Let’s face it, Science Bowl isn’t about trophies (although those are cool).

It’s about the thrill of the buzzer, the satisfaction of nailing a tough question, and crushing your opponents with pure scientific knowledge.

But between you and the national championship, there are some hurdles to jump.

This guide will break down exactly how to transform your team from a scrappy bunch to Science Bowl champions.

What is the National Science Bowl The National Science Bowl (NSB), coordinated by the U.

S.

Department of Energy, is an annual academic competition held within the United States.

It tests the knowledge of middle and high school students across a broad spectrum of STEM disciplines.

These disciplines include biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and mathematics.

Unlike traditional, temporally-restricted assessments, the NSB employs a dynamic question-and-answer format modeled after quiz bowl competitions.

This approach fosters rapid recall under pressure, creating a unique and engaging competitive environment.

If you are someone who works well under short-term pressure, this is a great competition to partake in.

The National Science Bowl has been held annually since 1991, with regional tournaments leading up to the national finals.

Note to many-time readers of this blog: If you have read my other guides on the science bowl, you should skip to the section titled “Mathematics Study Resources“.

The sections before that are information that don’t pertain to a particular section of the competition but are important to understand in order to have a good chance at doing well.

Steps to Participate To qualify for the National Science Bowl, teams must first compete in regional competitions.

Here’s a general outline of the process: Form a Team: Teams are typically composed of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach.

Register: Coaches must register their teams for a regional competition.

Registration usually opens in the fall for the following year’s competition.

Compete in Regionals: Regional competitions take place across the country, usually starting in January.

The winning team from each regional competition advances to the national finals.

Advance to Nationals: The National Finals are held in Washington, D.

C. , where teams from all over the country compete for the title.

When you intend to register for the competition, it’s best to refer to the official National Science Bowl resources provided by the U.

S.

Department of Energy so that you can ensure that all your information is fully up-to-date.

However, that website is challenging to navigate.

The information in this blog guide is fully up-to-date as of March 202

4. Tournament Structure Rounds: There is a series of rounds in science bowl matches that include both toss-up questions and bonus questions.

This applies in both the case of regionals and nationals.

Toss-Up Questions: These are multiple-choice questions open to both teams.

The first team to buzz in gets the chance to answer.

If they answer correctly, they earn points and the opportunity to answer a bonus question.

Bonus Questions: These are typically short-answer questions awarded to the team that correctly answers the toss-up question.

Only this team can answer the bonus question for additional points.

General Science Bowl Preparation Understand the Competition Get used to the format of the competition.

Understand the structure of the NSB, including the types of questions (multiple-choice and short-answer), the subjects covered (biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and mathematics), and the rules of the competition.

Also make sure that you get used to the question style; it is likely very different from competitions that you have done in the past.

Team Formation Make sure that you pick the right team members.

Since there are so many subjects, splitting up and each taking care of one subject is a good way to ensure that you have time to study everything in a high level of detail.

Also make sure that the people who are on your team are able to recall things quickly.

Mental math is a must, as well.

The questions generally are not very complicated but require recall and mental math as a result of the fact that this competition is so fast-paced.

Studying for the Competition The Department of Energy provides official resources for competition preparation here.

There are very useful and can help guide your prep.

However, they may not be enough since they don’t teach you the concepts that you are expected to know for this competition.

Additionally, you can run out of questions quickly so make sure that you use them strategically.

Mathematics Study Resources Here is the list of all the sources that the DOE would recommend studying from.

I have looked at the high school resources and have prepared suggestions how to study them to ensure that you can do well in the competition.

Unlike other subjects, the DOE does not recommend a specific set of resources for the math section of the science bowl.

Topics to Study IntroductoryAdvanced-Pre-calculus-Calculus of a Single Variable-Probability and Statistics-Multivariable Calculus-Linear Algebra-Differential Equations Here's a suggested path you can take, keeping in mind the prerequisites for some of these courses: Geometry and Algebra I & II: These are foundational courses that you'll likely take early on in high school if not in middle school.

They are prerequisite for higher level courses in mathematics.

Pre-calculus: This course will prepare you for calculus by introducing you to more advanced topics like trigonometry, conic sections, and limits.

Calculus of a Single Variable: This is the foundation of most advanced math.

There are two main branches: differential calculus (concerned with rates of change) and integral calculus (concerned with accumulation).

Probability and Statistics: You can take these courses alongside your pre-calculus or calculus studies.

They deal with chance, data analysis, and drawing conclusions from sets of information.

Multivariable Calculus: This builds on the knowledge of calculus and expands it to systems with more variables.

You can learn this alongside linear algebra but it should be studied before learning differential equations.

Linear Algebra and Differential Equations: These are typically upper-level courses that you might take in your senior year or even in college.

As such, you will probably need to self study for the science bowl.

Linear algebra focuses on vectors, matrices, and their applications.

Differential equations deal with relationships between variables and their rates of change.

Resources I would recommend Khan Academy to gain an understanding of all the math required as it is completely free and quite good.

If you would like more advanced exercises, there are many textbooks such as Calculus by James Stewart that can be used to supplement.

Conclusions If you read this far, you are definitely interested in STEM activities.

I would recommend that you learn about options other then the science bowl through Rishab’s Ultimate STEM Student Guide, which is available to anyone completely for free.

About Eashan Iyer: I am a founding member of The Qurios Institute (the company that runs this blog) and an incoming student at Brown University.

In 2023, I co-authored a research paper in the field of theoretical physics.

I am also an Eagle Scout and a senior at The Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering in Rockaway, NJ.

Learn more about me at my website and LinkedIn.