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I can't believe that they would not let me use printed notes that were attached to my field guides for nationals. Did I somehow miss the memo that they all had to be handwritten? I got a very disappointing 28th.

Paradox21 wrote:I can't believe that they would not let me use printed notes that were attached to my field guides for nationals. Did I somehow miss the memo that they all had to be handwritten? I got a very disappointing 23rd.

I think it says in the rules that no printed tabs are allowed.

How was the test, otherwise??

There are actually 2 FAQs that address this on the national website:

http://soinc.org/node/414

http://soinc.org/node/454

They both say they are allowed.

Otherwise the test seemed sort of easy. It was a lot of pure identification without any follow-up questions. There were a few words I did not know (could not use printed glossary) and there was a cladogram question that I totally biffed (had the exact diagram printed out but could not use it).

Wait, doesn't it say in the rules that you can't use the FAQs as a rule clarifier ???
Thats too bad though.
Otherwise, good job.

That goes completely against the rule clarifications that I made approximately 5 of to be certain of the point (allowing printed diagrams/pictures/notes). Rulings like that are somewhat ridiculous at that level. Doesn't sound like a very well run event.

Ya isn't there a rule which you can't have the notes of the field guide out more than _____ inches. That rule was inforced 2 weeks before regional. It was so that teams couldn't stick notes in there field guide. The only thing that my partner and I stuck into my field guide was the "not in book" animals and tabs to show where everything was.

This sounds odd, I made a point to show my field guide and ask if it was okay directly before the test started. I asked, showed him my book which was FULL of printed notes which I clearly displayed, and they said it was fine. I am dismayed to hear that. Was this the division C test?

Overall I would say the test was not exceptionally well made. While for difficult than last year on the whole, the majority of it was still very easy, and the hard questions were a bit random. Then there is the fact that stations were untimed, you could go to any station for just about as long as you wanted, in any order you wanted, and return to a station as many times as you liked. Having to manage stations of different difficulties and lengths are a large portion of making a good and challenging test.

Oh my, that is interesting. It was definitely division C in the group of teams from 21 through 30 and they definitely said that we could not use printed notes. People were in the hallway ripping out notes and crumpling them up so they would not be disqualified.

I'm very depressed that this is the last year for a+r but the only year i had a chance to do it and i bombed nats too.....

A+R is my favorite event and will always be the best event of all time (in my opinoin) and yeah i just wanted to have the 500th post so yea