How To Play

Download the CoBo Kit for additional information on how to get involved in the upcoming 2020 College Bowl!

Eligibility

Please read the Rules & Guidelines to see if your college or university is eligible in sending a team to the 2020 College Bowl (CoBo) competition. 

Preliminary Matches

All matches shall consist of three rounds, which shall be played consecutively with five-minute breaks in between. In the first, second, and third rounds; there will be 18 questions each. Each round format is explained below. The difficulty of the questions shall increase incrementally throughout the match.

If there are more than four participating teams, there will be preliminary matches. The pool play format is contingent on total of participating teams. Details will be announced as soon as teams are registered. 

Final Competition Format with three teams

All matches shall consist of three rounds, which shall be played consecutively with five-minute breaks in between. In the first, second, and third rounds; there will be 18 questions each. Each round format is explained below. The difficulty of the questions shall increase incrementally throughout the match.

Rules

There will be three rounds in each match.

The teams shall have 25 seconds to answer each question. Teams shall answer each question concurrently. Answers are to be typed on the team’s laptop, and the typed answer shall be shown on the projection screen behind each team at the end of the 25-second time limit. At 0:05 seconds, the clock timer will turn red to warn teams that the time is almost up. 

No typing shall occur at the end of the 25-second time limit. The answers for those teams that type after the 25-second time limit shall be disqualified and the projection screen turned off immediately.  

Answers that are communicated through other avenues such as through sign language, spoken language, cued speech, or any other mode or form shall also automatically be disqualified. Only answers typed on designated laptop computers shall be accepted. If the laptop is disconnected from the monitor due to excessive force from any team member, the answer shall be disqualified.

No time outs by the teams shall be allowed during competition, for any reason. Time outs may only be called by the emcee, judges, or committee members for technical reasons.

Questions

There are nine different categories: Arts and Literature; History and Government; Geography; Science, Technology, and Nature; Sports and Leisure; Deaf Heritage and Culture; Entertainment; Current Events; and Mathematics. 

The scoring for regular rounds shall be as follows:

Challenges: A challenge allows the team to add double the points it would receive for a correct answer or lose the original point amount from their accumulated total. 

Any team may decide to challenge any question after a category has been shown. The emcee will allow a few seconds’ pause after the category has been shown to permit teams the opportunity to challenge. To challenge, the team captain must place a token (to be determined prior to competition) on the team table to indicate that team is challenging.

The scoring of a challenge shall be as follows:

There is no limit to the amount of time a team can challenge provided that their current score is not negative. Multiple teams may challenge the same question and may challenge after learning a team has challenged and before the question is displayed. 

If you have additional questions, contact [email protected].