Who is eligible to participate in High School Quiz Show?
All public, private, and parochial high schools in Massachusetts are eligible to participate in the competition. Homeschooled teams that are officially approved by their school district are also eligible to participate; students must be at a level equivalent to grades 9-12. Participating schools form teams based on their own criteria and selection process. It is strongly recommended that teams invite students of all gender identities.
The expectation of GBH is that the 4 primary team members will remain consistent and unaltered throughout the entire competition season. Coaches should ensure all the primary team members have reviewed and can commit to all taping dates and backup dates prior to registration.
Each team must be supervised by at least one (1) adult coach. Parents of students may serve as coaches, with the school’s approval.
Each team must include four (4) primary team members and two (2) alternates. Note: Should the team advance to the televised competition, at least one (1) coach, all four (4) primary team members, and at least one (1) alternate is required to attend each match.
Participating students must be currently enrolled in the school they represent, in grades 9–12. Participating schools may register a maximum of one (1) team. Immediate family members of GBH employees may not participate on a High School Quiz Show team.
To encourage a positive atmosphere and foster good sportsmanship, all participating schools and teams (including coaches, students and administrators) agree to abide by the Code of Conduct listed in the Rules.
What is Super Sunday?
Super Sunday is the annual qualifying event for High School Quiz Show hosted by GBH. Teams independently take a written quiz with the goal of securing a spot in the 16-team tournament bracket. Based on the final scores, there are then two ways to qualify for the televised competition:
1. Score among the top 15 teams for automatic placement in the tournament bracket.
2. Meet the criteria for the televised Wildcard match that determines the 16th and final team in the bracket.
How does my team register for Super Sunday?
Registration for the Season 15 Super Sunday event opens October 1 and ends November 1.
Who from my team should attend Super Sunday?
All four members of the primary team and one coach are required to attend a Super Sunday. The participation of all coaches and alternates is encouraged.
What is the format of Super Sunday?
All teams participating in Super Sunday complete the same 50-question written quiz at GBH studios in Brighton, MA. The four (4) official team members work collaboratively to answer questions within the following 10 categories: Math, Science, History, Geography, Literature, The Arts, Current Events, Civics, Vocabulary, and Pop Culture. There are 5 questions in each category that increase in point value (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 points) and degree of difficulty. The content of the quiz is strictly confidential. Super Sunday Quiz | Sample Questions
The goal of each team is to accrue the highest number of points. There are no point deductions for wrong answers. Although players may confer with other members of the team, they are not permitted to access any outside resources (i.e., books, cell phones, third-party assistance, etc.) while taking the quiz. Please review the Code of Conduct listed in the Rules.
What do I need to know about providing answers and scoring?
GBH reserves the right to establish the rules and scoring criteria. Teams must provide the complete and correct answer to be awarded points. Partial points are not awarded for incomplete answers. Responses do not have to be spelled correctly; however they must be phonetically correct and cannot include or omit any extraneous sounds or syllables.
If coaches wish to contest an answer, they may do so at Super Sunday or in writing by sending an email to highschoolquizshow@wgbh.org within 24 hours of the event. All contested answers will be reviewed, and when appropriate, scores will be adjusted based on the judge’s ruling.
In the event of a tie score, the higher ranking is attributed to the team that has the greatest number of 10-point questions from the themed categories correct. In the event of a second tie, the same procedure will be followed with the 15-point questions from the themed categories. In the event of a third tie, the same procedure will be followed with the 20-point questions from the themed categories, and so on until all ties have been resolved.
How is the Super Sunday quiz administered?
The Super Sunday quiz is held at GBH ‘s studios in Brighton, MA and is conducted by GBH staff with the support of volunteers. Teams are assigned a specific wave (there are typically 2-3) over the course of the day and take the 50-question in-person written quiz together as a team. Teams are monitored by proctors.
Coaches with any special needs or extenuating circumstances are encouraged to contact highschoolquizshow@wgbh.org.
Can a school change its team members after submitting a team roster for Super Sunday or after participating in Super Sunday?
If there is a conflict and a registered primary team member cannot compete on Super Sunday, with the prior written approval of GBH, either: (1) three members of the team can compete on Super Sunday with the expectation that the 4th member will participate in the televised competition if the team qualifies; or (2) an alternate may be permitted to permanently replace the team member who cannot compete at Super Sunday and, should the team advance, for the duration of the televised competition. Once the televised competition begins, it is the expectation of GBH is that the 4 primary team members will remain consistent and unaltered throughout the entire competition season. Coaches should ensure all the primary team members have reviewed and can commit to all taping dates and backup dates. Teams that advance to compete in the televised bracket must participate on the date and at the time assigned by GBH.
What is the time commitment for our team on Super Sunday?
Teams should plan on being at the GBH campus for 2-3 hours.
When will we know the results?
Super Sunday results will be announced by GBH within 1-2 weeks. The exact date and time will be announced at Super Sunday.
Top 15 teams
The fifteen (15) teams with the highest total scores on the Super Sunday qualifying quiz automatically advance to compete on High School Quiz Show. If a team drops out for any reason prior to their assigned taping date, the team earning the next highest score in the Super Sunday qualifying event will be designated as the replacement. Should that team not be able to participate, the opportunity passes to the next team and so forth, until a replacement is designated. A team substitution of this nature may also impact the Wildcard team designations, with substitutions in this case following the Wildcard criteria for selection.
Wildcard qualification and match
The two highest ranked teams at Super Sunday that a) did not have one of the 15 highest scores, and b) have either never participated on the show or haven’t been on the show in five or more years qualify for the Wildcard match. All requirements for team participation and attendance, gameplay rules for the Wildcard match are the same as for every other match on High School Quiz Show. Click hereto learn more.
The Wildcard match is the first televised episode of the season. The winner of this match earns the 16th and final spot on the official tournament bracket.