Officials' Quick Reference

Phrases, timing, scoring and rulings for moderators, timekeepers and scorekeepers (2026 NSB Rules)

Running a practice round? Moderate reads any packet round on screen, with answers, ACCEPT notes, and 5 s / 20 s timers.Open Moderate →New to Science Bowl? Two short videos show how a match works and act out the common mistakes.Watch the rules videos →

Role Overview

Moderator / Reader

Question control and judging

Read questions clearly at moderate pace
Recognize players by designation (A-1, B-captain, etc.), or leave it to the recognizer or question judge named before the match
Call interrupts, stalls, blurts
Evaluate and announce correct/incorrect

Scorekeeper / Timer

Points and time management

Track points for both teams
Announce "5 SECONDS" warning on bonus (at 15 sec)
Call "TIME" when no one buzzes within 5 seconds, and when bonus time runs out
Announce scores between questions

Timing Rules

Situation	Time	Notes
Toss-up buzz-in	5 seconds	Starts once the whole question is read, choices included; no buzz → timekeeper says “TIME”
Second team's chance	5 seconds	After a wrong answer, blurt, or communication on a fully read toss-up
Answer after recognition	Up to 2 seconds	A natural pause; longer is a stall, which counts as incorrect
Bonus	20 seconds	Starts once the whole bonus is read, choices included; the captain must begin before “TIME”
"5 SECONDS" warning	At 15 seconds	Timekeeper calls it during a bonus
Visual bonus (National Finals)	30 seconds	“5 SECONDS” at 25 seconds
Half	8 minutes	2-minute break; National Finals 10 minutes (12 in visual-bonus rounds)
End of a half	—	A toss-up whose subject was read before time ran out is finished, with its bonus

Scoring Quick Reference

Situation	Points	Notes
Toss-up correct	+4	The team earns the bonus
Toss-up incorrect (read in full)	0	Other team gets 5 seconds to buzz; the question is not re-read
Stall	0	Counts as an incorrect answer
Bonus correct	+10	The answer must come from the captain
Bonus incorrect or no answer	0	No penalty
Correct interrupt	+4	The team earns the bonus
Incorrect interrupt (or a stall on one)	+4 to opponent	Re-read the question in full to the opponent, if still eligible
Blurt, audible communication, or answering without buzzing	0	That team is out of the toss-up; don't say whether the answer was right
…any of these on an interrupt	+4 to opponent	Re-read the question in full to the opponent, if still eligible
Double interrupt	+4 to each	The opponent also incurs a penalty before the re-read ends; go to the next toss-up
Distraction by the team not playing	+4 / +10 to the other team	Toss-up: +4 and the bonus; bonus: +10. One free accidental buzz per team per round

Standard Phrases

Starting Questions

"This is a toss-up, [Category], [Multiple Choice/Short Answer]""Question number [X]..."

Recognition (REQUIRED)

"A-1" / "A-2" / "A-3" / "A-captain""B-1" / "B-2" / "B-3" / "B-captain"

Interrupt Call

"Interrupt" (pause reading immediately)"[Player designation]" (recognize the player)

Answer Responses

"Correct""Incorrect"

Bonus Procedures

"This is a bonus for Team [A/B], [Category], [Multiple Choice/Short Answer]"

Only accept answers from the captain

Violations

"That's a stall. Incorrect.""Blurt. Team [A/B] is disqualified from this toss-up, and the question goes to Team [B]/[A].""Communication. Team [A/B] is disqualified from this toss-up, and the question goes to Team [B]/[A].""[Designation], you buzzed in too soon." (before the subject is read; no penalty)

Timer Phrases

"5 SECONDS" (at 15 seconds of bonus)"TIME" (when bonus time expires)"Half" / "Game" (when round time expires)

Scorekeeper Phrases

"Plus 4, Team [A/B]""Plus 10, Team [A/B]""4 points to Team [X]" (for opponent on incorrect interrupt)"Score: Team A [X], Team B [Y]"

Common Situations

Interrupt - Correct

Player buzzes before question finished
Recognize player → Correct answer
+4 points to answering team
Read bonus to that team

Interrupt - Incorrect

Player buzzes before question finished
Recognize player → Incorrect answer
+4 points to OPPOSING team
Re-read question IN FULL to opponent, if still eligible
If opponent answers correctly: +4 and bonus

Watch it in the rules video

Double Interrupt

First team interrupts incorrectly → +4 to opponent
Question re-read to opponent
Opponent ALSO interrupts incorrectly → +4 to first team
Move to next toss-up (no bonus)

Watch it in the rules video

Blurt (before recognized)

Player who buzzed speaks before being recognized (sneezes and other involuntary sounds don't count)
Do NOT indicate if answer was correct
Team loses right to answer toss-up
Read in full: offer it to the opponent (5 s to buzz), no re-read
If on INTERRUPT: +4 to opponent, re-read IN FULL to them

Watch it in the rules video

Stall

Player recognized but doesn't begin answer within ~2 seconds
Call "Stall" → treated as incorrect
If on complete question: opponent gets chance
If on interrupt: +4 to opponent, re-read to opponent
A stall is a judgment call and can't be challenged

Watch it in the rules video

Verbal Communication

Talking, whispering, mouthing words, or tapping during a toss-up
Do NOT indicate if answer was correct
Team loses right to answer; offer the question to the opponent
On interrupt: +4 to opponent, re-read IN FULL
Allowed: written notes and hand signals

Watch it in the rules video

Bonus - No Answer

Timer calls "TIME" before captain begins answer
0 points, no penalty
A captain who began before "TIME" may finish the answer
Move to next toss-up

Watch it in the rules video

Challenge

Must be made BEFORE next question's category is read (last question of a half: within 3 s)
Only the 4 playing members may challenge; if anyone else joins in, it's ruled against the team
Max 2 unsuccessful content challenges per team per round (successful ones don't count)
Cannot challenge judgment calls (stall, blurt, timing, communication, pronunciation)
Ruled wrong while the other team can still answer? Hold the challenge until they finish
Clock stops during challenge

Buzz Before the Subject

Player buzzes before the subject area has been read
Tell them they buzzed in too soon; add time back if needed
No penalty: they may buzz again once the subject is read

Judging the Answer

Only the first response counts
"My answer is…" or repeating the question = incorrect (a very short "um" is fine)
Multiple choice: the letter or the words; if both are given, both must be right
The words must match the choice as read (math expressions may use common alternate forms)

Distraction

The team not playing distracts the other (noise, gestures, deliberate buzzing)
On a toss-up: other team +4 and the bonus (may run 20 s off the clock)
On a bonus: other team +10 (may run 40 s off the clock)
Each team's first accidental buzz in a round is free

Wrong Player Recognized

The player who buzzed may still answer as if recognized
A teammate who answers instead = communication
An opponent who answers = communication (a distraction if their team was already out)

Audience Calls Out an Answer

Shouter tied to a team: that team forfeits the match
Shouter unknown: clear the room, add time back, replace the question
No one in the audience may communicate with players

Bonus - Captain Rule

ONLY the captain may give the final answer
Ignore answers from other team members
Team may confer (talk) during bonus

Flow Summary

Toss-up Flow

1Read category → players may buzz (not before)
2Read question fully OR player interrupts
3Recognize player by designation (A-2, B-captain)
4Player answers within a natural pause (up to 2 s)
5Announce correct/incorrect
6Award points / offer to opponent (5 s to buzz) / read bonus

Bonus Flow

1Read bonus category and question
220 seconds start when the reading ends; team may confer
3Timer says "5 SECONDS" at 15 sec
4Captain begins the answer before "TIME" (may finish after)
5Announce correct/incorrect
6Award points, move to next toss-up

Printable Cheat Sheet

Scoring

Toss-up correct+4
Bonus correct+10
Wrong interrupt+4 opp

Timing

Buzz-in window5s
Answer pause≤2s
Bonus confer20s

Recognition

A-1, A-2, A-3, A-captain
B-1, B-2, B-3, B-captain

Key Moderator Calls

InterruptStallBlurtCorrectIncorrect

Key Timer Calls

5 SECONDSTIMEHalfGame