Online Jeopardy Test
Poll
 | 11 votes (29.72%) | ||
| | 2 votes (5.4%) | ||
| | 9 votes (24.32%) | ||
| | 15 votes (40.54%) |
37 members have voted
I'm 90% sure I'm not Jeopardy worthy, but it will be fun to take the test. I'm especially sure I won't do well against the curve, because I expect a high percentage of my competition to cheat, most likely with having lots of friends in the room as lifelines. You get only 15 seconds per questions, which isn't enough time to search, at least for me.
I certainly welcome other members to sign up and post their scores here, at the risk of me having the lowest one. The question for the poll is will you take the test?
Edit -- Just checked my records. Took the online test both times in January. Received emails in April and May with an invitation to the in-person test. So you don't even know if you did well enough for the first several months after the online test.
Quote: WizardThe test is this Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. I'm taking it at 5:00 PM on Wednesday.
FYI: Once you are registered, you may take ANY of the three online tests.
The tests this year are
Jan 7 -- 7 pm EST, 4 pm PST
Jan 8 -- 8 pm EST, 5 pm PST
Jan 9 -- 10 pm EST, 7 pm PST
It doesn't matter when you take it, because they put all the scores together and then take a certain number from the top.
You can only log in to a test once, so you should only log in and take a test a certain day if you are sure you can finish it.
Quote: GWAEI signed up for the same time as you. I am as dumb as a box of rocks. This should be entertaining.
I'm too stupid to figure out how to sign up. That makes me dumber than a box of rocks.
there is no reason to ever press the "submit" button for a question. the test will capture whatever is in the response box when the 15-second timer is at 0. if you press submit, it takes you to the next question immediately. you should instead not press submit and use that time to check your answer or to rest.
Quote: sodawaterThe in-person test also weeds out the people who cheat on the online test.
It wouldn't weed out all of them. Let's say cheating added only three extra points to your total. Those might be the three points you needed to get invited to an audition, and three questions is well within the margin of error for a 50-question test.
Quote: sodawaterThey don't tell you your score. If you score high enough, you get an e-mail a few months later with an invitation to take an in-person test. The in-person test also weeds out the people who cheat on the online test.
Thanks. At least now I won't be embarrassed when BBB outscores me by 20 points, because we'll never know for sure.
Quote: sodawaterFYI: Once you are registered, you may take ANY of the three online tests.
The tests this year are
Jan 7 -- 7 pm EST, 3 pm PST
Jan 8 -- 8 pm EST, 5 pm PST
Jan 9 -- 10 pm EST, 7 pm PST
Something wrong with the Jan 7 times (4 hours difference): please doublecheck if you're doing it on that day. I am also doing it Wed, same time as Wizard.
Quote: beachbumbabsSomething wrong with the Jan 7 times (4 hours difference): please doublecheck if you're doing it on that day. I am also doing it Wed, same time as Wizard.
Thanks, it's 7 pm est, 4 pm pst. fixed.
Quote: WizardIt wouldn't weed out all of them. Let's say cheating added only three extra points to your total. Those might be the three points you needed to get invited to an audition, and three questions is well within the margin of error for a 50-question test.
Yeah, but the point is that anyone who does well enough on the written test, and has a good enough personality, and fits a demographic they want/need for a taping, is who qualifies. The online test is just a way for them to have less people show up for the written test.
Now, of course people will cheat on the online test, but it's pointless. Because if you're cheating so much that you will bomb the written test, you just wasted your time on the online test, and your time and money to travel to the written test, which is typically at 9 am on a workday.
And if you were just adding a few points to your online test by cheating, it was within the margin of error anyway, and you will either pass or fail the written test based on the question selection, not knowledge level.
Granted, if you cheated on the online test, you may be "freerolling" that the written test question selection may be toward your strength. But if you don't have the chops to pass the tests, you're not going to do well on the show, anyway.
And Jeopardy does NOT pay for first-time contestants to attend a taping, either. Travel, food, and hotel are all on you.
Quote: sodawaterYeah, but the point is that anyone who does well enough on the written test, and has a good enough personality, and fits a demographic they want/need for a taping, is who qualifies. The online test is just a way for them to have less people show up for the written test.
I still maintain that if you cheat your probability of getting on the show increases by some amount greater than 0%. Let's say that your probability of getting each answer correct is 80%, and they require a score of 40 or more to get an audition. Then it takes a score of 43 to get on the show based on the audition test.
Without cheating you have a 58.4% chance of passing the online test. If we assume cheating gives you an extra three points, then with cheating your odds of passing the online test are 88.9%.
On the actual test your odds of passing, through luck, are 19.0%.
Pr (get on show without cheating) = 58.4% * 19.0% = 11.1%.
Pr (get on show with cheating) = 88.9% * 19.0% = 16.9%.
So, cheating gives you an extra 5.8% chance of getting on the show.
I watch Jeopardy every night and do pretty well. I wonder if we all get the exact same test.
About the same time I smacked myself for even thinking it even mattered which location I chose.
Quote: WizardI still maintain that if you cheat your probability of getting on the show increases by some amount greater than 0%. Let's say that your probability of getting each answer correct is 80%, and they require a score of 40 or more to get an audition. Then it takes a score of 43 to get on the show based on the audition test.
Without cheating you have a 58.4% chance of passing the online test. If we assume cheating gives you an extra three points, then with cheating your odds of passing the online test are 88.9%.
On the actual test your odds of passing, through luck, are 19.0%.
Pr (get on show without cheating) = 58.4% * 19.0% = 11.1%.
Pr (get on show with cheating) = 88.9% * 19.0% = 16.9%.
So, cheating gives you an extra 5.8% chance of getting on the show.
Yeah, you convinced me. The written test removes a lot of the potential gained by cheating the online test, but I guess not all of it. If you're going to cheat on the online test though, you'd better be close enough to passing it without cheating.
Quote: zippyboyI signed up a couple weeks ago for the Jan. 9 test at 7pm. The info on the Jeopardy site does indeed make it sound like there are tens of thousands of players hoping to qualify for a slot in the in-person test, then get on the show. If I do well on this online test, they have up to 18 months to call me in for the written test. I figure there's only 200 new episodes of Jeopardy per year (not counting weekends or the Teen and teachers tournaments, or Tournament of Champions, etc), so each ep has a returning champ, leaving 2 slots for new players, so 400 new contestants per year? Out of the tens of thousands who are taking these tests online? Not good odds, but you can't win if you don't play.
I watch Jeopardy every night and do pretty well. I wonder if we all get the exact same test.
I have been told by the producers that if you make it into the final contestant pool, you have a "50-50" chance of getting on the show. In my experience, if you are a woman or ethnic minority, that jumps up to 99%. I have qualified twice and haven't made it, so maybe I am in that unlucky 25%.
Every person taking the test gets the same questions for that test day. There are three test days so there are three sets of questions.
Quote: Wizardmost likely with having lots of friends in the room as lifelines.
That's pretty much what they do. They get
weeded out in the next step, but that doesn't
do you any good if a bunch of cheaters beat
you out and you never get to the 2nd step.
So even if I was to qualify for the show, I'm not winning.
Here are some threads with questions and answers (either in spoiler tags or a separate post) from last year:
Questions #1 (and answers)
Questions #2 (answers in spoiler tags)
Questions #3 (answers in spoiler tags)
you take the test. Who cares how you get to
the next step, just get there. If the 4 of you
don't know the answer to the questions,
nobody does. Do Skype with all of them
at the same time, it'll be fun.
Quote: EvenBobWiz, get Teddy, Babs, and Pierce online when
you take the test.
Putting ethical issues aside, all three of them are located on the east coast.
Quote:Who cares how you get to
the next step, just get there.
At least one person agrees with me that cheating would improve my odds.
Quote: beachbumbabsI myself will be in the Central time zone that night. And taking the same test at the same time. Hmmmm....
With so many people cheating to get to
the 2nd step, you almost have to join them.
The point is getting into the process, then
you're on your own. If you have morals so
lofty it bothers you, we have a name for that.
Runner up.
plus.....I don't know anyone or live with anyone smart enough to help me
Quote: zippyboyWow, Bob, it will be my absolute pleasure to get on TV without any cheating if it comes to that. While I agree with your "anything goes in early stage" philosophy, there's pride in attaining that stage on my own, ya know?
Yup. Those people are usually called 'the losers'.
But they have their pride, so friends will nod
sympathetically when they explain why people
far dumber than them made it to the second
step.
If it's the latter, cheating shouldn't help you at all (and the number of other people who cheat doesn't matter).
If it's the former, cheating MAY help, but it also may not, so long as they make the bar for the in-person test significantly higher.
Quote: bdc42so you've "passed" it twice and didn't receive a call? maybe you didn't pass it? .
Lol. Exactly.
In my experience, this is untrue. The production company takes care of one coach class, round-trip airline ticket, lunch at the studio commissary (if necessary), and breakfast/snacks in the green room. Lodging is the responsibility of the participant, but they give a discount at a nearby full-service hotel.Quote: sodawaterAnd Jeopardy does NOT pay for first-time contestants to attend a taping, either. Travel, food, and hotel are all on you.
Quote: sodawaterAnd Jeopardy does NOT pay for first-time contestants to attend a taping, either. Travel, food, and hotel are all on you.
I was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune 5 years ago. Being a Sony show like Jeopardy, I imagine the process is pretty much the same.Quote: teddysIn my experience, this is untrue. The production company takes care of one coach class, round-trip airline ticket, lunch at the studio commissary (if necessary), and breakfast/snacks in the green room. Lodging is the responsibility of the participant, but they give a discount at a nearby full-service hotel.
Round trip ticket to California? Nope.
Lodging taken care of? Not exactly.
Breakfast and lunch? Sort of.
Every contestant on Wheel is guaranteed $1,000.
On Jeopardy, 2nd place wins $2,000, and 3rd place wins $1,000.
So while you have to take care of your own transport to and from California, they do now give you some cash for being on the show. They do have a hotel that lodges contestants, but that's up to you to pay for. No breakfast.
Lunch is interesting. They tape 5 or 6 shows in a day. If you are still there after taping #3, they provide lunch for contestants (delivery pizza). Friends and family must fend for themselves by visiting a restaurant outside of the studio, no commissary. And if they don't get back on time, they don't get back into the studio. My wife almost didn't make it.
This will be my 3rd time taking the Jeopardy online test, with no response from the first two. At age 37, my recollection is getting slow, and I feel like I'm already past my prime for being on the show. Even in my prime, I don't feel like I'd have done well, but it's worth a go.
And while you're at it, check out the Jeopardy Archive - It catalogs almost every clue and answer, from just about every game from all 30 seasons.
Quote: DweenAt age 37, my recollection is getting slow, and I feel like I'm already past my prime for being on the show. Even in my prime, I don't feel like I'd have done well, but it's worth a go..
I don't know very much trivia, and my brain takes at least 2 seconds to look up the things I do know, which is far too slow for Jeopardy. Everything is always at the tip of my tongue.
Quote: DweenAt age 37, my recollection is getting slow
Still a youngster! :)
Quote: teddysIn my experience, this is untrue. The production company takes care of one coach class, round-trip airline ticket, lunch at the studio commissary (if necessary), and breakfast/snacks in the green room. Lodging is the responsibility of the participant, but they give a discount at a nearby full-service hotel.
When I auditioned in May 2012, the producers told me they do not provide airfare, hotels, or per diem. They did say that 3rd place is guaranteed $1000, however it takes 3+months to receive that money after you appear, so travel and lodging costs definitely have to come out of pocket.
You embarrass yourself enough in your regular life, not
you want to do it on national TV? Masochism..
I am convinced that if I ever got on the show, I would clean up. Most Jeopardy contestants select clues terribly and wager terribly.
Quote: sodawaterBecause it is fun and not everyone will be embarrassed? .
It's embarrassing taking the test and not
getting selected, let alone going on the
show.
Quote: boymimboWhy is it embarrassing to take a risk and not succeed? You don't have to tell anyone you took the test, and probably only the top 1% are selected. If you weren't selected, there's nothing to be embarassed about.
You can only be embarassed with your cooperation. Me, sink or swim, I'm gonna try for it.
Quote: beachbumbabsYou can only be embarassed with your cooperation. Me, sink or swim, I'm gonna try for it.
I'll make a prediction. None of you taking the silly
test will be selected and I'll be embarrassed for
the lot of you.
most jeopardy players are CLUELESS (pun?) as to proper strategy for selecting clues and HOPELESS as to proper daily double and final jeopardy wagering. At the very least, you would have a huge advantage in those three areas.
Quote: BuzzardBob, you keep talking that way and I might have to take the test just to prove you wrong.
We could cheat on the test but we don't know
anybody smart enough to give us the answers.
Quote: sodawaterwizard, i think you would do pretty well on jeopardy.
most jeopardy players are CLUELESS (pun?) as to proper strategy for selecting clues and HOPELESS as to proper daily double and final jeopardy wagering. At the very least, you would have a huge advantage in those three areas.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Yes, I bang my head against the wall at the feeble wagers on the daily doubles. However, I would need to get some questions right in the first place to have anything to wager with.
My test is tomorrow. I'll try to do a video capture of it to share the questions later.
