The purpose of the OSSAA Academic Bowl is to enhance the learning and intellectual pursuit of Oklahoma students. The competition will assist learners in appreciating the opportunities of advancing their knowledge.

A. The Basics:

• Points are awarded for correct answers to questions asked by the moderator. Points are not subtracted for incorrect answers.
• There are two types of questions in each match:
  1. Toss-up questions - twenty questions worth ten points each per quarter in quarters one and three.
  2. Sixty-second questions - ten related questions worth ten points each answered in sixty seconds or less.
• Coaches, substitutes, and guests must sit at the back of the room or at least two rows behind the contestants so no eye contact can be made with their team.
• A team consists of no more than four players, but cannot have less than three players. The team is not required to use the same players for every match. Team members may be substituted at the end of the first half of play and/or prior to a sudden-death situation.
• The use of calculators, computers, laptop computers, calculator watches, etc., will NOT be allowed. The use of special equipment must be approved by the OSSAA prior to tournament play. Only wrist watches or hand held stop watches may be used by a team for timing purposes. However, there shall be no audible noise and teams must realize that it is not the official time.

• Toss-up questions are worth ten points each.
• Toss-up questions will be drawn from a variety of subjects.
• After the moderator has read the question, the students will have ten seconds in which to activate their buzzer.
• The student must answer the toss-up question without conferring with other team members. If this occurs, the moderator will say, "You answer is not accepted" and the opposing team will be given the opportunity to answer the question.
• Written notes passed to or read by someone other than the author of the note constitutes consultation and will not be allowed during toss-up questions. If this occurs, the moderator will say, "You answer is not accepted" and the opposing team will be given the opportunity to answer the question.
• Use of hand signals to transfer answers will not be allowed.
• The player first signaling readiness to answer a toss-up question must wait to be recognized by the chief judge as the eligible respondent before giving his/her answer.
• Answering before being recognized is the same as a wrong answer and the opposing team will be given the opportunity to answer the question.
• The judge will recognize a player by announcing the name of the school and the name of the player. (Example: "Tulsa, Susan")
• Once a team member is recognized, the answer must begin immediately. The moderator will allow for a natural pause, but will not allow for stalling.
• Each moderator's interpretation of a natural pause will vary slightly; however, it is normally a fairly quick four count: "1, 2, 3, 4."
• If the moderator determines a time period longer than a natural pause has elapsed and the player gives an answer after that time has been called, the moderator will say, "You answer is not accepted" and the opposing team will be given the opportunity to answer the question.
• It is not necessary for players to wait until a toss-up question has been read in its entirety by the moderator to signal their readiness to answer the question. However, the moderator will stop reading immediately when a student signal is received.
• If the moderator is interrupted while reading a question and the recognized player gives an incorrect response or does not answer within the brief pause allowed by the moderator, the moderator will complete the question for the opposing team and the ten second time allotment will then be given.
• If the recognized player gives an incorrect answer or does not answer within the brief pause allowed by the moderator, and if the ten second time allotment has been depleted, the moderator will call on the opposing team for an IMMEDIATE answer by saying, "team ___________________, do you have an immediate response?"
• If the first team answers incorrectly, the opposing team has the opportunity to signal and to answer the question.
  • If a question has been activated, even though the allotted time has expired, the opposing team will have the opportunity to answer the missed question.
  • The opposing team will have the remaining time from the original ten seconds or a four count from the moderator, whichever is longer.
• After the question has been completed, ten seconds will be given for response time. If neither team has answered in that ten-second time or if both teams answer incorrectly, the moderator will read the correct answer and go to the next question. Neither team will receive points for an unanswered question.
• Once the question has been completed, the ten-second clock will not stop. All computations are to be done in this ten-second period.
• In the event a team buzzes in at the same time the clock time expires, the team will be allowed to respond. If the response is incorrect, the other team WILL be allowed an opportunity to respond. The moderator will call on the opposing team for an IMMEDIATE response. The opposing team must buzz in and be recognized before an answer is given.
• After both teams have had the opportunity to answer the question, the moderator will give the correct answer.
• If the moderator inadvertently gives an answer to a toss-up question or a procedural irregularity occurs while the question is still "active" for both teams, the moderator will substitute another tossup question from the same general subject area in its place.
• If the moderator inadvertently gives an answer to a toss-up question while the question is still "active" to one team only, the moderator will substitute, in its place, another toss-up question if possible from the same general subject area for that team only. If not, questions will be chosen in order from the list of extra questions. The responding team will receive a full 10 seconds to buzz in and begin their response.
• The moderator, chief judge and scorekeeper will check the score.
• If irregularities are found, the chief judge's score will stand as the correct score.
• The moderator will announce the score for the first quarter of play.
• The moderator will say, "Are there any questions?" Coaches may confer with their team members at this time and coaches may lodge protests at this point in the competition.
• All protests will be resolved by the chief judge and moderator assigned to that round. The chief judge and moderator may refer to the rule book, but no other outside assistance (i.e. site manager, judges, coaches, etc.) will be allowed. The chief judge and moderator should not leave the room while making a final decision. All decisions by the chief judge are final and cannot be appealed.
• If the score is tied, a toss-up question will be asked. The team answering correctly will be awarded ten points.

• Once the moderator begins the selection process, protests concerning the toss-up quarter will not be allowed.
• Each question in the sixty-second round will be worth ten points.
• The team that is ahead at the end of the first quarter will, after hearing the three 60-second categories, receive ten seconds to decide to play or defer. After the decision has been made, the moderator will again state the categories, and the team who is in active play will have ten seconds to decide upon the category.
• Consultation among a team's members is allowed during the sixty-second quarters. Team members may move to have closer access to the team captain.
• After the team has been informed of the three categories available for the sixty-second quarter, they will have ten seconds in which to make their selection. The moderator will say: "Team number ______ will have first selection of the sixty-second questions. The selections are: 1. ______, 2. _______, 3. _________. You will have ten seconds to decide." At the end of the ten seconds, the moderator will say, "Team number ________, what is your selection?"
• The team will select one of the three presented categories. The selection must be given by the team captain. First response to the officials will be the selected category.
• If the team does not give an immediate response to the moderator's request, the opposing team will be allowed the first choice option. If the team that was ahead at the end of the first quarter chooses to have first selection in the second quarter and cannot make a selection in ten seconds, they forfeit the right of first selection in both the second and fourth quarters.
• All answers must be given by the team captain.
• The captain need not wait to be recognized before responding.
• The captain may respond before the moderator has completed a question.
• The team responding to a category of questions is playing against the sixty-second clock. The clock will begin after the moderator has read the first question in the category. All reading and response will end as the sixty-second buzzer sounds.
• Once the clock has started, the moderator will give the team an indefinite period of time to answer each question (that is, until the buzzer indicates the sixty seconds have elapsed).
• If a team does not know the answer, the captain must say "pass" before the moderator will begin the next question.
• Once a team has passed on a question, it cannot return to answer even though time remains at the end of the sixty-second quarter.
• The moderator will say "yes" for a correct response and "no" for an incorrect response at the end of each response. (Moderator, DO NOT say "correct/incorrect". Say "yes/no".)
• After the first team has finished with the sixty-second questions, the second team will then be given ten seconds to choose from the two remaining categories.
• If the team cannot choose from the two remaining categories, the opposing team will choose the category for them.
• In both instances, for the first and second selection, the moderator will call for the selection and the team must give an immediate answer.
• All rules applying to the first portion of the sixty-second round will apply during the second portion also.
• If the moderator inadvertently gives an answer to a question in a sixty-second round without giving the team a chance to respond, a substitute question will be added in order to make a total of ten questions available in that category. Six seconds will be given after the question is read.
• Because the sixty-second rounds are timed, an electronic buzzer or stopwatch will end the moderator's reading of each category and the team's response to the questions.
• A team will not talk or write during its opponent's sixty-second questions.
• After both teams have finished their sixty-second questions, the moderator, chief judge, and scorekeeper will check the score.
• The moderator will announce the score.
• The moderator will say, "Are there any questions?" Coaches may confer with their team members at this time. Protests concerning the sixty-second round must be lodged by the coach at this point. All protests will be resolved by the chief judge and moderator assigned to that round. The chief judge and moderator may refer to the rule book, but no other outside assistance (i.e. site manager, judges, coaches, etc.) will be allowed. The chief judge and moderator should not leave the room while making a final decision. All decisions by the chief judge are final and cannot be appealed.
• When reading the sixty second round, the number of the question shall not be read.
• The moderator will declare the first half of the game completed.

• If a substitute has taken the place of the team captain, a new team captain must be designated.
• All substitutes must check in with the scorekeeper.

• In the event of a tie at the end of the third quarter of play, tie-breaker questions will not be asked.

G. Conclusion of the game.

• If the score is tied at the end of the game, substitutions will be allowed at the beginning of the sudden death round. Ten points will be awarded for a correct answer.
• The declaration of the end of the game and the announcement of the winner will be the responsibility of the chief judge. NO protests will be allowed once the game has been declared over.