YOU ASKED: If a time extension is awarded in the Written Test for a contestant with a reading disability, will he or she also qualify for extra time in the Oral Rounds?
OUR ANSWER: Local Planning Committees (LPC) should use discretion in providing special accommodations. A written medical diagnosis is required. If a Local Contest participant with special needs qualifies for the National Contest, this documentation must be presented to Bible Bee Headquarters along with the contestant’s official registration.

YOUR QUESTION: Will all contestants who qualify for Bonus Questions in the Oral Rounds be asked the same questions? Will these questions test Bible knowledge or Bible memory?

OUR ANSWER: As this is the very first year of the National Bible Bee, some details of the contest may be subject to change, making it difficult to give definite answers.

 

Our plan at present is this:

1) At the Local Contest Level all contestants in the same age group will receive the same Bonus Questions on written tests. Steps have been taken to ensure that these tests are secure and that cheating is difficult if not impossible. We have not yet decided whether the Bonus Questions asked during Oral Rounds will be identical. We also have not yet decided whether the same questions will be asked of all contestants during Day One of the National Contest.For Day Two, contestants will be asked different Bonus Questions.

2) All Bonus Questions will assess Bible knowledge. These questions may be derived from any of the sixty-six books of the Bible.

YOU ASKED: Some of the Bible Knowledge quiz cards say that their answers are noted in the study guide appendix (e.g., Q: What are the names of the twelve disciples called by Jesus? At the bottom of the question it says, See Study Guide Appendix). Where in the Bee-liever’s Handbook is this appendix located?

OUR ANSWER: The “Answer Key for Bible Knowledge Questions with Long Answers” is found on page 79 of the Bee-liever’s Handbook.

 

YOU ASKED: May study materials other than the official Bible Bee study materials be used when preparing for the contest?

OUR ANSWER: Many unofficial study tools such as computer games, songs, and flashcard systems, are available. While contestants are free to use these materials, they do so at their own risk. BBH encourages anyone choosing to use unofficial materials first to compare them with the content of the Bible Bee Quiz Cards.
 

YOU ASKED: Can a contestant “pass” on an oral question and come back to answer it later, time allowing?

OUR ANSWER: No. Questions must be answered in the sequence in which they are asked.

YOU ASKED: Can a contestant answer an oral question before the judge finishes asking it?

OUR ANSWER: No. The contestant must wait until the judge has finished asking the question. Sufficient time is allotted for contestants to answer all of the questions, provided they are well prepared with their answers.
 

YOU ASKED: If a contestant is asked to recite a Bible verse and cannot remember how it begins, may the judge be asked to give the first word? Would a prompt count as an error?

OUR ANSWER: Guidelines for assessing Bible memorization are still being discussed. We continue to assess and modify the evaluation process, taking into consideration developmental age.

 

Our plan at present is this:
 

Official Local Contest (All Age Groups): A perfect recitation score is 10. If a contestant cannot begin his or her recitation in less than fifteen seconds, the judge may provide up to three words (one at a time) as prompts. If the contestant is still unable to recite the passage, he or she will receive no points. If the contestant is able to recite after being given prompts, 1 point will be subtracted for each word that was given. A point will also be subtracted for each word the contestant speaks in error or omits. If more than 5 points are subtracted, the contestant will receive no points. In other words, the possible scores a contestant may receive on a recitation are 0, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10.

Mini-Bee: LPCs will decide how much support will be provided, as scores from the Mini-Bee are not reported to Bible Bee Headquarters.

 

YOU ASKED: If a contestant fails to say the Scripture reference before or after the passage, will a point be subtracted from his or her score? If the contestant says the reference correctly at the beginning, recites the verse without error, but then says a different reference at the end, what will happen?

OUR ANSWER: Points will be subtracted from recitation scores if contestants say the Scripture reference incorrectly, whether the error comes before or after the recitation. If the contestant says the reference correctly in one spot and incorrectly another, 1 point will be subtracted from the recitation score.

 

YOU ASKED: If a Category One or Two Bible passage is contained in a passage for another category, should the contestant be able to recite the smaller version as a standalone? (e.g., Psalm 23:3 and 5 are in Category One and Psalm 23:1-6 is in Category Three. In learning Psalm 23:1-6, do students need to take note of where verses 3 and 5 start and end? 

OUR ANSWER: If a verse (or passage) shows up in more than one category, contestants need to know where the smaller passage begins and ends and must recite that smaller segment as a standalone if it is requested.

 

YOU ASKED: When reciting a verse/passage, how should the reference be identified? Should the contestant say: “Mathew 11, 28 to 30” or “Mathew 11, verses 28 to 30”?

OUR ANSWER: No one will be penalized for reciting either way. For purposes of practicing, the second example is recommended.

 

YOU ASKED: If a contestant makes a mistake while saying a verse (e.g., contestant says “God so loved the world” instead of “For God so loved the world”), then starts over and corrects the verse, will the contestant be penalized for the error?

OUR ANSWER: Starting over is tricky business. If a contestant recites part of a passage correctly, starts over, and then recites the passage incorrectly, the contestant will be penalized one point for each omission/error. If a contestant recites part of a passage incorrectly, starts over, and then recites correctly, no penalty for the error will be given. Either way, the clock keeps ticking.

 

YOU ASKED: If a contestant sings or starts to sing a passage and switches to recitation, will he or she lose points on the recitation?

OUR ANSWER: Local Contest hosts will determine how to handle singing at the Local level. At the National Contest level, contestants are expected to recite passages, not sing them. If families are using songs to prepare their children to recite Bible passages, they are encouraged to transition contestants from singing to reciting as soon as a passage has been learned thoroughly.

Bible Knowledge Questions
YOU ASKED: Will contestants need to give supporting Bible references for answers to Bible Knowledge Questions?

OUR ANSWER: Contestants will not be expected to know the Bible reference given on Bible Knowledge Quiz cards, unless it is part of the question being asked. References found in the bottom right corner of a quiz card next to the answer are provided simply to support family discussions.

 

YOU ASKED: Will judges ask Bible Knowledge Questions starting with each question’s stated topic (e.g. “Here is a Bible History question”)?

OUR ANSWER: No. Contestants will know they are receiving a Bible Knowledge Question, but a question’s specific topic will not be used.

 

YOU ASKED: Willthe information on the Bible Knowledge Quiz Cards ever be asked in reverse order? For example, if a card asks, “Which of David’s sons built Israel’s first temple?” and the answer is “Solomon,” would a contestant ever be expected to answer this question: “Solomon, who built Israel’s first temple, was the son of whom? Answer: David)

OUR ANSWER: No.

YOU ASKED: Will the judges be able to define “big” words in the questions or in the multiple-choice answers?

OUR ANSWER: No.As tests are developed, efforts will be made to select questions that are age appropriate in content and vocabulary. But it is likely that young contestants will face words with which they are unfamiliar. Proctors will encourage contestants to “do their best” before moving on to other questions.

 

YOU ASKED: If a contestant says a derivation of a word (e.g. “meditate” instead of “meditation”), will it be considered an error?

OUR ANSWER: Yes.

 

Written Test Round
YOU ASKED: Will the multiple choice answers on the written test need to circled, or will bubbles need to be filled in? 

OUR ANSWER: For the Mini-Bee and the Primary Age Written Test, contestants will circle the letter that precedes the correct answer. Junior and Senior Age contestants will record their answers on bubble sheets by shading the circles that indicate their answers.

 

YOU ASKED: How will the instructions for the written test be provided—verbally, in writing, or both?

OUR ANSWER: Proctors will read the instructions for the written test aloud while contestants follow along, reading the same instructions from their test documents.

YOU ASKED: How long are the written tests? Does length vary by age group?

OUR ANSWER: With the exception of the Mini-Bee Written Test, all of the written tests contain 200 regular and 20 Bonus Questions. Because the font is enlarged for Primary Age Written Tests, they cover more pages than Junior and Senior Age Written Tests.

 

YOU ASKED: Will contestants be notified of the scores they receive on the Written Test?

OUR ANSWER: The decision whether or not to report contestant scores will be handled and implemented by the Local Contest hosts.

 

YOU ASKED: May contestants complete the Bonus Questions before beginning to work on the 200 regular questions? 

OUR ANSWER: Contestants may complete questions on the Written Test in any order they choose.

 

YOU ASKED: Will contestants be penalized for guessing (i.e., shading in answers as time runs out)? Are tests scored based on how many a contestant gets right?

OUR ANSWER: There is no penalty for guessing. When a contestant does not know the answer to a question, he or she should give an educated guess and move on to the rest of the questions.

 

YOU ASKED: Will the topic headings (Rewards, Facts About the Bible, Angels, etc.) be noted next to questions on the written test?

OUR ANSWER: No. 

 

YOU ASKED: Are Junior Age contestants able not to participate in the Mini-Bee if a parent feels that the official contest is above his or her ability?

OUR ANSWER: We recommend that the majority of contestants participate in the official contest for their age groups, because contestants in Mini-Bees are ineligible to participate in the National Bible Bee Contest. If a parent requests that an older student be allowed to participate in the Mini-Bee instead of the official contest, an LPC may choose to allow him to do so. Not all Local Contests are hosting Mini-Bees.

 

YOU ASKED: Where is the list posted for the Bible Memory Passages being used for the Mini-Bee?

OUR ANSWER: The fifty Bible Passages that will be used in the Mini-Bee are located on the Bible Bee Website and may be found by clicking Bible Bee Study Materials.

YOU ASKED: What is the topic of the essay that the National Contest participants will be completing?

OUR ANSWER: The topic will not be announced prior to the contest.