Training for Jeopardy!

General Memory Chat
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Has anyone here tried out for Jeopardy!? I have taken the online test the last few years, and this past year I think I got close. I counted 34 correct (out of 50). Jeopardy! never publishes what is considered “passing”, but the scuttlebutt in the jboard.tv forums (the amazing Jeopardy! forum), is that you need to get 36-38 correct to be put in the pool for a callback for an audition. I’m thinking that my increasing memory skills may make my task a little easier in many respects.

The toughest thing about Jeopardy! is the breadth of subjects covered. The 50-question online test draws from 50 different categories! So your knowledge doesn’t have to be deep, just broad. For anyone who has watched the show for a while, you know that some of the popular categories deal with Geography, Literature, History, Science, Television, Film, Sports, Food & Drink, etc. The wonderful J-Archive has the clues and responses from almost all of the shows in the Trebek era, and is an incredible tool for practice.

Obviously, some things are mandatory for being on the show. You must know US and World Capitals cold, as well as bodies of water, flags, famous world leaders, wars, etc . You need to know the names of the US Presidents and their ordinal number and years served. Famous authors and their most famous works are fair game, as well as famous actors, movies, tv shows, Best Picture and Actor/Actress awards, etc. You must know all the Shakespeare plays (at least the name of the play, it’s synopsis, major characters, and famous quotes. The periodic table is fair game, at least the most common elements and their symbols. Famous inventors, scientists, poets, etc. are frequently seen. Food and drink questions show up from time to time (the famous “Potent Potables” category).

Then there’s classical music (composer’s country of origin and major works), ballets, major works of art, etc. The sports questions are pretty basic, but it helps to know the names of the major US teams and their cities, as well as some of the famous athletes. There are many other categories that are tested that I haven’t mentioned.

Anyone interesting in forming a little side-group to come up with strategies, techniques, and motivate each other to try out for the show?

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I would gladly work on this with you. I passed the online test in 2014 and was invited to an audition last year, but haven’t been on the show. I was able to pass the test before I began to use mnemonic techniques, but I think mnemonic techniques would make success on the show much more likely. Let me know what you had in mind.

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Hi, clusty. We seem to be of a similar mindset! I was thinking we could: 1) Agree on which subjects to memorize, 2) Agree on a memory method to use, 3) actually start memorizing and share progress with each other, and 4) revise methods as needed and discuss other strategies (betting, etc.).

If you want, I can start a Google Spreadsheet with each tab devoted to a subject to memorize. You, and any other members who choose to join, can add tabs as they come up with subjects to study. On each sheet we can list methods of memorization (method of loci, association, stories, etc), and maybe come up with ideas to keep members motivated and refine the memory methods.

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Would it help to learn all of the answers to Trivial Pursuit questions?

(I’ve not seen the show, sorry!)

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It’s interesting that you mention Trivial Pursuit, Graham. Dominic O’Brien mentions in one of his books that one of his public displays he did one time was memorize all 7,000 cards of the base game of Trivial Pursuit! I’m sure there is crossover of some sort between the questions of this game and Jeopardy!, but in general, Jeopardy covers a broader variety of subjects, and doesn’t get quite so trivial as Trivial Pursuit. On Jeopardy!, you’d never get a question about the name of the family dog on the Brady Bunch, for example. But you might get a clue like “This 60’s and 70’s sitcom featured two single parents blending their families”. The correct response being “What is ‘The Brady Bunch’?”

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OK, here’s a start. I created a Google spreadsheet with many tabs. I put the title of a subject on each tab. I put the tabs in order from left to right by my own perceived idea of how important they are to know on the show. Those who decide to work on this project with me can add tabs for their own subject ideas, and we can discuss where to place them in the order. I’ve started working on the first tab, US Presidents. I figure at a minimum you need to know the names, order, and years served. There are many other things you can study about US Presidents, of course, such as their Vice Presidents, their wives, major events that occurred during their watch, their party, etc. But this is just a start.

Then I mention an idea for a technique for memorizing. I am trying to use the wonderful J-Archive to give me ideas about subjects and how often they crop up. I wish there were some way to extract all that data from the thousands of games that are archived and analyze it. Anyone out there a database expert? I do love the search function on that archive. You can search for “George Washington”, and all the clues or responses including those terms that are from any of the shows in the archive will show. It’s a great way to study a particular item, and discover the many different ways the Jeopardy! writers have worded a particular clue.

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Just curious, did anyone in this group ever make it to Jeopardy?

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