Participate in this FREE Army JROTC Academic Bowl
(J-LAB) and your team may win a chance to attend the Academic Bowl Championship in Washington, DC! 

Each Army unit will form one Academic team.  All teams will be competing against similar teams.  Teams will be categorized by demographics including socio-economic and geographic factors.

Easy Steps to participate
(all details outlined below)

• Assemble a Team
• Prepare the Team
• Register
• Compete in Level I

How to Assemble an Academic Team

Each JROTC unit will be allowed one team consisting of four cadets, including two juniors and two sophomores.  Freshmen may “play up” in place of a sophomore. Seniors may not be selected to participate as the Academic Bowl will be held after graduation.   Two alternates (one junior and one sophomore) may be named in case a team member must drop out before the end of the competition.  The alternates may participate in the online testing; however, if selected to participate in the final round, only four team members will attend.  Academic team members may NOT participate in the Leadership team.

Instructors may assess each potential team member by grades, performance in the practice round, ability to work with a team and/or enthusiasm for the competition.  The instructor has the final decision on the members of the team and may use the OPTIONAL Practice Round (December 1 - 10, 2008) developed by the Foundation as a method of choosing team members.  The Practice Round will consist of 25 questions similar to those questions in Level I and II.  Each cadet may take the Practice Round at an internet-accessible computer either in the classroom, at home, in the library or other location.  The cadets should logon to www.cofcontests.com, answer the questions and print out their scores to turn into the instructor.  It is up to each instructor to review the scores and determine members of the team.

How to Prepare the Team

One of the main goals of the JROTC Academic Bowl is to prepare students for state exit/graduation exams as well as college entrance exams, such as the SAT and ACT.  However, many JROTC instructors are understandably interested in measuring how well their cadets are learning the JROTC curriculum.  Therefore, we will have a mix of JROTC curriculum as well as English, Math and Science in each level of the competition.  We will also include a few questions about current events – focusing on national and international news, particularly international relations, politics, business and science.  All of the current events questions will be taken from major media available on television, the internet and in daily newspapers. 

Level I – The Challenge will include 25% JROTC questions, 65% SAT/ACT-type questions and 10% current events questions.

Level II – Zero Hour Threat will include 15% JROTC questions, 75% SAT/ACT-type questions and 10% current events questions.

The JROTC curriculum questions will come from Army JROTC textbooks with primary focus on leadership preparation, wellness and fitness, group/team dynamics and communication skills.

We encourage all cadets, whether they are on the academic team or not, to prepare for the ACT, SAT and ASVAB tests by reviewing English, Science and Math coursework.  There are several resources available, free-of-charge, to all students.

Websites to review include:

How to Register the Team

Registration for both the Leadership and Academic competitions begins on Wednesday, January 7, 2009.  Teams are not required to pre-register in order to compete in Level I – The Challenge; however, it will take approximately 15 minutes to answer a few required questions before the actual test begins.  So, we suggest that each instructor register his or her team before the team is ready to participate in the first round.  Registration will be open until the last day of Level I competition (Jan. 28), so an instructor can still register a team up until the last day of Level I.  Please be prepared to answer the following questions (instructor may need to contact the guidance department or administration for answers):

High School Name, Address, Phone Number
Instructor Name, Email Address, Phone Number
Cadet Names, Grade, Years in JROTC
High School Demographics – Number of students, Number in Free Lunch Program, Athletic Category (ex. 3A, 8A), type of school (suburban, rural, private, public, etc.)

Competition Website

COF Contests – to participate in the practice quiz, Level I and Level II, go to www.cofcontests.com

Official Rules of the Competition

1. The designated contact should be a JROTC instructor with access to email.  Most correspondence with teams is through email; therefore, it is essential that instructors check their email and respond as soon as possible.  Foundation staff is also available by phone for questions or concerns. (1-888-JROTC-USA or 770.632.0399 or edonahue@collegeoptions.net)

2. For the Academic Bowl, each JROTC unit will be allowed one team consisting of four cadets, including two juniors and two sophomores.  Two alternates (one junior and one sophomore) may be named and may participate in the online portion; however, if selected, only four team members will advance to the final round. A freshman may “play up” in place of a sophomore.  Seniors are not allowed to participate on the team since the Academic Bowl will take place after graduation.

3. For the Leadership Symposium selection, each JROTC unit will be allowed one team consisting of four cadets.  The team should include the future cadet commander and senior enlisted cadet.  Two alternates (one junior and one sophomore) may be named and may participate in the online portion; however, if selected, only four team members will advance to the Leadership Symposium. A freshman may “play up” in place of a sophomore.  Seniors are not allowed to participate on the team since the Leadership Symposium will take place after graduation.

4. Cadets may only participate on one team - either the Leadership team or the Academic Bowl team.  There will be no cross-over participation between the two teams.

5. The Challenge and Zero Hour Threat are internet-based competitions.  The team must have high speed (DSL, cable, t1, etc.) internet access (not via a dial-up connection). 

6. The Challenge and Zero Hour Threat each require approximately one hour to complete.  Once a team has logged in, there is no ability to stop and start over.  The competition must be completed in one sitting.

7. No one is allowed in the room during the competition except for the members of the team, the alternates and one instructor who will act as proctor for the test.

8. No outside sources (dictionary, thesaurus, text book, newspaper, etc.) are allowed.  Calculators are permitted.

9. No communication about the competition with other JROTC teams or schools is allowed.  Teams are not permitted to discuss the questions or design of the competition with anyone outside of the team members and instructors.

10. All scores will be sent to the Foundation’s server automatically.  If a team believes there has been an error in scoring, the team must contact the Foundation via phone or email with 12 hours of the completion of their participation (upon finishing the game).  A written explanation of the problem will be required and should be sent via email (edonahue@collegeoptions.net).

11. If there is an electrical outage or other technical difficulty during the competition, the team must contact the Foundation via phone or email within 12 hours of the difficulty. A written explanation of the problem will be required and should be sent via email (edonahue@collegeoptions.net).

12. The JROTC Academic Challenge is relying on the adherence by all teams to the JROTC Code of Honor/Core Values.  The Foundation expects that all team members and instructors will abide by all rules.

13. Finally, we believe the No. 1 rule in this competition is…. Have Fun!  We hope you enjoy this challenge.