Trivia Scoring Guide

Someone should trawl the information in the Rules for Trivia that's hosted in the Trivia Depository and summarize it. Then they should note the recent 10/15 or 20/25 scoring innovation that attempts to compensate for the advantage Google-using teams have over those who rely on more traditional methods (i.e. brains or books).

Here is the standard template of scoring values for a Williams Trivia contest. Running teams have always been free to amend and improvise, but should not do so capriciously. Many scoring changes have been announced or discussed first on the Trivia listserver.

On-air questions-- 1 point apiece. Occasionally there are two-part questions, or questions with multiple answers (i.e. name all seven Dwarves). In such a case, 1 point might be awarded to teams naming any 4 of the dwarves, or 2 points for naming all seven.

On-air songs-- 1 point apiece. This means title and artist.

Bonuses are now scored on a two-tier scale. One scale offers the possibility of more points for teams that do not use the internet to research answers; other resources (books, phone calls to experts, etc.) are still encouraged. Teams indicate which scoring option they have elected to submit the bonus under.

Hour Bonuses-- 10 points for teams using the internet; 15 points without.

Super Bonuses-- 25 points for teams using the internet; 40 points without. A 20/25 scale may have been used in May 2005.

Action Trivia-- 6 points apiece. Points are divided into two sets of 3. The first 0-3 points are awarded for specific trivial knowledge, reference points, and general command of the topic. The second 0-3 points are allotted for performing skills, energy, humor, physical mayhem, and general "style."

Ultra Bonus-- Scored on a downward sliding scale; worth less and less as the night continues and more clues are revealed. Point values have varied, though the highest possible score is typically 8 or 10 points. In May 2005, the Ultra Bonus was scored on a 16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 scale.

4:00 AM challenge-- Point values vary depending on circumstance. The top score has typically been in the 3-point range.