Scoring of Events at State Tournament

Teams/devices that do not meet the requirements/specifications of the event rules will be allowed to compete, if possible, and are to be scored and ranked below those who met all of the requirements/specifications. They will be awarded event points in relation to their rank. Event Supervisors may, at their discretion, allow students to modify any device before it is impounded to bring it into compliance with the rules. That discretion, if extended, must be made available to all competitors equally. Any modification must be completed, and the device impounded, before the expiration of the impound period. Supervisors and Officials may not provide assistance regarding the type of modifications or how to accomplish them prior to, or at any time during the tournament day.

Teams making an honest attempt to participate that cannot be assigned a raw score because of time, mechanical failure, wrong dimensions, etc., will be listed as a “P” for Participation for the raw score on the score sheet and will be awarded N points. “N” is equal to the number of teams registered to compete in the Tournament (we plan for 50 teams) as shown on the score sheet. Any device, which, in the judgment of the Event Supervisor, is a safety hazard to competitors, judges, or spectators, will not be allowed to compete and will be listed as a P (Participation) for the raw score on the score card and will be awarded N points. Teams that do not follow the rules regarding resources or specifications of devices, etc., will be allowed to participate (contingent upon the safety hazard) but will be ranked below others.

If a Team does not show up or does not make an honest attempt to participate or does not have a wristband, the Team will be listed as a No Show or “NS” for the raw score on the score card and awarded N+1 points. This includes Teams who may be present but display no preparation for the competition. Teams should be Disqualified or “DQ” only for misbehavior (to include excessive use of improper or vulgar language) or cheating, vandalism, exceeding maximum events limit, improper communication, etc., and will receive N+2 points on the score card. Event Supervisors may remove from competition any student(s) whose personal or ethical behavior does not adhere to the Science Olympiad Code of Ethics. This action will disqualify the affected student(s) from participation and scoring in that event only.

Put DQ as raw score and award N+2 points on the score card. Also, note on the score card the reason why teams were disqualified. If any team is DQed or Ranked Below Others, inform the student (and remind the student to inform their coach) as soon as a problem occurs and notify the head coach if it occurs after students have left and be sure to list the reason on the score card. Maintain continual communications with your WSO State Committee person.

Teams who were scored and had a raw score placed on the score card, are to be awarded points for each place as follows: 1st – 1 point, 2nd – 2 points, - up to 50th – 50 points

Teams considered as PARTICIPATION, NO SHOW, OR DISQUALIFIED will be ranked and assigned points as follows:

  PARTICIPATION (P)    = N points          = 50 points

  NO SHOW (NS)            = N + 1 points    = 51 points

  DISQUALIFIED (DQ)    = N + 2 points    = 52 points

(Note: N = number of teams registered to compete for the tournament not the number of teams that actually enter the event. We expect 50 teams to be registered for this tournament, so N=50)

The total of the Team points earned in all scoring Events will determine the RANK among all Teams. The lowest numerical total is best.

You must provide raw scores and any supporting documentation when turning in the score card (answer sheets, master answer key, etc.). When turning in your score cards, you will be asked to participate in a Score Counseling session to explain how you scored the teams (formulas, tie-breakers, etc.) for all 50 places, triple checking that the forms are filled out accurately before they are entered into the computer. This will cut down on questions and mistakes that are discovered after the tournament. Please plan to record why a team was not ranked or received only a participation score.

Now, with the WSO State Committee person and their computer, the Raw Scores will be entered into Avogadro.

Avogadro Instructions

Please enter the Raw Scores for your event onto your score card during the day. Convert times or masses to decimals to the 4th decimal place, if needed. By default the higher the score the better. If your event is scored such that the lower the Raw Score the better, check the checkbox at the bottom of the page to invert the scores in the next step.

Please ensure that no teams have the same Raw Score at this point. If two teams scored the same during your competition, please implement your plan for breaking ties. Use additional decimal places to add more detail to the Raw Scores to ensure that all Raw Scores are now different. This allows Avogadro to again sort the Raw Scores now ranking the winner of the tie-breaker higher.

Teams listed with a pink background are only auditing this event; score them as if they were competing in this event, but their points will not be added to their final score in the WSO competition by Avogadro.

If you are in need of any assistance at any time, please ask the WSO State Committee person assigned to your event for help. Keep your State Committee person apprised.

Tie Breaker for Final Team Scores

In the event of a tie in the cumulative final scores for two or more Teams at the Science Olympiad Tournaments, the "tiebreaker" will be determined by which one Team earned the most Gold Medals. Additional ties will be determined by the most Silver Medals and then Bronze Medals and then 4th place finishes, etc, until the point where the tie has been broken.

Safety

Safety is of utmost importance. Event Supervisors are obligated to prevent unsafe acts and devices. Safety decisions are NOT subject to appeal as long as they are applied equally to all Teams. Participants may not bring or use flammable liquids or flame sources of any type, such as matches, lighters, alcohol, and acetone, nor bring or use acids/bases of any concentration except for lemon juice, vinegar and other mildly acidic/alkaline naturally occurring substances.