeal. If both the captain and co-captain have erred-out, another quizzer can be designated by the coach to respond to or initiate appeals.
No comment other than "correct" or "incorrect" need be announced by the quiz officials when announcing a ruling; however, at the discretion of the quizmaster (QM) and answer judge (AJ), or at the request of the captain, additional information may be given.
If the additional information regarding the ruling is provided at the discretion of the QM/AJ and not at the request of the captain, this is not considered an explanation of a ruling, which would invalidate an appeal or review.
If the captain requests additional information regarding the ruling, this is considered an explanation of a ruling and invalidates an appeal or review. Before replying to a request for an explanation, the QM must ask all teams if they wish to appeal.
All conferring between quizmaster and answer judge(s) shall be done privately.
The quizmaster must:
When a quizzer's response contains a required completion of the question and that completion is different than the written question, the quizmaster will discuss it with the answer judge. If the quizzer gives a reference question that is different than the written question, the quizmaster and answer judge must ensure that the reference question given is the exact same type as the written question.
The quizmaster should consult with the answer judge(s) at any time they feel is necessary, provided it does not infringe upon the quizzer's answering period.
During the answering period, the quizmaster will prompt the quizzer in the following ways. If the quizmaster has given a prompt that is clear and is in keeping with the spirit of these rules even if not word for word, it is acceptable as long as the occasion for the prompt is still correct.
If a quizzer has provided all the information in the question and answer, except the identification of a pronoun present which is part of the answer text, the quizmaster will prompt the quizzer to identify the specific pronoun. For example: "Can you clarify 'He'?" or "Clarify 'They.'"
The quizmaster is not allowed to say anything other than what the quizzer has already said when asking for the identification. A pronoun may need to be identified only if the antecedent is in context.
On a Quote or Reference type question, if the quizmaster did not finish saying the entire reference before the quizzer jumped, then the quizmaster will prompt for the reference. For example: "What is your reference?" or "Your reference?".
On a Reference type question, if the quizzer has given all the information in both the question and the answer and the complete question was not read, the quizmaster will prompt for the question. For example: "What is your question?" or "Question?".
On a Quote or Finish type question, once the quizzer has quoted to the end of the required verse or verses, if the answer is not yet word-perfect, the quizmaster will say, "Again." This will occur as often as needed until the quizzer's answer is word-perfect or the answering period expires. The quizmaster is not allowed to say "Again" until the quizzer has come to the end of the verse, each time through, as this would give the quizzer information about where their mistake was made.
On a Situation type question, when the quizzer has completed the quotation, the quizmaster will tell the quizzer that the quote is finished. For example: "Quote is complete" or "That is the quote."
On a CVR/CVRMA, in the scenario where the entire reference (which is part of the question text) was not read by the quizmaster, the quizmaster has 2 prompts to give, and must give them in correct order and with correct timing. If the quizzer provides all information in the question text and the answer text, because the quizzer has not yet finished saying the complete reference, which is part of the question, the quizmaster must prompt with "What is your reference?" The quizmaster cannot prompt with "What is your question?" yet, because the quizzer has not provided all information in the question (which includes the reference) and the answer.
When an answer given is in question, the answer judge will determine whether the answer given meets the requirements of a correct answer and make a ruling recommendation to the quizmaster.
Answer judges will also:
The scorekeeper will:
The statistician will be responsible for:
The process for running a quiz includes topics like types of quizzes, question type distribution, and how a quiz progresses outside specific quiz events.
There will be no duplicate questions in a single quiz.
When 3 teams are participating in a question and 1 team errs, the next question will be a toss-up question for the 2 teams that did not err on the previous question. The team that erred is ineligible to jump on the toss-up question.
If only 2 teams were participating in a question and 1 team errs, the next question will be a bonus question, not a toss-up question. If only 1 team was participating in a question, it must have been a bonus question. As such, any outcome of the bonus question results in all 3 teams participating in the next question.
If only 2 teams are participating in a question and 1 team errs, the next question will be an assigned bonus question for the team that did not err. An assigned bonus question is awarded to the corresponding chair of the chair that erred on the toss-up.
There are 4 chairs per team, any 1 of which may be filled or empty. If the quizzer seated on chair 2 erred on the toss-up, the quizzer seated on chair 2 of the team that did not err on the toss-up will be awarded the bonus question. If no quizzer of the team that did not err on the toss-up is seated in chair 2, then the bonus is "for an empty seat" and considered a no jump.
A quizmaster must introduce and read each question type in a specific, multipart way:
Question introduction
State the full question number and type
"Question number [question number] is a [type] question."
Include whether it's a toss-up or bonus question
"It is a ["toss-up" or "bonus"] for [team(s)]."
For situation questions only, include the question's interrogatives
"I need to know [Situation question interrogatives]."
Call the question
"Question number [question number], question:"
Question text or remainder of question text
A quizmaster may repeat or repeat as a paraphrase any component of the question introduction for additional clarity.
There are 3 primary types of quizzes and 2 related overtime components of quizzes.
Set quiz types to
"3-Team 20-Question", "2-Team 15-Question Tie-Breaker",
"2-Team 20-Question", "2-Team Overtime", and "3-Team Overtime".
There will be 20 numeric questions in a quiz, excluding any overtime questions.
A toss-up question is the result of an error by 1 team. The 2 remaining teams will have the opportunity to jump, but the team making the error is ineligible for that question. If question 1 to 15 is erred, the next question will be a numbered question and a toss-up question. If question 16-20 is erred, the next question will be a toss-up appended with A. For example, if 3 teams were participating on 16, the toss-up question will be question 16A.
Regarding bonus questions:
A 2-team 15-question tie-breaker quiz operates much like a 3-team 20-question quiz except:
Points deduction for every error on a question or toss-up question start at question number 13 instead of question number 17.
A 2-team 20-question quiz operates much like a 3-team 20-question quiz except:
Overtime occurs if a quiz ends in a tie and the team placements (1st, 2nd, 3rd) matter.
In the below table, any minimum or maximum variation between material seasons is indicated in a Narrative/Epistle format.
| Type Group | Minimum | Maximum | Question Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interrogative | 7 | 14 | INT |
| Multiple Answer | 2 | 4 | MA |
| Reference | 3 | 5 | CR, CVR, CRMA, CVRMA |
| Quote | 2 | 3 | Q, Q2V |
| Finish | 3 | 5 | FT, FTN, FTV, F2V |
| Situation | 2/0 | 4/0 | SIT |
At least 1 of the reference questions will be a CVR or CVRMA, and at least 1 of the reference questions will be a CR or a CRMA.
For a given Question Type:
For 15-question quizzes, prepare quizzes as normal for 20-question quizzes, but the quizmaster should conclude the quiz when appropriate for the rule of a 15-question quiz.
Except for the exception below:
The exception to the above is if the late team was late due to quizzing in another location which is running late, they are not required to forfeit the quiz or lose 20 points.
If any number of members of a team is late, the quiz will start on time.
Prior to the start of a quiz, if not all quizzers are in the room, 1 of 2 options exist for the team's coach:
Prior to a quizzer's answer being correct or incorrect, a quizzer has 30 seconds to provide their answer. If a quizzer who has stood to answer sits back down on their seat during the answering period, they forfeit the remainder of their time.
Set the answering period duration to 30.
On all question types, a quizzer cannot automatically be ruled out of context by a single word, even if it is a unique word. Rather, the quizzer must say a complete thought or phrase that conclusively puts them out of context.
The correct person of the Trinity must be given. Giving the name of a different person of the Trinity is considered giving incorrect information.
If a quizzer refers to any person of the Trinity as either "God" or "Lord", these must be clarified by the quizzer within the answering period when the text requires a more specific answer.
"Jesus" and "Christ" are interchangeable (but refer to the person of the Son) and the quizzer will be called correct.
If a pronoun is used in the text to name a person of the Trinity, any of the names for that person of the Trinity within context may be considered an acceptable answer when clarifying. If the pronoun naming that person of the Trinity is identified by the quizzer using a name that correctly identifies the person of the Trinity, but with an identification that is out of context, the quizzer will be considered to have not stayed in context.
When there is a special name of God given in the text, the special name must be given in the quizzer's answer. If the quizzer states any other special names which are not in context, the quizzer will be considered to have not stayed in context, even if they refer to the same person of the Trinity.
When a quizzer gives other names for the same person of the Trinity, used within context, these should be allowed to be clarified within the answering period when a more specific answer is needed.
Examples of special names of God are:
An example of special names that aren't in context, consider that Jesus refers to himself as "the bread of life" in John 6 and "the good shepherd" in John 10.
The quizzer's response is correct when:
If the quizmaster did not complete the reading of the question, the quizzer's answer must include the information in the remainder of the question as well as the answer.
Only the 1st response of the quizzer will be considered; however, if the response by the quizzer is in context and is not incorrect, the quizzer will be allowed their full answering period to satisfy all requirements of a correct response.
A quizzed-out quizzer may only jump on bonus questions.
Consider 1 Corinthians 3:6:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
Suppose an INT question was written:
Who has been making it grow?
The correct answer is "God".
If a quizzer answered "Apollos", they have given incorrect information (even though the name "Apollos" is in context) and would be immediately called incorrect. If they had said "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it", they have not given any incorrect information, are in context, and will be given the full answering period to supply the correct answer required.
The quizzer's response is incorrect when:
An err-out eliminates that quizzer from the quiz. The quizzer must leave the platform immediately.
Appeals exist so quizzers can contest rulings made by quiz officials. The team captain or co-captain may appeal if:
An appeal must be made at the time of the quizmaster's decision and before the quizmaster makes known the next question's type. If a timeout is called immediately after a ruling, and a quizzer stands to appeal, the appeal may be conducted prior to the timeout.
No conferring is allowed between the quizzer challenging and anyone else. Conferring with anyone else prior to an appeal will result in:
Once a team has requested an explanation of a ruling, and that explanation has been given, all teams lose the right to appeal. If an explanation of a ruling is requested, the quizmaster will ask if any team wants to appeal.
The result of an appeal may not be appealed.
If the appeal is accepted:
When an appeal is made, the quizmaster must give each team's captain or co-captain an opportunity to speak to the appeal before making a ruling on the appeal. Whichever team is being appealed against will have the right to speak last.
Coaches, including assistant coaches, of the teams participating in a quiz may place the quiz under review under the following conditions:
The review must apply to the question or ruling that just occurred. The review must be placed before the quizmaster makes known the next question's type. If a review is launched after question number 20 is completed it must be done immediately after the ruling is announced.
The coach may only confer with their assistant coach and any quizzer members of the team that are not currently seated in the quiz before initiating a review.
The quiz officials and quiz team coaches will meet privately and attempt to come to an agreement. If no agreement is reached within 10 minutes, the meet director will arbitrate and determine the just solution. During the review, quizzers are permitted to leave their seats and converse with other quizzers as well as audience members.
After a review is called, the quizmaster shall inform the room about the procedure outlined in the preceding paragraph.
As an example of a logistical rule, consider a scenario wherein the quizmaster did not allow the full answering period to expire for the quizzer when the quizzer was in context and had not given any wrong information.
A foul is a penalty called by a quiz official against a quizzer or team for conduct that breaks the text or spirit of the rules.
The quizzer upon whom a foul is called becomes ineligible to jump on that question.
3 fouls by a quizzer eliminate that quizzer from the quiz. The quizzer must leave the platform immediately. If a substitute replaces the fouled-out quizzer, the substitute may not jump until the next question.
The following are fouls:
Each team is allowed 2 1-minute timeouts. Only 1 of those timeouts may be taken after question number 17, including any alphanumeric question numbers.
Set the timeout duration to 60.
Substitutions may be made only during timeouts or to replace a quizzer who quizzes-out, errs-out, or fouls-out on the immediately preceding question.
Quizzed-out quizzers may remain in the quiz to answer bonus questions. Substituting for them afterward will require a timeout. If subbed-out, they may not return for any reason.
When a quizzer quizzes-out, errs-out, or fouls-out and leaves the platform after the event, a substitute may take their place immediately and without a timeout, even if the incoming quizzer has been subbed-out less than 3 questions ago.
All points that occur during a bonus question or during overtime do not contribute to the individual score of a quizzer.
All points earned or deducted by an individual are to be counted towards the team's points.
+20 points will be awarded to each team present at the scheduled start time of the quiz.
Teams that arrive late due to quizzing in another room are excused from the forfeiture of these points. If a single quizzer is late, the coach can decide to keep the +20 points by keeping the late quizzer out the whole quiz, or forfeit the points by subbing the quizzer in after question number 1. This decision must occur before the quiz has been started.
Set the readiness bonus to 20.
Team errors are the sum of all individual, non-bonus errors.
Below are the scoring calculation rules and the logic for them. This procedure is executed after every "quiz event" (defined below).
If the quiz event is a "question", then apply the following block.
If the ruling is "correct", then apply the following block.
If the current question form is not "Bonus", then apply the following block.
Add 1 to quizzer correct answers.
Add 1 to team correct answers.
This is the end of the block.
For each specific quizzer in the team roster, apply the following block.
If the specific quizzer correct answers value is greater than 0,
then add 1 to the team quizzers with correct answers.
This is the end of the block.
Set the quizzer score increment to 20.
Set the team score increment to 20.
Set the scoresheet label to 20.
Set the next question form to "Standard".
Set the next question number to the current question integer plus 1.
If
the quiz type is "2-Team 20-Question" or
the quiz type is not "2-Team 15-Question Tie-Breaker" and
the current question integer is greater than or equal to 17 or
the quiz type is "2-Team 15-Question Tie-Breaker" and
the current question integer is greater than or equal to 13,
then set reduced bonus points to true.
If the current question form is "Bonus", then apply the following block.
Set the quizzer score increment to 0.
If reduced bonus points is true, then apply the following block.
Set the team score increment to 10.
Set the scoresheet label to 10.
This is the end of the block.
Append "B" to the scoresheet label.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if
the team quizzers with correct answers value is greater than or equal to 3
and the quizzer correct answers value is 0,
then apply the following block.
Add 10 to the team score increment.
Append "+" to the scoresheet label.
Set type of nth bonus to team quizzers with correct answers value plus 1.
Set message to type of nth bonus plus "-Quizzer Bonus: " plus quizzer name.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the quizzer correct answers is 4 and the current question form is not "Bonus",
then apply the following block.
If the quizzer incorrect answers is 0, then apply the following block.
Add 10 to the team score increment.
Add 10 to the quizzer score increment.
Append "+" to the scoresheet label.
This is the end of the block.
Set message to "Quiz Out: " plus quizzer name.
This is the end of the block.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the ruling is "incorrect", then apply the following block.
If the current question form is not "Bonus", then apply the following block.
Add 1 to quizzer incorrect answers.
Add 1 to team incorrect answers.
This is the end of the block.
Set the scoresheet label to "E".
If the current question form is "Standard" and the quiz type begins with "3", then
set the next question form to "Toss-Up".
Otherwise, if
the current question form is "Toss-Up" or
the current question form is "Standard" and the quiz type begins with "2", then
set the next question form to "Bonus".
Otherwise, if the current question form is "Bonus", then apply the following block.
Set the scoresheet label to "BE";
set the next question form to "Standard".
This is the end of the block.
If
the current question integer is less than 16 and
the quiz type is not "2-Team 15-Question Tie-Breaker" or
the current question integer is less than 12 and
the quiz type is "2-Team 15-Question Tie-Breaker",
then set the next question number to the current question integer plus 1.
Otherwise, if
the current question number is the current question integer and
the current question form is not "Bonus" and
the quiz type is not "2-Team 15-Question Tie-Breaker",
then set the next question number to the current question integer plus "A".
Otherwise, if
the current question number is the current question integer plus "A" and
the current question form is not "Bonus" or
the current question number is the current question integer and
the quiz type is "2-Team 15-Question Tie-Breaker",
then set the next question number to the current question integer plus "B".
Otherwise, if
the current question number is the current question integer plus "B" and
the current question form is "Bonus",
then set the next question number to the current question integer plus 1.
If the current question form is not "Bonus", then apply the following block.
If
the quizzer incorrect answers value is greater than or equal to 2 or
the team incorrect answers value is greater than or equal to 3,
then apply the following block.
Set the quizzer score increment to -10.
Set the team score increment to -10.
Append "--" to the scoresheet label.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if
the current question integer is greater than or equal to 17,
then apply the following block.
Set the team score increment to -10.
Append "-" to the scoresheet label.
This is the end of the block.
This is the end of the block.
If the quizzer incorrect answers value is 3,
then set message to "Error Out: " plus quizzer name.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the ruling is "none" then apply the following block.
Set the next question form to "Standard".
Set the next question number to the current question integer plus 1.
This is the end of the block.
If the quiz type is "3-Team 20-Question" or the quiz type is "2-Team 20-Question",
then set 20 question quiz to true.
If
20 question quiz is true and
the next question form is "Standard" and
the next question number is 21,
then set the quiz type to "2-Team Overtime".
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the quiz event is a "foul", then apply the following block.
Add 1 to quizzer fouls.
Add 1 to team fouls.
Set the scoresheet label to "F".
If the quizzer fouls value is greater than or equal to 2, then apply the following block.
Set the quizzer score increment to -10.
Set the team score increment to -10.
Append "--" to the scoresheet label.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the team fouls value is greater than or equal to 3, then apply the following block.
Set the team score increment to -10.
Append "-" to the scoresheet label.
This is the end of the block.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the quiz event is a "timeout", then set the scoresheet team label to "T".
Otherwise, if the quiz event is a "sub-in", then set the scoresheet team label to "S+".
Otherwise, if the quiz event is a "sub-out", then set the scoresheet team label to "S-".
Otherwise, if the quiz event is an "appeal", then apply the following block.
Set the scoresheet team label to "C".
If the appeal is overruled, then apply the following block.
Add 1 to overruled appeals.
If the overruled appeals value is greater than or equal to 2, then apply the following block.
Set the team score increment to -10.
Append "-" to the scoresheet team label.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, append "~" to the scoresheet team label.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, append "^" to the scoresheet team label.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the quiz event is a "unreadiness", then apply the following block.
Set the scoresheet team label to "R-".
Set the team score increment to -20.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if the quiz event is a "unsportsmanlike", then apply the following block.
Set the scoresheet team label to "U-".
Set the team score increment to -10.
This is the end of the block.
The tournament brackets are based on 3 things: A preliminary round (or "prelims"), an elimination round (or "brackets") at the discretion of the meet director, and championship quizzes.
Team points are calculated using a team's score at the end of question 20, together with their place, which could be determined at the end of question 20 or after the end of overtime. Teams start with a base number of points based on their place and receive additional points based on their team score. The specifics are detailed in the section below.
In case of a tie, points are awarded according to the team score at the end of question 20. Overtime is used solely to determine placements.
If ties are not being broken in prelims, more than 1 team can receive 1st place or 2nd place points. If 2 tied for 1st, then other team is 3rd. If 2 tied for 2nd, then the 1st team is 1st and the other 2 are 2nd.
Team points are calculated by dividing the team score immediately after question 20 (including any A and B questions) by 10 and then applying placement adjustment:
Set place to 1.
For each team in the teams list, apply the following block.
If place is 1, then apply the following block.
Set base points to 10.
Set overage origin to 100.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if place is 2, then apply the following block.
Set base points to 5.
Set overage origin to 60.
This is the end of the block.
Otherwise, if place is 3, then apply the following block.
Set base points to 1.
Set overage origin to 30.
This is the end of the block.
Set score overage to team score at the end of regular quizzing minus overage origin.
If score overage is less than 0, then set score overage to 0.
Set team points to score overage divided by 10 plus base points.
This is the end of the block.
The following may be used, in order, to break ties in team placements after preliminary quizzing:
In addition, a tie-breaker quiz may be used for ties that determine which bracket a team will compete in for elimination quizzing.
This bracket is based on the "winner-move-up" philosophy and is designed to select the best team out of a possible 9 teams through winning rather than losing. The teams are then arranged in order (from 1st to 9th place) by points. The winners of quizzes A, D, and F meet in quiz G for the championship.
In this bracket, the top 3 teams are involved in a triple-elimination, the middle 3 teams in a double-elimination, and the last 3 teams in a single-elimination. This way only those teams that have earned the right through winning will advance to the final quiz.
Bracket Design
This bracket does not require each team to lose to be eliminated.
Championship Quiz
Each team in the final 9 must lose twice. A team may make the finals by actually winning only 1 quiz in this tournament bracket.
Bracket Design
Championship Quizzes
If the same team took 3rd place in Quiz I and J, then Quiz K will be a 2-team quiz to determine 1st and 2nd place.
This bracket is a combination of brackets A and B. A team must win at least 2 quizzes to obtain a position in the finals.
Bracket Design
Championship Quizzes
If the same team took 3rd place in Quiz J and K, then Quiz L will be a 2-team quiz to determine 1st and 2nd place.
A team must win twice to become the champion team. All 3 teams will continue to quiz until 1 team wins twice.
If the same team wins the 1st 2 championship quizzes, 2nd place is determined by the most 2nd places. If that is a tie, 2nd place will be determined by the clarification section (below).
If the champion team is determined in 3 quizzes, 2nd and 3rd places will be determined by the clarification section (below).
If the champion team is determined in 4 quizzes, 2nd place is determined by the most 2nd places. If that is a tie, 2nd place will be determined by the clarification section (below).
If necessitated from the above championship quizzes, 2nd place will be determined as follows:
These rules apply to the International Bible Quizzing (IBQ) championship meet conducted annually, administered under the oversight of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) Quizzing Leadership Team (CQLT).
All quizzers for IBQ competition must be 12 to 18 years of age at any point during the quiz season. Each quiz season begins on August 1 and ends on July 31.
In order to quiz at Internationals for a specific district:
Any exceptions to this must be brought to the CQLT.
Each district will be allowed to send as many teams as the district feels will be competitive and that they are financially able to send. These will be the district's international teams.
Each team must have a coach and may also have an assistant coach.
All arrangements, promotion, and administration will be handled by the CQLT and the Life Office.
Notification by each district of its intention to enter a team must be received by the CQLT, on a form supplied by the CQLT, no later than the date posted on the CMA Bible Quizzing website. The names of the IBQ team, its quizzers, and its coaching staff, and all registration fees must be sent, when specified, to the Life Office for that quiz season. District participation fees for the current quiz season must be paid in order to register for the IBQ competition. Any exceptions to this must be brought to the CQLT.
IBQ officials may include quizmasters, answer judges, scorekeepers, statisticians, and a meet director. IBQ officials will be appointed by the CQLT. To be considered for the CQLT appointment, all officials should:
When deemed necessary, any official may be replaced from their position during a meet by the CQLT. Team coaches whose teams are not involved in the quiz shall serve as answer judges and scorekeepers if needed.
At least 1 scorekeeper will tabulate the results of each question on official scoresheets in every IBQ quiz. They shall keep a running score of each quiz. Points will be accurately tallied on individual quizzers for each team by statisticians appointed by the CQLT.
Statisticians shall:
Statisticians shall not be a regular scorekeeper.
Questions must be written covering the entire material for the quiz season. Question set preparation will be the responsibility of the CQLT. All questions for all quizzes will be selected from across the full set of questions.
Electronic jump-seat equipment must be used for all competitions. A backup set must be on hand at all times.
An audio recording system must be used in all rooms.
This rule book and all associated subordinate documentation, data files, configuration files, software, and other files contained within a GitHub project are open for amendment by anyone. The GitHub project is:
https://github.com/gryphonshafer/Quizzing-Rule-Book
This is the management process for those changes and how the documents will be managed for annual International Bible Quizzing (IBQ) championship meets.
Proposed changes should be submitted as an "Issue" to the GitHub project.
https://github.com/gryphonshafer/Quizzing-Rule-Book/issues/new
Submitted issues will contain:
Everyone is invited to review and discuss submitted issues, adding comments to them to further the discussion. An authorized Rules Committee (RC) will review each submitted issue for quality, appropriateness, integrational impact, and other factors. The RC will add comments on the issue as necessary to improve or solicit improvements upon any area the RC feels is needed.
The RC will review all open issues at least every 3 months and will by a simple majority vote decide if each issue is ready for progression, needs to remain in discussion, or should be closed without further action. In all cases, the RC should at minimum provide a summary status explanation comment on every issue it reviews. If an issue is deemed ready for progression, the RC will see that a pull request (PR) is created and the issue closed. The PR will be constructed against the integration branch of the project.
PRs to the integration branch will be in an open review period for 3 calendar months from the date they are created, during which time they can be discussed and debated by anyone using the comment features on GitHub. At the conclusion of the 3 months, a simple majority of RC will approve or reject the PR. An approved PR will be immediately merged to the integration branch.
Annually, the CQLT will review a PR of the integration branch merged to the master branch. A simple majority of the CQLT will ratify or reject the PR. When ratified, the PR will be merged to master immediately following that season's IBQ. Whatever is in master will be considered the rule book and supporting documentation for the upcoming IBQ.
No changes to master are allowed except for:
integrationIt's highly recommended anyone interested in following or participating in any rule book discussions or for those who would like to be notified when new rule book versions are published should "Watch" the GitHub project by clicking the "Watch" button near the upper right of the project's home page and selecting the desired watch level.