ACADEMIC CONTESTS
Certamen
Certamen Format:
- In all levels of competition, each team will play three preliminary rounds in a non-seeded round robin format. There will be 20 toss-up questions without bonuses in each of these early rounds. Three teams will play at a time.
- The nine teams with the highest point totals after the preliminary rounds will move on to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the nine teams will be seeded and matched into three games of three teams each. There will be fifteen toss-up questions, with one bonus each. The three winning teams from the semi-finals will compete in the finals, which will have the same format as the semi-finals.
- On toss-up questions, you may “buzz-in” at any time, even before the question in finished, but you must wait to give your answer until you have been acknowledged. If you buzz in before the question is finished, be aware that the scorekeeper will loudly say “stop,” possibly preventing you from hearing the final few syllables the reader might say before halting.
- If no one buzzes in during the reading of a toss-up question, then you have ten (10) seconds to buzz in from the time the question is finished.
- You have five (5) seconds to begin your answer once you have been acknowledged. Your first answer is the one the reader will accept. Saying “um” or “uh” does not constitute beginning your answer and your time will continue to run down. Do not elaborate. Give the concise answer only. Always be prepared to spell your answer if asked.
- If another team buzzes in and gives an incorrect answer, you may ask to have the question read again for your team, provided that no one from your team has buzzed in yet.
- Do not confer with your teammates on “toss-up” questions. Your opportunity to respond may be revoked if the reader or judge determines a violation of this rule.
- Teammates may confer on bonus questions. The team captain must give the answer within ten seconds from the time the bonus question is finished. The team captain should always provide the team’s answer. In cases where the team captain is concerned about mispronouncing the answer, he/she may address the reader and request to defer to another team member.
- Vocabulary questions require the following format, unless otherwise directed by the question:
- Verbs: First principal part
- Nouns: Nominative singular
- Adjectives: Masculine nominative singular
- If you would like to challenge an answer, please hold the challenge until the end of the round. Direct your challenge respectfully to the judge, and check in later to see what the result is. Again, be respectful at all times to the reader and judge.
Elligibility and Registration of Teams:
- ALL Certamen teams shall be PRE-REGISTERED via the web site by the date indicated in the Convention Registration Packet or web site. A Club may pre-register six individuals for level one, two and upper. No late team entries or player substitutions will be permitted at Convention.
- At Check-in at Convention, SPONSORS must designate the four team members that will be competing at each level that the Club has pre-registered a team. The Sponsor should be prepared to indicate the preferred seating order if it is a concern. No adjustment to seating order is permitted after designating team members. Registration of teams and team members after 6:30 PM on Friday evening of Convention is not permitted after Convention Check-in.
- A student who has stopped taking Latin at a lower level may not continue to compete on that level for the additional years when he/she would have moved to a higher level if Latin study had continued. Questions and requests for valid exceptions should be directed to the State Chairs prior to Pre-registration. NB: this rule is in effect for Certamen only; it does not affect other contests unless indicated elsewhere.
- Delegates must compete at their current Latin Level or may compete on higher-level teams. A Delegate shall not compete on a team lower than their current Latin Level. Competing on a higher-level team will not disqualify a Delegate from participating at that higher level at the next State Convention.
Certamen Competition and Observation Policies:
- Each team member MUST display his or her nametag plainly at all times. If a team member does not have his or her nametag, he or she is ineligible to play that or any subsequent matches until they are wearing their nametag. If a competitor does not have his or her nametag, they must leave the competition area immediately. Matches will not be delayed to enable a competitor to retrieve his or her nametag, nor for a team substitution to be performed. No team member may join his or her team during a match already in progress. No exceptions.
- Team members MUST sit in the order as designated by their team scoring labels for ALL matches, ALL rounds. No exceptions.
- No students will be admitted to the ballroom level of the hotel or spaces adjacent to Certamen matches when matches are in progress.
- No students are permitted to observe a Certamen match without their nametag plainly displayed.
- There shall be no loitering or talking in the corridor or room adjacent to Certamen match locations. You may only quietly confer with a State Chair, Judge, SCL member, Sponsor or other official in these areas. This shall also include the period of time between matches.
- If your level of Latin is competing and your team is not, you may not enter the competition area including spaces adjacent to competition rooms until told to do so by a Certamen judge or assistant.
- If you are scheduled to compete in a Creative Arts contest, and your level is still in rounds at your performance time, visit the Certamen headquarters desk to make arrangements to change your performance time.
- At any time, any Adult supervising, administrating, or observing may ask any student or adult to leave if they are being disruptive or unfairly influencing the competition or do not observe the rules herein. If so instructed, the individual MUST leave the area immediately. Objecting or resisting will be possible grounds for disqualification from competition or participation in the Convention if deemed necessary by a State Chair.
Unsportsman like conduct or disrespectful conduct for Judges, Readers, Administrators, Supervisors, other competitors on one's team or other teams, or in general will not be tolerated, and may result in disqualification of an individual or Team if deemed necessary. OJCL reserves the right to assess penalty points for inappropriate behavior on Team scores as necessary for any given match if the Judge, Reader, SCL score keeper unanimously concur.
Academic Tests
- Derivatives, Mottos, and Abbreviations
- Grammar
- Latin Literature
- Mythology
- Pentathlon
| - Reading Comprehension
- Roman History (includes a map topic that is unique year to year)
- Roman Life and Customs
- Vocabulary
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Competition Guidelines:
- Each Academic Test is made up of 75 questions, except Reading Comprehension, which is made up of 50 questions.
- On the Grammar Test only, Students of Level II or below will be required to answer only the first 50 questions.
- The Levels of competition will be: 1/2 (Pentathlon only), I, II, III, Advanced.
- Refer to the sources used by the National Junior Classical League for its Academic Contests for help in studying.
- See the Convention Web Site and Convention Packet for current map topic in the Roman History exam.
- Students should be sure to fill out the scantron forms correctly when taking tests; forms filled out incorrectly will not be graded.
- Competitor is responsible for applying the correct id sticker with bar code to each test. Tests without bar code may be disqualified. Tests incorrectly labeled as another exam will be scored as the test identified by the label. OJCL is not responsible for correctly identifying mislabeled or unlabeled exams.
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