Organized collection of ramblings about Teen Bible Quizzing
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Building a Well-Balanced Quiz Team

9/10/2020

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​In Nazarene-style Teen Bible Quizzing, a quiz match is composed of five different question types, randomly distributed over twenty questions.  The number and type of questions differ slightly between a single- and multiple-book Bible Quiz season:
Single Book Season
Multiple Book Season
% of Game
11 General questions
​11 General questions
55%
4 According To questions
​4 According To questions
20%
3 Memory Verse questions (1 each of Quote, Verse, Verse & Reference)
3 Memory Verse questions (1 each of Quote, Verse, Verse & Reference)
15%
1 Context question
1 Context question
5%
1 Situation question
1 Book & Chapter question
5%
​As you can see, the General questions make up the majority of the game.  However, it is unlikely that every quizzer will memorize the entire scripture in order for the team to answer all 11 of these questions.
 
In most sports, having players on a team with different talents is essential in order to not be weak in any one aspect of the game.  Babe Ruth may hit 4 home runs in a game, but the Yankees will still lose if their defense gives up 5 runs.  Similarly, if none of your quizzers commit to learning the memory verses, you are only participating in 85% of each match.  In 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, Paul says:

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According To Cole, Leah, and Lydia...

5/3/2018

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Reflecting on the Field and National Quizzes I have attended the past dozen or so years, I can confidently say that the most successful teams always have a skilled According To question person.

For those who may be unfamiliar, every quiz match asks four According To questions. The preamble of these questions supply the quizzer with the chapter and verse for the subsequent question. The intent of this type of question is to direct the quizzer toward a certain passage of Scripture which may be similar to other passages being studied. While the answer does not have to be word-for-word from the verse, the answer must be contained to just that verse and be precise enough to distinguish it from other verses. An example would be: According to John chapter 5, verse 1, where did Jesus go? Answer: Up to Jerusalem. Jesus went to many places in the Book of John, but in John 5:1, he specifically went up to Jerusalem.

Since answering an According To question as a multiple is permissible, it is common for these quizzers to get the jump (pun intended) on everyone else by interrupting the reading of the question as – or before – the Quizmaster is announcing the verse number. The quizzer rattles off several possible questions and their respective answers within 30 seconds in the hopes that one of them was the intended question.

Seemingly, According To quizzers appear to have not only memorized the entire study scripture, but can recall a specific verse instantaneously. In awe of this apparent superpower, I asked three former According To quizzers who have competed multiple times at the national level to share their stories and study methods: Cole Hodge and Leah Augustine from the MidSouth District, and Lydia Hutchison from the Florida District.

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5 Ways To Keep Your Momentum During The Holidays

11/14/2017

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​Though this topic was recommended to me by a subscriber to this blog, I am writing it as much as a reminder to myself as I am writing it to share with all of you.
 
After our November quiz, the weekends get very busy. First up is Thanksgiving. A week later, my District participates in the St. Louis Top 10 quiz tournament. Not too long after that is Christmas followed one week later by New Year’s Day. So, like many of you, our District does not have a December quiz. For our small District, the St. Louis Top 10 quiz is our December quiz. But as God continues to bless our ministry, we continue to grow in numbers. So much so in fact that for the first time ever we will have more teens not quizzing at the St. Louis tournament than those who will be quizzing.

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The Math Behind 1&2 Corinthians

4/12/2017

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Congratulations! By now most of you have completed the Bible Quiz season that covered the Gospel of Luke. As a faithful reader of this blog, I’m sure you prepared for the season by reading 1 chapter of Luke as part of your daily time in the Word during the summer. When the season started you set up a dedicated study area where you blocked off time to study in 25-minute chunks with 5-minute breaks every night immediately before you went to bed and got plenty of sleep. You followed a plan that varied what you studied every day to prevent mid-season burnout. You used the NPH Bible Quiz App to take advantage of the idle moments that happen randomly throughout your day. You asked others to hold you accountable and you rewarded yourself for achieving your study goals.  You dedicated yourself to learning 2 Memory Verses a week because you know it is the practically guaranteed* way to be a top 10 Bible Quizzer. But most importantly, as you read Luke God revealed Himself to you through the Scripture. With God’s leading, you are finding direction for your life and learning how to best serve the Lord who gave His life for you.
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And now here you are. Relieved that you made it through the longest book of the 8-year Youth Bible Quiz cycle. You are looking forward to the relative ease of studying 1 & 2 Corinthians next season.
​
So to help you prepare after you return from your summer break, here is a brief statistical analysis of the upcoming quiz material:

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6 Study Hacks That Actually Work

7/12/2016

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In Pixar’s Finding Nemo (and again in Finding Dory), Dory has a problem encoding new information due to recursive anterograde amnesia. In other words, she has short-term memory loss. While the urban myth that goldfish only have a 3-second memory has been debunked by marine biologists, the movie plays on that misconception by having Dory forget everything every few seconds.

As a quiz coach, I’ve seen many Quizzers come down with something that resembles recursive anterograde amnesia. And no matter how much time they spend studying, the information doesn’t seem to stick. What I’ve come to discover, fortunately, is that how you spend your time studying is often more important than how much time you spend studying. So contrary to popular belief, “studying” doesn't have to be a combination of the words “study” and “dying”!

Years ago, I came across a lecture from psychology professor Dr. Marty Lobdell from Pierce College called “Study Less, Study Smart”. In it he presents several techniques, backed by research, that help students improve retention and perform better academically. 

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Summer Exposure Without The Burn

4/27/2016

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I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like to improve one aspect of their life or another. Some people want to be a better friend. Or be a better writer. Or be more compassionate to those in need. Even the best athletes spend time practicing and learning ways to get better. That same desire to improve can be found in practically every Teen Bible Quizzer.

Now that the quiz season is over for most of you, it is common to think, “If I start studying next year’s material now, I’ll do better next season!” But my advice to you is: Don’t do it! Take a break and recharge your batteries! Enjoy your summer. Avoid the inevitable burn-out from a non-stop grind.  Quizzing is supposed to be fun, not a burden!

But at the same time, you shouldn’t put on hold your daily time in the Word. Growing closer to the Lord is the one thing that everyone should be working to improve! So there must be a way to avoid burn-out and yet expose yourself to the new quiz material as part of your continuing conversation with God during the summer.  

​Following are my 3 suggestions. Choose to do as many as you would like!

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A Goal WIthout A Plan Is Just A Wish

8/21/2015

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We’ve all heard it or said it: “I don’t have time to study for quizzing.” But if we don’t have time to pray and read Scriptures, we are busier than God ever intended us to be.

If you are like me, you have a lot going on. Email, phone calls, meetings, classes, conversations, driving, planning, cleaning, answering questions, and whatever else you have to accomplish fill up the most productive hours of your day.

And when interruptions are the norm, productivity drops. Your day is spent playing keep-up or catch-up on a million other tasks as you try to get your to-do list down to nothing, which rarely – if ever – happens.

So when Bible Quiz season comes around, how can you spend time studying and still have time for everything else?

Answer: Time blocking.


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    The TBQ Podcast

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    What Is Teen Bible Quizzing?

    Teen Bible Quizzing is a dynamic, enriching ministry with a mission to invite youth into a deeper relationship with Jesus! Endorsed by Nazarene Youth International (NYI), Teen Bible Quizzing uniquely combines study of the Bible, competition, fellowship and disciple-making in a program attractive to youth.
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    Bible Quiz Board Game

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    A board game to play using your Bible Quiz questions! Play at home to review or during a team practice. See this article to learn how to play. Purchase the physical board game or download and print your own.

    Bible Quiz Challenge Cards

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    Playing cards for quiz practice or at a quiz meet to add another dimension of excitement to Teen Bible Quizzing. See this article to learn how to play.

    Get The NPH Bible Quiz App

    Web app works on iOS and Android devices

    About Me

    I am the Louisiana Nazarene Teen Bible Quiz Director, the author of several Teen Bible Quiz apps and study guides, and regular host of The TeenBibleQuiz Podcast.

    I have been involved in Teen Bible Quizzing as either a coach or District Director since 1995.

    I am married to a wonderful wife and have a son and daughter who love the Lord and have recently retired from Teen Bible Quizzing.


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