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Fast Facts Wiki
Fast Facts Test Exchange 2018
Past Threads: 2017
Past Question Marathons: 2017

Notable changes:
1. A perfect score of 250 must be possible on every board (not sure if this is good or bad)
2. Participants are provided writing utensils from proctors and cannot bring any materials of their own

NeilMehta wrote:1. A perfect score of 250 must be possible on every board (not sure if this is good or bad)

I'm being lazy by not looking at the rules right now, but doesn't that mean that they're not allowing blanks? That's bad.

Skink wrote:

NeilMehta wrote:1. A perfect score of 250 must be possible on every board (not sure if this is good or bad)

I'm being lazy by not looking at the rules right now, but doesn't that mean that they're not allowing blanks? That's bad.

If by that you mean leaving boxes blank, then no, they're probably going to allow blanks, and this would be a good thing. It would be especially helpful to be able to get points that others couldn't, rather than having everyone just not get the point at all.

OrigamiPlanet wrote:

Skink wrote:

NeilMehta wrote:1. A perfect score of 250 must be possible on every board (not sure if this is good or bad)

I'm being lazy by not looking at the rules right now, but doesn't that mean that they're not allowing blanks? That's bad.

If by that you mean leaving boxes blank, then no, they're probably going to allow blanks, and this would be a good thing. It would be especially helpful to be able to get points that others couldn't, rather than having everyone just not get the point at all.

^
They're just making it so that it's possible to get a full board instead of before, when some boxes were unfillable

I do feel like this is a good thing so that competitors don't waste time on something that can not be answered. Plus, what is the point of a question you can not answer.

First time trying fast facts this year. How to prepare for this event? What are general topics they ask?

Jesusfather123 wrote:First time trying fast facts this year. How to prepare for this event? What are general topics they ask?

The event draws upon topics from pretty much every field of science, so it's very important to have a high level of general knowledge.
Common topics include:
-Human bones
-Scientific phenomena
-Stars
-Constellations
-Rocks/Minerals
-Physical properties
-Units of measurement
-Famous scientist
-Nobel prize winner for [science category]
-Programming languages
-Diseases
-Elements

This is just a short list, and there are countless possibilities for topics. Therefore, a good way to prepare is to prepare for all of your other study events in the first place, as those terms from other events can often show up in a fast facts test. In addition, one method is to come up with a chart with as many topics as possible, and to study the chart and try to memorize every single category. This event has an extremely high skill cap, so there's always room for practice and improvement.

Jesusfather123 wrote:First time trying fast facts this year. How to prepare for this event? What are general topics they ask?

Strategies - get some large index cards, make one for as many categories as you can. On the back, fill out A-Z as best you can. You'll always find ways to improve.

Also, do timed practice runs as frequently as you can. It's easy if you've got a stack of cards ready and you can randomly draw a few, and you can get creative with letter dice. If you shave off 30 seconds or a minute from the time allowed for a practice run, the extended time at the competition will feel luxurious.

What is the most common topic you've seen?