Getting Better at the Middle School Level

This forum is for discussing tournament formats, question styles, strategy, and such.
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quizbowlchamp1
Wakka
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2023 4:19 pm

Getting Better at the Middle School Level

Post by quizbowlchamp1 »

So, I was reading this guide (https://gpqb.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/q ... ll-levels/) and I feel like my team ranks around the State Competitor/Nationals Playoffs Contender range. However, those sets are way too hard for a middle school. Now, I have 2 questions...

1) Top MS teams: Do you guys practice with PACE NSC, NASAT, and ACF Nats questions?
2) Will someone make a companion to this guide for MS teams?
Russ McGlaughn
8th Grade
Rainbow Middle School (2022-)
Southside High School (2023-)
MSNCT Rising Star 2023 & 2024
MSNCT All Star 2025 (7th Place)
1st Place ASCA D2 MS State 2024
2nd Place ASCA D1 MS State 2025
ASCA All Star 2023
ASCA D2 All Star / MVP 2024
ASCA D1 All Star / MVP 2025 (new state record)

literally the most balanced MSNCT record ever (12-12)
still crashing out over 2025 MSNCT
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Good Goblin Housekeeping
Auron
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Re: Getting Better at the Middle School Level

Post by Good Goblin Housekeeping »

The best general advice I can give you is that no single formula is going to work for everyone, and there's no streamlined guide that's just going to tell you how to be good or a contender. That being said NASAT, ACF Nationals, and NSC are all extremely different in difficulty and none of them are really going to help you do well at middle school level tournaments (there may be an argument to NSC to some degree for specific categories)

A hypothetical equivalent to this guide for middle schoolers uses the exact same study strategies but with easier tournaments. If you study to try to have success at a difficulty closer to (or even a bit above) MSNCT playoffs, you should be able to expect success at the harder questions of MSNCT, so like, consider studying some IS sets or regular difficulty HS housewrites.

Otherwise just uh, figure out what you're not getting or try to get an idea of what other teams can do to beat you and uh, just try to cover up those potential holes I guess?
Andrew Wang
Illinois 2016
geoff
Lulu
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Re: Getting Better at the Middle School Level

Post by geoff »

quizbowlchamp1 wrote: Sun Apr 28, 2024 8:43 pm So, I was reading this guide (https://gpqb.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/q ... ll-levels/) and I feel like my team ranks around the State Competitor/Nationals Playoffs Contender range. However, those sets are way too hard for a middle school. Now, I have 2 questions...

1) Top MS teams: Do you guys practice with PACE NSC, NASAT, and ACF Nats questions?
2) Will someone make a companion to this guide for MS teams?
No, we do not practice with PACE NSC or NASAT questions for two main reasons,
1.) They're too hard
2.) A lot of material on those is esoteric and unimportant for middle level competitions
(we usually practice with IS and IS-A sets)
Jeffrey Kirkendall
Hoosier
Sycamore School '24 (2nd place 2024 MSNCT)
Pendleton Heights High School (2024-2025) (IASP State "Finalist")
University High School of Indiana '28
Roastie_Ghostie
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Location: North Carolina

Re: Getting Better at the Middle School Level

Post by Roastie_Ghostie »

My school has made it to nationals several times and here's what I have to say. First, we do not use those packets they are too hard. We study QB reader every day, do practice rounds, and read packets at practices (Wednesdays every week) and every week we write 3 QB questions as warmups for the practice, Hope This Helps!
Helen Anderson
(She/Her)
'Brown Summit MS 27
Metacarpal
Lulu
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Re: Getting Better at the Middle School Level

Post by Metacarpal »

The only packet on your list that is maybe worth studying is NSC and only since I know you play up sometimes - I think the highest that a middle school player should ever go is NSC
Vidyut Arvind
Anderson '23
HSMSE '27
2024 IPNCT semifinalist
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