The Sharks Quiz: Rules of the Game

Tournament Structure: 16-team single-elimination bracketed academic tournament with qualifying matches, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a championship match.

Team Participation and Attendance: At least one (1) coach, all four (4) primary team members, and at least one (1) alternate is required to attend each match.

The Game: The following are the rules and game play for The Sharks Quiz. The program producers reserve the right to change any of the rules at any time upon notice to participants.

Rounds:
1. Right Corner Round : Eight (8) questions each on the country you live in and on Africa
2. R cube Round: Eight (8) Questions each on Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic,
3. STEM Round : Ten (10) questions on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
4. One on One Round : Two (2) questions each on English, Math, Science and General Knowledge

Format: Set of Questions posed to one team at a time
Time limit: 3 minutes per school
Questions: General Knowledge and Current Affairs questions focused primarily on Ghana and Africa ; short answer and multiple choice

Points: All questions are worth 10 points.
Penalty: There are no deductions for wrong answers in this round.
Buzzing: Team members must wait for the host to call on them by name before attempting to answer a question.
Conferring: Team members are allowed to confer before or after buzzing in.
Bouncing: There are no bonus questions
Score: Scores are mentioned by host at the end of the round.

Round 2: R cube round
Format: Each team is posed a question at a time
Time Limit:
Questions: Questions bother on Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.
Points: All major questions are worth 10 points. Bonus is worth 5 points.
Penalty: Incorrect answers result in a 5-point deduction.
Buzzing: There is no buzzer lockout in this round. Team members may buzz in at any time at their own risk. If a question is interrupted by a player buzzing in, the host will stop and ask for an answer, without reading the remainder of the question. Team members must wait for the host to call on them by name before attempting to answer a question.

Conferring: Players are allowed to confer with their teammates.
Bouncing: If a player cannot answer a question or answers incorrectly, the host completes the question and gives the other team an opportunity to respond for 10 points if answered correctly or a 5 point deduction for an incorrect answer.
Score: Total Scores for Round 1 and 2 are mentioned by host at the end of the round.

Round 3: STEM
Format: Team vs. team
Time limit:
Questions: Questions bother on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and are posed to both schools.

Points: Questions are worth 10 points for a right answer and a 5 point penalty for an incorrect answer.
Buzzing: Teams may buzz in at any time the question is being read. Team members must wait for the host to call on them by name before attempting to answer a question.
Conferring: Team members are allowed to confer before but not after buzzing in.
Bouncing: If a team buzzes in and cannot answer or answers incorrectly, the question is then posed to the other team. Team members are allowed to confer before buzzing in.
Score: Total scores are mentioned by the host at the end of the round.

Round 4: One on One
Format: Team member vs. team member
Time limit:
Questions: 4 Questions on Literacy, Numeracy, STEM and General Knowledge. Questions can take the form of pictures, videos and soundbites.
Points: All questions are worth 10 points.
Penalty: Incorrect answers result in a 5-point deduction.
Buzzing: Team members may buzz in at any time at their own risk. If a question is interrupted by a player buzzing in, the host will stop and ask for an answer, without reading the remainder of the question. Team member must wait for the host to call on him/her by name before attempting to answer a question.

Conferring: Team member cannot confer with other team members.
Bouncing: If a team cannot answer a question or answers incorrectly, the host gives the other team pair the opportunity to respond.
Score: Total scores are mentioned by the host at the end of the round.

Match Tiebreaker (if needed)
The tiebreaker is a sudden death round. The host asks a toss-up question worth 10 points. Team members are allowed to confer before buzzing in however, and allowed to buzz in before the question is read in its entirety. If the answer is correct, the game is over and the team is declared the winner. If an answer cannot be given or an answer is incorrect, the opposing team has the chance to answer the question in the same manner. If neither team gives a correct answer, the host moves on to another question. This continues until a correct answer is given and one team is declared the winner.

Judging
Judges make every effort to ensure a fair game, but the occasional mistake may occur. If the judges become aware of a mistake, every effort will be made to correct it. Questions are repeated at the discretion of the host or judges.

Disputes or discrepancies should be voiced by the coach to the studio judge at the end of a round. If the dispute is determined to be valid by the judges, play stops and the discrepancy is addressed in the sole discretion of the production staff and judges.

Scores may be adjusted, or questions eliminated, if necessary. Play then resumes. Any ambiguity or disputes that may arise concerning the rules of play and their interpretation is clarified or resolved by the production staff and judges.

Once an individual round is completed and the next round begins, the completed round becomes final and challenges are not accepted retroactively. In the event of a tie, the competition is final once a tiebreaker question has been asked and answered correctly and any associated disputes or discrepancies have been addressed. No protests are accepted after the teams leave the studio.