Reference
NAD National Bible Bowl rules
The rules that govern every drill and simulated game in this app. Search to jump straight to a ruling.
I. Teams
- A team consists of up to six members, with four members playing at any one time.
- Substitutions are made only during a time out, at halftime, or between questions.
- Each team has a designated captain who speaks for the team on bonus questions and challenges.
- Divisions are set by age: Junior Youth, Senior Youth, and Young Adult.
II. Game Time
- A game consists of two halves of six minutes each.
- Halftime lasts one minute, used for substitutions and settling challenges.
- The clock runs while questions are read and answered, and stops for time outs, challenges, and scoring corrections.
- If the score is tied at the end of regulation, a one-minute lightning round of toss-ups decides the game.
III. Toss-Up Questions
- Toss-up questions are worth 10 points and are open to either team.
- A player may signal at any time, including before the question is finished being read.
- Once recognized, the player has four seconds to begin answering.
- No consultation is allowed on toss-ups; only the player who signaled may answer.
- If the answer is incorrect, the question is re-read in full and the opposing team gets an opportunity to answer.
IV. Bonus Questions
- Bonus questions are worth 10 to 25 points and are awarded to the team that answers a toss-up correctly.
- A bonus question is attached to every fifth toss-up question.
- The team has seven seconds to answer and may consult; only the captain gives the final answer.
- Partial credit is given proportionally for multi-part bonus answers.
V. Types Of Questions
- Quotation: the player recites the verse word for word from the KJV.
- Reference: the player gives the book, chapter, and verse.
- Completion: the player finishes a partially read verse.
- Situation and identification: the player names the person, place, or event described.
- Questions marked “Be specific” require the full, exact answer with no substitutions.
VI. Challenging An Answer
- A challenge must be made by the team captain immediately after the ruling, before the next question is read.
- Play stops and the clock stops while the challenge is considered.
- The judges consult the KJV text; the text of Scripture is the final authority.
- If the challenge is upheld, the score is corrected and play resumes; unsuccessful challenges carry no penalty beyond lost time.
VII. Christian Conduct
- Players, coaches, and spectators are expected to show courtesy and Christian grace at all times.
- No coaching from the sidelines while a question is in play.
- Arguing with judges, distracting opponents, and unsportsmanlike celebration are grounds for warning or penalty.
- The purpose of the Bowl is Scripture memory and love for the Word, not merely winning.
VIII. Responsibilities
- The moderator reads questions clearly and rules on answers.
- The judges verify answers against the KJV and settle challenges.
- The timekeeper manages the game clock and the four- and seven-second answer clocks.
- The scorekeeper records points and reports the score at halftime and at the end of the game.
IX. Writing Guidelines
- Toss-up questions should be 25 words or fewer with a single, short answer.
- Questions must come directly from the assigned text in the King James Version.
- Avoid ambiguity: every question should have exactly one defensible answer.
- Mark “Be specific” when the answer must be complete and exact.
- Bonus questions may have multiple parts, with point value divided evenly across them.