Each test will be conducted in real-time at 8 p.m. local time (Tuesday the 23rd for EST, Wednesday the 24th for CST [7 p.m. MST], and Thursday the 25th for PST). Although they prefer you to take the test designed for your time zone, you can actually participate in any ONE of the three.
Unlike the actual game show, the online Jeopardy quiz does not present you with answers and ask you to respond in the form of a question. To make it easier to score, the standard question-and-answer format is used. Speed is important: you have only 15 seconds to read each question and type in your answer (there are 50 questions, so the entire test will take at most twelve and a half minutes).
If you are serious about passing this test and getting on to the show, my best advice is:
- Category Names: Make sure you read the category name above the question. Just like on the game show, this can be a useful clue to the answer.
- Short Answers: Most answers are one word. Last names for people, etc. Occasionally a longer title, such as the name of a book or movie, will be required.
- Guess: If you don't know an answer, just take a guess. There is no penalty for wrong answers. In fact, spelling doesn't even count.
- Write It Down: If you *think* you know an answer, type it in while you consider the alternatives. That way if you run out of time, at least you've made a reasonable guess.
- Take Your Time: This may seem counterintuitive given the 15-second limit on each question, but once you've typed in your answer, use the seconds you have left to make sure you didn't misread the question or miss an obvious better answer. Answering more quickly does not gain you anything.
- Practice: Obviously, studying trivia will help you, but your free time over the next two weeks might be better spent practicing. Find any short-answer trivia quiz, put yourself on the clock, and actually type in your answers somewhere. Shameless plug: I added 15-second timer and 50-question options to my Triv PalmPilot game (play the Quick Quiz game variation) after taking this test last year.
Lastly, check out what I blogged after last year's online test.
2 comments:
Having taken the test and being rejected in Culver City - we found out before leaving the studio if we past the test. This test Tuesday (EST)is aggrevating not knowing until ??????.
I'd like to know how many you need correct to pass. Why keep taking the test if you have no chance? I'm thinking both times I had over half right.
As I mentioned in my earlier blog post, "I've heard that you need 35 correct (70%) to move on". If you're scoring just over 50% each time, I'm afraid you're going to need to get a little lucky with the question selection to move on. Good luck!
Post a Comment