Facilitator/Timers
Facilitator/Timers are responsible for escorting in a timely fashion a panel of judges to the
hearing rooms. Once in a hearing room facilitators officially welcome everyone. Facilitator/Timers
are also responsible for distributing score sheets to the judges and collecting them after the
hearings.
Facilitator/Timers are responsible for keeping accurate timing of the congressional hearings.
Hearings on Saturday and Sunday are ten minutes long in duration (four minutes for the
opening statement and six minutes for follow-up questions).
On Monday the hearings are extended to fifteen minutes in duration (four minutes for the
opening statement and eleven minutes for follow-up questions).
Timers' Orientation Video
Floor Supervisors
Floor Supervisors are responsible for greeting classes upon arrival at the competition.
They are also responsible for directing classes, parents, visitors, and other guests to the
student briefing room and the hearing rooms. During the hearings the floor supervisors
ensure the hearings are undisturbed. After the completion of class hearings, the floor
supervisors help direct classes to their buses. They also inspect the hearing rooms to make
sure they are ready for the next division of classes. Floor supervisors are always ready to
handle any problems that may arise.
Scoring Team
The six member scoring team is responsible for tabulating the judges' score
sheets for each of the fifty-six classes. Six different panels of three judges score each
of the six units for a total of eighteen judges' score sheets. Each class testifies on one
question on Saturday and testifies again on a different question on Sunday
(3 judge panels x 6 units x 2 days = 36 score sheets).
Each score sheet includes six criteria, and each criterion is worth ten points. The highest
possible score for each score sheet is 60 points. Each unit is judged by three judges;
therefore, the highest possible unit score is 180 points. Because there are six units, the
highest possible class score is 1,080 points. Because classes testify on two days, the
highest possible total class score is 2,160 points.
Classes qualify for the top ten by earning combined scores from the first two days of
competition. The national winner is determined by doubling the third-day scores and
adding them to the total scores for the first two days. The highest score possible for
the national finals is 4,320 points.