Certamen Resources
What is certamen and how is it played?
Certamen is Latin for "competition." Thus, certamen is a game (or competition) of fast recollections of facts and knowledge about classical civilizations and cultures. Like quiz bowls, certamen is played in teams and done in a toss-up/bonus format. The toss-up/bonus format divides questions into two types.
The toss-up questions are the main questions and are asked to any individual player. Any player from a team can answer, but the players are not allowed to confer with their teammates. In addition, once one person from a team has attempted a toss-up question, no other teammate can answer that question. If the person answers the toss-up question correctly, then the bonus questions follows. Generally, there are two bonus questions for each toss-up question. Bonus questions are often related to the toss-up question before it. During the bonus questions, the team can confer with each other for answers. However, if nobody answers the toss-up question correctly, there are no bonus questions.
Typically, toss-up questions are worth 10 points. Each bonus question is worth 5 points each. For more in-depth information about certamen, check out the resources and links down below.
The toss-up questions are the main questions and are asked to any individual player. Any player from a team can answer, but the players are not allowed to confer with their teammates. In addition, once one person from a team has attempted a toss-up question, no other teammate can answer that question. If the person answers the toss-up question correctly, then the bonus questions follows. Generally, there are two bonus questions for each toss-up question. Bonus questions are often related to the toss-up question before it. During the bonus questions, the team can confer with each other for answers. However, if nobody answers the toss-up question correctly, there are no bonus questions.
Typically, toss-up questions are worth 10 points. Each bonus question is worth 5 points each. For more in-depth information about certamen, check out the resources and links down below.
Official NJCL Certamen Rules and Play
| Certamen Rules |
Official NJCL Distribution of Certamen Questions
| Distribution of Questions |
Official NJCL Certamen Sources and References
| Sources and References |
