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BMSAQ Junior Challenge Entries Now Open!
A 35 minute, 80 multiple choice question challenge. The questions on the Senior Challenge are accessible yet still challenge those with more experience.
Already registered? Order challenges here.
Time Limit
35 minutes
Price
First set £20 (€24) then,
£13 (€16) per set.
NB: Each set consists of 10 entries.
Challenge Date
Challenge: 14th November 2024
Paper Entries: 24th October 2024
Online Entries: 7th November 2024
Age
England & Wales: Year 13 and below
Scotland: S6 and below
Northern Ireland: Year 14 and below
Rep. Ireland: 6th Year and below
Meet the Senior Challenge.
We colourfully reimagined learning to be more independent, more 'life-long' and even more fun. With a competitive quiz style designed to challenge students' knowledge across four core topics, BMSAQ delivers a powerful way to create curiosity and foster students' love for learning. Additionally, students can build their self-confidence and esteem through successfully answering questions and growing connections with other like-minded students, making the BMSAQ a versatile, incredible experience for students.
Explore a world of topics...
The BMSAQ is the only challenge bringing a matrix of topics all together and ensuring a smooth and accessible experience for all learners. From Geography and History to Culture and Science, the BMSAQ is designed to challenge and inspire all kinds of learners.
80 multiple choice questions.
The BMSAQ Challenge is divided into four exciting sections consisting of 20 questions. All questions have four options. There's no penalty for answering incorrectly.
Tailored to your style.
We recognise the diverse range of schools and students competing and have developed our competition to meet the needs of everyone competing. Whether you prefer the traditional feel of pen and paper or choose to sit the exam on a computer, we will handle everything so you can relax.
How it works
Oh. So. Simple
Register your school
Purchase entries
Sit challenge
Receive results
Online Challenge
The online format allows students to use a computer, laptop, or tablet to compete. It's easy to use and students can practice using the online platform from our website, at any time.
Logging in:
After you purchase entries, we will email you a list of individual usernames and passwords that students can use to access the Challenge.
Let students know that they can attempt the questions in any order and can always go back to change an answer. Their answers will be saved immediately. At the end of the Challenge, they must select the 'submit' option beneath question 80.
Please note: Teachers are fully responsible for ensuring students are not allocated more than 35 minutes to complete the Challenge (unless a student requires extra).
Once your students have finished, you do not need to do anything further.
Paper Challenge
Students can sit the challenge on paper booklets, similar to a formal exam. There's no need to worry about printing! Before the exam, we will post the question and answer sheets to your school. The Challenge should be sat in school and under exam conditions, with no exceptions.
Students must record their answers on a separate multiple-choice answer sheet. A template of this answer sheet can be viewed before the challenge here. Students will need to fill in their candidate number (which will be emailed to you) on the answer sheet.
After the challenge, you must scan each student's answer sheet and download them to your computer. You must email this file to BMSAQ before the deadline closes. You do not need to upload any question booklets or rough worksheets. These can be kept safe until the results are released, when you may return them to students (if wished).
Awards and Scoring
Awards are given out on a percentage basis and the minimum raw marks change each year to reflect any changes in difficulty. The top-scoring 49% of students are awarded each year. Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze are awarded to students scoring in the top 10th, 20th, 35th and 49th percentile respectively. Students that are best in school, county, nation and the student best across the UK & Ireland (overall highest) will also be awarded specially. Students not amongst the top scorers will receive a Certificate of Participation. See more about our awards here.
Why Join?
Challenge. Discover. Succeed.
The BMSAQ is versatile and benefits endless needs. Whether you’re promoting life-long curiosity and individual learning or looking to add more to your university application, our challenges are a fun and powerful way to do so. Here are just a few of the countless reasons you should join the BMSAQ.
Magically creating lifelong learners.
We have made learning fun and rewarding, bringing curiosity back into the minds of teenagers. Quizzing dates back centuries. It motivates students by sparking friendly competition with their peers, driving them to study harder. They build confidence and boost their self-esteem as they successfully answer questions that go beyond the narrow bounds of the national curriculum in Geography, History, Science and Culture. Quizzing often leads to discussions and further exploration of topics, fostering curiosity and a love for learning. Through the BMSAQ, students become more active learners without even realising.
Get things done
quickly and easily.
Signing up for the BMSAQ is fast and easy process with our intuitive user-friendly website. Sign up with just a few clicks, then we'll handle the rest. Our dedicated support team is here to assist you every step of the way, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience from registration to results.
Refer a new school to join and get 10 free entries each.
With BMSAQ Referrals, just refer us an eligible school to join and get an extra 10 free entries each whenever they sign up.*
FAQs
Do I need to print out challenge papers?
No, we print and deliver all papers. All papers should arrive at your school at least one week before the challenge date. If your papers have not arrived at least one week before the challenge you should contact us immediately. We will be able to rectify the issue and provide peace of mind.
Are there any access arrangements for students entitled to extra time?
BMSAQ will award candidates who normally receive additional time for any formal UK/ Ireland recognised exam to receive an additional 25% extra time in all papers because of their impairment which substantially impacts upon a student's reading, writing and processing skills. The member of staff organising the BMSAQ within a college must lead on awarding the access arrangement of extra time within his/her centre.
More information regarding access arrangements can be found on our 'Teacher's Information' webpage here.
How does scoring work?
All BMSAQ Challenges have a possible 80 marks which students can achieve. Each question is worth one mark. There are NO marks deducted for a wrong answer.
What formats can I use to compete in the challenge
The Challenge can be completed in a paper format or online. If you choose to compete using the online format, students will need to have a computer, laptop or tablet.
How do I pay for the question papers?
When ordering your challenges we will ask you to provide an email for us to invoice. This can be your email or your school's finance office. After you confirm your order we will send an invoice to the email you have specified. Invoices can be paid via BACS or cheque.
When and how do I submit my students' answer sheets?
You must scan and send your student's answer sheets to us on the day they sit the challenge. On the day of the Challenge, we will send you an email reminder.
How do I scan my students answer sheets?
Firstly, you will need to scan the paper answer sheets to your computer. Your files can be up to 100MB. This should be more than enough to upload all your answer sheets in 1 file, however, if not you will need to put them into several different files and send them together. It does not matter what these files are called.
Tips:
Use a sheet-fed scanner to create a PDF file
Do NOT use a cell phone PDF scanner app, which will alter the layout and hide glare marks.
Scan papers between 100-300 PPI
Scan in Grayscale, black and white or colour.
One answer sheet per page
Maximum File Size of 100MB
Please note: Do not upload any rough work, blank sheets, seating plans or answer booklets.
Can my students take home their answer booklets or answer sheets?
No, your students must not take home any materials on the day of the challenge. This is to accommodate any schools who may be taking the challenge at another time.
However, if you wish to hold these materials in a safe location, students can collect them after results have been released. This is not mandatory.
Getting Ready?
Try our Specimen Paper
Download BMSAQ's free specimen paper to help students achieve better results. All our resources are available for immediate download or online practice.
* The referrer and the referee will be entitled to:(a) 10 online entries (1 set) free of charge each; or (b) 10 paper entries (1 set) for the reduced price of £4.99 each.Referee schools must be new to the competition to be eligible. Rewards are subject to the referrer and referee each purchasing at least one entry set.
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