General Info/Rules

23nd Annual Physician Assistant Student Challenge Bowl

Sponsored by the PSPA
Chairman: TBD

DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM

2023 Student Challenge Bowl General Information

The 2023 Challenge Bowl will take place on Friday, December 1st, 2023 at 6:30PM.

Student participants, team faculty advisors, and conference attendees who have registered for the Challenge Bowl are admitted to the event free of charge. All other guests will pay a $20 admission fee. Guests should register and pay online here. Conference attendees coming to the Challenge Bowl should register for the event through the online conference registration. Student participants and team faculty advisors register for the event by emailing the completed registration to the Challenge Bowl Chair.

Dinner is provided for all individuals registered to attend the Challenge Bowl. Dinner for student participants and team faculty advisors is from 5-6PM. Dinner for guests and conference attendees is from 5:30-6:15PM. Guests and conference attendees may enter the competition hall at 6:15PM.

Please see the section below to review the registration requirements and competition rules. For any additional questions, please review the Challenge Bowl FAQ page. 

2023 Student Challenge Bowl Rules

Eligibility and Registration Requirements:

  • Only Pennsylvania Physician Assistant programs accredited by the ARC-PA are eligible to register to compete in the PSPA Challenge Bowl. Registration is limited to one (1) team per Physician Assistant program. Separate PA programs need to have separate accreditation.
  • All student team members and faculty advisors must be active PSPA members at the time of the registration deadline (October 31, 2023).
  • There is no entry fee for the competition. However, all teams must provide a donation to the Annual Host City Charity. Teams must have their donations turned into the Public Relations and Education Committee by 4:00 pm on the day of the event (December 1, 2023).  If the donation is not turned in by this deadline, the team will be ineligible for competition.
  • A full team consists of three (3) players and one (1) alternate. Teams may register without an alternate. An alternate may be added to the team by emailing the Challenge Bowl Chair up until two weeks prior to the event (November 17, 2023).
  • All participating members and the team advisor must be on site at 5:00 pm on the day of the event in order to participate; no exceptions. A minimum of three students and the team advisor are required for the team to compete. The alternate cannot be subbed in freely throughout the competition, though exceptions may be made by the judges (for example: if a participant becomes ill during the event).

Rules of Play and Scoring:

  • A round-robin format will be utilized with preliminary rounds, semi-final rounds, and a final round. The number of matches per round is determined by the number of teams entered into the competition.
  • The length of each round is determined by the number of participating teams. As an estimation, rounds are traditionally ten (10) minutes in length, with the timing judge announcing when five (5) minutes and one (1) minute remain in the match. The length of each round is, however, subject to change at the discretion of the Challenge Bowl Chair.
  • The moderator will read each question. The first team to signal in will be acknowledged by the moderator and permitted ten (10) seconds to start their answer. Fifteen (15) seconds will be allowed for a team to buzz in. If no team buzzes in within the allotted time, then the moderator will move to the next question.
  • The moderator will NOT complete the question if a team signals in before the full question is read.
  • If the team that signals first answers the question incorrectly, the moderator will re-read the entire question without interruption, and the remaining teams will be given fifteen (15) seconds to buzz in. After buzzing in, ten (10) seconds will be allowed for teams to start their response.
  • Ten (10) points are awarded for each correct answer and ten (10) points are deducted for each incorrect answer. If a team signals in and fails to start their answer to the question within the allotted ten (10) seconds, it shall be considered an incorrect response.
  • Team members must speak loudly and clearly when answering questions. If the moderator questions the pronunciation of an answer, he/she may request the team member to spell the word in question. If the spelling is ruled correct, ten (10) points will be awarded. If the pronunciation and spelling are ruled incorrect, ten (10) points will be deducted.
  • Only one (1) response will be accepted after a team has signaled in.
  • The play clock is stopped if the moderator appeals to the judges for a ruling. 
  • The team with the most points at the end of their match will advance to the next round of play. The team with the most points at the end of the final round of play will be declared the Challenge Bowl winner. In the event of a tie between the highest scoring teams in a match/round, a “sudden death” playoff will be held. In the event of a “sudden death” playoff, the competing teams’ scores will revert to zero and the first team to correctly answer a question wins the match.

Team and Audience Participation Expectations:

  • All judges’ decisions are final. Any protests by a Challenge Bowl team member or team’s faculty advisor will result in an automatic disqualification of that team from the current Challenge Bowl competition.
  • Any team found to be cheating by the moderator or judges will automatically be disqualified from the current Challenge Bowl AND suspended for three (3) years from future PSPA-sponsored Physician Assistant Student Challenge Bowls.
  • Absolutely no alcohol is permitted at the Challenge Bowl event.
  • No recording of any questions or content of the Challenge Bowl is permitted. As such, all paper, writing utensils, electronic recording devices, laptops, tablets and cellular devices must be put away during the entire competition and may only be utilized during the mid-competition break time.  All cellular devices must be silenced and placed out of view.
  • Room monitors will be observing for the duration of the competition and are permitted to reprimand those in violation of competition rules.
  • No talking is permitted by the audience during the question rounds. The need for an individual or group to be repeatedly reprimanded may result in dismissal for the remainder of the competition.
  • We strongly encourage supporting the student participants, but ask that all applause be held until completion of a full round.
  • Attendees and participants not in compliance with any of the above regulations may be asked to leave for the duration of the event. By attending and participating in this event, you are agreeing to comply with the rules stated above. Any and all unprofessional behavior (by participants, faculty, or attendees) or failure to comply with rules stated above is subject to disciplinary actions at the room monitors’ or Challenge Bowl Chair’s discretion, which may include expulsion from the competition/audience.
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