Tryouts are held in mid- to late-September (more information to come - make sure to join the email list!). We will accept around 15 students across all four grades. This is to ensure that every student has an opportunity to compete in either online or in-person tournaments. All students must try out, even if they were in Science Bowl last year.

Tryouts will consist of written tests for each of the subjects: Math, Physics, Chemistry (Inorganic and Organic), Biology, Earth and Space Science, and Energy. We recommend choosing 1-3 subjects to focus on, and prioritizing depth of knowledge over breadth of subjects. We also suggest starting studying early rather than cramming at the last minute.

Here are some helpful study resources:

• Rules: If you want to learn the detailed Science Bowl rules, here is the Rules Manual for the National Science Bowl Competition.
• Textbooks: This website lists the major textbooks and study resources for each subject. We recommend specializing in the subjects that interest you the most.
• Practice websites: If you want to practice your buzzing skills, here are a few helpful websites: QBReader, Protobowl, Science Bowl Prep, and Science Bowl Periphery.
• Past Questions: This page contains real packets of past competitions. These are good for gauging the difficulty and style of Science Bowl questions.
• Recordings: If you want to see real competitions in action, here are the recordings of some past competitions (note that these are the finals rounds, so the questions are very difficult, but it starts out much easier!): 2025 MSB, 2025 BSB, 2025 NSB.