Competition Policies

Code of Ethics

While this is an asynchronous, online competition, the National Science Olympiad Code of Ethics is still enforced and expected to be followed. Much like an in-person competition, no outside resources (internet searching, coach/adult assistance, etc.) are to be used while test-taking.

Our shared understanding is that everyone is giving their honest effort to follow the rules and participate in fair competition. This is what enables virtual Science Olympiad events like this to happen. That being said, we do have safeguards in place to find teams engaging in unethical behavior. We reserve the right to disqualify teams which do not abide by the Code of Ethics and the rules for each event.

Schedule

For this competition, events will be distributed across 2-week long sessions. Each team may choose when during the session they would like to compete. Most events will last 50 minutes, but those 50 minutes can start at any time of your choosing within the 2-week period.

There will be NO date extensions, for any reason. Each event is open during a 2-week window to provide ample time for inclement weather, acts of nature, school closings, power outages, technical difficulties, etc.

Event Information

A document will be shared before each session with specific instructions on how to conduct each event.

For the standard exams, students should log in and when they are ready, start the test. Students may only use reference material and tools such as calculators as are listed in the official National Rules for the event. Web browsing is not allowed.

Lab events or build events may have special instructions requiring setup by a coach and submissions of artifacts such as videos or images. This may include the need to print some materials, have lab supplies ready, or have a Competition Area set up compliant with the event rules.

Test-taking

Exams may be taken from anywhere. Our Gold-Standard ideal test-taking environment is both participating team members working together in the same room, on laptops, with a coach present during test-taking. This is the best way to get an experience that is as close to an in-person competition as possible, and best prepare your team for Regional and State competitions.

• If your team is taking their test in such an environment and run into technical issues, your team coach may submit a help ticket. 

• We understand that this type of testing situation is not possible for all competing teams.  As such, if you are testing in some other way/environment, you might encounter technical issues at your own risk, and we may not be able to address them.

• This is an asynchronous competition - please remember that Event Supervisors and Battle of the States organizers are not available 24/7 to help or answer questions.

Battle of the States is designed to be a low-cost practice experience to help you prepare for in-person tournaments. The reward you are going to receive is information on how your team compares to the other competing teams. Please emphasize with your students that they need to follow all the rules they would if they were taking the test at an in-person tournament (i.e. utilize only the materials allowed per the National rules, no outside resources).

Scilympiad is an online platform, and with that comes the potential for technical issues, including answers not saving properly. Battle of the States organizers are not the owners and operators of Scilympiad, so we are limited on what we can do in terms of technical support. If you feel that you are having technical issues with Scilympiad, please fill out a help ticket.

Device Testing

Specific instructions for each event that requires testing a device will be posted for submissions prior to the session of the event. The submission will typically include a video and a scoresheet. 

Each device used for a building event must be unique to that team. Alternate teams from one school may not share a device.

Device testing submissions must be specific to Battle of the States. Videos and runs from other virtual tournaments may not be submitted.

Results & Exam Release

Event results are typically released about 1 week after the conclusion of a session. For this competition, we will release the exam and key for each event along with the results, but we will not release individual graded exams.

Team Restrictions

There is a limit of 5 teams per school.

Per the National Policy, all teams and alternate teams must be registered with your State organization. (For example, if you want to enter 2 teams, you must have your main team and an alternate team registered with your state.)

Teams vs. Schools

A few reminders on the distinction between a team and a school. A school may have multiple teams. Each team must be registered with your state’s Science Olympiad organization to compete. This means if you have only registered one main team for your school, then only one team may enter Battle of the States. To compete with a 2nd or 3rd team for the same school, each team must be associated with an additional alternate team registered for and paid for with your state organization.

The $30 fee for Battle of the States is also on a per-team basis, so for 2 teams you should pay $60 total, for 3 teams you should pay $90 total, etc. There is a maximum of five teams per school.

Team Composition

Before reading the specifics of the Battle of the States policy, ensure that you understand the National Science Olympiad policies on team size. These will be applicable to any other tournament you attend. At any other tournament, teams must be a discrete group of 15 students, and they are not allowed to switch teams at any point during the tournament. For Battle of the States, because we enroll teams throughout the competition and do not rank teams overall, we do not enforce this requirement. We will leave team and event assignment changes in Scilympiad open throughout the competition. However, the total number of students must be covered by all of your State team registrations. That is, you must have at least 1 team registered per every 15 students that participate throughout the duration of the competition.